U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recently introduced legislation that would allow the medical care that veterans receive in urgent care centers to be covered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The VA currently does not reimburse veterans for the cost of care provided by urgent care centers (UCC), facilities that treat non-emergency health conditions that require immediate attention.
Under the Veterans Emergency Room Relief Act (VERRA), the VA would be authorized to cover medical services provided to veterans by UCCs, helping to reduce wait times for care and relieving the burden on emergency rooms operated by Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals.
“Our veterans deserve the highest level of timely and quality care possible,” Cassidy said. “The VA should always be working in ways that best serve our veterans. This legislation meets that requirement.”
The VA secretary would be required to report to Congress on veterans’ use of UCCs, and the impact on emergency room facilities, every two years under the bill.
The Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), which represents more than 8,000 urgent care centers, supports the bill.
“The VA has highlighted the essential need to partner with providers in communities across the country to meet the ‘steep increase in demand for care’ for veterans,” said Dr. Pamela Sullivan, the president of the UCCA. “Not only will the Veterans Emergency Room Relief Act serve to meet the health care needs of veterans, but it has the potential to reduce health care costs to the VA system.”