Veterans living in the territories have won a victory in the U.S. House, securing bipartisan legislation to give them access to specialized VA medical care without traveling thousands of miles. KHJ News Washington DC correspondent Matt Kaye reports…
It’s called the TRAVEL Act—short for Territorial Response and Access to Veterans’ Essential Lifecare Act—sponsored by CNMI Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds…
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[Transc.] King-Hinds: “Our veterans have served our country with honor, but too many of them struggle to receive even the most basic care, close to home. The TRAVEL Act directly addresses the critical shortage of specialized medical care in remote and underserved areas. It authorizes the Department of VA to temporarily deploy VA physicians and medical specialists.”
The bill gives them travel bonuses while closing chronic service gaps, sometimes forcing veterans to travel thousands of miles to receive care.
Veterans Affairs Chair Mike Bost says the VA system serves some 72,000 veterans in the Pacific, but services remain limited.
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[Transc.] Bost: “The TRAVEL Act would expand the reach of the VA care by putting physicians where the veterans live.”
Top Veterans Affairs Democrat Mark Takano…
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[Transc.] Takano: “Only American Samoa and Guam have outpatient clinics or CBOCs.”
Traveling VA doctors would work with local doctors and nurses for up to a year each.
TRAVEL Act sponsor King-Hinds reflected on the heartache of many CNMI veterans…
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[Transc.] King-Hinds: “When I meet with the veterans back home, I often hear the same heartbreaking stories—long travel, long waits, and feeling forgotten by the very same system meant to care for them. This bill is driven by those voices.”
Co-sponsors of the bill include Veterans Affairs Vice-Chair Amata Radewagen of American Samoa and James Moylan of Guam. The Senate must also now pass the bill or its own version, which would then need to be reconciled with the House bill in a conference committee.
Photo: CNMI Congresswoman King-Hinds
