Cramer Commends VA Secretary Collins on Reducing Backlog, Expanding Veterans’ Access to Care

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.***

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee heard testimony from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) leadership about how proposed changes to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) would affect veterans in North Dakota and the rest of the nation. The VA recently announced theRestructure for Impact and Sustainability Effort (RISE) initiative to reorganize the VHA over the next 18-24 months, aiming to reduce bureaucracy and deliver better outcomes for veterans.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) commended VA Secretary Doug Collins about the massive decrease in VA's benefits backlog and discussed expanding access to care for veterans, including his legislation with U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT), the Critical Access for Veterans Care Act.

Cramer presented a poster showcasing the VA's benefits backlog between the Biden administration and the Trump administration. When Secretary Collins came into office, Cramer said he immediately began working through the massive mess he inherited from President Biden and has decreased the backlog by 60%, a drop from 264,000 claims to 105,000 in just one year. "There is no way that you could've made the agency so efficient that you could come into this mess with 264,000 backlogs and turn that into 105,000 in one year," Cramer said.

Cramer asked Secretary Collins how the department was able to achieve this rapid reduction in the backlog.

"It was put forth by our [Veterans Benefit Administration], who actually came to us and said, 'We can do better than this,'" said Secretary Collins. "125 days is our standard for a backlog claim. In other words, it has to be 125 days before it even goes on the backlog. So, think about that for a minute. This had grown up exponentially over time, and also, by the way, when I first came in last year at 264,000, there was also over a million claims in the pipeline. That now number is closer to 600,000 to 550,000 in the pipeline."

Secretary Collins said the agency has not only been able to reduce the backlog, but it has reduced the total claims number as well while also providing transparency and accuracy in the claim's appeals process. He added how "That's just a win for veterans."

Cramer presented a second poster, which highlighted the 25 new VA clinics which have opened across the country over the past year, providing more options for veterans seeking care. He said, "25 VA clinics have opened since Jan. 20 of last year. So once again, backlogs are down, employee numbers evidently are down, and yet there's 25 more VA clinics." Secretary Collins agreed, saying he wants to see more of this because VA is expanding access and improving the experience for veterans.

Cramer then pointed out the relationship between the two new clinics in North Dakota, located in Williston and Grand Forks, which are 333 miles apart, and his bill with Senator Sheehy, the Critical Access for Veterans Care Act. The bill would allow veterans living in rural America to seek health care services at local Critical Access Hospitals or Rural Health Clinics. The North Dakota Rural Health Association and a coalition of 22 rural healthcare providers across North Dakota submitted letters of support for Cramer's legislation. The bill is also supported by the American Hospital Association, America's Warrior Partnership, and the National Rural Health Association. There are 37 Critical Access Hospitals in towns across North Dakota, but only five of those communities also have a VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

"We have all these communities far from a CBOC or a hospital," added Cramer. "We would, as you know, in our legislation, like to utilize these critical access hospitals in a more efficient way that makes them better and provides better care to that local veteran."

Secretary Collins said he completely agreed, and VA Under Secretary of Health John Bartrum said he's asked the team to look at what, if any, restrictions are there for them to do some of our leases with the Community Access Hospitals. Bartrum said he believes "it is a double win because it helps support the facility itself, and then it supports our veterans where they are and partnering with them to be part of our TPA network or our clinical care network."

"Well, Mr. Undersecretary, I'm just glad that we could reduce our backlog here at the United States Senate of confirmations for you as well," concluded Cramer.