Sen. Gallego must back choice in health care for veterans

Letter to the Editor: Arizona Republic

I attended Sen. Gallego’s veterans’ town hall in Apache Junction. He was largely silent on what he’s doing to improve veterans’ health care. I heard veterans’ frustrations with the VA, but no good solutions.

I’m especially concerned because he helped add harmful sunset provisions to protections for veterans’ health care choices in a bill designed to improve access to care.

The Veterans’ ACCESS Act offers a real solution by creating a pilot program for mental health and substance abuse care that removes the need for VA referrals and gets veterans timely, quality care access. It also makes the standards for accessing community care permanent and law, so VA can’t skirt the rules to keep veterans in the VA system.

Gallego supports letting the rules for how veterans can use their health benefits at community care providers expire. That would put veterans’ health care choices at far greater risk of being undermined by a VA more focused on protecting its own bureaucracy than on treatment outcomes.

I support the Veterans’ ACCESS Act with permanent protections for community care. I hope Sen. Gallego plans to support this bill’s true intent ― true choice in care.

Tim Taylor, Gilbert

Originally published on September 14, 2025 in the Arizona Republic