CAROL G HOLLADAY & ASSOCIATES

Veterans' Health - advocate for expansion of new technologies to ensure Veteran's care through VHA is as progressive and advanced as through community care facilities. VA transparancey and accuracy of budget costs and needs expressed to Congress. Evaluate impact of riffs and budget cuts in the VA on the overall care and the ability to serve Veterans. New technologies and equipment need full and fair access to VA Hospitals and VISNs without bias of contracting officials.

S. 219 - This bill requires the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a three-year pilot program to provide veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system with the ability to choose health care providers through the covered care system. Under the bill, the covered care system includes VA medical facilities, health care providers participating in the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP), and eligible entities or providers that have entered into a Veterans Care Agreement. A veteran participating in the program may elect to receive care at any provider in the covered care system. The pilot program removes certain requirements (e.g., location of the veteran) to access care at VA and non-VA facilities. After four years, the bill permanently phases out the requirements for accessing care under the VCCP and Veterans Care Agreements and requires the VA to provide such care under the same conditions of the pilot program. Additionally, after four years, veterans may receive care at a VA medical facility regardless of whether the facility is in the same Veterans Integrated Service Network as the veteran. HR2623 Innovative Centers of Care - designate medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs as innovative therapies centers of excellence, and for other purposes - supporting innovation for mental health treatments and appropriate practitioners for evaluation of those technologies on patients.