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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders says new legislation passed this past week should go a long way toward clearing up long delays some veterans have been seeing when they seek medical care from Veterans Affairs health centers.
Sanders — chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee — says the $16.3 billion package uses several strategies to address the crisis in veterans' health care.
Among them: it provides $5 billion to help the VA recruit more doctors and other health providers.
Veterans on long VA waiting lists and those who live far from VA facilities may see private doctors or go to community health centers, under the legislation.
Another $1.3 billion will pay for leasing 27 new clinics in 18 states and Puerto Rico.
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