González-Colón, Takano, Bost, Brownley and Ross advocate for better health care services to veterans in underserved areas
Washington, D.C. – House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-CA) and Ranking Member Mike Bost (R-IL), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health Julia Brownley (D-CA), and U.S. Representative Deborah Ross (D-PA) joined Congresswoman Jenniffer González Colón (R-PR) on a bipartisan letter directing the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the process for the Department of Veterans Affairs' designating facilities or areas as "underserved", and ensuring adequate health care access for veterans living in underserved areas through VA and in the community.
The letter aims to build on the VA MISSION ACT of 2018 by requesting GAO's Comptroller General Gene Dodaro to examine how VA designates underserved facilities, the availability of specialty services, how VA makes timely referrals via the Community Care Program, and actions VA has taken to address healthcare access issues.
"Our veterans who are currently living in underserved areas, including my constituents in Puerto Rico, face unique challenges when seeking healthcare for their service-connected injuries. Puerto Rico veterans waited 168 days on average for a colonoscopy in 2019. While VA Caribbean has done an exceptional job reducing the wait time down to 48 days in 2021, our facilities need additional help. This is exactly why Congress created the underserved facility designation, and I look forward to the GAOs analysis of how VA can improve their use of this designation. I thank my colleagues for joining this effort to benefit our veteran's in Puerto Rico and across our nation," said Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón.
"As Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I know VA provides world class healthcare. However, it is clear that we need to do more to improve health equity and strengthen VA's ability to provide direct care to veterans living in rural communities, our territories, and other areas where the surrounding community may not have the capacity to comprehensively care for our veterans. I'm glad I could join this bipartisan request, and I look forward to learning more from GAO about how VA can improve the delivery of healthcare in underserved areas," said Chairman Takano.
"Veterans in rural, remote, or hard-to-reach areas face unique challenges when it comes to accessing care from VA," said Ranking Member Bost. "I thank my friend, Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón, for leading this letter to the Government Accountability Office to get to the bottom of how VA is serving these veterans and ensuring that they can get the services they have earned, no matter where they live. I am honored to join her and our colleagues in making this request and look forward to reviewing GAO's findings."
"A key goal within the VA MISSION Act was to improve health equity and ensure all veterans can access the full spectrum of care they need — no matter where they reside," said Congresswoman Brownley. "I am pleased to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to request GAO study the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) facilities in medically underserved areas. This review will aid congressional oversight and provide Congress the necessary information to ensure VA is delivering care to America's veterans across the country and throughout underserved areas."
"Veterans in North Carolina, across the country, and in our territories should not face barriers when trying to access the health care and benefits they earned in uniform. I'm pleased to join my colleagues in urging GAO to review the VA's work to meet the needs of health facilities delivering essential care. To ensure that every veteran in every area receives timely, quality health care, it's crucial that we understand where we can improve and how we can better support the work of VA facilities in medically underserved areas," said Congresswoman Ross.
A copy of the letter can be found here.