Senators agree to outline of VA bill
Trying not to get bogged down along familiar partisan battle lines, key Senators on Thursday announced the framework of a deal to help improve health care access for veterans and to bolster VA health facilities around the nation.
While the agreement must still be translated into legislative text, here is the outline as presented by Senators in both parties:
+ Provides the VA Secretary with the authority to fire/demote senior executives based on performance issues
+ Allows for immediate firing of certain employees for performance issues, but gives them right to appeal
+ Allows the VA to use $500 million in unspent money from previous budgets (unobligated funds) to hire doctors and nurses for VA facilities
+ Makes it okay for veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility to get health care instead from a Medicare program provider, or a military health center
+ Sets up independent panels to review scheduling and patient care problems in the VA, as well as on capital planning for health facilities
+ Approves 26 major medical facility leases
That last item piqued my interest, because it sort of sounds like home-state goodies in this VA bill. Here was the list handed out to reporters on what's been agreed to (CBOC is a Community Based Outpatient Clinic):
| City | State | Type of Facility |
| Albuquerque | NM | Clinical research & pharm. center |
| Brick | NJ | CBOC |
| Charleston | SC | Primary Care & Dental Annex |
| Cobb County | GA | CBOC |
| Leeward Oahu | HI | Outpatient Health Access Center |
| Lafayette | LA | CBOC |
| Lake Charles | LA | CBOC |
| New Port Richey | FL | Outpatient Clinic |
| Ponce | PR | Outpatient Clinic |
| San Antonio | TX | Lease Consolidation |
| West Haven | CT | Homeless Drop-in Center |
| Worcester | MA | CBOC |
| Johnson County | KS | CBOC |
| San Diego | CA | CBOC |
| Tyler | TX | CBOC |
| Cape Girardeau | MO | CBOC |
| Chattanooga | TN | Multispecialty Clinic |
| Chico | CA | CBOC |
| Chula Vista | CA | CBOC |
| Hines | IL | Research |
| Houston | TX | Research |
| Lincoln | NE | CBOC |
| Lubbock | TX | CBOC |
| Myrtle Beach | SC | CBOC Consolidation |
| Phoenix | AZ | CBOC |
| Redding | CA | CBOC |
| Tulsa | OK | CBOC |
The agreement says 26 medical facilities, but this list had 27 - evidently the Tulsa, Oklahoma facility was dropped at the last minute from the deal.
The Senate is expected to take up this legislation next week.
