Senator Tammy Baldwin's office issued the following last week:
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Contact:
Baldwin (202) 224–6225
Moran (202) 224-6521
Senators Baldwin and Moran Introduce Bipartisan VA Reform to Ensure Veterans Receive Care from Trusted Doctors
The Veterans ACCESS Act would prevent doctors once fired or suspended by the VA from treating our veterans again
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jerry Moran
(R-KS) today introduced legislation to ensure our veterans receive care
from trusted doctors in their communities. The bipartisan Veterans Acquiring Community Care Expect Safe Services (ACCESS) Act would
protect veterans seeking care through VA community care programs, like
the Choice Program, from being treated by doctors who have been fired or
who are suspended from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“It’s commonsense that if a doctor is suspended or has been fired from
the VA, they shouldn’t be able to serve veterans seeking care within
their own communities, and certainly shouldn’t be doing so with taxpayer
dollars,” said Senator Baldwin.
“I’m proud to work across the aisle with Senator Moran on our
bipartisan reform to help ensure that no matter where they receive
treatment, our veterans will find the quality health care they need,
deserve and have earned.”
“VA healthcare providers who have been removed from the VA should never be allowed to continue treating our nation’s veterans,”Senator Moran said.
“This commonsense legislation would help protect veterans from those
who put their health at risk – whether at a VA hospital or outside the
VA – and keeps our veterans out of harm’s way.”
Currently, a loose patchwork of VA regulations are intended to stop
fired or suspended VA providers from participating in VA-administered
community care programs. However, VA's continued lack of consistent
implementation of national standards at the local level demonstrates
that Congress must act and not leave veterans' health and safety to
chance. The Veterans ACCESS Act would
require the VA Secretary to deny or revoke the eligibility of a
healthcare provider to participate in community programs if that
provider was removed from employment with VA, violated his or her
medical license, had a Department certification revoked, or broke the
law.
In addition, the bipartisan reform would ensure that when a provider is
suspended from VA care, the provider is also suspended from non-VA care.
The legislation would also give VA the ability under certain
circumstances to deny, revoke, or suspend a provider’s eligibility if
that action is necessary to immediately protect the health, safety, or
welfare of veterans.
An online version of this press release is available here.
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