washingtonscene \\ COLA News //
COLA Keeps Rising The February 2017 Consumer Price Index was 237.477, 1.03 per- cent above the FY 2016 COLA baseline. Follow the trends at www
.moaa.org/cola.
to divide it, but I’m just going to award you an amount equal to what it would be if I di- vided it.’ … That’s the sort of thing that gives law a bad name. It makes a charade out of the statute.”
The court is expected to rule on the case later this year.
More Choice, Better Health
Care Secretary Shulkin acknowledges MOAA member concerns.
D
r. David Shulkin has had a busy start to his tenure as secretary of Veterans Affairs. In
recent weeks, he met with MOAA and leaders of other veterans’ organizations at the White House and testified before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, outlining his plans for reforming the agency’s health care system. At his confirmation hearing in Febru-
ary, Shulkin told Congress he intends to build a system that puts veterans first. “Give me the resources and the authority, then hold me accountable,” he said. Since 2014, amid reports of widespread
access problems and hidden wait lists at the Phoenix, Ariz., VA medical center, Congress has been working to improve ac- cess and quality of health care for veterans. Congress passed the Veterans Choice Pro- gram, which allows qualified veterans to receive care in the private sector. Thanks to the input of MOAA mem-
bers, we were able to ask the secretary about his priorities and got the first glimpse of how he plans to reform the VA health system transformation and the Choice Program.
30 MILITARY OFFICER MAY 2017
Since the program’s rollout, Congress has adjusted the law, but the secretary needs additional funding and authority to fully execute his mandate. Congress agreed April 5 to extend funding for the Choice Program beyond August 2017. At the hearing, Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.), chair of the Senate Armed Servic- es Committee, said, “If the Choice Program lapses, the system will again fail.” Later, Shulkin similarly affirmed a na- tional disaster would occur if the Choice Act isn’t extended. McCain and Shulkin are working with other Senate and House leaders to introduce a bill called the Veteran Choice Improvement Act. It is a replacement program for Choice but includes a newer, better version of com- munity care systems, one simpler and easier to understand and navigate, while expanding access to care. “MOAA is pleased to see such im-
pressive commitment on the part of the secretary and members of Congress to provide veterans the care and services they earned and deserve,” said Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret), MOAA pres- ident and CEO. “During my meeting at the White
House, and then again at the hearing, Secretary Shulkin reiterated his position that he does not support privatization, but rather an integrated health care sys- tem,” Atkins said.
The plan includes some private-sector contributions and lays out a vision of eight principles to guide the program’s development: 1. Ensure no degradation of existing care. 2. Commit to an integrated system. 3. Increase “choice” [health care op- tions] for all veterans; however, program expansion would start with service- connected veterans (an estimated 15.6 percent of veterans are categorized as “service-connected”).
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