Office of Senator Jerry Moran
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has asked acting Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Sloan Gibson to explain why the VA is not being straightforward with Congress about the future of the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) program, which rural veterans rely on for access to timely, quality health care. While the VA continues to tell Members of Congress that no decision has been made about the future of the successful pilot program, which expires in September 2014, sources tell Sen. Moran that the national program director for ARCH directed the five pilot sites several months ago to begin contacting veterans who participate in ARCH to let them know the program would be ending. The letter to Sec. Gibson is cosigned by U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Angus King (I-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).
“For reasons we do not understand, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is choosing – at VHA’s own initiative – to end this successful program despite the more than 90 percent satisfaction rate communicated by veterans…” Sens. Moran, Tester, King, Collins and McCain wrote to Sec. Gibson. “All along, the VHA gave us the impression that they were waiting on analysis about the success of ARCH to inform their decision about extending the program – this is a misleading storyline at best. We are deeply disappointed by this breach of trust because those who suffer from this recklessness are veterans.”
Since 2011, the ARCH pilot program has been operating in five rural sites – Caribou, Maine; Farmville, Virginia; Pratt, Kansas; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Billings, Montana – offering rural veterans the opportunity to access health care services from community providers if they reside at least one hour from a VA medical center or Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Veterans are overwhelmingly satisfied with this program and the medical services they are receiving, which falls directly in line with the VA’s recent statements that the Department is working to “accelerate access to care” for veterans across the country. It is becoming clear that VHA made plans months ago to dismantle the program, not seek extension of the contracts, and not offer access to services that veterans have come to appreciate and rely upon.
The senators wrote, “Instead of continuing to work with patients and connecting them with providers in their local area, VA employees at these pilot sites were directed to report weekly to VHA regarding alternate plans to send veterans back to VA facilities. For example, an 82 year old veteran who relies on ARCH is concerned about his canceled services and the prospect of again having to drive 4 hours with his oxygen tank for monthly visits at a VA medical center. What is also troubling about this situation is that the VHA made an intentional decision not to inform Congress about their plans to discontinue and not extend this program.”
This week the Senate approved the Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 and on May 22, 2014, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved legislation directing the VA to continue providing medical care through ARCH in fiscal year 2015 using existing authorities. In light of these legislative actions, Sens. Moran, Tester, King, Collins and McCain call on Sec. Gibson to take control of VHA’s actions to dismantle ARCH and make certain that veterans who are currently receiving medical services through ARCH will continue to receive that care.