Good
morning
folks
-
I
take
seriously
the
responsibility
you
have
entrusted
in
me
to
make
Washington
more
competent
and
less
wasteful.
This
is
why,
every
month
I
research
and
identify
areas
of
abuse
and
inefficiencies
then
give
out
the Squeal
Award,
which
recognizes
a
Washington
expense,
program
or
concept
that
is
not
working
and
must
be
fixed
or
eliminated.
This
month,
I
want
to
share
with
you
some
good
news
on
our
efforts
to
make
the
government
work
better
for
our
veterans...
Squeal
Award:
Detrimental
Delays
in
Veterans'
Care
This
week,
the
Senate
took
a
step
in
the
right
direction
to
help
ensure
those
who
have
sacrificed
for
our
freedom
have
access
to
the
quality
and
timely
care
they
deserve.
On
Wednesday,
the VA
MISSION
Act
passed
the
Senate
and
is
now
headed
to
the
President's
desk
for
his
signature.
This
bipartisan
legislation
creates
the
Veterans
Community
Care
program,
which
will
allow
our
veterans
to
receive
hospital
care,
medical
services,
and
extended
care
services
in
their
community
- ensuring
they
have
a
say
and
a
choice
in
their
care.
Through
the Department
of
Veterans
Affairs’
(VA) current
Choice
Program,
many
veterans
and
non-VA
health
care
providers
experienced
delays
in
having
claims
processed
by
the
VA. I'm
sure
this
comes
as
no
surprise
to
many
of
our
veterans across
the
nation,
who
have
unfortunately
seen
firsthand how the
inefficiencies
that
riddle
the
VA have
hampered
the
quality
of
care
they
receive.
You
see,
if
the
VA
does
not
process
a
claim
from
a
non-VA
health
care
provider
in
a
timely
manner,
the
doctors
office,
clinic,
or
specialty
provider
does
not
receive
compensation
for
the
treatment
provided.
Not
only
is
this
a
problem
for
providers,
but
it
can
risk
a
veteran’s
access
to
quality
health
care.
Think
about
it
-
would you
continue
serving
a
customer
who
never
pays
their
bill
on
time?
Bureaucracy
should
never
get
in
the
way
of
a
veteran’s
treatment. Through
the
VA
MISSION
Act we
passed
this
week,
community
providers
will
be
held
accountable
for
filing
claims
with
the
VA
within
a
specified
time
frame,
but
most
importantly
the
VA
will
be
required
to
act
on
these
claims
in
a
timely
manner.
There
will
also
be
incentives
for
the
VA
to
address
these
claims,
ensuring
veterans
are
not
left
without
an
answer
as
to
whether
or
not
their
health
care
will
be
covered.
I
hereby
present
the
current
VA
Choice
Program
with
this
month’s Squeal
Award and
applaud
the
passage
of
the VA
MISSION
Act
for
eliminating this
inefficient and
detrimental
practice
that
affects our
veterans’
care.
Do
you
have
an
example
of
government
waste
or
inefficiencies
that
I
should
take
a
look
at?
Send
me
an
email
by clicking
here.
Thank
you!
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