Labrador Commends VA for Easing Health Care Access for Veterans

Press Release

Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, welcomed Tuesday's announcement by Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald that the VA will use driving distance to determine eligibility for a new program aimed at improving health care for veterans in rural America.

Last year, Congress passed the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act in response to serious service problems in the VA system, including long wait times, mismanagement and neglect of patients.

Congress gave veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA facility the option to seek treatment outside the VA system at VA expense. But the Department of Veterans Affairs defined 40 miles as straight-line distance, not driving distance.

In January, Labrador was among 19 original cosponsors of a legislative remedy. H.R. 577, the bipartisan Veterans Access to Community Care Act of 2015, applies driving distance to the 40-mile standard.

McDonald said Tuesday that regulatory changes will be made in coming weeks to allow veterans to calculate driving by using a commercial product, such as Google maps. "We've determined that changing the distance calculation will help ensure more Veterans have access to care when and where they want it," McDonald said in a news release.

"I'm pleased to see the VA make this common-sense change," Labrador said Tuesday. "This revision will roughly double the number of veterans eligible for treatment closer to home, improving thousands of lives.

"The VA's original interpretation ignored the geographical reality of much of Idaho and rural America, where mountains, rivers and lakes multiply the driving distance from a veteran's home to the health care he or she needs," Labrador continued. "Our obligation to keep our promises to the brave men and women of our armed services -- regardless of where they live -- demanded this reasonable solution."

The Veterans Access to Community Care Act established the Choice Program, funded by $10 billion for non-VA care over three years. The program also is available to veterans experiencing wait times beyond 30 days. About 45,000 appointments have been scheduled since the program took effect in November, according to the VA.

Source