Eight veterans groups are urging House lawmakers to vote against a budget plan that includes funding for the Veterans Choice Program via cuts to other Veterans Affairs programs, according to a Military Times report.
The request came in a joint statement from AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, Military Officers Association of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America and Wounded Warrior Project. In the joint statement, the groups declare their opposition to the funding legislation, which the House will vote on Monday night. The legislation would cut about $2 billion from various VA programs to fund Veterans Choice Program services for the next six months, according to the report.
The Veterans Choice Program stems from the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2014. The program, which President Donald Trump extended in April, "allows veterans who face significant wait times or travel times for VA care to see private physicians at the department's expense," according to the report. Funds for the program will be depleted by mid-August unless action is taken, according to VA officials.
The veterans groups in the joint statement call for House lawmakers to vote "no" on the legislation "and instead work with the Senate to reach a bipartisan, bicameral agreement."
"We oppose legislation that includes funding only for the 'choice' program, which provides additional community care options, but makes no investment in VA and uses 'savings' from other veterans benefits or services to 'pay' for the 'choice' program," the groups wrote. "[T]o ensure that veterans can receive necessary care without interruption, we call on House leaders to take the time necessary to work together with Senate leaders to develop acceptable 'choice' funding legislation that not only fills the current funding gap, but also addresses urgent VA infrastructure and resource needs that led to creation of the 'choice' program in the first place."
The bill's proponents argue the legislation helps sustain the Veterans Choice Program pending long-term fixes, and thousands of veterans could be negatively affected if lawmakers do not vote "yes," according to the report.
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