Doctors and nurses work at a Mobile Health Unit for drive-thru coronavirus testing at Robert C. Byrd Clinic on the campus of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, W.Va., Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The nurses and doctors can test for COVID-19, but also treat flu and allergy symptoms. (Jenny Harnish/The Register-Herald via AP)

Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to cover costs of mobile testing sites

CHARLESTON, WV (WDVM) – U.S. Senators in West Virginia are asking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help cover costs when veterans get tested for COVID-19 at mobile testing sites.

Senator Shelley Moore Capito

“It is critical that the VA covers COVID-19 mobile testing sites in the same manner as urgent and emergency care, so veterans can access these testing sites, without being stuck with the bill,” Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) wrote in a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie, sent Monday.

Senator Joe Manchin

The senators say mobile testing sites are not covered under the VA’s urgent and emergency care policies. This makes it so veterans in rural communities have to choose between traveling to their nearest VA facility or paying for a test out of pocket at a closer mobile testing site.

The full letter sent by Capito and Manchin reads:

Dear Secretary Wilkie, We are writing to urge the Department of Veterans Affairs to authorize mobile testing sites in the same manner as the Department’s urgent and emergency services policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. As you know, the VA MISSION Act expanded urgent and emergency care services, but it did not factor in unforeseen circumstances such as a global pandemic. It is critical that the VA covers COVID-19 mobile testing sites in the same manner as urgent and emergency care, so veterans can access these testing sites, without being stuck with the bill. This is especially important for rural veterans who currently have to choose between traveling to their nearest VA facility or paying for a test out of pocket, if they go to a site within their community. We applaud the VA’s efforts in caring for veterans during these difficult times, but it is imperative that all veterans have access to COVID-19 testing and urge you to authorize mobile testing sites in the same manner as urgent and emergency care services. We have also requested a phone call with you to discuss the issue we have identified. Sent on Monday, April 27, 2020

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “The MISSION Act gives veterans greater access to health care in VA facilities and the community, expands benefits for caregivers, and improves VA’s ability to recruit and retain the best medical providers.”

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