|
Thank
you
for
reading
my
e-newsletter,
and
please
follow
me
on
Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram,
and YouTube for
daily
updates
on
my
work
in
North
Carolina
and
Washington!
Working
To
Give
Veterans
Quality
Health
Care
I
recently
introduced
legislation
with
Senator
Burr
to
ensure
that
veterans
who
are
experiencing
delays
at
the
VA
can
seek health
care
outside
of
the
VA
system.
The
legislation
also
makes
needed
changes
and
reforms
to
address
the
bureaucratic
delays,
hassles
and
confusion
that
veterans
have
continued
to
experience
in
attempting
to
get
health
care.
We cannot
let
the
failure
of
the
VA
bureaucracy
prevent
our
veterans
from
receiving
the
health
care
they
need
and
deserve.
The Veterans
Choice
Improvement
Act
will
help
veterans
in
North
Carolina
and
across
the
nation
receive
higher
quality
and
more
timely
health
care.
If
you
are
a
veteran
or
know
a
veteran
who
is
having
trouble
getting
care
from
the
VA
for
any
issue,
please
do
not
hesitate
to
contact my
Raleigh
office
at
919-856-4630
or
Charlotte
office
at
704-509-9087.
Senators
Richard
Burr
(R-NC)
and
Thom
Tillis
(R-NC)
joined
with
others
in
the
Senate
to
propose
new
legislation
aimed
at
making
improvements
to
a
program
designed
to
speed
up
veterans'
access
to
specialty
care. The
VA
Choice
Program
was
created
in
2014
after
it
was
revealed
that
some
veterans
were
waiting
months
for
specialty
care
at
VA
hospitals. Under
the
program,
veterans
who
have
to
wait
more
than
30
days
to
see
a
specialist
are
eligible
to
see
a
private
physician.
-
WBTV
|
Fighting
Against Cuts
To
Autism
Therapy
For
Military
Children
Last
month,
I
led
a
bipartisan
group
of
senators
in sending
a
letter
to
Secretary
of
Defense
Ashton
Carter
calling
for
an
immediate
postponement
of
planned
reductions
to
TRICARE’s
reimbursement
rates
for
Applied
Behavior
Analysis
(ABA)
therapy
to
beneficiaries
diagnosed
with
Autism
Spectrum
Disorder
(ASD). TRICARE
is
a
managed
health
care
program
for
active
duty
and
retired
members
of
the
uniformed
services,
their
families,
and
survivors. The
cuts
to
TRICARE
reimbursement
rates
will
likely
result
in
a
severe
reduction
in
access
to
crucial
autism
therapy
services
for
the
more
than
26,000
children
of
military
personnel
and
retirees
with
autism. In
the
letter,
we
noted
that
the
planned
rate
cuts
to
ABA
will
be
particularly
burdensome
to
TRICARE
beneficiaries
living
in
areas
where
the
demand
for
autism
services
already
outstrips
the
supply,
making
it
even
more
difficult
for
their
children
to
get
the
care
they
need.
|
The
senators
[Tillis
and
Gillibrand]
warned
the
proposed
cuts
would
bring
the
military’s
compensation
for
healthcare
professionals
who
work
with
autistic
children
to
35
percent
below
the
national
average. The
military
currently
pays
autism
professionals
a
wage
of
$125
an
hour.
If
the
cuts
go
into
effect,
that
wage
would
be
lowered,
and
critics
say
it
would
result
in
children
losing
treatment.
-
The
Hill
|
Fighting
To
Find
A
Cure
For
Alzheimer's
Yesterday,
I spoke
at
the Senate
Special
Committee
on
Aging
hearing
to discuss
the
fight
to
end
Alzheimer’s
disease,
and
shared
my
own
personal
experience
as
a
caregiver
for
a
loved
one
with
Alzheimer’s
disease. Watch
the
video
here.
|
"I
met
with
the
North
Carolina
delegation
[from
the
Alzheimer’s
Association]
earlier
this
morning,
and
I
was
happy
to
see
them,
because
this
is
something
that
I
first
got
introduced
to
back
in
1988
with
my
own
grandmother...Clearly,
if
you’ve
been
touched
by
someone
who
has
had
Alzheimer’s,
you
know
the
personal
drain
that
is
has.
I
was
a
caregiver
along
with
my
mother
and
my
two
aunts
for
my
grandmother,
and
I
tried
to
educate
myself
so
we
could
become
better
caregivers.
Our
instincts
for
providing
care
are
almost
the
opposite
of
what
we
really
need
to
do
to
provide
care
that
is
in
the
best
interest
of
the
person
suffering
from
Alzheimer’s.
We
have
to
spend
far
more
resources
today
until
we
can
find
a
cure
and
try
to
provide
the
support
and
education
that
the
caregivers
need
so
we
can
enrich
their
lives
and
they’re
in
a
better
position
to
enrich
the
lives
of
people
who
are
suffering
from
Alzheimer’s.”
-
Senator
Tillis
|
|
I
recently
stopped
by
the
Greensboro
Police
Department
to
thank
those
who
protect
and
serve
NC
citizens.
|
Thank
you
for
taking
the
time
to
read
my
update, I
will
continue
to
work
hard
to
represent
all
North
Carolinians
in
the
Senate
and
deliver
results.
As
always,
please
don't
hesitate
to
contact
my
office
if
we
can
assist
you
in
any
matter
regarding
a
government
agency.
All
the
best,
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