VA unveils proposed rules extending more private care to veterans

Donovan Slack | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Nearly four times as many veterans could be eligible for private health care paid for by the Department of Veterans Affairs under sweeping rules the agency proposed Wednesday.

The rules, which will be open to public comment, would permit veterans to get private care if they had to wait more than 20 days or drive more than 30 minutes for a VA appointment.

That would be a considerable expansion of eligibility standards, in which private options kick in for vets who have to wait 30 days or live 40 miles from a VA facility. The new rules would allow veterans who need urgent care to go to a private doctor without pre-authorization.

If they go into effect, the rules would deliver on a presidential campaign promise made by Donald Trump to expand choices for veterans seeking health care outside the VA.

VA officials estimated the plan could increase the number of veterans eligible for private care to as many as 2.1 million – up from roughly 560,000.

The proposal has already drawn sharp rebukes from critics who say the changes go too far and would drain money from the VA and lead to its privatization.

“This will significantly increase the overall cost and amount of care VA will send to the community,” a group of more than two dozen Democratic senators wrote in a letter this week to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Given that the administration opposes increasing overall federal spending, these increased costs for community care will likely come at the expense of VA’s direct system of care. And that is something we cannot support.”

In a statement, Wilkie said claims the rules would lead to privatization are unfounded.

“Here are the facts: under President Trump, VA is giving Veterans the power to choose the care they trust, and more Veterans are choosing VA for their health care than ever before,” he said.

VA officials said that even though more veterans would be eligible, the agency doesn't expect a significant number would choose private care.

“Most Americans can already choose the health care providers that they trust, and President Trump promised that Veterans would be able to do the same," Wilkie's statement said. "With VA’s new access (rules), the future of the VA health care system will lie in the hands of Veterans – exactly where it should be.”

Under legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump last year, the VA was tasked with combining a half-dozen different programs that allowed veterans to get VA-funded private sector care and coming up with rules governing when veterans could opt to go private.

Under the proposed regulations, according to the VA announcement Wednesday:

• For primary and mental health care, veterans who had to wait more than 20 days or drive more than 30 minutes for a VA appointment could choose to go to private doctors instead.

• For specialty care, veterans who had to wait longer than 28 days or drive more than 60 minutes to be seen at VA could go private "with certain exceptions."

• For urgent needs, veterans could select a private clinic approved by VA and walk in when they needed to, but they might be responsible for a co-payment.

VA said it encourages public comments on the proposed regulations. "We look forward to receiving this feedback," the agency said.

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