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Sen. Jon Tester: Setting The Record Straight On VA Facility Proposals

Dear Editor,

From a young age, I learned that Montanans are no strangers to service or sacrifice.

It was in the spring of 1969, when my grade school bus driver-a World War II veteran and devoted member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in my hometown of Big Sandy-first asked me to play Taps on my trumpet at a funeral for a veteran who had passed in our town.

Throughout junior high and high school, I continued playing Taps at the funerals of dozens of veterans. During this time, I came to understand that all Americans have a shared responsibility in honoring the folks who swore an oath to our country-both during and after their time in uniform.

When I was elected to Congress many years later, I made it a priority to serve on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee so I could wage the fight in Washington on behalf of Montana's veterans, caregivers, and survivors-ensuring they receive the health care, benefits, and respect they need and earned.

Working across administrations from Bush to Biden and with members of both parties, I'm proud to have delivered real results for our state's veterans. Together, we've been successful in passing laws expanding services and benefits for toxic-exposed veterans, supporting women veterans, providing mental health care and education benefits, opening a dozen new and modernized Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities across the state, and helping rural veterans get care closer to home. While I'm pleased by the work we've accomplished, much remains to be done.

Back in 2018, President Donald Trump signed the VA MISSION Act into law with overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans. Among its many provisions, this law required VA to offer recommendations to be reviewed by an independent commission known as the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission. These recommendations, which were announced on March 14, are the first step in a multi-year process that will ultimately propose options for remodeling, building, moving, or closing VA facilities across the country.

Across the country, VA clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes were on the AIR Commission's list for potential closures, expansions, or changes in service. In Montana, this includes a recommendation to close the VA clinic in Glasgow and have veterans receive their care elsewhere in the community.

Let me be crystal clear here: As chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I will not accept reducing veterans' timely access to their earned health care. And I've made it known to VA Secretary McDonough that any proposals to reduce health care services for Montana veterans are a non-starter for me.

Unfortunately, some politicians have used this announcement as an opportunity to spread misinformation and score cheap political points-scaring veterans and VA employees in the process with the false claim that these facilities are going to close tomorrow in the dead of night. Let me set the record straight: VA is carrying out a law that's been on the books for more than three years. While the news of proposed facility closures came out just this month, briefings about this law were provided to every member of Montana's Congressional delegation in May of 2021.

The fact is that the initial proposals put forth by VA to close facilities are just that-proposals. They are not final decisions.

Looking ahead, the AIR Commission will review data used to make each recommendation, hold public hearings, and solicit feedback from local veterans, communities, VA employees, and other stakeholders. I strongly encourage every Montana veteran and their families to make their voices heard on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee website. Next, the Commission can accept or modify VA's proposals, and send them to the President who can modify or reject them. The President will then submit his decisions to Congress-who will ultimately choose whether to accept or reject the proposals.

There's a long road between where we are now and any changes to VA facilities and services that might come as a result of this Commission.

I'll be fighting for Montana's veterans, VA employees, and communities every step of the way.

Sincerely,

Senator Jon Tester

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., serves as Montana's senior senator and is the Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. Veterans and community members wishing to contact Senator Tester's office regarding the AIR Commission process may submit a formal message to his office at: http://www.veterans.senate.gov/airfeedback.

 

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