Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., helped ensure yesterday that the VA Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Commission would receive better information so the Department of Veterans Affairs would be able to make decisions that would benefit current and future veterans for years to come.

Enzi and Sens. Hillary Clinton, and Charles Schumer, both D-N.Y., reached an agreement with Sens. Kit Bond R-Mo., Barbara Mikulski D-Md., the respective chairman and ranking member of the VA Appropriations Subcommittee, yesterday to include a provision in the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development (VA-HUD) Appropriations conference report that would address veterans' concerns about the impact of the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) initiative on long-term care, home care, rural care and mental health care. The report would also address the ability of veterans to attend hearings and have a voice in the CARES process.

"There are veterans with needs from Buffalo, New York, to Buffalo, Wyoming, and everywhere in between and their concerns deserve to be addressed by Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs," said Enzi.

Enzi worked to include rural health care issues in the agreement, particularly those related to travel, such as road conditions and seasonal or weather changes. Enzi said the weather in the state places Wyoming veterans at a greater disadvantage when they must travel long distances to receive health care services.

The VA released a draft CARES plan in August, which Enzi and Clinton said contained many unfavorable recommendations for veterans' healthcare across the nation. The senators believe there were some flaws in the CARES process and that evaluations were rushed, not allowing for adequate consideration of the impact of the proposed changes on the lives of veterans.

A reduction in the surgical intensive care unit service at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center was recommended in the draft national CARES plan. In response to a request from Enzi, the CARES Commission held a hearing in Cheyenne on Oct. 23, to give veterans most directly affected by the proposed changes a chance to voice their concerns.

"I believe the hearing in Cheyenne went very well. The Commissioners were able to hear from our veterans and tour the facility. I pursued this agreement because every veterans community where the commission is considering changes should have the same opportunity to have their concerns heard by the CARES Commission."

Enzi was pleased VA Secretary Anthony Principi met last week with the heads of veterans service organizations to address veterans concerns about the future of their health care and the CARES process.

The Senate is expected to finish work on its version VA-HUD bill before adjourning for the year.