{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140801015228/http://www.collins.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=f3876fab-9ad1-4bf0-9aaf-3d486da03bf0", "Senator Collins Lauds ARCH Extension Included in VA Reform Bill", "2014-07-28", "2014", "2014-07", "Republican", "House", "ME", "Susan Collins", "C001035", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, today lauded the inclusion of a two-year extension of the Access to Received Closer to Home (ARCH) program in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reform bill\u2019s conference report.\u00a0 Senator Collins had urged members of the Conference Committee tasked with finding a compromise between the Senate and House versions of the bill to include such an extension.   \u00a0   \u201cI am pleased that the conference report will contain a provision, that I worked hard to include, that would extend the highly-successful ARCH program,\u201d Senator Collins said.\u00a0 \u201cThis program is a literal life-saver, and our Veterans in rural areas such as northern Maine will be well-served by its continuation.\u201d \"The news we learned today that Project ARCH has been extended for two years, thanks in large part to the efforts of our Senator, Susan Collins, is life saving for Veterans living here in Northern Maine,\" said Kris Doody, CEO of Cary Medical Center. \u00a0\"So many Veterans have expressed their appreciation for the program that allows them to get specialty care close to their homes here at Cary Medical Center.\u00a0 We have always believed that the model we have established here at Cary is a model for the nation.\" ARCH is a pilot program that provides VA-covered health care services through contractual arrangements with non-VA care providers. The program, which is set to expire later this year, improves access for eligible veterans\u2014especially those in rural areas\u2014by connecting them to health care services closer to home.\u00a0 Cary Medical Center in Caribou is one of five pilot sites that have been established across the country.\u00a0 The Togus VA Medical Center oversees treatment provided to veterans at Cary- allowing veterans in Aroostook County to receive quality care without traveling hundreds of miles roundtrip to Augusta.   \u00a0   The ARCH program has been an unqualified success in northern Maine, and Senator Collins has fought hard to ensure that these services continue past the pilot program\u2019s scheduled end date of September 30, 2014.\u00a0 Her efforts include:   \u00a0   \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On July 21, 2014, Senator Collins met with Bob McDonald, the nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs.\u00a0 The first issue she raised with him was ARCH, and she invited him to visit Cary Medical Center to see first-hand how the program is working and why it should be a model for the nation with respect to improving access to health care among rural veterans.   \u00a0   \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On\u00a0 May 22, 2014, the Appropriations Committee adopted H.R. 4486, the Fiscal Year 2015 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which at Senator Collins\u2019 request included a section providing $35 million to extend funding for ARCH in FY 2015.\u00a0 Senator Collins led a letter on July 16, 2014 to the leadership of the Senate and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee urging them to bring that bill to the floor as soon as possible.   \u00a0   \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Senator Collins joined Senators Jerry Moran and Angus King in introducing the\u00a0Veterans Health Care Access Received Closer to Home Act of 2014 (S.2095), which would extend and expand the program.\u00a0 She also introduced similar legislation as an amendment to S. 1982, the Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014, which would have made the program permanent.   \u00a0   \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Senator Collins authored a\u00a0letter in December 2013, expressing strong support for ARCH and requesting that it be continued.\u00a0 She also authored\u00a0a June 2014 letter\u00a0requesting VA take immediate steps to continue ARCH, given the funding she secured in the annual VA funding bill.\u00a0   \u00a0   \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Senator Collins has repeatedly advocated for continuing ARCH in congressional hearings\u00a0[2013,\u00a02014],\u00a0directly with VA leadership,\u00a0including former Secretary Shinseki, and\u00a0with her colleagues.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140801015228/http://www.collins.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=f3876fab-9ad1-4bf0-9aaf-3d486da03bf0"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0266120079904795, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}