FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY
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Wednesday, December 19, 2018
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Camlin Moore, 202-224-9126
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***HAPPENING TODAY***
Isakson, Roe Announce Joint Hearing on Implementation of ‘VA MISSION Act’
WASHINGTON – The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., will join the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs for a joint hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., to review the progress made by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on its implementation of the VA MISSION Act.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed into law the VA MISSION Act, landmark legislation to dramatically improve the way the VA delivers health care. The legislation streamlines the department’s community care programs into one Veterans Community Care Program to remove bureaucratic obstacles to care in the community and ensure veterans receive efficient, timely and quality care.
“We put the needs of our veterans first when drafting the VA MISSION Act,” Chairman Isakson said.“These landmark reforms give veterans the option of seeking care when and where it makes the most sense for their individual needs. We’ve eliminated bureaucratic hurdles to create a force multiplier for the VA to better utilize its resources and provide even better care to veterans. I look forward to hearing from the VA on its progress so far and will continue to keep a close watch to ensure the VA implements this law as Congress intended and does so in a timely manner.”
"The MISSION Act was one of this Congress’s top bicameral, bipartisan achievements, and now it is time to review its implementation and ensure it is done properly,” said U.S. Representative Phil Roe, R-Tenn., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “This law was a huge win for the health of our nation’s veterans. The MISSION Act gives veterans timely access to quality care by streamlining the Department of Veterans Affairs duplicative community care programs into one cohesive program. The legislation also created a directed review of VA’s aging infrastructure, which is long overdue. As VA implements this critical legislation, it is imperative Congress continue its constitutional duty of overseeing the process and ensuring our veterans receive the services and support promised to them.”
Background: During this joint oversight hearing, the two committees will discuss the implementation of the John S. McCain III, Daniel K. Akaka, and Samuel R. Johnson VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018, also known as the VA MISSION Act for short. The committees will focus on the VA’s progress with respect to implementation of Title I of the law, which requires the VA to consolidate its six community care programs into one community care program, called the Veterans Community Care Program, by no later than June 6, 2019.
The hearing will be streamed online at www.veterans.senate.gov.
WHO: Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
WHERE: HVC-210, U.S. Capitol Visitors Center – House Side
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, at 2:00 p.m.
WHAT: Tracking Transformation: VA MISSION Act Implementation
See below for the witness list.
Panel I
The Honorable Robert Wilkie, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by:
The Honorable Jon Rychalski, Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer
Melissa Glynn Ph.D., Assistant Secretary, Office of Enterprise Integration for Veterans Affairs
Steven L. Lieberman M.D., Executive in Charge, Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress. Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.
