The New CARE Act

The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing the new Veterans Coordinated Access and Rewarding Experiences (CARE) Act and has sent those ideas to the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committee.

The original CHOICE Act gave veterans the option of getting medical care closer to home, outside of a VA facility, if they lived more than 40 miles from one or couldn’t get an appointment for 30 days. That was a good step, except when it came to determining just what “40 miles” meant.

Was it as the crow flies, or was it by long and winding road? And yes, it sounded great to be able to access care mere miles from one’s home … except the contact number to make appointments was involved in a scam (a difference between an 800 and an 866 phone number). And yes, the whole thing sounded fine, except that care providers were bailing due to lack of payment.

This new CARE Act proposes to simplify eligibility requirements, implement new care coordination support, and streamline clinical and admin processes.

Said VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin, “We want veterans to work with their VA physicians to make informed decisions that are best for their clinical needs, whether in the VA or in the community.” Which means what? That the third-party vendor will no longer need to approve your request to go outside the system?

VA officials are, however, proposing to change the 40-mile, 30-day difficulty rule that has kept many veterans from getting care. There are other items as well: tools to strengthen VA care, partner with other federal agencies and “business process enhancements to improve financial management.” I suspect this last one means “paying bills on time so community-care providers won’t quit or send the bill to the veteran.”

To find out how quickly your nearest facility can see you, go online to www.accesstocare.va.gov.