washingtonscene
think an 80-year old retiree who’s made plans for an Arlington burial should lose eligibility to reserve space for an active duty member who dies in a car accident 150 or 200 years from now.” “A lot can change over 50 or 75 years,”
comforting to see that even in a highly politicized
“ It’s
currently in, the Senate can put aside partisan differences to focus on
environment like we’re
veterans and their needs. — Cmdr. René
Campos, USN (Ret) ”
Merry continues. “The Pentagon hadn’t been built 75 years ago, and lots of military installations have been BRAC’d over the last 35. MOAA and other military and vet- erans’ associations have told the committee we think all options for further expansion should be pursued before we start turning away older veterans who planned for ANC interment. We know procuring land can take a long time, so that process should start sooner rather than later.” The next steps are out of the commit-
tee’s hands. MOAA appreciates being allowed to join discussions related to ANC’s capacity issues up to this point. We will continue to discuss the path for- ward with legislative officials and DoD leadership, and we look forward to find- ing amicable solutions that preserve the dignity of the cemetery without disen- franchising servicemembers who desire and expect a plot. MOAA recognizes how important this issue is to our members and will keep you informed as discussions continue.
Shulkin’s VA
Era Begins New VA secretary hits the ground running.
D 28 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2017
r. David Shulkin officially was sworn in Feb. 14 as the ninth secre- tary of the VA after receiving unani-
mous approval from the Senate. MOAA was pleased to see Shulkin in- stalled and ready to attend to the major
business at hand, including continued im- plementation of many of the initiatives he pursued as the former undersecretary of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). “It’s comforting to see that even in a highly politicized environment like we’re currently in, the Senate can put aside par- tisan differences to focus on veterans and their needs,” says Cmdr. René Campos, USN (Ret), MOAA’s director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Care. The new secretary has a tough road ahead, balancing the often competing prior- ities of Congress, the White House, his own agency, and the American public as well as the veterans he is committed to serving. His first major action must be to work
with lawmakers to extend the Choice Act, legislation allowing qualified veterans to receive care in the private sector. The pro- gram is set to expire in August. Extending the Veterans Choice Program
(VCP) also would give the VA time to put in place a new program to meet the demand for veterans’ health care, which has risen since the VCP was established in 2014. The Choice Act was Congress’ response
to the reports of secret waitlists in the Phoenix VA health care system. With only 90 days to implement what initially was a temporary program, the VHA had to estab- lish a massive contracting effort to expand delivery of health care to veterans through an integrated network of civilian provid- ers until the VA could address the demand within its own system.
Though initially plagued with prob-
lems, over time, the VA and Congress implemented laws and adjusted policies to make it easier for veterans to access care through the VCP. Today, more than 1 million veterans have accessed care thanks to the Choice Act. While Congress determines the next
steps for the VCP, the VA also has taken lessons from implementing the program to
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