Cramer Questions VA Secretary Collins on Veteran Access to Care

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Doug Collins testified before the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC) today about the future of the VA. The department is tasked with providing and delivering the health care and benefits earned by millions of veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) started his questioning by emphasizing how there is a health care labor shortage everywhere, which can be addressed in part through VA and rural provider partnerships. There are 36 Critical Access Hospitals serving communities across North Dakota. However, only five of these communities have a VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinics.

"North Dakota is in this rectangular spot in the middle of North American continent that's about 350 miles across and about 200 miles up and down, there are 36 critical access hospitals in rural communities," said Cramer. He also gave an example of the long-distance travel required for veterans' health care in many rural states by referring to the experience of residents of Fortuna, North Dakota, who must travel from "Fortuna, North Dakota to Fargo, North Dakota, where the only VA Hospital is 412 miles [away] and takes roughly six hours and 19 minutes if you don't stop to go to the bathroom."

Cramer explained North Dakota's 36 critical access hospitals often have available beds space capacity to serve additional patients, which could help alleviate backlogs at VA facilities. There is an abundance of community infrastructure not being utilized. Cramer said there must be a way to better utilize existing infrastructure, save money, and create opportunity for veterans and struggling hospitals in rural America.

"I don't disagree with you at all," said Collins. "I think it's just a matter of using all the resources that we have."

Regarding workforce needs and the agency's plan to review existing functions, Cramer noted there were 52,000 new positions added at the VA between 2021 and 2024. He asked Collins if this has substantially improved health care offerings for veterans.

"Yeah, I don't think so," said Collins. "Ten years ago, if told you that in 2025 you're going to have a budget of almost $400 billion and you're going to have a workforce of 470,000 you would have thrown a party. Everything would have been great because that would have been the answer to everything. Well, we're 10 years later, and we're still experiencing the same thing."

"I think everybody on this committee wants to have an honest discussion about how to do better for our veterans and that kind of real data can help us, because we have plenty of data there to tell us where we've been okay, where we haven't been so good, and where we've been awful or great," concluded Cramer.