Wichita Standard

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), the ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, recently questioned a panel of witnesses, including Peter Kaboli, Executive Director of the Office of Rural Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The discussion centered on how decisions made by the VA regarding community care are impacting veterans in Kansas and rural areas across the country.

"A veteran who calls, comes to the office, emails, tells us a story about their experiences at the VA and many times those conversations are very complimentary of the VA," said Sen. Moran. "But, I am concerned about what has been going on is only increasing and the increasing number of cases of veterans who call, write, email, or tell me or my staff that they want to utilize community care, but the VA says it's not available to them.”

Sen. Moran continued expressing his concerns over this issue. “I've raised this topic with the VA before and again, I imagine it can be fixed,” he said. “It highlights a trend that is troublesome to me where veterans in Kansas may have to travel great distances to receive care at VA. The error on the side of caution ought to always be for the veteran and he or she should have choice in where they receive care.”