The Veterans Choice Program is a new, temporary benefit that allows Veterans to get health care in their communities rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility. The law as passed by Congress said that Veterans were eligible if, among other things, they were more than 40 miles from a VA facility. This caused a problem: many veterans who had to drive more than 40 miles to a VA facility were not allowed to use the Choice Program because "as the crow flies" it was under 40.
Veterans and their friends spoke up, and loudly. In March 2015, VA changed the calculation from straight-line distance to the more reasonable actual driving distance. VA will use a commercially available product to figure out the driving distance.
The result of this change is that about twice as many veterans will now be able to use the program.
If you are a veteran and want to use the Veterans Choice Program, call 1-866-606-8198 to check your eligibility and to schedule an appointment. If you have previously called and were turned down even though your driving route is more than 40 miles, why not try calling again?
If you think 40 miles is the wrong amount of mileage, contact your political representative. Congress makes the rules that VA implements.
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