WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) on July 17 announced his support for legislation that would provide emergency funding to the Veterans Choice Program, which helps veterans across Maine and the nation receive health within their communities.
The program is facing an unexpected funding shortfall and, according to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, is likely to run out of money in early August.
“The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has warned us that unless Congress takes action, veterans across Maine and America are at risk of losing the care through the Veterans Choice Program. That’s simply unacceptable,” King said in a press release.
“This legislation would ensure that the VA has the funding it needs to carry out its mission and ensure that veterans have easy access to the high-quality care and services that they have not only earned but deserve.”
The Veterans Access to Care Act of 2017, introduced by Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, would provide $4.3 billion in funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to fund the Veterans Choice Program through the end of the 2018 fiscal year. The bill would also authorize funding for the proposed CBOC in Portland, which would consolidate the existing Saco and Portland CBOCs and enhance VA outpatient services.
To read a copy of the Veterans Access to Care Act of 2017, click HERE.
In January, Senator King, along with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), introduced the Providing Veterans Overdue Care Act, bipartisan legislation that would authorize pending leases for 24 VA medical facilities, including the proposed CBOC in Portland.
