WASHINGTON, D.C.–Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3230, the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 with a vote of 420-5. After passage, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02) released the following statement:

“At a time when not enough is getting done in Congress, I am extremely pleased the House and the Senate could come together to do what is right for our nation’s veterans.  Our veterans have suffered for too long because of the incompetence and lack of accountability at the VA. This legislation is a good first step toward addressing the systemic failures in our veterans’ healthcare delivery system by improving access and timeliness to quality healthcare for our veterans and provide real accountability to the VA.

“I am proud to represent elite military communities in my district. The men and women who have served and continue to devote their lives deserve the highest quality of care we have to offer.”

Items To Note: (provided by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs)

• Creates a “Veterans Choice Fund” which will allow veterans to receive non-VA care if such veteran is unable to secure an appointment at a VA medical facility within 30 days, or resides more than 40 miles from the nearest VA medical facilities.

• Requires an independent assessment of VA medical care and establishes a Congressional Commission on Care to evaluate access to care and systemic shortcomings through the VA health care system.

• Increases access to care through the hiring of physicians and other medical staff and by improving VA’s physical infrastructure.

• Authorizes VA to fire or demote Senior Executive Service (SES) employees and Title 38 SES equivalent employees for poor performance or misconduct.

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