TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VETS: “President Donald Trump signed an extension of a Department of Veterans Affairs law on Wednesday to continue a program that helps veterans seek health care outside the VA system.
The original legislation, commonly known as the Veterans Choice Act, was slated to expire in August. The measure signed Wednesday by Mr. Trump extends the program until the remaining funds are used, which is expected to happen by the end of the year.
The bill passed in the wake of a 2014 wait-time scandal and gave the department approximately $15 billion to hire new personnel and to pay to allow veterans to get treatment from non-VA providers if wait times or commuting distances were unreasonable. Under the program, veterans were issued a ‘Choice Card’ to help them to get appointments with private providers if necessary.”
-Ben Kesling, “Trump Signs Legislation Extending Private-Care Program for Veterans,” The Wall Street Journal online, April 19, 2017 9:40pm