Benishek Hearings on VA Payment Delays

U-S Representative Dan Benishek’s Subcommittee on Veterans’ Health held a hearing yesterday on delayed payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs to private providers serving veterans across the country. Benishek says the delayed payments have caused providers to be wary of accepting veterans as patients, thereby limiting the number of options available to veterans in need of private care. He notes that the V-A is required by law to make payments in timely fashion.

Here is the full text of Benishek’s statement:

Washington, D.C- Dr. Dan Benishek, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Veterans Health, held a hearing today on delayed payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs to private providers serving veterans across the country. These delayed payments have caused providers to be wary of accepting veterans as patients, thereby limiting the number of options available to veterans in need of private care.

“The VA has a responsibility to promptly pay the healthcare providers serving veterans on their behalf. In fact – it’s the law,” said Dr. Benishek, who worked as a surgeon at the VA for over twenty years. “This hearing is an important step towards identifying how this problem can be resolved, and I intend to pursue every avenue, including legislation, to ensure that all veterans have access to an array of options for reliable care.”

At the hearing, testimony was given by reimbursement experts in the medical field as well as officials at the VA responsible for overseeing provider payments. Testimony revealed that providers often experience “lengthy delays” in reimbursements, and often claims are lost or misplaced at the VA altogether.