Mike’s many priorities for the 119th Congress include: ... Ensuring veterans receive the care and services they deserve;
Ensure veterans receive the care and services they deserve.
Occurrences
Evidence
"After visiting Idaho veterans and the facilities used by veterans and their family, it became evident to me that many outstanding individuals--both veterans and volunteers--needed to be recognized... So, in 2002, I set up an award program to help recognize the important work and heroic service of a number of Idaho veterans and volunteers."
Crapo supported the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, which would allow veterans more access to private treatment when faced with long waits at VA facilities and increase accountability within the VA.
Crapo said the measure signals to veterans "we will continue to ensure they receive the care they have earned." His provisions were included in the Senate-passed VA MISSION Act, which streamlined community care and improved education about care options.
Crapo said Idaho's State Veterans Homes are important to "address the unique medical and quality of life needs of Idaho's veterans" and that the bill would remove burdensome requirements without compromising the high standard of care veterans deserve.
Congress.gov lists Sen. Mike Crapo as sponsor of S.1279, introduced May 25, 2017. The bill would authorize VA community care for hospital, medical, and dental services, expand emergency and urgent care reimbursement, and create education programs on VA health care options.
Crapo's office said two provisions he authored were included in Senate-passed S.2372, the VA MISSION Act: veteran education on health care options and VA staff training on administering non-VA health care programs.
Congress.gov shows S.2372 became Public Law 115-182 on June 6, 2018. The law established the Veterans Community Care Program to provide hospital care, medical services, and extended care through non-VA providers and required coordination to avoid lapses or excessive burdens in care access.
Congress.gov shows H.R.3230 became Public Law 113-146 on August 7, 2014. The law required certain hospital care and medical services to be furnished through non-VA facilities and created Veterans Choice Cards for eligible veterans.
The Senate roll call for the conference report on H.R.3230 records Crapo (R-ID) voting Yea; the measure passed 91-3 before becoming law.
The Senate roll call on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S.3373, the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, records Crapo (R-ID) voting Nay; the motion still passed 86-11.
Assessments
Crapo took meaningful action toward the broad veterans-care promise, especially in later Senate terms: he voted for the 2014 Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, sponsored S.1279 in 2017, and had veterans health-care education and VA staff-training provisions included in the enacted 2018 VA MISSION Act. Those actions materially advanced veterans' access to care and services. However, the promise was broad and not fully satisfied, first-term evidence is limited, and his later vote against the 2022 PACT Act weighs against full delivery. The best judgment is partial fulfillment with substantive later-term effort.
The promise is broad and ongoing, so it is difficult to judge as fully delivered by any single action. During the 1999-2005 first Senate term tied to the 1998 campaign, Crapo showed attention to veterans through visits, recognition efforts, and the 2002 Spirit of Freedom award, but that did not itself ensure care and services. Later, while still serving in the Senate, he supported or materially advanced veterans health-care measures, including the 2014 veterans care bill, provisions in the VA MISSION Act, and later state veterans home inspection legislation. These are concrete efforts and partial policy gains toward the promised outcome, but the evidence does not show comprehensive fulfillment of ensuring veterans received all deserved care and services.
Crapo made concrete efforts toward the broad veterans-care promise, including attention to Idaho veterans during his first Senate term and later support or authorship of provisions in major veterans health-care legislation such as the 2014 veterans access law and the 2018 VA MISSION Act. However, the promise was broad and outcome-oriented, and the evidence shows meaningful advancement rather than a complete fulfillment that veterans generally received all deserved care and services. Because his material contributions to enacted or Senate-passed veterans-care reforms occurred after the 1999-2005 term tied to the 1998 campaign, timing is later_term.