President Trump Signs Cassidy Co-Authored Veterans Legislation into Law

The office of Louisiana's Senator Bill Cassidy issued the following last week:

For Immediate Release Contact: June 6, 2018 View Online Ty Bofferding 202-224-5824

President Trump Signs Cassidy Co-Authored Veterans Legislation into Law Cassidy Attends White House Signing Ceremony WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today attended the White House signing ceremony for the VA MISSION Act, legislation improving the quality of health care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and ensuring veterans have access to timely care from the VA or local providers. “As a doctor, my first priority is the patient,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This breakthrough legislation puts veterans first and ensures they have access to the quality care they deserve. I’m proud to have authored several provisions of this legislation to help our veterans.” Cassidy provisions included in the VA Mission Act include: Section 502, which recognizes podiatrists as physicians within the VA and allow the VA to hire and maintain well qualified, board certified podiatrists in order to ensure veterans receive quality podiatric care. The VA currently has serious recruitment and retention problems because its podiatric compensation package has not been updated since 1976. This provision is based on Senator Cassidy’s legislation, S. 1871. Section 101, subsection l, which provides greater access to certain eligible veterans who would like to seek transplant care outside the VA system. Senator Cassidy has legislation, S. 2473, that would allow all veterans to access transplant care outside the VA system. Senator Cassidy will continue pushing the VA to open up non-VA transplant care to more veterans, but sees this provision as a step in the right direction. Section 105, which ensures veterans have access to walk-in care from non-VA providers. An official from the VA indicated in a recent congressional hearing that this could include access to urgent care. Senator Cassidy’s legislation, S. 1261, would provide coverage of urgent care for veterans. The VA MISSION Act has received broad support from leading veterans groups that represent millions of veterans in the United States. A group of 38 veteran and military advocacy organizationswrote to the House and Senate in support of the VA MISSION Act.

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