VA running out of money for private health care program

WASHINGTON » Weeks after a veterans’ health initiative received $2.1billion in emergency funds, the Trump administration says the private-sector Veterans Choice health care program may need additional money as early as December to avoid a disruption of care for hundreds of thousands of veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said in a statement that it hoped to move quickly on a proposed longterm legislative fix to give veterans wider access to private doctors. The proposal, under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would seek money to keep Choice running for much of next year as the VA implements wider changes.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee anticipated that emergency funding approved in August may not last the full six months, according to spokespeople for both Republican and Democratic panel members. They cited the VA’s past problems in estimating Choice program cost.