Va Billing Accountability Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his tireless work on behalf of our veterans to improve their lives and the lives of their families.

I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation to relieve veterans of financial burdens caused by delays at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Over the past decade, Federal oversight of the VA has uncovered cases where the VA delivered delayed or inaccurate bills to our Nation's veterans, causing financial stress and debt for military families--some bills going back as far as 5 years. In fact, last August, the VA Inspector General published a report that said the VA issued 1.7 million improper bills to veterans in 2015.

What exactly does that mean?

It means that the VA collected nearly $14 million from improper bills sent to veterans for their service-related care. That is simply unacceptable. Our servicemen and -women should not have to pay for errors or delays caused by the VA. Many veterans live on fixed incomes and may not have the resources to cover unexpected costs caused by mistakes of Washington bureaucrats.

That is why I introduced the VA Billing Accountability Act with my colleagues from Minnesota, Mr. Emmer and Mr. Peterson.

My district is home to more than 38,000 veterans. Each one of them, and all those across the country, deserve the highest quality medical care and assurances that they will be billed in a timely and appropriate manner.

This bipartisan legislation gives the VA the authority to waive a veteran's copayment if the veteran received a bill more than 180 days after they received their care at the VA or 18 months after they received care at a non-VA facility.

This bill is supported by AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of American, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign War, and the Association of the United States Navy.

Our Nation's veterans and their families have sacrificed so much in defense of our Nation. We should be doing all that we can to make their transition to civilian life as easy as possible, and that starts with making sure the VA not only delivers high-quality care, but also issues timely bills that our veterans and their families can count on. Ultimately, this bill will help bring more stability and financial security to their post-military lives.

I am proud to have introduced this legislation on behalf of the veterans and military families that I represent, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get it signed into law.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source