Billy Long: Veterans clinics proposed for Joplin, Springfield

In his latest report, Seventh District Congressman Billy Long writes about the effects the closing of the Rehabilitation Center in Mt. Vernon will have on health care for veterans.

I appreciate the sacrifices that our veterans, active duty, reserve, and National Guard personnel and their families have made. Addressing issues that impact veterans and our servicemen and women is one of my top priorities. Our freedom would not be possible without the prior service of veterans and our brave Armed Forces stationed around the world today.

Many Missouri veterans have voiced their concerns about the Gene Taylor Community Based Outpatient Clinic being relocated to Springfield, and about the University of Missouri Health Care's decision to close the Missouri Rehabilitation Center, which houses the Mt. Vernon veterans' clinic.

The Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks submitted plans to relocate the clinic to Springfield on September 17, 2010, before my tenure in office. The relocation to Springfield would mean that 10,071 veterans within a 30-minute drive would be able to access the location, as opposed to the 1,806 that are within a 30-minute drive at the current location. One goal of moving the location is to be closer to other community medical services, which should increase the VA's ability to retain qualified staff.

Additionally, the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks has proposed a plan to open a veterans' clinic in Joplin, which would create a clinic with 80 rooms and 40 employees that would be expected to serve 9,000 veterans annually.

Earlier this summer the House and Senate passed the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act. This Act makes several reforms and includes provisions which would allow veterans to receive care at non-Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) facilities and a requirement that the VA provides a Veterans Choice Card for eligible veterans to receive care provided by non-VA providers. Eligible veterans are those who are enrolled in the VA health system as of August 1, 2014, newly discharged veterans who are unable to secure an appointment at a VA facility in 30 days, or veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility. The legislation also authorizes the VA to fire or demote Senior Executive Service employees for negligence and poor performance and reduces funding for bonuses available to VA employees by $40 million each year through Fiscal Year 2024.

Generations of Americans have sacrificed to protect our country, and as such we are obligated to care for these courageous men and women as they grow older. I feel it is my duty as your congressman to ensure we support our veterans and give them the benefits they rightly deserve. I will continue to monitor how the University of Missouri Health Care's decision to close the Missouri Rehabilitation Center will impact area veterans who currently receive care at that facility.