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Tipton blasts proposal to raid vets’ program
By Gary Harmon Monday, February 23, 2015
President Barack Obama’s proposed budget would allow him to raid a program he approved that was aimed at improving medical treatment for veterans living in rural areas, said a letter signed by, among others, U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R- Colo.
The Veterans Choice program, which had funding of $10 billion when it was approved and signed last year, was intended to reduce waiting times for veterans who had been on waiting lists for more than 30 days or who lived more than 40 miles from a Veterans Affairs clinic.
The proposed budget — which was roundly criticized by Republicans in the House — asks that the VA have authority to reallocate excess funds as needed from the program.
It’s far too early to tell whether there will be surplus money, however, the letter said.
The budget proposal raised concerns, especially among representatives of rural districts, the letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs said.
The Veterans Choice Program was passed into law in August “and many VA Health Networks are still working to implement contractual agreements with non-VA medical providers,” Tipton said in a statement. “For this administration to claim the program is being underutilized or that they’ve heard it’s not the first choice of veterans is absolutely absurd.”
Other questions remain to be answered, according to the letter, among them whether the measurement of distance from a veteran’s residence should be measured as the crow flies or by road miles, and how well the VA has done so far in reimbursing health care providers who accept the veterans choice card.
In many instances, veterans have yet to receive their cards, according to Tipton’s office. Some veterans have had difficulty receiving cards because they get their mail at a post-office box instead of a physical address, the office said.
Every veteran registered in the system as of August should have received a card or can expect one to arrive soon, Tipton’s office said.
Veterans can contact their representatives’ offices for help with the cards.
