Major Agreement Hailed on Federal Veterans Health Care Reform Bill

TRENTON — Senator Jeff Van Drew and Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak (D-Cape May/Cumberland/Atlantic) today hailed a bipartisan agreement announced on federal legislation to reform the veterans health care system by allowing veterans who experience long waiting periods for treatment or live more than 40 miles from a VA hospital to get treatment at a local hospital rather than a VA facility. The agreement on the bill was announced by U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and could be considered by the U.S. Senate as early as next week, according to published reports.
Van Drew was the sponsor of legislation that created a task force to study health care options for South Jersey veterans, who because of a lack of local facilities are forced to travel hours to VA facilities in North Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware to get care. Following a year of hearings and study, the New Jersey Veterans Hospital Task Force, co-chaired by Senator Van Drew, put forward a plan with the chief recommendation of creating a pilot program to give area veterans access to local hospitals. In January, the Legislature endorsed the 10 recommendations and approved a measure (SCR-142) sponsored by Van Drew and Andrzejczak that urged the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to support them. The federal legislation would implement the task force’s key recommendation.
The legislators issued the following statements:
Senator Van Drew:
“This is great news for veterans across the country and a huge step forward for veterans in South Jersey who for too long have suffered extremely long travel times to VA facilities for care. We created a task force to study this issue and more than a year ago found that the best option for veterans in South Jersey was to get care at local hospitals. Many hospitals in the region have expressed interest in participating in this kind of program and I am thrilled that federal officials have endorsed this idea. I look forward to this legislation moving in Congress and to hopefully seeing this come to fruition in our state. These are American heroes who have risked life and limb so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we do each day. We owe it to them to provide the top-quality health care that they were promised and that they earned.”
Assemblyman Andrzejczak:
“As a veteran, I am lucky that I received the quality treatment I did while serving. But too many of our soldiers are returning home only to find that the healthcare they so desperately need is essentially out of reach. A trip to the VA can take hours for veterans who live in far South Jersey. For many of our residents this causes severe hardship. I am encouraged to hear that legislation to expand access to health care for veterans has gained traction in Congress and I am hopeful it will move forward expeditiously so that veterans who are in need of care can get the treatment they deserve.”