Hoeven Presses VA Under Secretary to Improve Veterans Services, Allow Access to Local Providers

Press Release

At a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee, Senator John Hoeven this week pressed U.S. Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy on two issues important to North Dakota veterans. The first was to provide veterans with greater access to local services when they live far from a Veterans Affairs Administration (VA) hospital, and also to allow veterans more options for long-term care (LTC) services in their home communities.

"We need to do all we can to ensure that veterans have timely access to the health care they need, and that they have access to local long-term care services if necessary," Hoeven said. "These are two of the most tangible and meaningful ways we can say thank you for their sacrifices on our behalf."

Provider Agreements

Hoeven pressed the undersecretary on the need to expand the VA's authority to enter into provider agreements with extended care facilities. These include nursing centers, geriatric evaluation, domiciliary services, adult day health care, respite care, and palliative care, hospice care, and home health care, expanding the availability of these services for veterans.

Currently, the VA is authorized to enter into contracts with extended care providers enabling them to provide services to veterans, but onerous federal reporting requirements have prevented many LTC facilities from admitting VA patients. As a result, only 15 out of 80 nursing homes currently contract with the VA in North Dakota.

In contrast, the same LTC facilities contracting with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have no such reporting requirements. They need only comply with federal hiring practices. In February 2013, the VA issued a proposed rule that would make the VA reporting requirements for providers the same as they are for CMS, which means more long term care facilities can serve veterans. That would give our former servicemen and women more options to get services closer to home, family and friends. Now, however, the VA requires the statuary authority from Congress to make this change permanent. Hoeven is working to reintroduce legislation, which would allow extended care facilities to enter to into provider agreements.

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