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Dear Neighbor,

I'm excited to see our country course-correct under our new president and our Republican House and Senate. House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chairman Mike Bost who was recently reappointed will continue to advocate for our country's veteran suicide epidemic, need for a thriving mental health support and access strategy, correction of the backlogged claims process, and overall protection of Community Care access (e.g. completing the Mission Act).

As your voice and your representative, I value your input on the multitude of issues that affect your business with the VA and your access to VA health care. I use your input as my guiding principle when working directly with the Committee. I'm going to keep working for you to make the changes that meet your expectations and needs. I take our team's vision of service to heart: "…championing the voice of the People through passionate advocacy and legislation that matters."

With all that's happening this new Congress, it is my greatest honor to represent you and hear from you about the issues that matter most. You can read below about what we've been up to this week, and as always, you can stay up to date with us here, on our website, and on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

For the Republic,

Congresswoman Kat Cammack                                                                                Proudly Representing Florida's Third Congressional District

VA Wait Times (January 15, 2025)

Learn More About Disabled Parking For Veterans

Florida Statute 316.1964(8) allows counties, municipalities, and their agencies to charge for parking in timed parking spaces for vehicles with disabled parking permits. However, there are some exemptions to this rule:

- Vehicles with specialized equipment, such as ramps, lifts, or foot or hand controls
- Vehicles with the Florida Toll Exemption Permit
- Vehicles with the Disabled Veteran “DV” license plate

Click below to read more!

My HealtheVet: Tips For Creating Your Login.gov Or ID.me Account

To continue to protect veterans' identities and benefits, the VA is making changes to its online sign-in process. In 2025, you'll need to use a Login.gov or ID.me account to sign in to all VA websites and apps, including My HealtheVet. The VA will remove the My HealtheVet sign-in option after January 31, 2025, and the DS Log-on option after September 30, 2025. If you don’t have one of these accounts yet, we encourage you to create one now.

If you've tried to create your account and you're having trouble, use the tips below to troubleshoot some of the most common issues. Click the link below to read more!

Four Chaplains Day

Military service often entails sacrifice. Service members must sacrifice time with loved ones in order to carry out orders. Families must sacrifice stability in residence in order for service members to be stationed where they are needed.

Troops must sacrifice creature comforts and familiar surroundings in order to forward deploy. And, at times, men and women of the military might have to make the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, or Marines. However these sacrifices may be acknowledged, whether honored publicly or observed privately, they are a part of the reality that is serving in the military.

Four Chaplains Day is one such day of public observation. Each year on February 3rd, this day of remembrance is celebrated across the country. It honors four military chaplains who sacrificed their own lives to save the lives of their fellow service members during WWII.

Check Your Passport Today

Believe it or not, summer is rapidly approaching us! Are you planning to travel abroad? Team Kat encourages you to check your passport expiration date now.

Currently, the State Department takes approximately 4-6 weeks to process a passport request. Also, we are seeing an added "fudge factor" of four additional weeks to print and mail the final passport to constituents in Florida's Third. Get ahead and make sure your passport is still valid while you have the opportunity to submit a renewal!

If you find your passport has expired and you're in need of emergency assistance before traveling, please contact us in Gainesville at (352) 505-0838. 

Why Team Kat Needs Your Written Permission To Advocate For You When Handling Casework

With increasing reports of fraud and stolen identity, our office values your privacy and protects the information you share with us. That being said, we need your permission to file congressional inquiries on your behalf.

When filing casework, we're often asked why we can’t simply pick up the phone and request a correction of constituent records or ask for the the status of pending cases. The simple answer is the Privacy Act! 

The Privacy Act is in place to ensure your information is protected by our office. Under the Privacy Act of 1974, we need your formal authorization before making an inquiry to a federal agency on your behalf. In essence, this law was enacted to protect you from the unauthorized disclosures of personal information without your consent. Therefore, to effectively advocate on your behalf, we require you to fill out and return the privacy waiver so we can represent you!

Community Care Updates

We often receive questions about Community Care. This program is a needs-based program. Specifically, veterans can access community care when the VA cannot provide the necessary care, including extended care, based on their specific medical needs and location.

38 CFR 17.4005 defines it this way: "Episode of care means a necessary course of treatment, including follow-up appointments and ancillary and specialty services, which lasts no longer than one calendar year..."

My team has a proud history of advocating for our constituents in Florida's Third and has become very familiar with what the CFR and Title 38 have to offer in terms of requesting possible exceptions to the rules. If you have been denied a request for services under this program, I encourage you to contact my Director of Veterans Services in the Gainesville District Office before you file your Clinical Appeal. Please have a copy of your denial letter when you request our help.

VA Is Transitioning To A New Scheduling System

VA is implementing a new, modernized appointment scheduling system to better deliver the soonest and best care to veterans. 

Officially known as the Integrated Scheduling System (ISS), this new solution consolidates several scheduling applications into one location. It provides employees with a user-friendly scheduling experience while effectively reducing the time veterans must wait for their appointments to be confirmed and scheduled.

The implementation should be seamless for patients; however, any business process transition always presents opportunities for improvement. VA is committed to ensuring the transition to ISS goes as smoothly as possible.

We expect to fully transition to ISS in February 2025.

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