Latest news with #non-VA
Newsweek
26-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Veterans Group Attacks Trump Cuts in Memorial Day Message
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A veterans group has taken aim at President Donald Trump's cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in a Memorial Day message posted online. Why It Matters Like other departments, the VA has not been immune to staffing cuts ordered by the Trump administration as part of a broad effort to reduce the size and cost of the federal government. What To Know In a post on X, formerly Twitter, progressive political action committee VoteVets criticized the Trump administration for the cutbacks, as well as the president's senior advisor and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) frontman Elon Musk. "Gutting VA will result in delayed appointments and substandard care, leading directly to more veteran deaths. In fact, as reports and internal documents now prove, Elon Musk's wrecking ball is causing systems to fail, putting veterans at risk," Kayla Williams, Iraq Veteran and senior policy advisor at VoteVets, said. "It's a slap in the face to all who have worn the uniform in defense of our nation." This #MemorialDay, recognize that cuts to the VA mean delayed care and more deaths, which is a slap in the face to those who served. — VoteVets (@votevets) May 25, 2025 The VA plans to reduce its workforce by more than 17 percent, about 82,000 staffers, and numerous contracts held by the agency have been cut. Earlier this month, Federal News Network reported that over 14,000 VA employees in health-care positions applied to leave their jobs through separation incentives offered by the federal government. In an effort to reduce waiting times for VA health care services, the department announced last week that veterans will no longer need a second VA physician to review and approve their eligibility to receive non-VA administered health care. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/GETTY What People Are Saying President Donald Trump in a proclamation on Memorial Day, issued by the White House on May 24: "America's Gold Star Families—whose sons, daughters, wives, and husbands are among the honored—endure unfathomable heartache. Their loved ones selflessly gave everything to protect our sovereignty. They have our unwavering support, deepest gratitude, and highest respect. The lives lost in war serve as a solemn reminder of why we must pursue peace through strength." VA Secretary Doug Collins in a statement regarding Memorial Day: "This Memorial Day and throughout the year, we at the Department of Veterans Affairs honor and remember the brave heroes who gave their lives in defense of our nation. I encourage Americans to join us at VA cemeteries around the country this weekend to reflect on the tremendous debt we owe these fallen warriors. Their sacrifices have helped make America the greatest place on Earth, and their legacies of courage and commitment inspire us to reach new heights." Everett Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said in a statement shared with Newsweek in March regarding VA staffing cuts: "The VA has been severely understaffed for many years, resulting in longer wait times for veterans in need. The DOGE plunder of career VA employees, adding to the illegal mass firings of thousands of probationary employees, can only make matters worse. Veterans and their families will suffer unnecessarily, and the will of Congress will be ignored." What Happens Next Whether further staffing cutbacks will take place at the VA has not been confirmed.
Newsweek
20-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
VA Changes Rules on Veterans' Health Care Access
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Veterans enrolled with the Department of Veterans Affairs can now access non-VA health care more quickly after the agency removed a major approval step. Why It Matters Millions of veterans rely on VA health care and face ongoing challenges of access, delays and administrative hurdles. Since 2019, the MISSION Act has allowed veterans to seek non-VA care under specific conditions, but a required secondary review often slows the process. With the new rule, veterans can access care faster at facilities closer to home or with shorter waiting times, particularly as the VA's capacity and staffing face increasing pressure amid growing enrollment and recent budget debates. The Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2019. The Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2019. GETTY What To Know The VA has announced that, effective immediately, veterans no longer need a second VA physician to review and approve their eligibility to receive non-VA health care. Instead, the determination will rest solely on the veteran and their referring VA clinician. The policy seeks to reduce wait times and administrative bottlenecks for those who meet the criteria for community care as established under existing law. Veterans are eligible for non-VA health care in certain scenarios, including these: It is in their best medical interest. The required care is not available at a VA medical facility. The veteran resides in a state or territory without a full-service VA facility, and the VA cannot schedule an appointment within required wait time or drive time standards (20 days for primary care, 28 days for specialty care, or travel distances of more than 30 or 60 minutes) VA care does not meet quality benchmarks. VA Cuts Veterans groups and policy analysts have raised concerns that deeper cuts to staff and resources could push more veterans into non-VA care, potentially increasing costs for the government and affecting care quality. Like other departments, the VA has not been immune to staffing cuts ordered by the Trump administration as part of a large effort to reduce the size and cost of the federal government. The VA plans to reduce its workforce by more than 17 percent, about 82,000 staffers, according to Reuters. VA Secretary Doug Collins said the cuts would be achieved without making a dent in health care or benefits to veterans. Veterans marches were held around the country in March to protest the personnel cuts. What People Are Saying VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a May 19 news release: "Under President Trump, VA is providing Veterans with more health care choices than ever before. Now, we're making it even easier for Veterans to get their health care when and where it's most convenient for them. We are putting Veterans first at the department, and that means placing a premium on customer service and convenience. This important change will help us do just that." Everett Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said in a statement shared with Newsweek in March regarding VA staffing cuts: "The VA has been severely understaffed for many years, resulting in longer wait times for veterans in need. The DOGE plunder of career VA employees, adding to the illegal mass firings of thousands of probationary employees, can only make matters worse. Veterans and their families will suffer unnecessarily, and the will of Congress will be ignored." What Happens Next The VA said health administration staff would be trained to ensure compliance with the updated rules.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Veterans' VA Referrals to Private Medical Care Will No Longer Require Additional Doctor Review
The Department of Veterans Affairs has changed its process for veterans to get medical care from non-VA providers, removing a requirement that a referral to community care be reviewed by another VA doctor. The VA announced Monday that it is enacting a provision of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act that will help ease veterans' access to medical services from private providers. The law, signed in December by then-President Joe Biden, prohibits VA administrators from overriding a VA doctor's referral for a patient to get outside care. Read Next: VA to Expand Online Memorial Website to Include Veterans Buried Overseas "Now, we're making it even easier for veterans to get their health care when and where it's most convenient for them," VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement Monday. "We are putting veterans first at the department, and that means placing a premium on customer service and convenience. This important change will help us do just that." The VA Choice Act of 2014, passed in the wake of a scandal over medical appointment wait times at VA medical centers nationwide, gave veterans broader access to medical care at non-VA facilities if they faced long waits for care at a VA hospital or clinic. The Mission Act, signed by President Donald Trump in 2019, expanded the benefit to include veterans who face more than a 30-minute drive for primary care or an hour or more for specialty care, or those who can't get an appointment within 20 days for primary care and 28 days for specialty care. Under the Mission Act, eligible veterans could consult with their VA physicians to receive referrals to community care. The VA required these referrals to be reviewed internally by an administrative staff member. During congressional debate over the Elizabeth Dole Act, Republicans said the review process intentionally hampered access to community care, while Democrats argued that it was proper government oversight and that removing it was part of an overall effort to privatize VA health care. According to the law, the ban on the administrative review will remain in place for two years, after which the VA must report on its effects to Congress. An investigation last year by into the challenges faced by veterans seeking mental health treatment found that VA schedulers were pressured by hospital administrators to keep veterans at VA facilities rather than send them to community care. The Elizabeth Dole Act, first introduced in 2023, largely addressed at-home care for senior veterans and programs for the homeless. It also made changes to several VA education programs and health services. It was hotly contested, however, for the efforts to change the referral approval process and another provision that would have established new access standards for veterans to go to non-VA residential mental health and substance abuse programs. That provision was dropped during the final bill deliberations. During a hearing March 25, however, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, said a change is needed to ensure that veterans can access private residential substance abuse treatment centers. Miller-Meeks said that, in some cases, veterans who decide they need to go to a rehab facility have been told to wait because the VA can get them into a VA facility within the 20-day mental health treatment requirement set by the Mission Act. In another case, a veteran experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms wanted to go to a rehab in his community but was denied the referral because the VA had a bed available at a facility 100 miles away, she said. "VA claims that there is no wrong door for veterans seeking care, yet we continue to hear about doors locked, doors hidden, and doors that simply do not exist," Miller-Meeks said in a hearing of the House Veterans Affairs health subcommittee, which she chairs. Rep. Julia Brownley of California, the subcommittee's ranking Democrat, said during the hearing that any veteran who seeks residential treatment should get it, but she added that the VA has not developed a fee schedule for community treatment centers and, in at least one case, the department was charged up to $6,000 a day for one patient. Brownley also said the VA doesn't track the timeliness or quality of medical care in community residential treatment facilities. "We have no way of knowing the level of treatment or support they are getting," Brownley said. "I have said before, we must find a balance between community care and VA direct care. In my opinion, we have not found that balance when it comes to residential rehabilitation treatment facilities." In Monday's announcement, the VA said it would begin training employees to ensure that the community care referral process is followed in compliance with the Dole Act. Related: 'Disturbing' Number of VA Mental Health Appointment Cancellations Prompt Lawmakers to Call for Reforms
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Access to Care Could Have Saved My Son's Life. Other Vets Should Have a Chance.
