WASHINGTON – As Virginia and the nation continue to celebrate Military Appreciation Month, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) re-introduced a series of veterans-related bills. The legislation is aimed at removing administrative roadblocks to Veterans Administration (VA) services and improving the customer experience within the VA.
"Our Veterans made great sacrifices for us on the battlefield and we owe them a debt of gratitude for that service,” Rep. Wittman said. “These bills make it easier for Veterans to access services within the VA and improves the care they receive once they are in the system. We have made great strides recently in improving the VA’s level of care for our Veterans. But we have more work to do. My hope is that these bills can be part of that ongoing effort.”
Rep. Wittman introduced three veterans bills, information on each is below.
The Veterans Choice Accountability Act expands veteran access to non-VA medical care and establishes a review of the VA’s implementation of the Veteran’s Choice Program.
The Veterans Collaboration Act creates a VA pilot program to foster collaboration between qualified non-profit veterans service organizations (VSOs) and educational institutions that provide assistance to veterans.
The Veterans Affairs Transfer of Information and Sharing of Disability Examination Procedures with DoD Doctors Act requires that the service member's separation physical examinations conducted by military doctors be used to determine service connected disability. This would speed up access to care for veterans by not subjecting them to another round of medical screenings before a disability rating is issued. The bill also continues to demand that the VA and DoD share medical and service record data electronically.
