WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today applauded the inclusion of a two-year extension of the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) Program in the Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) spending bill. Senator King and Senator Susan Collins had introduced legislation in March to allow the ARCH program to continue operating through 2021.

"The inclusion of this provision is very encouraging news for veterans in Aroostook County," Senator King said in a news release. "There is more work left to be done, but this is a significant step forward in our work to extend this vital program and ensure that Maine's veterans receive the timely and convenient health care services they deserve. I commend my friend and colleague Senator Collins for her work on the Appropriations Committee, and I will continue to fight alongside her to try to shepherd this much-needed extension through the Senate."

Without Congressional action, the ARCH pilot program will expire on August 7. Together with Senator Susan Collins, Senator King had introduced legislation that would extend the ARCH program for an additional five years, allowing veterans in Northern Maine to continue to receive care at Cary Medical Center. The legislation would also provide Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with additional time to evaluate and incorporate the successes of the ARCH program into any consolidation plans, as Senators Collins and King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin urged VA Secretary Robert McDonald to do in a February letter.

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 round trip to access care at the Togus VA Hospital in Augusta.

The MilCon-VA appropriations bill was passed unanimously today by the Appropriations Committee. It now awaits consideration by the full Senate.