Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\tWhite House wants clearer rules, no caregiver benefits expansion in VA medical overhaul plan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t In a memo to Senate officials, the administration backed a more aggressive plan for veterans seeking medical care outside the VA system.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n
Conversely, if the veterans measures aren\u2019t included in the final draft, it could create significant hardship for supporters. With an election looming in November and Congress still politically fractured, major legislative packages like the three-part veterans measure are expected to be difficult to pass in coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Phil Roe, R-Tenn., supports the deal, according to spokeswoman Tiffany Haverly. She said negotiations are ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a letter released late Monday afternoon, officials from eight of the largest veterans advocacy groups \u2014 American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, Vietnam Veterans of America and Wounded Warrior Project \u2014 called the omnibus amendment a reasonable compromise on a host of contentious issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOver the past year, we have been involved in numerous discussions, round tables and hearings regarding all three major elements of the proposed veterans legislation,\u201d the letter states. \u201c\u201dWe believe that the final compromise language under consideration will measurably improve the lives of millions of veterans today and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most pressing of the three veterans priorities is the community care overhaul, which has been a top legislative priority for President Donald Trump since he came into office. On the campaign trail, he promised a broader use of federal funds to care for veterans, to include more appointments with community doctors outside the VA system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new, consolidated community care system would include more free visits at private-sector physicians\u2019 offices paid for with taxpayer funds, provided that they have used VA health care in the last two years. Other veterans could more easily seek outside care for specialty services or if they face access issues at VA medical centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Louis Celli, director of the American Legion\u2019s Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation program, said the compromise language includes language allowing the outside care \u201cupon the authorization of such care or services by the [VA] secretary,\u201d which he said assuages concerns that the expansion could amount to privatizing VA responsibilities for veterans care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The asset review mirrors a military base closure round but for VA facilities. VA Secretary David Shulkin has lobbied Congress for a review of the department\u2019s national footprint, saying VA has hundreds of aging or outdated facilities that should be consolidated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The caregiver expansion has been a priority of the veterans groups and Democrats in Congress, as well as Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently only caregivers of veterans from the post-9\/11 era are eligible for monthly stipends through the department. The new proposal would expand that to veterans of all eras, first starting with pre-1975 veterans and later phasing in the remaining group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No cost estimates have been released for the plan, but similar legislation under consideration in Isakson\u2019s committee is estimated to cost roughly $54 billion over five years by the Congressional Budget Office \u2014 which could prove problematic as the proposal winds through Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Veterans groups said the negotiations on the legislative package accelerated this weekend, but noted in the letter that the work \u201cis based on months and months of consultation with our organizations and many other stakeholders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile not perfect, we believe that this legislation represents a fair compromise that will help to strengthen veterans health care for future generations, while ensuring that caregivers of veterans of all generations get the support they deserve,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it makes it into the final omnibus plan remains unclear, as is the timeline for the omnibus release. Officials had originally planned to unveil the final language on Sunday night, but have shifted that release back multiple times as negotiations on provisions continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n