flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Senate passes ‘compromise’ bill that green lights 26 new VA hospitals, clinics

Senate passes ‘compromise’ bill that green lights 26 new VA hospitals, clinics

Response in aftermath of VA hospital scandal includes reforms


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | June 18, 2014
Old Veterans Administration Hospital in New Orleans. Photo: Karen Apricot via Wi
Old Veterans Administration Hospital in New Orleans. Photo: Karen Apricot via Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. Senate reached a compromise deal combining elements of two competing Veterans Administration reform bills that would, among other things, gives the go-ahead for the construction of 26 new VA hospitals and clinics.

The bill also allows veterans to receive care from a private provider, paid for by the VA, if their local VA facility cannot get them an appointment within the department's wait-time goals or if they live more than 40 miles from a VA facility. Each facility would be required to make public its wait-time goals and current wait times.

The VA has admitted that several dozen veterans have died while awaiting care at its Phoenix hospital, and its inspector general has claimed that hundreds of others veterans seeking treatment risked being “lost or forgotten” due to dysfunction at the facility.

According to figures released by the VA, nearly 60,000 veterans have waited more than 90 days without receiving their first care appointment at a VA facility, and more than 60,000 more having enrolled in the system over the past decade and been denied appointments.

(http://www.law360.com/articles/547170/senate-overwhelmingly-passes-va-health-care-reform-bill)

Related Stories

Codes and Standards | Aug 11, 2021

Decentralized approach to codes means emissions reduction responsibility falls on local officials

Efficiency advocates focusing more on local code amendments.

Digital Twin | Aug 9, 2021

Digital Twin Maturity white paper offers guidance on digital twin adoption

Provides lifecycle map and an approach for incorporating digital twins.

Codes and Standards | Aug 5, 2021

Contractors can be liable for building failures many years after project completion

Personal injury suits could be brought decades after substantial completion.

Codes and Standards | Aug 4, 2021

Mass timber is a natural choice for building recycling through deconstruction

Designing wood buildings to optimize recovery of materials for disassembly aids carbon sequestration.

Codes and Standards | Aug 3, 2021

Dept. of Energy releases initial version of the Spawn of EnergyPlus software

Targets new use cases in advanced controls, district systems, and grid integration.

Codes and Standards | Aug 2, 2021

Several U.S. cities among most expensive places to build in the world

San Francisco, New York, and Boston head the domestic list.

Codes and Standards | Jul 28, 2021

American Concrete Institute creates new director of innovative concrete technology post

Aim is to attract emerging technologies for development.

Codes and Standards | Jul 28, 2021

Higher ed faces infrastructure backlog of $112.3 billion

Study recommends integrated strategic planning for best results.

Codes and Standards | Jul 27, 2021

Add a wobbly moon to flooding risk factors

Earth satellite’s orbit variations will lead to sunny-day flooding in the mid-2030s.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Government Buildings

OSHA’s proposed heat standard published in Federal Register

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a proposed standard addressing heat illness in outdoor and indoor settings in the Federal Register. The proposed rule would require employers to evaluate workplaces and implement controls to mitigate exposure to heat through engineering and administrative controls, training, effective communication, and other measures.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021