Daines Statement on House Passage of Veterans Conference Report

Press Release

Representative Steve Daines issued the following statement on the House passage of the Veterans Conference Report with strong bipartisan support:

"I've long called for reforms that bring accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and I'm pleased that the House and Senate have come together to pass reforms that begin to address the systemic problems plaguing the VA. These reforms will help ensure that Montana veterans are able to receive care promptly and closer to home. But the work to deliver the care our veterans deserve is not finished. Our veterans deserve the very best, and I will continue fighting to ensure they receive the care and services they have earned."

Daines is a cosponsor of two VA reform bills with provisions that were included in the conference report approved by the House today:

The Veterans Access to Care Act would require the VA to offer non-VA care at the department's expense to any enrolled veteran who cannot get a timely appointment or who lives more than 40 miles away from a VA medical facility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act would give the VA Secretary the authority to remove employees of the Senior Executive Service who presided over negligence or mismanagement.

Daines was among the first House members to call for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation following reports of VA facilities purposely hiding delays in treatments and problems that resulted in preventable deaths of veterans awaiting health care services.

Last week, Daines sent a letter to President Obama that expressed his support for former Procter & Gamble CEO Bob McDonald as VA Secretary and urged the Senate to quickly approve the President's nomination. McDonald was confirmed by the Senate yesterday on a 97-0 vote.

Earlier this month, Daines helped introduce the bipartisan Clay Hunt SAV Act to improve access and quality of mental health care available to the nation's veterans and returning service members in an effort to prevent veteran suicide.

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