Press Release: Veteran Action Issues Key Vote Urging Support for the Take Care of America's Veterans Act
Veteran Action issues a Key Vote Alert urging members of Congress to vote YES on the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (S. 4744/H.R. 9237), comprehensive legislation introduced by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran and House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost. The bill saves veteran lives and protects the rights veterans earn through their service.
The legislation builds on President Trump's first-term record: the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 and the VA MISSION Act of 2018. The MISSION Act established the framework for veteran health care choice. The Take Care of America's Veterans Act mandates its full operational implementation. It serves the 9 million veterans who use the VA health care system, delivers real choice, and strips power from the bureaucrats who deny veterans access to community care.
The bill codifies access standards for VA health care: 20 days or a 30-minute drive time for primary and mental health care, and 28 days or a 60-minute drive time for specialty care. It requires the VA to notify veterans of their community care eligibility within five days, stopping schedulers from canceling appointments and restarting the wait-time clock. It also requires the VA to modernize its systems, giving veterans the ability to make and track appointments, track referrals and medical claims, and appeal community care denials.
The bill incorporates Veteran Action's top legislative priority, the Veterans' ACCESS Act, which expands health care access and holds the VA accountable.
Mark Lucas, Founder and President of Veteran Action, released the following statement:
"We wholeheartedly support the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. This bill includes our top legislative priority: the Veterans' ACCESS Act, which expands health care access and holds the VA accountable."
Veteran health care commands overwhelming bipartisan support. A Veteran Action/Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,516 military likely voters finds 90 percent support giving veterans the choice to use their VA health care benefits at providers outside the VA system. Seventy-five percent say they are more likely to support a congressional candidate who backs the Veterans' ACCESS Act, the centerpiece of this bill.
By issuing a Key Vote, Veteran Action notifies lawmakers that their position on this legislation affects their score on the Veteran Action Scorecard. The scores of lawmakers who oppose the bill will be negatively impacted.
KEY VOTE: "YES" on the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (S. 4744/H.R. 9237)
Veteran Action is an organization advocating for America First policies that strengthen national security and provide support to veterans.