Tester and Daines Introduce Legislation to Increase Access to Care for Western Montana Veterans
The Providing Veterans Overdue Care Act Will Authorize a VA Lease for an Outpatient Clinic in Missoula
(U.S. Senate) - Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines introduced legislation today to allow the VA to move forward with expanding its planned outpatient clinic in Missoula.
The Providing Veterans Overdue Care Act will authorize the VA to move forward with leasing space in Missoula to expand the VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) by 24 percent. That expansion will allow the VA to see more patients, provide more privacy to veterans seeking care, and better ensure doctors, nurses and medical personnel have the space they need to effectively do their jobs.
"When I visited the Missoula CBOC with Secretary McDonald, I showed him the crowded facility where patients aren't afforded the privacy they need, and doctors aren't able to see as many veterans as they could. It remains totally unacceptable today," Tester said, a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. "This bill will help increase access to quality and timely health care for more Montana veterans."
"It's outrageous that Missoula area veterans are not able to receive the care that they need and deserve right in their own backyard," Daines stated. "Our veterans deserve the upmost care and respect and I will continue working to make sure all Montana veterans have access to quality healthcare services."
The Missoula outpatient facility has been waiting for over a year for Congressional approval of their lease. The approval of this lease will allow the VA to rent additional space and move forward with a larger clinic that can serve more veterans.
The bipartisan Providing Veterans Overdue Care Act will authorize leases for 24 VA medical facilities in 15 states.
