Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/360548
ByMatthewDaly The Associated Press FORT BELVOIR, VA. Tensof thousands of military veter- ans who have been endur- ing long waits for medical care should be able to turn to private doctors almost immediately under a law signed Thursday by Presi- dent Barack Obama. Other changes will take longer under the $16.3 bil- lion law, which is the gov- ernment's most sweeping response to the problems that have rocked the Vet- erans Affairs Department and led to the ouster of Eric Shinseki as VA secretary. Improved access to out- side care is likely to be the most immediate effect. Vet- erans who have waited at least a month for a medical appointment or who live at least 40 miles from a Veter- ans Affairs hospital or clinic will be able to see private doctors at government ex- pense. Expanding the VA staff by hiring thousands of doctors, nurses and men- tal health counselors — another key component of the law — will take months to complete, and opening 27 new clinics across the country will take at least two years. "Implementing this law will take time," Obama ac- knowledged as he signed the bill at Fort Belvoir, an Army base in Virginia just outside Washington. Ser- vice members, veterans groups and military lead- ers attended the ceremony, along with lawmakers from both parties. Obama called the leg- islation a rare example of Republicans and Demo- crats working together ef- fectively. He also said more action was needed. "This will not and cannot be the end of our effort," he said. "And even as we focus on the urgent reforms we need at the VA right now, particularly around wait lists and the health care sys- tem, we can't lose sight of our long-term goals for our service members and our veterans." Noting issues includ- ing mental health care and homelessness among vet- erans, he said, "we've got more work to do." Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Af- ghanistan Veterans of America, called the new law "a Band-Aid solution," all that Congress could ac- complish in an emergency. "Anybody who thinks this is going to fix the problem is not being hon- est about this," Rieckhoff said, citing a host of issues the bill leaves unaddressed, from veterans' suicides and homelessness to a stubborn backlog in disability claims. Daniel Dellinger, na- tional commander of the American Legion, the na- tion's largest veterans group, called the bill an important step to begin re- pairing systemic problems at the VA. "But it is only one step and only a beginning," he said. The measure, approved overwhelmingly in the House and Senate, is a re- sponse to reports of vet- erans dying while await- ing appointments to see VA doctors and of a widespread practice of employees cov- ering up months-long wait times for appointments. In some cases, employees re- ceived bonuses based on falsified records. Under the new law, em- ployment rules will be re- vised to make it easier to fire senior VA executives judged to be negligent or performing poorly. The bill devotes $10 bil- lion in emergency spend- ing over three years to pay private doctors and other health professionals to care for qualifying vet- erans who can't get timely appointments at VA hospi- tals or clinics or who live more than 40 miles from one of them. It includes $5 billion for hiring more VA doctors, nurses and other medical staff and $1.3 bil- lion to open 27 new VA clin- ics across the country. Veterans groups said that just as important as the new law will be the perfor- mance of new VA Secretary Robert McDonald, who was present for Thursday's bill- signing. The former Procter & Gamble CEO was sworn in July 30 to lead the sprawl- ing agency, which employs more than 310,000 people and provides health care for nearly 9 million en- rolled veterans and disabil- ity compensation for nearly 4 million. McDonald has pledged to "transform" the VA and has said improving patient ac- cess to health care is a pri- ority, along with restoring transparency, accountability and integrity to the agency. He has directed VA facilities across the country to hold "town hall" style meetings to make sure they're get- ting honest feedback from veterans, a move Obama ap- plauded Thursday. "This is a labor of love for him, and he has hit the ground running," Obama said. The VA has reported re- cent progress in reducing delays. VA data from mid- July showed about 35,000 veterans had waited at least 90 days for initial appoint- ments, down from 57,000 in mid-May. WASHINGTON Boost for vets' health under new law JACQUELYNMARTIN—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS President Barack Obama hugs Stg. Maj. James McGruder as he arrives to speak at the Wallace Theater in Fort Belvoir, Va., on Thursday about H.R. 3230, the Veterans Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014. By Christopher Sherman The Associated Press MCALLEN, TEXAS Fewer unaccompanied immi- grant children are cross- ing the Texas-Mexico bor- der, allowing the federal government to close the temporary shelters that it hurriedly opened to handle the surge, authorities say. Arrests in South Texas have fallen in recent weeks to about 100 per day, down from 300 or more in June, according to the Border Patrol. The decline could be the result of searing summer temperatures or a messaging campaign in both the U.S. and the mi- grants' home countries that stresses the dangers of the journey and warns them they will not be al- lowed to stay. Officials on the border are careful not to suggest that the crisis has passed. When temperatures sub- side, they say, children from Honduras, Guate- mala and El Salvador could be back in greater numbers. The White House has shied away from taking credit for the decrease, which gives the adminis- tration more time to deal with the crush of immi- grants who have already arrived. The slowdown also seems likely to reduce the urgency for Congress to act on immigration reform after adjourning last week without a deal to give Pres- ident Barack Obama any of the money he's asked for to handle the influx. The falling numbers could cause the border crisis to recede somewhat from public view, offering Obama extra space to curb deportations for other seg- ments of the immigrant population, a step he's in- dicated he plans to take around the end of summer. IMMIGRATION Fl ow o f ch il d mi gr an ts slows along Texas border By Hamza Hendawi The Associated Press GAZA CITY, GAZA CITY Hamas held on Thursday its first public rally since a cease-fire with Israel, with an official vowing the mili- tant group would never give up its arms and will con- tinue to fight until the Gaza Strip blockade is lifted. The uncompromising rhetoric of the official, Mushir al-Masri, comes on the third and final day of a truce in the monthlong Israel-Hamas war and at a time when Hamas and other Palestinian factions are in Cairo indirectly ne- gotiating with Israel for a permanent cease-fire and steps to lift the seven-year- old blockade of the coastal strip by Israel and Egypt. In Cairo, Egyptian secu- rity officials struggled to bring the two sides closer together, with one official saying that Hamas and other Gaza militants were refusing to compromise. Unlike Hamas rallies on previous occasions, only several thousand showed up for the event in the heart of Gaza City. The modest turnout was not necessarily a sign of waning support for the group, but most likely a reflection of the fatigue felt by most of Gaza's 1.8 million residents after four weeks of a ruinous war, as well as anxiety over whether the three-day truce will be ex- tended. MIDDLE EAST Hamas: Gaza war not over until demands met $ 11,995 2003 GMC SIERRA 4X4, LEATHER, TUNEAU COVER, STEPSIDE. ALL PRICES PLUS SALES TAX, LICENSE FEES, DOC FEES, ANY FINANCE CHARGE, ANY DEALER PREPARATION CHARGE, ANY EMISSION CHARGE, ANY DOCUMENTATION PREPARATION CHARGE, ANY SMOG FEES AND ANY TIRE FEES. ALL VEHICLES SUBJECT TO PRIOR SALE & CREDIT APPROVAL. 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