Collins, King, Pingree, Poliquin Urge Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Fix Choice Program, Ensure Maine Veterans Receive Timely Care

Statement

Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert McDonald urging him to take immediate action to improve the implementation of the Choice Program and ensure that all veterans in Maine receive timely care.

"Our staff recently participated in a roundtable discussion on the implementation of the Choice Program in Maine along with representatives from the Veterans Affairs Maine Healthcare System, Health Net Federal Services, Veterans Service Organizations, and community care providers," Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Poliquin wrote in their letter. "Based on that meeting, as well as additional feedback from Maine constituents, we firmly believe that implementation of the Choice Program in our state remains deeply flawed. According to the VA, only 48 percent of eligible Choice Program patients have received the appointments they need and have requested. This is entirely unacceptable and must be addressed."

On January 28, 2016, representatives from the offices of Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Poliquin participated in a roundtable discussion on the implementation of the Choice Program, which was created to allow veterans to receive care within their communities instead of waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility. However, as discussion participants indicated, the implementation of the program in Maine has been deeply flawed, leading to more than half of eligible veterans not receiving the care they need and deserve.

As a result, the Maine Congressional Delegation today urged Secretary McDonald to take the following immediate actions:

Work with Health Net to hire personnel in Maine who can work with the Maine VA Health Care System to strengthen Health Net's provider network based on existing and projected need;
Provide its state medical centers, including the Maine VA Health Care System, the necessary flexibility and authority to continue using traditional non-VA community care programs to refer patients into the community; and
Continue the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) program and incorporate the successes of that program into the VA's larger community care model.

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