May 23, 2018
WASHINGTON – The Senate passed the VA MISSION Act of 2018 on Wednesday with a vote of 92-5. The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. thanks the senators who put veterans and their caregivers first and voted in favor of the bill. It will now head to the desk of President Donald Trump, who has indicated he will sign it.
The VA MISSION Act is a bipartisan bill that improves VA’s ability to hire high-quality health care professionals, consolidate and improve VA community care programs, expand caregiver benefits to pre-9/11 veterans, and establish a process to evaluate and reform VA’s capital infrastructure to better serve veterans.
“This historic legislation is the result of years of negotiating what role the private sector should play in providing care to America’s veterans,” said Keith Harman, national commander of the 1.7-million member VFW and its Auxiliary. “The VA MISSION Act helps provide veterans with the care they earned and deserve. It helps improve the VA health care system while relying on the private sector when needed, striking the right balance in order to make sure veterans have the best care possible.”
“As we prepare to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, we are grateful that our government continues to support the veterans who need care when they come home,” he said. “We urge President Donald Trump to sign the VA MISSION Act as soon as possible.”