{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=ABF250A1-DB97-4925-92AE-865DFA975211", "Boozman Supports Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Veterans' Health Services", "2017-11-29", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, voted to advance legislation to consolidate and improve access to veterans\u2019 healthcare services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and in the communities where veterans live, work and seek medical care.\r\nThe Caring for our Veterans Act of 2017, introduced by Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT), would establish a permanent, streamlined \u2018Veterans Community Care Program\u2019 to ensure access to timely and quality care.\r\n\u201cThis legislation builds off the improvements made by the Choice program so we can provide the best care available to our veterans. We have a responsibility to take care of the men and women who served in uniform. This helps make good on the promise we made to our veterans,\u201d Boozman said.\u00a0\r\nThe legislation incorporates provisions Boozman pushed for including:\r\n \r\nImproving\u00a0the\u00a0VA\u2019s third-party fee collection. This will help the VA recover its costs for providing non-service connected\u00a0care at VA facilities and will help ensure that funding for VA healthcare remains available for veterans.\r\nEnsuring that community care providers who have already gone through extensive processes to care for veterans can continue to do so without undergoing duplicative procedures to participate in the new program.\r\nAllowing industry partners to perform certain VA functions, like the processing of claims for community healthcare, so that the VA can better focus it\u2019s time and resources on providing healthcare to veterans.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nAllowing veterans who seek care in the community and are prescribed medications to fill initial, short-term prescriptions without requiring the veteran to go to a VA facility.\u00a0\r\n \r\nThe\u00a0Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2017\u00a0as amended was passed 14-1 by the committee. The legislation now goes to the full Senate for a vote.\r\nThe legislation is supported by The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Wounded Warrior Project.", 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://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=ABF250A1-DB97-4925-92AE-865DFA975211"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 4.239711910486221, "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"}