WASHINGTON \u2014 House Republicans suffered a surprising setback during a full chamber vote on veterans funding Monday which put in doubt the future of the controversial Veterans Affairs Choice Program, with just days left to find another solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A proposed fix that would have provided $2 billion to the health care program over the next six months failed to get enough votes to meet parliamentary requirements, failing despite a majority-backed tally of 219-186. Under rules, a two-thirds majority was needed to advance the measure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The move left Republican leaders upset at what they saw as a reversal of an agreement with key chamber Democrats on the program fix. During floor debate, House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., called the measure a critical and direct solution to the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe know that veteran demand for care through Choice has never been higher and consequently the remaining money in the Veterans Choice Program will run out in mid-August, a few short weeks from now,\u201d he said. \u201cWe cannot allow that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House members are scheduled to start their extended summer recess at the end of the week. VA officials have said without additional money for the Choice accounts in the next few weeks, thousands of veterans will be forced off the program, and thousands of third-party administrators will be cut off from the department\u2019s systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Democrats and a coalition of eight veterans groups protested using offsets from trims to existing programs and fee reauthorizations for the Choice program, one of several VA programs which reimburses private-sector physicians for veterans\u2019 healthcare services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The groups said that money should come from sources outside VA programming, since the money was not directly returning to the department. Roe and supporters of the plan called that confused logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\t