VA expands eligibility for Virginia veterans who live in remote regions

More veterans in rural Virginia, including the Eastern Shore, will be eligible to seek health care outside the Veterans Affairs system thanks to a regulatory change announced Tuesday.

The change involves the Veterans Choice Program. It allows eligible veterans to seek care at preapproved sites if they live 40 miles from a VA medical facility or wait longer than 30 days for an appointment.

The program is up and running in Virginia, with 22 approved sites around the state. That includes five on the Eastern Shore, served by the Hampton VA Medical Center.

The change focuses on the 40-mile rule.

The original rule measured the distance in a straight line, as the crow flies. More than 40 senators, including Virginia's Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, wrote to VA Secretary Robert McDonald, urging him to consider the actual travel distance between the veteran's home and a VA health-care site.

McDonald, noting "constructive feedback" that he's received, said Tuesday that's exactly what the VA will do. The change must be published in the Federal Register and should be effective in several weeks, according to an agency press release.

Kaine and Warner issued a joint statement praising the change.

"We are grateful the VA will make this change, which will expand care options for many veterans who were excluded from the Choice Program despite lengthy driving distances between their homes and the nearest VA medical center," they said.

It also got a thumbs up from Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla. He is chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and has been highly critical of the VA on a number of fronts. Miller called it a "welcome, common-sense change."

There was no indication Tuesday how many more veterans in Virginia would be eligible once the change is finalized. As an example, about 5,500 veterans live on the Eastern Shore, and roughly 1,300 receive health care through the Hampton VA Medical Center.

Meanwhile, two other concerns that critics have raised have not yet been addressed.

Critics say the 40-mile rule should apply between the veteran's home and a VA medical center that provides hospital-type care. But the limit applies to any VA medical site, including community based outpatient clinics — even if a veteran needs more advanced care than the clinic provides.

The second concern involves funding.

The Obama administration's 2016 budget says the president intends to siphon money from the Veterans Choice program to meet other veteran needs. It does not specify an amount, saying it intends to offer legislation in the coming months.

McDonald has since said he is committed to the Veterans Choice program, telling a Senate panel last month, "We are for outside care."

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