A bill headed to the U.S. House floor for a vote would provide better healthcare for veterans, powered by the efforts of Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican from Aurora.

Coffman is a prime backer of H.R. 4242, called the VA Care in the Community Act, and authored an amendment to provide safer use of opioid prescriptions.

“We all hear about the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make while serving our nation,” Coffman told a congressional committee. “But many do not understand that those sacrifices can leave a veteran with chronic, debilitating pain and serious mental health challenges.”

His amendment, adopted unanimously, would “consolidate, streamline and improve” the work of the Veterans Affairs’ community care providers and allow more timely sharing of medical records, as well, Coffman’s office said.

“As the VA expands their partnerships with community providers, we have found that these partnerships are challenged by the lack of sharing critical health information and conflicting opioid prescribing practices,” Coffman said in a statement.

“The Inspector General determined that these challenges put veterans suffering from chronic pain and mental health illnesses at particular risk, and creates troubling gaps in treatment plans. My amendment tackles these challenges and provides accountability in opioid prescribing practices. I thank the Veterans Affairs’ committee for its unanimous support of my amendment to H.R. 4242, the VA Care in Community Act, which I originally cosponsored.”

He noted that the VA’s Inspector General report found that opioid abuse, including overdose deaths, affected veterans at a higher rate than civilians.

Coffman grew up near Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora and his father was a career soldier. The congressman is a veteran of the Army and Marine Corps and served in combat in both Iraq wars. He has a total of 21 years of military service. Coffman sits on the House Armed Services Committee and House Veteran’s Affairs Committee. He chairs the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.