OFFICE OF SEN. MORAN

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs and Related Agencies – Thursday joined Fox News Channel to discuss the Veterans Choice Improvement Act, legislation he introduced with U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). The law will extend the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Veterans Choice Program, which helps to ensure veterans have access to timely care in their own communities.

The Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act allows the VA to utilize the full extent of funding initially appropriated for the Veterans Choice Program in 2014, and makes certain that veterans’ access to care will no longer be subject to the looming end of the program. The Veterans Choice Program was previously scheduled to expire on Aug. 7, 2017, preventing veterans from scheduling appointments after that expiration date.

The law also authorizes the VA to be the primary payer under the Veterans Choice Program, reducing veterans’ out-of-pocket costs and aligning the Veterans Choice Program with the VA’s other community care programs. Further, it improves the sharing of medical records between the VA and community providers in the Veterans Choice Program to better coordinate care for veterans and connect them to timely care.