Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) supported the Senate’s unanimous passage of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017.
“This bill makes investments to improve veterans’ access to care at the VA and provides funding for the Choice program to ensure service to veterans, especially those in rural areas, is uninterrupted,” Bennet said. “Moving forward, we need more bipartisan efforts to ensure veterans have timely access to high-quality health and behavioral health care in a manner that makes sense for them.”
The bill passed today includes $2.1 billion in emergency funding for the Choice program, as well as measures to build VA capacity to better provide care to veterans. It also approves leases for 28 VA facilities, including two in Colorado.
Based on feedback from Colorado veterans, Bennet has worked to improve access to care in the community, such as through the Choice program, and to improve access to VA care. Earlier this year, Bennet passed legislation to extend the Veterans Choice program and to simplify the logistical burdens and reduce out-of-pocket costs for Veterans receiving care under the Choice program. Bennet also introduced a bill to increase oversight for private VA contractors, reducing mismanagement and inefficiency.