WASHINGTON D.C. - Language included by U.S. Congressman Dan Boren in the FY 2010 Military Construction-Veterans Appropriations Act will instruct the Department of Veterans Affairs to study and report on the feasibility of opening a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Idabel, OK.
“This language is yet another critical step in furthering the goal of bringing a CBOC to the community of Idabel to better serve the veterans of southeastern Oklahoma. The department must make this examination for the project to move forward, and now the U.S. House of Representatives has instructed it to do so. ” Boren said.
In March, Boren sent a letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, retired U.S. Army General Eric K. Shinseki, urging consideration for the local health clinic. By locating a veteran’s clinic in southeastern Oklahoma, the VA could help alleviate much of the additional cost associated with rural veterans driving long distances to receive critical health care services. According to the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, a CBOC in this area of the state would provide greater access to VA medical care services to an estimated 8,100 rural veterans living in southeastern
Oklahoma.
“I will keep working in every way possible to bring better health care to Oklahoma’s veterans, and to remove obstacles like inconvenience and long-distance travel from veterans’ ability to receive the best possible care,” Boren said. “I look forward to working with our federal and regional VA officials on this effort,” Boren said.
Along with the inclusion of Boren’s added notation for the local veterans’ clinic, the legislation, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday by a vote of 414 to 3, will strengthen quality health care for more than six million patients – including 419,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The legislation provides nearly $109 billion for veterans’ medical care, claims processors, and facility improvements. The bill also provides advance funds for veterans’ health services in 2011, so that funding for our veterans’ health care is timely, reliable, and never held hostage by political maneuvering. The bill also includes $24.6 billion for military infrastructure improvements and construction projects. This funding comes on the heels of the historic increases in veterans’ funding by Congress over the last two years.
“Supporting our troops and veterans means taking action to provide for their needs, not just rhetoric,” said Boren. “I am proud of our troops and veterans. I am grateful for their service and immeasurable sacrifice, and I wholeheartedly support this legislation to give them the services they have earned.”
The legislation includes improvements in electronic health records and paperless benefits processing to make veterans health care more efficient, additional oversight and auditing of our veterans health care system, and new practices to improve access to care for veterans in rural areas. The bill also invests in mental health services and critical medical and prosthetic research to serve our wounded warriors returning from battle.
To support our troops, the bill provides funding to construct key facilities for training and housing, addressing the unfunded backlog of barracks for the young men and women entering the service. It also includes funding for a Guard and Reserve initiative, which recognizes the critical contributions made by Guard and Reserve personnel and addresses urgent unfunded requirements. The legislation takes additional steps to support the military families who give so much in service to this country – with military child care centers, military family housing, and additional Vets Centers to provide community-based readjustment counseling for veterans and their families.
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