A House panel Thursday approved six measures to overhaul health care services administered by the Veterans Affairs Department.

Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, sought to amended his own bill to establish a three-year pilot program allowing “highly rural” veterans enrolled in four of the department’s 21 health care networks to receive covered health services through outside providers. Both the amendment and the bill were approved by voice vote.

The bill defines highly rural veterans as those seeking primary care and living more than 60 miles from the nearest veterans’ facility, those seeking acute hospital care and living more than 120 miles from a facility, and those seeking tertiary care and living more than 240 miles from a facility.

The original language did not specify the program as a pilot and it did not limit the benefits to only four veterans integrated service networks. No funding is laid out in the measure to pay for outside health care services.

Several Democrats expressed relief that the program would be tested before implemented permanently.

“I hope we will approach this with the idea that at some point we may conclude that this doesn’t work,” said Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Ark. “The pilot is the first phase and the second phase is the extension of the pilot.”

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Michael H. Michaud of Maine, agreed.

“It is my intent to follow this very closely,” Michaud said. “When I look at a pilot, it is a pilot.”

The other five measures were approved en bloc by voice vote. All six will be marked up by the full committee July 16, committee staff said.