February 27, 2019

VA Expands Vets' Access To Private Care But Gives No Plan To Pay For It

Featuring: Kayla M. Williams

Source: NPR

Journalist: Quil Lawrence

The VA Mission Act passed into law with broad bipartisan support last year, but that unity began to wane immediately, when President Trump signaled after signing it that he wouldn't give it an additional stream of funding.

The law expands a popular caregiver program and will examine VA's aging infrastructure.

But the most controversial plank is a drastic increase in the number of veterans who will be eligible to use a private health care provider and bill the VA, in what's known as the Veterans Choice Program.

The VA has been defensive about the program ever since; last month, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie pre-empted the release of new regulations for private care with a statement.

Read the full article and more on NPR.

Author

  • Kayla M. Williams

    Former Senior Fellow and Director, Military, Veterans, and Society Program

    Kayla M. Williams is a former Senior Fellow and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS)....