Bend—U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) announced today that he will meet with veterans in Bend on Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day. As a follow up to a meeting in March, Walden will meet with local veterans about concerns about the implementation of the “Veterans Choice” new program that helps veterans get care from private providers.
“As our nation pauses to commemorate Memorial Day, we must remember that we owe our freedom to our veterans. That’s why I’ve worked hard to make sure that our veterans get the services and the benefits they’ve earned through years of service. They deserve nothing less,” Walden said.
Walden delivered the concerns of Central Oregon veterans directly to the House Veterans Affairs Committee at a hearing last week. And Walden has helped pass bipartisan legislation to further reform the VA, increase funding for veterans program, and help the roll out of the Choice Program.
For example, the law that created the Choice program says that a veteran living more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility may go outside the system for care. Originally, the agency had calculated that 40 mile distance “as the crow flies” instead of the distance it took to drive there. After hearing about this from many veterans in Central Oregon, Walden urged the VA to change the way they calculated mileage. The VA announced that it would switch course, and rely on actual driving distance from a VA medical facility as the qualifier to use the program. Last week, the House unanimously passed—with Walden’s strong support—a bill to codify the VA’s rule change to make it clear that that the 40 miles is defined by how far a veteran needs to drive for care.
From Bend, Walden will head to Madras to speak at a meeting of the local Kiwanis Club. He will give an update on efforts in Congress to reduce unnecessary federal red tape and grow jobs in Central Oregon. A full schedule of events is below.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
What: Meeting with Central Oregon Veterans
When: 9:45 am
Where: Walden’s Central Oregon District Office, 1051 NW Bond St., Suite 400, Bend
What: Speak to Madras Kiwanis Club
When: 11:45 am
Where: Geno’s Italian Grill, 212 SW 4th Street, Madras
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