{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/after-mccaskill-and-area-veterans-advocacy-salem-va-clinic-to-expand-service", "After McCaskill & Area Veterans Advocacy, Salem VA Clinic to Expand Service", "2016-12-23", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "After McCaskill & Area Veterans Advocacy, Salem VA Clinic to Expand Service \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 23, 2016\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tSALEM, Mo. \u2013 Following advocacy from U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and more than one-thousand rural veterans in Missouri, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it will be expanding the hours of operation at the Salem Veterans Clinic to be open Monday through Friday. Formerly, the Clinic was open just two days each month, the only such facility in the state not regularly open five days a week.\r\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased the VA listened to the needs of rural veterans and I look forward to continuing to work with them as they move forward with the expansion,\u201d said McCaskill, the daughter of a World War II veteran and senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. \u201cOur veterans deserve the highest quality of care regardless of where they live, and this expansion is a step towards achieving that goal.\u201d\r\nRepresentatives at the Poplar Bluff VA announced the Clinic hours will now be Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for all business office and triage needs, with an onsite health care provider available on Thursdays and Fridays. As enrollment at the clinic increases to require additional provider hours, the medical center will evaluate expanding the days a provider will be on site.\r\nEarlier this year, McCaskill called on the VA to address the concerns of citizens and veterans living near the Salem Veterans Clinic who want to see service expanded from three days per month to five days per week. McCaskill shared with the VA a petition, sponsored by the American Legion Post 99, that was signed by almost 6,000 constituents in Dent, Iron, Reynolds, Shannon and Texas counties, including more than 1,600 veterans.\r\nMcCaskill has been a longtime advocate for ensuring rural veterans receive the healthcare and services they deserve. Earlier this year, she worked to resolve unpaid claims of six Theodosia-area veterans through the Veterans Choice Program, which allows veterans who live more than 40 driving miles from or have other impediments to convenient access to a VA facility to receive care at a local health care provider.\r\nMcCaskill has led several efforts to increase\u00a0accountability\u00a0and\u00a0quality\u00a0of veterans services.\u00a0Earlier this year, McCaskill\u00a0released a report\u00a0detailing shameful treatment of veterans of World War II who were exposed to mustard gas, leading to her introduction of the Arla Harrell Act.\r\nAiming to continue improvements to the quality of customer service at statewide VA facilities, McCaskill last year announced the expansion\u00a0of her successful \u201csecret-shopper\u201d program to the southwest Missouri area. The Veterans\u2019 Customer Satisfaction Program allows veterans to share timely, confidential feedback about their VA health care visits, and helps provide oversight and accountability for VA health care facilities.\u00a0The survey\u00a0is now active in five regions:\u00a0St. Louis;\u00a0Kansas City;\u00a0Columbia;\u00a0Poplar Bluff;\u00a0Southwest Missouri (Fayetteville). Veterans seeking to participate in the Veterans\u2019 Customer Satisfaction Program can visit McCaskill\u2019s website,\u00a0McCaskill.senate.gov/VCSP, and complete the confidential survey. Responses can be submitted after each health care visit.\r\nVisit\u00a0mccaskill.senate.gov/veterans\u00a0to learn more about McCaskill\u2019s fight for military veterans.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 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.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/after-mccaskill-and-area-veterans-advocacy-salem-va-clinic-to-expand-service"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.693854108452797, "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"}