President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans who control congress have pledged to “repeal and replace ObamaCare” — and Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says improvements in the health care available to veterans is part of the agenda for the 2017 congress.

A 2014 federal law allows veterans to seek care closer to home if a V-A facility is more than 40 miles of their home or if they’ve waited more than 30 days for an appointment with a doctor or specialist. That law is scheduled to expire in August of 2017, so congress must either extend it, or proposed changes. As a senator since 2015, Ernst has been focusing on ensuring veterans have access to mental health care services.

An estimated 20 veterans commit suicide very day. And Ernst is a co-sponsor of the “Military Sexual Assault Victims Empowerment Act. If passed, the bill would let soldiers who are victims of sexual assault to seek treatment wherever they wish rather than limiting their options to a facility in the V-A system.

(Radio Iowa)