House Passes Package of Veterans Bills

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the House passed numerous pieces of legislation intended to improve the quality of care that veterans receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

LaMalfa said: "It's been said countless times before, but it's worth repeating that our nation's veterans deserve the best possible care we can offer them. Whether it's improving access to health care options or simply requiring the VA to properly notify veterans of potential scams, it is our responsibility to make their lives easier in any way that we can. With Veterans Day approaching later this week, I'm happy that Congress has passed legislation that will have a meaningful impact on the quality of life for many veterans across the country."

A sample of the veterans bills passed by the House this week include:

• H.R. 2123, the VETS Act: Authorizes a VA licensed health care professional to practice telemedicine at any location in any state, regardless of where the professional or patient is located.
• H.R. 2601, the VICTOR Act: Requires the VA to consider medical necessity and travel burdens before requiring veterans to travel to VA transplant centers. Veterans who live more than 100 miles from a transplant center would be allowed to seek care at a federal certified, Medicare-covering non-VA facility.
• H.R. 3122, the Veterans Care Financial Protection Act: Requires the VA to post a warning on their website regarding financial scams targeted for certain veterans who are eligible for increased pensions. Requires the GAO to complete a study on the financial exploitation of veterans, and any gaps in federal/state efforts to protect them.
• H.R. 4173, the Veterans Crisis Line Study Act: Requires the VA to conduct a study on the effectiveness of the Veterans Crisis Line based on an analysis of national suicide data and data collected from the Veterans Crisis Line.

For a full list of the veterans bills passed this week, visit Veterans.House.gov

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.