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@ for consideration. My son was the best person I ever knew. Kind, loving and generous, Logan never met someone who wasn't a friend. Just like his father, Logan wanted to join the military. He had a strong sense of duty and wanted to help people. But I hardly recognized Logan when he came back from service. He struggled with his mental health throughout his time in the Navy, eventually receiving an honorable discharge. He came home reserved, withdrawn, anxious and, unbeknownst to me, had attempted suicide multiple times. At the time, I worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, as a pharmacy technician. I knew the VA existed for the very purpose of helping men and women like my son, especially those with disability ratings and mental-health struggles due to their service. I encouraged Logan to seek help, and finally, after years, he agreed to come to the VA and ask for a mental-health appointment. Under the current VA MISSION Act law, the VA has standards in place for how to handle scheduling appointments for mental-health care. They look for an open appointment at the facility, and if they can't get the veteran in to be seen within 20 days, they refer them to outside doctors in the community. The Community Care Program, as it's titled, allows a veteran such as my son to use his VA benefits to see non-VA doctors. Long wait times aren't always an option for mental-health care, so the Community Care Program is often a lifeline veterans can hold onto. Logan told me he was given an appointment, though he didn't tell me when. I was just grateful to the VA and hopeful for his future. But that hope was short-lived. The wait time for his mental-health appointment was five months long. That should have made him eligible for community care, but to my knowledge, nobody from the VA ever contacted Logan about coordinating that care. Two months into waiting for an appointment, Logan took his own life. My only child died waiting for help from the VA that wasn't coming. I believe the VA stands in the way of veterans getting access to community care. It's become a tangled bureaucracy that is focused on itself rather than helping the veteran. That was clear to me in how my son was treated, and then how I was treated after his death. I was held at arm's length, given little information as a next of kin and treated with such coldness that I chose to leave VA employment last year through early retirement. If there is something I can cling to for purpose now, it's that I won't let another mother feel this pain if I can do something about it. My child is gone, but I'll ensure he can still help others, just like he did in his 27 years of life. It starts with giving veterans access to desperately needed care. Even though the Community Care Program is built with standards for veterans to use their benefits to get care outside the VA when wait times are too long, VA administrators have found ways around the law. Veterans are often stuck in the maze of trying to advocate for themselves to get community care, if they even know they have that option. As I've gone through the process of sharing Logan's story, I've been encouraged by members of Congress and organizations such as Concerned Veterans for America who want to make things right for veterans at the VA. In particular, the Veterans' ACCESS Act would make it law that the VA has clear standards for veterans using community care and that the VA communicates those standards with veterans. Two more pieces of this bill, though, are more critical to me. First, the VA would need to create a portal so veterans can self-schedule at the VA or a community care provider. Second, the bill would create a pilot program for veterans that need certain kinds of mental-health-care access to get community care without VA pre-approval first. No need to get a referral from the VA; just go get the help you need. This kind of access could have saved my child's life. It could still save another mother's child. I beg Congress, if you care about veterans, their mental-health struggles and the families who support them, to pass the Veterans' ACCESS Act. Our children's lives depend on it. Veterans and service members experiencing a mental-health emergency can call the Veteran Crisis Line, 988 and press 1. Help also is available by text, 838255, and via chat at Lori Locklear is a former VA employee and mother to Navy veteran Logan Willis, who passed away by suicide in 2022. She lives in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, area where she connected with Concerned Veterans for America, an organization that advocates for expanded health-care choices for veterans, like the Community Care Program, to help get her story heard.
Business Journals
22-04-2025
- Health
- Business Journals
Wichita's VA hospital ranks first for specialty care access
A new study reveals why Wichita has become a standout for veterans seeking health care. Story Highlights Wichita named top U.S. city for veterans health care in 2025. Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center received perfect score for care. Dole VA ranked first nationwide in access to specialty care. Wichita has been named the top city in the U.S. for veterans health care in 2025 by a study analyzing VA hospitals around the country. The city's Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center had top marks in low wait times, high patient satisfaction and superior hospital care quality, resulting in a perfect score by Trajector Medical, a private company that works with veterans to obtain health care. The study assessed all 132 VA hospitals. "Speaking for Dole VA, the Wichita community has done an outstanding job of working together to improve access to, and quality care for, our veterans," CEO and medical center director Michael Payne said in a statement. "As the hub of care for veterans in our area, we are proactive in improving, and that includes building a strong network and great partner relationships." expand Michael Payne, CEO of Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita Brittany Schowalter | WBJ The Dole VA ranked first nationwide in access to specialty care, including shortest average wait time for existing patients to see a cardiologist, second-highest percentage of veterans able to access routine specialty care, second-highest access to urgent specialty care, and third-shortest wait time for new patients accessing pulmonology. Wichita-area veterans were also found to have the seventh-shortest wait time for existing patients to access mental health-integrated primary care, and ninth-shortest wait time for new patients to access the same service. Wichita and the Dole VA placed sixth nationally in hospital-care quality. That's similar to the five-star rating the hospital has received the last two years by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dole VA said that places it in the top 8% of all hospitals, including non-VA facilities.
