Veterans’ ACCESS Act Delivers on Our Promise to Those Who Served
By William Huff III
For many veterans, access to health care is not as simple as it should be. Many veterans here in Jacksonville face long wait times, confusing requirements, and limited options when they try to get needed care from the local Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
Just do a few minutes of research into wait times at the local VA hospital. Veterans can wait anywhere from one day to three months for needed care. The wait times are especially burdensome for new patients. Florida has the second highest veteran population in the country, and is a destination for veterans retiring or just relocating. The fact that our VA facilities can’t provide timely care is unacceptable.
Luckily, there is a solution in the Veterans Community Care Program. This program allows many veterans to use VA health care benefits at facilities in their own neighborhoods. If the VA can’t see you in a reasonable timeframe, the facility is too far from your house, or your best care option is from a community provider, veterans can use VA benefits to get care outside the VA’s system.
Naturally, a big bureaucracy like the VA wants to keep itself in business. Even after Congress passed laws to give veterans more choice and hold VA accountable for how it delivers care, VA administrators manipulate the system. Records obtained through a FOIA lawsuit show VA staff misinterpreting scheduling requirement and intentionally misleading veterans about their community care options.
This can’t stand. The VA’s primary mission is to care for veterans, not to be the sole deliverer of care.
The Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025 is a step in the right direction. It focuses on making care more accessible, flexible, and responsive for veterans. It writes into law the standards for accessing community care, ensuring VA can’t play fast and loose with the regulations or interpretations.
The bill also simplifies the referral process, which has often been a source of confusion and frustration. Clearer guidelines and more straightforward pathways to care can make a meaningful difference, especially for veterans who are already dealing with health challenges.
Equally important is the expanded focus on mental health and substance use treatment. Many veterans face invisible wounds that require timely and consistent care. Improving access to these services is a necessary step in ensuring veterans have the support they need to live healthy and stable lives.
The VA can and should be a viable option for veterans. So should care in the community. Veterans should have both to choose as they see fit.Legislation like the Veterans’ ACCESS Act does not happen without strong leadership. Senator Ashley Moody has demonstrated a clear commitment to supporting veterans by backing this effort. She understands the challenges veterans face and is working towards solutions, and veterans like me are grateful for her signing on to the Veterans’ ACCESS Act.
I choose not to use the VA for my medical care, and I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to use other forms of coverage to do that. Some veterans are solely reliant on the VA for coverage, but choices should apply to them too. I hear from veterans in my community every day that they want to choose where they get their care. We’ve earned that right.
The Veterans’ ACCESS Act is a meaningful step forward that would improve access, reduce unnecessary hurdles, and put veterans first.
Our responsibility to veterans extends beyond their time in uniform. The Veterans’ ACCESS Act is a realization of the promise to care for those who served..
William Huff is a retired First class Petty Officer with experience serving in the U.S. Navy.
Read the full op-ed on www.Jacksonville.com
