(Washington, D.C) — “Vietnam Veterans of America calls on Congress to pass the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act of 2023,” said Jack McManus, VVA National President. “The benefits in the bill reflect a sincere commitment to enhancing the well-being of our veterans. While the bill proposes commendable efforts to address critical issues affecting veterans, we have two concerns,” noted McManus.

“First, we are concerned that the bill’s focus on community care may diminish the quality and capability of the VA healthcare system itself. A large part of our membership are rural and aging veterans who value access to community care. However, Congress must ensure that the VA has sufficient funding to maintain the quality of care it currently provides at its own medical centers. Second, while we appreciate the effort to steward tax dollars, the unprecedented use of offsets in this bill may jeopardize critical programs like the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC),” said McManus.

Among the requirements of the bill, the VA must work with existing programs to find nursing home-care alternatives for eligible veterans. They must implement programs to expand access to home- and communitybased services and provide support and benefits to caregivers of certain disabled veterans. They must implement a pilot program to provide homemaker and home-health aide services to veterans who reside in communities with a shortage of home health aides and more.

“Our veterans have sacrificed for our country, and we must ensure that they receive their earned benefits and the highest quality of care and support in return. We urge Congress to collaborate across the aisle to address these concerns,” McManus concluded.