Statement for the Record addresses infrastructure reform, adequate transportation, provider recruitment and retention, and more to provide veteran health care in an effective and timely manner.
The American Legion submitted a Statement for the Record (SFR) for a House Veterans Affairs’ Committee Subcommittee on Health Oversight hearing on evaluating VA community care. In the SFR, submitted by American Legion Health Policy Analyst Matthew Cardenas, the Legion reaffirms its support for the MISSION Act and that the VA should remain the center of veteran health care with a focus on improvement. Read the entire Statement for the Record.
“With the VA now spending more than 39% of its health care budget on community provider reimbursements and Congressional efforts to codify community care access standards, setting clear guidelines for contract oversight will be a monumental issue as the VA negotiates a new community care contract,” the SFR states. “However, even with clear guidelines for oversight, the VA will continue sending a larger number of veterans into the community if Congress does not consider and act upon a comprehensive plan for infrastructure reform. Congress’ disregard for the Asset & Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission, housed within the MISSION Act and designed to address VA’s long-standing infrastructure issues, is a large part of the reason the VA is facing a growing community care budget. Important changes in policy to improve infrastructure, reduce barriers to accessing care, streamline appointment scheduling, support women veterans, and improve reimbursement requirements are critical to providing veterans with the health care they have earned.”
The American Legion conducts visits to VA facilities each year as part of its System Worth Saving (SWS) program. During these visits, national staff and leadership talk with veterans and VA staff members to ensure veterans are receiving the best care possible.
“Access standards were identified as an area for improvement. Who qualifies and how can sometimes seem unclear, and veterans report facing unexpected barriers to actually getting referrals. This goes against the spirit of the MISSION Act, which is to provide veterans with closer and timelier access to care. Congress and the VA should look closely at codifying access standards but also ensuring that veterans aren’t going out of VA care just to receive care that is further away, a longer wait, or both, as we heard about anecdotally multiple times on our SWS visits.
“When veterans qualify for community care and elect to go that direction, that decision should be between a veteran and their providers. While current access standards are not codified, they are part of VA policy and need to be followed. The Secretary of the VA has discussed making changes to access standards in the past to keep more care in the VA. While no official changes to access standards have been made, there are reports that the VA has been informally restricting access.”
Additionally, the SFR states that “infrastructure reform, ensuring adequate transportation, and addressing provider recruitment and retention are all crucial to providing veteran health care in an effective and timely manner, and The American Legion urges Congress to address these issues while holding the VA accountable for delays and denials of veterans who need health care in their community. We must, in every effort to properly address balancing VA direct care with community care, keep the individual veteran as our focus.”
- Veterans Healthcare