VA program lacks funding
Known as the Choice Program, it gives veterans the chance to access care outside of
Legislators will return from recess next week.
VA Secretary
There will be no easy solution or fix, said
"This is complicated stuff," he said.
The White House Budget plan proposed making cuts to veterans' individual unemployment benefits to free up funding, but was met with political backlash from multiple veteran organizations, Hale said.
The individual unemployment benefit is a
The Choice Program can help those most affected in rural areas, Hale said.
"What it's for is for people in far, distant rural areas that have a difficult time getting to the
"It's for people who have trouble going a long way to see their
Although
"It's completely and totally full 90 percent of the time," Hale said. "If you're out here having a heart attack caused by agent orange you can't get that far. So you go to the local hospital and the
Local care providers may be the only source where veterans can get urgent or life-saving care since there aren't enough
"There's not enough of them, I don't know how they're going to build more of them," he said.
Another issue is whether or not local doctors would accept the funding, Hale said.
"Are these doctors going to accept Medicaid level funding when they don't have to," Hale said.
The answer to the funding issue may be in the form of shutting down excess
"There's an old
"Why not develop it, then sell it," he said. "There are all types of malls, shopping complexes you could put in there. I know it's an investment to do it upfront, but once you sell it off ... I know the federal government doesn't want to go into the rental business, even though they rent from people and they don't want to own property and rent it out.
"It's a good idea, I just hope it can be worked out without being too complicated," Hale said of the Choice Program.
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