Rounds bill seeks to protect veterans’ credit ratings from medical bill payment delays

Late bill payments by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should not lead to lower credit scores for veterans, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said in reintroducing legislation that would prevent wrongful penalties from hurting the finances of those who have served in the military.

The Protecting Veterans Credit Act would prevent late medical bills from medical services received through the Veterans Choice Program from being reported to credit reporting agencies for one year to give the VA and its contractors time to resolve the problems. The bill also would allow veterans to rectify adverse actions already appearing on their reports.

“When veterans receive care in the community, they shouldn’t have to worry about a delayed payment from the VA negatively impacting their credit score,” Rounds said. “Our legislation would make sure that veterans are protected from medical debt wrongfully charged to them instead of the VA. It also creates a simple dispute process to correct the veteran’s credit history.”

Rounds reintroduced the bipartisan measure with U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), who said veterans should be able to access quality health care without jeopardizing their credit ratings.

Charles Schmidt, the national commander of the American Legion, voiced support for the bill.

“Presently, some veterans’ credit is being adversely affected when they seek care outside the VA system and receive bills from civilian medical providers that are not paid by the VA in a timely manner. Every veteran should be able to seek high quality responsive health care services without worrying it will lead to financial ruin,” Schmidt said.