WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) questioned the Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh during a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Hearing about the KC-46 Tanker, McConnell Air Force Base, and Kansas National Guard equities regarding Forbes Field cyber capabilities.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, along with U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and 39 of their colleagues raised serious concerns about the implementation of the Veterans Choice Card program.

The program was established by Congress last year in response to the nationwide crisis of veterans’ access to care, but has yet to be implemented as Congress envisioned. The program allows veterans who live more than 40 miles from the closest VA facility, or who face a significant delay in scheduling an appointment, to access non-VA care.

"The VA is construing the eligibility criteria as it relates to the 40-mile rule so narrowly that it is excluding too many who are far away from the care that they need,” wrote the senators. In addition, the Administration has said that it plans to propose reallocating funds for the Veterans Choice Program to other VA accounts. Sen. Moran spoke about this issue on the Senate Floor earlier this month.

The senators urged Secretary McDonald to make certain that funding provided by Congress is being used to implement the Veterans Choice Program to the fullest extent possible.

Sen. Moran has introduced legislation, the Veterans Access to Community Care Act of 2015 (S. 207), requiring the VA to utilize the authority Congress gave it to offer community care to veterans who currently are unable to receive the healthcare services they need from a VA medical facility within 40 miles of where they live.

The full text of the letter is below and can be viewed below.

The Honorable Robert McDonald

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Avenue 

Washington, D.C.  20420

Dear Secretary McDonald:

Since November 1, 2014, the Choice Card, as provided under the recently enacted Veterans Choice, Access, and Accountability Act of 2014, has been distributed to approximately 8.5 million Veterans nationwide, yet less than one percent of recipients – 0.37 percent – have been authorized to access non-VA care through this program.   With this in mind, we write to convey serious concerns regarding your implementation of the Choice Card Program with respect to funding for the program in connection with the Fiscal Year 2016 Presidential Budget Request and your interpretation of the 40-mile rule as provided under the Act.  We ask you to address both of these concerns immediately.    

First, we were dismayed to learn from the President’s Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request that the Department of Veterans Affairs intends to submit a legislative proposal that would reallocate part of the funding for the Veterans Choice Program to other programs within the VA.  It is deeply disturbing that the Administration would try to reduce funding for this program before this program has even been allowed to work – being in existence for only a few short months – and as barriers to care continue to exist.  Instead, the Department should make certain that funding provided by Congress is being used to implement the Veterans Choice Program to the fullest extent possible.

Second, the VA is construing the eligibility criteria as it relates to the 40-mile rule so narrowly that it is excluding too many who are far away from the care that they need.  As you know, the Choice Program provides Veterans with the option to receive non-VA health care rather than waiting for a VA appointment if there is a significant delay in scheduling an appointment or a Veteran has to travel more than 40 miles to receive VA care.  While many Veterans are satisfied with care provided through the VA Health Care System, trips to VA medical centers can be difficult for rural Veterans, especially those who are elderly or ill.  Because long drive times are a hardship for these individuals and can present a significant barrier to accessing care, many Veterans anticipated using their Choice Cards when Congress established the Choice Program last year.  

The VA’s definition of the eligibility criteria is too narrow in two important respects. First, the VA does not consider the type of care available within 40 miles of where a Veteran lives.  In many areas across the nation, the effect is that those who need services only available at a VA medical center, but who live near a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic, are prevented from using the Choice Card to access specialty care in their local community.  While the Clinic may be within 40 miles, the VA hospital offering the required care is often more than 40 miles and hours of travel time away.

Second, the VA measures the 40 miles “as the crow flies” and not the actual distance that the Veteran would have to travel.  Congress’ intent was to establish a pilot program that would allow Veterans to access non-VA care when they face an obstacle to care, whether it be an unacceptable distance to care or wait time for care.  Given the clear intent of Congress to reduce barriers to care, it is perplexing that the VA is not using its authority to allow non-VA care for those who face a geographic challenge in accessing care, including long drive times or health conditions that make travel difficult.  The impact of such an interpretation is to exclude from the program many of the Veterans for whom Congress aimed to make health care more accessible.  For Veterans in remote and rural areas with limited transportation access, this could mean the difference between 30 minutes and half a day of travel. 

