WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to express their concern about the potential sunset of the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) program and to urge the Committee to work to ensure that the program is extended.  The letter was addressed to Senators Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee.

Senators Collins and King have strongly advocated to protect the future of the ARCH program, which provides rural veterans with local access to the quality health care they have earned through their service to our nation.  Absent congressional action, the pilot program will expire on August 7, 2016, as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) looks to consolidate all community care programs, called the New Choice Program, in order to streamline health care administration and costs.

“More than 90 percent of veterans participating in ARCH are overwhelmingly satisfied with their access to care and the medical services they receive, and many veterans have contacted us to report that this program is their ‘lifeline,’” wrote Senators Collins and King.  “While we recognize that consolidation can be an important objective, it is equally important that veterans do not experience lapses in care as the VA transitions to the new Veterans Choice Program.  We look forward to working with the Veterans’ Affairs Committee to ensure continuity of care for our nation’s veterans, as well as to ensure that Congress’s and the VA’s consolidation efforts incorporate the principles of ARCH that have made the program so successful.”  

The ARCH program has been operating at Cary Medical Center in Caribou since 2011.  According to Cary Medical Center, the program serves more than 1,400 local veterans and has provided in excess of 17,000 medical appointments since its inception.  Without this partnership, veterans in Northern Maine would have to travel up to 600 miles roundtrip to access care at the Togus VA Hospital in Augusta.

On March 15, 2016, Senators Collins and King introduced legislation that would extend the ARCH program for an additional five years.  This would allow veterans in Northern Maine to continue to receive care at Cary Medical Center.  The legislation would also provide Congress and the VA with additional time to evaluate and incorporate the successes of the ARCH program into any consolidation plans.

Last month, Senators Collins and King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert McDonald regarding the implementation of the current Choice Program.  While the original Choice Program was intended to improve veterans’ access to health care, more than half of eligible Maine veterans have experienced difficulties accessing care through this program. The letter urged Secretary McDonald to ensure that all veterans in Maine receive timely care, continue the successful ARCH program, and incorporate the successes of that program into the VA’s larger community care model.

In addition, last October, Senators Collins, King, and Jerry Moran (R-KS) wrote to VA Secretary Robert McDonald, urging him to provide support for the crucial ARCH program for veterans who live in rural communities.

Click HERE to view a signed copy of the letter

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