[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20325-20327]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      VETERANS DESERVE BETTER ACT

  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I want to speak about keeping promises 
to a very important group of Americans as well; that is, our men and 
women who are serving us as veterans and serving us in the military.
  Representing Michigan in the U.S. Senate is a great honor. I know it 
is for all of us. One of the best parts of the job is being able to 
work on behalf of Michigan's veterans.
  From the Civil War to the World Wars, to the Korean war, to Vietnam, 
the Cold War, the Gulf war, and our fight against terrorism, Michigan's 
veterans have given us their all. Our veterans have always been the 
first in line to defend our democracy. That is why they should never be 
at the back of any line--for a job, healthcare, housing, or a world-
class education.

[[Page 20326]]

  Unfortunately, there are times when our veterans aren't getting the 
benefits they deserve, have earned, and have been promised. When that 
happens, it is our duty to fight for those who fought for us. That is 
why, in 2014, Congress passed something called the Veterans Access, 
Choice, and Accountability Act, called the Veterans Choice Program.
  This legislation aimed to reduce wait times and provide medical 
services to veterans in their communities after we heard of very 
serious issues and horrible situations that had occurred for veterans 
in some parts of our country.
  The Veterans Choice Act was created to meet a real need--getting our 
veterans prompt healthcare in locations that are convenient for them. 
This program is especially critical for veterans in rural communities 
throughout Michigan as well as throughout the country--people in rural 
areas who were previously required to travel long distances, hours and 
hours, for services.
  However, since it was enacted, providers across my State and in many 
parts of the country have not been getting paid, rural hospitals have 
pulled out, and this program in Michigan has not been working.
  Worst of all, too many Michigan veterans and veterans across the 
country are struggling to get the appointments and the healthcare they 
need. That is why, last week, I introduced a bill I am calling the 
Veterans Deserve Better Act.
  This bill will help our veterans in three ways to be able to correct 
what is occurring right now in Michigan with a private contractor--a 
private provider who has not been doing the job. I have talked to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs who understands the problem and agrees 
this has to be fixed.
  My bill will improve the scheduling process for veterans seeking 
healthcare. They shouldn't have to wait weeks or months to be able to 
get an appointment with a doctor.
  Our military operates under the simple creed, ``Leave no person 
behind,'' but far too many of our veterans in need of healthcare are 
languishing in a system that simply isn't accountable to them. Through 
this private contracting process, that certainly has been the case.
  My bill would require the VA, and any outside contractors who are 
setting up healthcare appointments through the Veterans Choice Program, 
to provide veterans with more and better information, and if veterans 
are still struggling to get appointments, they will be told exactly how 
to file a complaint so it can get fixed.
  Second, my legislation will hold third-party contractors accountable. 
We have excellent service through our VA medical facilities, but this 
new system--which is supposed to make it better, quicker, and faster--
has not been working, and third-party contractors, at least in 
Michigan, have not been held accountable.
  The VA will track all appointments made through outside contractors 
who must schedule appointments within 5 days. Any appointments not 
scheduled within 5 days will be sent to the VA for followup.
  Within 30 days of this legislation being signed, third-party 
contractors will be required to submit a list of the veterans who have 
been waiting for more than 15 days for their appointments. I know of 
many waiting much longer. We don't leave soldiers on the battlefield. 
We shouldn't leave veterans to fight alone to get their healthcare 
needs met.
  Third, this legislation ensures that Veterans Choice Program 
providers receive prompt payment or denial of payment. If payment is 
denied, the healthcare provider will need to be told why and what 
information they need to submit in order to get the claim processed.
  The VA will also be required to submit a report to Congress on the 
number of unpaid claims to Veterans Choice Program providers and to 
take action on those claims within 45 days.
  What do I mean by providers? I am talking about our hospitals in 
northern Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, in the northwest side of the 
State, and the northeast side of the State signed up under this program 
to be able to provide the care for someone who is more than 40 miles 
away from a VA medical center; then, they find they are not getting 
paid for their services to the tune of millions and millions of 
dollars.
  Veterans who have served their country and the medical providers who 
treat them deserve nothing less than getting this system right. 
Appointments should be made quickly, payments should be made for 
service, and there has to be continual accountability. Unfortunately, 
we know they aren't always getting what they need.
  One of those veterans is Jerry, a former National Guardsman who was 
stationed in Greenville, MI, on the west side of the State. He now 
lives in Sumner Township in Gratiot County.
  Last January, Jerry received a scary diagnosis. He had a lesion on 
his brain. He needed to see a specialist right away. Veterans Choice 
was supposed to make an appointment for Jerry to see an 
endocrinologist, but when he showed up for the appointment, 
unbelievably, he discovered he was mistakenly sent to a urologist. 
After that, Veterans Choice sent Jerry to a family practitioner who had 
no record that he even had an appointment. It was 2 days off of work 
and travel to visit doctors that Jerry should have never been sent to 
in the first place.
  By this time, Jerry was understandably very upset. He reached out to 
my office, and I am glad he did, so we could help. We were able to 
contact Veterans Choice on his behalf and get him the appointment he 
needed with the right specialist. Now, this is after his spending 5 
months--5 months--trying to get to the right doctor. There is no excuse 
for this.
  However, Jerry's issues weren't over. When he saw the same specialist 
a second time, Jerry learned the doctor had never been reimbursed for 
his previous visit. As Jerry said, ``It shouldn't take five months to 
see a specialist, especially with something this scary and serious. And 
I shouldn't have to worry about whether or not Veterans Choice will pay 
for my care that I have earned.''
  Yes, Jerry, you have earned and been promised that care.
  Jerry is exactly right. Unfortunately, he is not alone in Michigan--I 
know this from talking to colleagues in other areas--particularly with 
this same provider. I have heard from many other Michigan veterans who 
can't get appointments, are getting the wrong appointments, are having 
to travel long distances to appointments--which, this was supposed to 
stop veterans from having to drive long distances for appointments--or 
whose healthcare providers aren't being paid for their services and 
then deciding they don't want to participate in the Veterans Choice 
Program.
  My colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee are working on 
comprehensive reforms to the Veterans Choice Program, and we are 
staring down another funding deadline. It is important this gets done, 
and we need to do it right away. We need to fix the problems veterans 
are having to deal with on a daily basis. I am looking forward to 
working with colleagues to fix this as quickly as possible. Our 
veterans deserve better. It is time we pass this legislation and make 
sure they get it.
  I would like to end with the words of a man who knew something about 
service and sacrifice on behalf of our country.
  Before he was President, before he was a member of this very Chamber, 
John F. Kennedy was a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy during World 
War II. On August 2, 1943, the PT boat he commanded was struck by a 
Japanese destroyer in the South Pacific. The entire crew ended up in 
the water, and two of his men died. Although Lieutenant Kennedy badly 
injured his back in the collision, he helped his men find safety on an 
island several miles away, where they were rescued a week later. 
Kennedy later was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his 
leadership. He once said: ``As we express our gratitude, we must never 
forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live 
by them.''
  I believe that is our responsibility. It is not enough to praise our 
veterans on

[[Page 20327]]

special days, although they have certainly earned every word of praise. 
Instead, we must work together to uphold each and every promise we have 
made to them.
  Veterans like Jerry and so many others have always been first in line 
to defend us. It is time to make sure they are not at the back of the 
line when it comes to getting the healthcare they need.

                          ____________________