Veterans' Access to Child Care Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 840, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act.
In 2017, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that under similar legislation to what we are considering today, the VA each year would need to process about 665,000 claims for reimbursement of childcare each year.
The VA has a history filled with delays and difficulty in processing claims for veterans.
As my staff and I have worked with veterans in our Texas 27th District, we too often hear from veterans about the trouble they have encountered with the VA. From delays in processing benefit claims, to wait times in scheduling appointments; veterans have often waited months, sometimes years from hearing back from the VA on their request or receiving reimbursement for payments due them.
Should this bill pass, the VA will have to process a considerable amount of childcare claims each year; therefore, we must ensure that there is oversight in the VA's progress in paying veterans and private care providers for childcare.
My amendment would inject accountability into this program by requiring the VA to submit an annual report to Congress on how the processing of claims is going.
Specifically, the report would include data on the number of childcare claims filed each year, the number of staffers required to process a claim, the average cost of each claim, and how long it takes the VA to process a claim.
If there is a backlog of unprocessed claims, the VA must report on the backlog and how it is working to resolve the needs of the affected veterans.
Finally, the VA must report on any improper or duplicative payments made for this program.
Ultimately, my amendment would close the gap in this legislation by giving the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and the VSOs important data they otherwise wouldn't have.
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Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for his support.
Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. Roe), the ranking member.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this amendment to require an annual report on the processing of claims for childcare assistance.
VA has made improvements in recent years in the speed at which community providers are being reimbursed for the services they provide to veteran patients, however, claims processing remains an area where VA struggles; to be kind to them, struggles.
We must take steps to ensure that veterans and childcare providers who are awaiting reimbursement pursuant to this bill are not left waiting like many veterans and community providers have been previously.
Mr. Chair, I am grateful to Congressman Cloud for his leadership and sponsoring this amendment and I look forward to joining him in its support.
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Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Chair, I urge the passage of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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