Committee meets in Fayetteville to discuss improved care for veterans

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) -- The chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs held an open session Friday in Fayetteville to discuss veterans care.

The session was called Partnering, Payment and Provider Access and it's really all in the name. The Committee held the session to discuss ways to improve VA programs, specifically the Choice program.

That program allows eligible veterans to receive health care from a community provider rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility. But families ABC11 spoke with Friday said that process isn't as straightforward as it sounds

"Bureaucracy is like nothing I have ever seen before," said Sarah Verardo. "Obtaining care for my catastrophically wounded husband was the very hardest part, he will say, of his combat - his very severe combat injury - so we need a streamlined process in which the veteran is empowered and in charge of his or her own care."

U.S. Rep Richard Hudson was in attendance.

"This bureaucracy is not going to get fixed unless Congress makes it get fixed, and we're working really hard on doing that," said US Rep. Richard Hudson.

Hudson and Chairman Phil Roe said they're taking the concerns back to Washington to urge lawmakers to get to work on these important issues.