{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20141206042008/http://www.vitter.senate.gov/newsroom/press/vitter-and-boustany-request-hearings-to-protect-veterans-appeals-rights", "Vitter and Boustany Request Hearings to Protect Veterans Appeals Rights", "2014-11-20", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "LA", "David Vitter", "V000127", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Vitter and Boustany Request Hearings to Protect Veterans\u2019 Appeals Rights\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, November 20, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t(Washington, DC) \u2013 Senator David Vitter (R-Louisiana) and Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D., (R-South Louisiana) sent a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committees requesting that the committees hold oversight hearings on the transfer of authority over payments for veterans\u2019 emergency medical services from the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) to the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 (VA) Chief Business Office under the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act (VACAA) of 2014.\nIn July, VISN 16, the VA network that covers healthcare for veterans in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and some veterans in Texas, Missouri, Alabama, and Florida, admitted to years of inappropriate payment denials and delays for veterans\u2019 emergency medical care. This harmed the financial credit ratings of hundreds of Louisiana veterans. In response, Louisiana\u2019s entire delegation followed up with a letter to the VA Secretary that remains unanswered. In meetings between the VA\u2019s Chief Business Office and Louisiana providers last week, the VA admitted that VISN 16 effectively deprived veterans of their appeals rights by refusing to mail more than 650,000 letters in its system and keeping other appeal documents untouched in cabinets.\nEarlier this year, Boustany introduced the Veterans\u2019 Credit Protection Act to improve Congressional oversight and protect veterans from unfair medical debts. Boustany introduced the bill after he helped a South Louisiana veteran clear an unpaid bill exceeding $1000 for a hospital emergency room visit. VISN 16 had ignored its obligation to pay the bill for over two years, damaging the veteran\u2019s credit rating.\nVitter said: \u201cAfter the VA scandals that have come to light, we need to earn back the trust of our veterans. We can start by making improvements like this. Our veterans need to know that when they have medical emergencies, they can count on their bills being paid.\u201d\nBoustany said: \u201cCongress took claims processing authorities away from VISN 16 to stop it from harming veterans\u2019 credit ratings. The Secretary has a duty to improve performance in Louisiana, and we expect to see results. Our veterans fought and sacrificed of themselves for the greater good. The least we can do is treat them with the dignity and respect they\u2019ve earned when they return home. I won\u2019t accept anything less than world-class service for our veterans, and I will continue to expose VA failures until we reach that standard.\u201d", 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/20141206042008/http://www.vitter.senate.gov/newsroom/press/vitter-and-boustany-request-hearings-to-protect-veterans-appeals-rights"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4740629121661186, "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"}