WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) in introducing the Protecting Veteran Community Care Act. The legislation would strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) existing Community Care program and bolster veterans’ access to mental health services. It would also hold the VA accountable to Congress for the full implementation of the VA MISSION Act.

“Thousands of veterans call Iowa home, and each one deserves high-quality, accessible health care, including mental health care. Our legislation would strengthen the VA MISSION Act to ensure veterans can access quality care, close to home, in a timely manner,” Grassley said.

“Our nation’s veterans have put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, and the last thing they should have to worry about is mismanagement and delays at the VA. I’m proud to work with my colleagues on this bill to strengthen the availability of community based mental health programs and ensure that our veterans have access to the care and resources that they deserve,” Daines said.

"Providing for those who've defended our nation is the VA's core purpose. This means Wyoming's courageous veterans deserve top-tier healthcare services regardless of their geographic location. I remain committed to ensuring veterans throughout our state can access the medical care they've earned in their local communities," Lummis said.

Specifically, the Protecting Veteran Community Care Act would: 

  • Amend the VA MISSION Act to specifically include inpatient mental health standards
  • Establish minimum standards for community residential programs 
  • Address the VA’s subversion of Community Care access standards 
  • Require the VA to track relevant community care data and provide those statistics to Congress

Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

Background:

The Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) allows veterans to receive care in their local communities when they cannot receive it at a VA facility. When veterans use community care, the VA will pay for the veteran’s health care.

Last Congress, Grassley and Daines, along with Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), sent a letter scrutinizing a VA report suggesting the agency was unethically limiting veterans’ access to community care networks. In a letter to then-VA Secretary Denis McDonough, the senators demanded to know how the VA is protecting health care options for veterans. These efforts echo concerns Grassley raised in 2022, when he requested information on the VA’s progress towards implementing community care standards.

 

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