AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The congressional delegations of Maine and Alaska want the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to work quickly to implement a law designed to address a gap in care for veterans who suffer from early-stage dementia.
The delegations want the VA to implement provisions of the State Veterans Homes Domiciliary Care Flexibility Act, which Congress passed late last year. The law gives the VA the ability to waive eligibility requirements for domiciliary care for veterans with early-stage dementia.
The delegations said they were motivated to advocate for the law because of difficulty experienced at Maine Veterans’ Homes. Eligibility requirements enforced by the VA limited access for many veterans, the lawmakers said.
Kelley Kash, chief executive officer of Maine Veterans’ Homes, said the law change “will correct a decades-old administrative oversight that has negatively impacted Maine veterans and their families.”
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