Gardner bill would expand VA care to allow choice of doctors

Working for veterans in Colorado and across the nation, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) on Tuesday introduced legislation to ensure veterans have complete access to private, local medical care regardless of where they live.

Earlier this month, a U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) inspector general report revealed the inappropriate use of unofficial wait lists for care at some Colorado VA facilities. Gardner had requested the inspector general investigation last year.

“Colorado veterans have been put on secret wait lists and denied access to care they have earned,” said Gardner. “This is unacceptable and it must change.”

Furthermore, according to a Denver Post report from July, the average wait time at the Eastern Colorado Health Care System as of July 1 was more than 12 days and 13.5 percent of all appointments had longer than a 30-day wait. The average wait time to see a primary care physician at a VA facility nationwide is 4.9 days, the report said.

“My legislation will expand the CHOICE program and allow veterans to see the doctor they choose and not be hamstrung by the VA bureaucracy,” Gardner said. “It’s time we put partisan politics aside and deliver on our promise to our veterans.”

The Veterans Improved Access and Care Act of 2017 would expand the Veterans Choice Program to eliminate the eligibility rules stipulating veterans may only seek care outside of the VA if they must wait longer than 30 days for VA care, or if they live more than 40 miles from a VA facility.

S. 2168 would amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014. It would speed up the lengthy VA new hire process that factors in care delays by authorizing the VA to establish a pilot program to expedite the hiring of licensed medical professionals in locations with shortages of available specialists. The bill also would require the VA secretary to submit a strategic plan for reducing the length of the VA’s hiring process by half for licensed medical professionals, and would require the VA to report all disciplinary actions against medical providers to a national database.

Gardner’s office said a 2015 study by McKinsey and Company found that the VA provider hiring process can take from four to eight months, compared with half a month to two months in the private sector.

“In order to reduce wait times and provide timely care to our veterans, we must address the root of the problem at many VA facilities in Colorado and across the country: staffing shortages,” Gardner added. “Our veterans, who have given so much to our country, should have access to the best possible care in a timely manner.”