Press Release - A Breakthrough in Health Care for Veterans

By: Robert Wilkie, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Imagine if Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass reforms that improve the lives of millions of people.

And imagine if those reforms put America's veterans at the center of their health care decisions, leading to better customer service for our nation's heroes.

This isn't hypothetical. It happened last year when Congress passed the MISSION Act.

The law gives the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the ability to provide veterans with the best health care possible, whether at VA health care facilities or with community providers.

The legislation sailed through Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and the strong backing of veterans service organizations.

President Donald J. Trump's signature put us on a path to implementing these reforms. On June 6, the MISSION Act will enable VA to consolidate the department's community care efforts into a single, simple-to-use program that will empower veterans with the ability to choose the health care providers they trust.

So what can veterans expect on June 6?

Less red tape, more satisfaction and predictability for patients, more efficiency for our clinicians, and better value for taxpayers.

Read the full op-ed here.