The House on Sept. 10 voted 417-0 to approve a bill (H.R. 1527) that would establish a three-year pilot program to allow “highly rural” veterans enrolled in four of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) 21 healthcare networks to receive health services through outside providers. The bill defines highly rural as veterans seeking primary care who live more than 60 miles from the nearest VA facility; veterans seeking acute hospital care who live more than 120 miles from a facility; and those seeking tertiary care who live more than 240 miles from a facility. The bill also would allow veterans to access care at other facilities if VA determines that travel would be difficult for veterans or subject them to hardship.
Separately, the House voted 418-0 the same day to approve a bill (S. 2617) that would provide a cost-of-living increase in disability benefits for veterans and dependents and indemnity compensation for the families of veterans. The increase, which will be calculated as of Sept. 30, is expected to be about 2.8 percent, compared with 2007’s increase of 2.3 percent. If approved, the new rate would take effect on Dec. 1. According to House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chair Bob Filner (D-Calif.), the increase would affect more than 3 million veterans and roughly 300,000 survivors in FY09, according to VA figures.
