Veterans on the Eastern Shore of Virginia traveling long distances for medical attention now could have a closer alternative.
Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam helped kick off the new Veterans Choice Program at Eastern Shore Rural Health System Inc.’s Onley Community Health Center.
The program allows veterans who meet certain requirements to receive health care at participating local doctors’ offices rather than a Veterans Affairs health care facility.
“We want to make sure they are taken care of medically,” Northam said.
Eastern Shore Rural Health began serving its first patients under the new program this week.
“This administration has a steadfast commitment to ensuring all veterans have easy access to the health care services they need,” Northam said.
“This past November, I was pleased to be a part of the Governor’s Summit on Expanding Health Care Access for Virginia Veterans in Richmond. We brought together top leaders from the VA system, hospitals and community health centers from across the Commonwealth to find ways to leverage the Veterans Choice Act and improve access to care for veterans. There was a true spirit of collaboration and everyone committed to work together.”
“Just a few months later, the operability of the Veterans Choice program in Virginia is a significant accomplishment. As a veteran and a Shore native, I know what a difference this will make in our local community and for others throughout the Commonwealth,” Northam said.
Northam said that during the discussions, “one area that really rose on the radar screen was here on the Eastern Shore.”
“Individuals on the Eastern Shore have to travel quite a distance to receive their care, either up to the north or over to the south, to Hampton, and as you all know, there can be long waits and we found that inexcusable,” he said.
Virginia has the fastest growing veteran population of any state in the U.S., according to a news release from Northam’s office. The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in August, sets aside $10 billion over three years for Veterans Affairs to pay private medical providers to care for veterans in certain circumstances.
Veterans who are enrolled in the VA Health Care System and who either live more than 40 miles from the nearest VA health care facility or who have to wait more than 30 days to be seen by a VA doctor are eligible for the program.
“I applaud the Veterans Administration for moving so quickly after Gov. McAuliffe’s summit to facilitate these new partnerships with federally qualified health centers in Virginia,” Secretary of Health and Human Resources Bill Hazel said in the release. “Now, through the Choice Program, veterans who live on the Shore will not have to travel as far to get to a VA facility, but can receive quality care right in their own community at the Eastern Shore Rural Health System.”
Eligible veterans will receive a Choice Card in the mail from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans need to meet certain criteria to be able to use the Choice Card. Veterans must call the VA at 866-606-8198 to receive approval to use the Choice Card and participate in the Choice Program.
Additional information can be found online at: www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/.
