Senate Choice Act Bill

[Chuck75]

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1463/text

SECTION 1. Short title.

This Act may be cited as the “Access to Community Care for Veterans Act of 2015”.

SEC. 2. Modification of distance requirement for expanded availability of hospital care and medical services for veterans through the use of agreements with non-Department of Veterans Affairs entities.

(a) In general.—Subparagraph (B) of section 101(b)(2) of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–146; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended to read as follows:

“(B) resides more than 40 miles (calculated based on distance traveled) from a medical facility of the Department, including a community-based outpatient clinic, that is the closest such medical facility to the residence of the veteran that is able to provide to the veteran the hospital care or medical services that the veteran needs;”.

(b) Effective date.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to care and services provided under section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–146; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) on and after such effective date.

( © Emergency designations.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The amendment made by subsection (a) is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)).

(2) DESIGNATION IN SENATE.—In the Senate, the amendment made by subsection (a) is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 403(a) of S. Con. Res. 13 (111th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2010.

Passed the Senate May 22, 2015.

Let's all hope that this or something very similar makes it through Congress, and becomes law!

Edited June 1, 2015 by Chuck75

[broncovet]

Does anyone else think this is crazy that Congress needs to force the VA to be "Vet friendly" in its interpretation of the regulations? The VA can squander 6 billion per year, at least, but then wants Vets to get to the doctor "by the way the crow flies" so they can avoid "Veterans choice".

Is THIS the "pro claimant", ex-parte, non adversarial VA the regulations talk about?

Edited June 1, 2015 by broncovet

[Notorious Kelly]

Agreed, Chuck.

We'll do it like they do: get our foot in the door with This bill, then drop the '40 miles' bit in the Next one.

[Chuck75]

My next concern is not so much the 40 miles, it's the 30 day business. That's a ridiculous time to have to wait for medical treatment.

It just shows that the VA has/is concentrated more on monitoring veteran's conditions and collecting data than providing prompt and appropriate care.

Originally, the only reason I got involved with the VA at all was that some of the prescriptions involved with treating heart conditions

were fairly expensive, and private insurance increased co-pays to about four times what they had been. The VA's Co Pays were much less,

originally 2.50. When all was said and done, I had to fight with the VA to get the VA Co-Pay refunded after Nehmer SC'd IHD.

The VA was ignoring a provision in law and reg that waived co-pay for "presumptive conditions". Nothing in the law/reg required that the presumptive

condition had to be "Adjudicated" for the waiver to apply.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Chuck75

[Buck52]

I was just thinking the same thing Chuck75!

.................Buck

[Pete53]

I think all Veterans should have choice. I wish that I could have ChampVA with my Medicare and I would no longer use the VA. I almost already do that but I think Vets with Medicare should be allowed to choose.