WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) member, joined SVAC Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-KS) in introducing the Guaranteeing Healthcare Access to Personnel Who Served (GHAPS) Act, a bill to address gaps in veteran health care to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is serving veterans in hard-to-reach places.

“No matter where they live or what they do for work, our veterans are heroes who deserve the best care this nation can provide,” said Senator Cramer. “The Guaranteeing Healthcare Access to Personnel Who Served Act would help bridge the gaps in care availability for veterans by evaluating telehealth services, removing bureaucratic barriers, and prioritizing efforts to reach veterans living in rural America.” 

The GHAPS Act would aim to codify programs which have benefited veterans, remove bureaucratic barriers to care, and mandate the VA incorporate a telehealth strategy. It also seeks to apply lessons learned during the pandemic to close the gaps in VA health care that often leave behind rural and highly rural veterans, community care veterans and overseas veterans. Specifically, this legislation would close VA health care gaps by:

  • Codifying MISSION access standards to protect veteran eligibility for MISSION’s Veterans Community Care Program.
  • Creating access standards for community care delivery to make certain veterans receive timely care in the community.
  • Directing VA to create a telehealth strategic plan to ensure the department is deploying virtual care thoughtfully and utilizing innovative solutions to deliver telehealth to rural veterans.
  • Ensuring all veterans with treatment-resistant depression have access to the necessary evidence-based care to put them on the path to recovery.
  • Cutting the red tape for VA research by removing the Paperwork Reduction Act requirements; ensuring veterans benefit from more timely research-informed care.
  • Directing Government Accountability Office to produce a report on the Foreign Medical Program to evaluate whether the program is adequately meeting the needs of overseas veterans.

Senators Cramer and Moran are joined on the legislation by Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

Learn more here.