Veterans would gain greater access to community and long-term health care, under a measure now pending before the Senate. The bill, S-2193, would streamline the process in which the Department of Veterans Affairs enters agreements with private health-care providers. In turn, the providers would be able to hire and increase pay for staffers who provide such care.
The bill also contains a provision to expand the VA’s authority to lease medical facilities.
Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., sponsored the bill, known as the Caring for Our Veterans Act. Both are members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.