washingtonscene

LEGISLATIVE NEWS THAT AFFECTS YOU VA Care Barriers

House and Senate legislators demand the VA fix health care access problems under the new Veterans Choice Program as more veterans turn to the VA for care.

A

t separate hearings in mid- May, House and Senate lawmak- ers made no bones about their

frustrations with VA officials’ implemen- tation of a new program to provide veter- ans health care. “There is no excuse for the plethora

of problems the VA was having, and the transition [to the Veterans Choice Program (VCP)] should have been much better, but it wasn’t,” said Senate Veterans’ Affairs Com- mittee Chair Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). The VCP, the result of last year’s shock-

ing report of lengthy wait times at VA cen- ters, allows some veterans to receive care outside of VA facilities. At the urging of MOAA and several partners in The Military Coalition, the VA changed eligibility criteria for the VCP. Veterans who live more than 40 miles away from the closest VA health care fa- cility and have wait times of more than 30 days to see a VA physician are eligible. Previously, the VA used a straight-line determination to measure distance from a veteran’s home of record to the closest VA facility. Now the VA uses a more appro- priate factor of driving distance, allowing twice as many veterans to become eligible for the program.

The change underscores problems

the VA has had with implementation of the VCP.

A unique mixture of demographic fac- tors is leading to increased demand for VA services. Aging Vietnam veterans are using

more services at increased costs. Success- ful marketing of the VCP has led veterans who previously might have decided not to use the VA to seek care. The conclusion of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is bringing in a new generation of post-9/11 veterans to the system. A growing number of female veterans, now 10 percent of the military, are seeking VA treatment. Despite the growing pains, the depart- ment has seen a 44-percent increase in au- thorizations for care since the VCP began in November 2014, according to Deputy Secre- tary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson. Adding stress to the system is a 25-per-

cent increase in non-VA care costs, such as the VCP. According to Gibson, estimates for the total cost of the VCP now range be- tween $4 billion and $34 billion a year. As of April 30, the VA has spent just over

$500 million of the $10 billion authorized by the Veterans Access, Choice, and Ac- countability Act of 2014 — only 5 percent. Of that, a little over $200 million has gone to pay for medical services for veterans. Gibson insists the agency needs great-

er flexibility in contracting with commu- nity providers to address the expanded VCP and its associated costs. Despite the frustrations with imple- mentation of the Choice Act, most mem- bers of Congress and those testifying agreed significant progress has been made in a relatively short period. “We thank Congress, the VA, and the HealthNet and TriWest contractors for

JULY 2015 MILITARY OFFICER 33

Take Action Visit http://capwiz.com/ moaa/home to send your legislators a MOAA- suggested message on key issues affecting the military community.