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The fight continues for better health care

VA Doctor talking to Veteran in Camo in Waiting Room

By Concerned Veterans for America

Whether you’re new to Concerned Veterans for America or you’ve been with us since day one, you know we fight to ensure veterans get the health care they were promised.

We’ve seen so much progress along the way, thanks to veterans and their families who’ve demanded better from lawmakers and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

After the Phoenix VA scandal in 2014, Congress and the VA created the Veterans Choice Program. Under the VCP, some veterans could seek care in their communities if they’d waited longer than 30 days for care or had to drive more than 40 miles to get to the closest VA facility.

The program was clunky, and eligibility was difficult to understand. Scandal after scandal poured out of the VA as very few vets were actually able to use the VCP to seek non-VA care.

But thanks to the work of members of Congress and advocates around the country, the VA MISSION Act was signed into law last year.

The VA MISSION Act built on the principle of the Veterans Choice Program but expanded eligibility so more veterans could take advantage of community care. The VA MISSION Act also cut down on bureaucratic red tape and confusing standards, so the new Veterans Community Care Program runs more smoothly than its predecessor.

The number of veterans eligible for care in their communities has more than doubled, allowing many vets to seek the care they need, when and where they need it.

But the reforms are not finished.

Even with the changes the VA MISSION Act brought about, many veterans still aren’t getting access to timely, quality care. Congress can introduce new reforms that expand options so more veterans have the choice to use non-VA doctors and hospitals.

Veterans sacrificed under the promise they would be cared for after taking off the uniform. We’ve come a long way, but there is still so much more to be done to truly fulfill that promise.

Tell your lawmaker to Honor Their Sacrifice by giving veterans more choice over their health care.