As Secretary, you already have the authority to modify the way that the distance criteria is calculated so that the Choice Program is implemented as Congress intended, and we urge you to rectify the overly narrow definition without delay.  Additionally, we urge you to stop any attempt to propose a reallocation of funds designed to kill the Choice Card program in its infancy.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued the following statement on President Obama’s decision to veto the bipartisan Keystone XL pipeline legislation:

“Though not surprising, it is frustrating that President Obama vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline legislation. This decision prioritizes special interest politics over energy security and American jobs. The President said he was ‘eager to work with the new Congress,’ but has already issued 12 veto threats in addition to today’s veto. There is overwhelming support for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline because Americans understand the importance of this project to job creation and increasing the supply of North American energy.”

Unfortunately, the White House has refused to approve the permit application for the remaining 1,200 miles of pipeline to be built, despite President Obama’s own State Department’s view that this project can move forward. The Administration’s delays have prevented the creation of new, well-paying jobs and economic growth for Americans.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced that the bipartisan Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act has been signed into law. The legislation, which is sponsored by Sen. Moran and passed Senate on Feb. 3, 2015, and the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 12, 2015, will provide critical measures to improve mental health care and increase suicide prevention resources for American service members.              

“Today is a monumental day for our nation’s veterans. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act will be instrumental in developing a VA system capable of offering first-rate mental health care services, as well as utilizing the expertise of outside organizations to provide support for those struggling with the invisible wounds of war,” Sen. Moran said. “As this law goes into effect, I am hopeful that families who have lost loved ones may take comfort in knowing the VA is committed to suicide prevention. I am proud to have sponsored this legislation and will keep working to find solutions and to hold the VA accountable when it comes to providing our nation’s veterans with the timely, high-quality and specialized care they earned.”

The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, introduced by U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), will require third-party evaluation of existing suicide prevention programs at the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to gauge their effectiveness and make recommendations for consolidation, elimination or improvement. It will also provide for a new website that offers veterans information regarding available mental healthcare services; create a pilot loan repayment program for VA psychiatrists; and improve the exchange of training, best practices, and other resources among the VA, Veteran Service Organizations (VSO), and nonprofit mental health organizations to enhance collaboration of suicide prevention efforts.

The bill was named for Clay Hunt, a Marine veteran who committed suicide in March 2011 at the age of 28. Clay enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 2005 and deployed to Anbar Province, near Fallujah, in January 2007. He was shot in the wrist by a sniper’s bullet that barely missed his head, earning him a Purple Heart. Clay recuperated at Twenty Nine Palms, Calif., and then graduated from Marine Corps Scout Sniper School in March 2008. He redeployed to southern Afghanistan a few weeks later. His unit returned in late October 2008 and he was honorably discharged from the Marines in April 2009. After returning home, Clay suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for many years and struggled with inadequate care at his local VA hospital before taking his own life.

The legislation is supported by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. 

During a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on Nov. 19, 2014, Sen. Moran pressed the VA on the importance of supporting veterans struggling with mental health issues. Sen. Moran was moved to hear from Clay’s mom, Susan Selke, who testified before the committee. Susan shared her son’s story of reliving the traumatic experiences of war and his disappointment when the VA failed to offer the care he needed to treat his despair. To address the lack of mental health care professionals in the VA and improve suicide prevention over the last decade, Sen. Moran has asked the VA to utilize Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) to address the shortfall. The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, passed by Congress and signed into law in August, provides that a veteran can receive care from the doctor or provider of their choice if they live more than 40 miles from a VA medical center or Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC.) Sen. Moran raised concerns that many times a veteran will live near a VA facility, but that facility will not offer the mental health services they need. 

YOUTUBE LINK: Click here to watch Sen. Moran’s remarks on YouTube.