Veterans HEALTH CARE

September 13, 2018, Washington D.C., Congressman Paul Cook (R-Apple Valley) voted for HR 5895, which will improve Veterans’ care and strengthen oversight at the VA. The Bill passed the House overwhelmingly.

Bill HR 5895 improves Veterans’ care in several ways. Specifically, it includes provisions to care for seven million patients through the VA, including funds for opioid abuse prevention, mental health, suicide prevention outreach, and rural health initiatives. The Bill also modernizes the VA’s electronic health record system and speeds up claim processing for more than 450,000 veterans who are waiting for the compensation they earned.

It also strengthens oversight and accountability to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used to best benefit our veterans by including several measures to hold the VA accountable and address decisions that have wasted money in the past. The bill will require rigorous reporting on the status of VA claims processing and implement stronger oversight and limits on VA construction projects.

Rep. Cook said, “This legislation provides crucial improvements in caring for our veterans, too many of whom are still not getting the care they need. It also puts in place increased oversight at the VA to ensure claims are being processed in a more timely manner and make sure we aren’t wasting dollars on bureaucracy that should be going to our Veterans’.”