{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=200F8D48-3C46-4253-B0B0-15485BF1D2C9", "Fischer Welcomes NHA and NeRHA Announcement on Rural Veteran Referral Program", "2023-10-05", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "NE", "Deb Fischer", "F000463", "www.fischer.senate.gov", "fischer", "https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Fischer Led Delegation Letter in April Urging VA to Establish Pilot Program in NE\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today after the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) and the Nebraska Rural Health Association (NeRHA) announced a new pilot program aimed at helping rural Nebraska veterans access health care.\n\n\u201cI voted for the VA MISSION Act to provide veterans with more options to seek treatment when and where it makes sense for their needs. This announcement from NHA and NeRHA is welcome news for veterans across Nebraska, especially in our rural areas. In the Senate, I will continue leading efforts to advance the Rural Veteran Referral Program nationwide, starting here in Nebraska,\u201d said Senator Fischer.\n\nAccording to a news release, NHA and NeRHA have received onboarding commitments from over 20 Nebraska critical access hospitals, and are in early discussions with other statewide health systems.\n\nBackground:\n\nThe Fischer-backed VA MISSION Act created the Community Care Program, which enables veterans who meet certain requirements, such as living more than a 60-minute drive from a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility, to receive care in the community paid for by the VA.\n\nHowever, because this care is received at non-VA providers, it can often be difficult for community providers to effectively and efficiently communicate with the VA about the health care needs of a veteran and provide them with timely referrals for care in their community.\n\nIn March, Senator Fischer led all five members of the Nebraska congressional delegation in sending a letter urging the VA to create a new rural veteran referral pilot program in Nebraska to improve care coordination between the VA and rural providers.\n\nThe Rural Veterans Health Access Program works to expand the reach of the VA MISSION Act by increasing the number of hospitals and clinics Nebraska veterans will have access to use for their healthcare needs. The program will help link Nebraska\u2019s hospital across the state directly to VA care coordination teams in Omaha.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"]], "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.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=200F8D48-3C46-4253-B0B0-15485BF1D2C9"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8996350225061178, "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"}