WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today continued his push to ensure Ohio veterans are getting the care they deserve. Brown attended a Veterans Affairs Committee hearing with VA Secretary Robert McDonald and then took to the Senate floor to highlight the need for continued oversight and action to ensure that the VA continues to work for Ohio veterans.

 “When we learned that shocking wait times at the VA were delaying veterans from getting the care they’ve earned, we took action – passed a new law to invest in better care and provide more healthcare choices to our veterans,” Brown said on the Senate floor. “But we simply can’t act in times of crisis and then turn our backs on those who have served in our nation’s military…It’s important that these facilities across the country have what they need to provide state-of-the-art medical care for veterans.”

Brown is following up with McDonald by asking the VA to answer questions about the continued backlog in disability claims, and to outline ways to speed up the process for veterans who want to see doctors outside of the VA system.

Allowing veterans to seek care outside the VA system is part of the new Veterans Choice Program, which Senator Brown helped create under the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 that Congress passed in response to egregious wait times reported at VA facilities. 

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