Kaine sees "reason to be hopeful" for more improvements in veterans' care

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine says he is grateful the Department of Veterans Affairs is making a change that should help more rural veterans receive medical care.

In an interview with WDBJ7 Thursday morning, he said there is reason to be hopeful about other problems as well.

This week, the agency announced it will consider the driving distance between a veteran's home and the the nearest VA Medical Center when deciding who is eligible for private care under the Veterans Choice program. The current standard, he said, is measured "as the crow flies."

Kaine said veterans receiving care at Veterans Affairs facilities should also see improvements.

"Waiting times have already been dramatically reduced at most of the V-As," Kaine said. "Once the spotlight was shown on this problem, we can really track waiting times dropping, but we don't think we're there yet. Some of the solutions are quick and some take more time."

Kaine said he's hopeful we will continue to see improvements not just in the quality of care, but also in veterans' access to care in V-A facilities.

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