VA Reform Bill Will Help New Hampshire Veterans Access Timely Care Closer to Home

Press Release

As part of her longstanding bipartisan efforts to improve access to health care for New Hampshire veterans, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) voted today for legislation she co-sponsored that includes a key provision she fought for that will give veterans the option of seeking care from a private provider if they reside in a state without a full-service VA medical facility - such as New Hampshire - and live more than 20 miles from the nearest full-service VA hospital. The Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve the bill, which also makes it easier to fire VA officials for misconduct - a key component of separate legislation, the VA Management Accountability Act, that Senator Ayotte cosponsored.

"This legislation is good news for New Hampshire veterans, many of whom have been forced to endure hours-long trips to receive medical care that frequently takes them out of state," said Senator Ayotte. "Since arriving in the Senate, I've worked to give our veterans more choice when it comes to where they access care. This bipartisan bill is a major breakthrough for veterans in New Hampshire - the only state in the nation that effectively lacks a full-service VA hospital or contract equivalent - and veterans across our country."

She continued: "The recent failures at the VA highlight the urgent need for tough accountability measures, and this bill includes common sense reforms to make it easier to fire or reprimand VA employees who have engaged in misconduct."

KEY PROVISIONS:

*Access to Non-VA Care:

oIncludes a two-year provision requiring the VA to pay for outside medical care for veterans who are unable to get prompt treatment from the agency or who live at least 40 miles from a VA facility.

oAllows veterans in states without a full-service VA hospital, like New Hampshire, to seek care from a private provider if they live more than 20 miles from the nearest full-service VA hospital. This provision allows the vast majority of New Hampshire veterans to utilize non-VA health care providers should they choose to do so, potentially avoiding long drives and wait times for appointments.

*Firing VA Employees - Makes it easier for the VA secretary to fire or demote agency officials based on performance.

*Accountability Measures - Requires the VA to establish goals for appointment wait times and publish wait times at each VA medical facility.

Working closely with New Hampshire's veterans service organizations, Senator Ayotte has successfully advanced bipartisan efforts to expand access to care for veterans - including the opening of two VA clinics in Colebrook and Berlin. She also led the New Hampshire congressional delegation's support of an application to establish a partnership between VAMC Manchester and Dartmouth Medical School.

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