WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today released the following statement regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) plan to consolidate its seven non-VA health care programs into one – the Choice Program:

“As chairman, it is the committee’s top priority that we oversee the successful implementation of the Veterans’ Access, Choice, and Accountability Act and ensure that the VA is using the expanded tools provided through the Choice Program effectively and efficiently. This summer, Congress paved the way for the VA to consolidate its non-VA care options into one seamless program – the Choice Program – to cut down the bureaucracy and streamline the process for veterans to receive care outside of the VA. Non-VA care is a force multiplier for veterans’ health care, and I look forward to exploring this plan further and continuing to work with the VA to help veterans receive quality health care in a timely manner.”

In July 2015, Congress passed the VA Budget and Choice Improvement Act, which created a path forward for reforms to consolidate all of non-VA care programs into the Choice Program. The legislation required the VA to submit a plan to implement these reforms to the committee by November 1. Click here to view the VA’s plan.

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress.

Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.