Hultgren Co-Sponsors Bills For Vets' Medical Treatment, MIA's

U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren, R-14th District, has co-sponsored two bills in support of veterans in need of medical treatment and soldiers unaccounted for or still missing: H.R. 241, the Veterans Timely Access to Health Care Act, and H. Res. 231, Establishing a Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs.

“Our brave men and women deserve the best and fastest medical treatment, and we must strive for a full accounting of those missing and unaccounted for,” said Rep. Hultgren. “When a returning veteran suffering from a mental health issue is delayed in getting an appointment, that’s a problem. When there are still unresolved matters from past congressional investigations and hearings into POW/MIA affairs and no action is taken on new information, that’s a problem. Let’s renew our efforts to take care of our veterans suffering for their service, and endeavor to resolve the fates of our missing and fallen soldiers.”

H.R. 241 would ensure that veterans seeking primary and specialty care from a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility receive an appointment within 30 days. The Department of Affairs’ Inspector General has calculated, for example, that more than 50 percent of the time they failed to reach targeted goals for the number of days between a veteran’s initial mental health exam and their full mental health evaluation. If the 30-day requirement is not met, the bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit an assessment to Congress on how they are meeting the standard.

H. Res. 231 would establish a select committee to conduct a full investigation into all unresolved matters relating to the more than 83,000 United States personnel unaccounted for from all wars, including MIA's and POW's missing and captured.