{"id":67523,"date":"2021-10-13T12:14:27","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T12:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/10\/13\/changes-to-vas-community-care-program-raise-concerns-about-vets-health-care-access\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:47:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:47:17","slug":"changes-to-vas-community-care-program-raise-concerns-about-vets-health-care-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2021\/10\/13\/changes-to-vas-community-care-program-raise-concerns-about-vets-health-care-access\/","title":{"rendered":"Changes to VA\u2019s community care program raise concerns about vets\u2019 health care access"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2021\/10\/05\/va-resumes-collection-of-debts-from-benefits-overpayments-medical-co-pays\/\" target=\"_blank\">Veterans Affairs leaders<\/a> are phasing out the department\u2019s office in charge of community care programs, a move that some advocates are decrying as unfairly limiting veterans\u2019 medical options but officials insist is only about efficiency and not sweeping policy changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, VA officials said they would begin a multi-month process of \u201cdesigning a new integrated access and care coordination model to better deliver seamless care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connected to that, lawmakers on Capitol Hill received letters from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/02\/08\/senate-confirms-mcdonough-as-next-veterans-affairs-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\">VA Secretary Denis McDonough<\/a> announcing that the Office of Community Care would be decommissioned in coming months, with its responsibilities shifted to a yet-to-be-established Office for Integrated Veterans Care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cImplementation of these changes allows the Veterans Health Administration to continue its modernization journey and transformation to operate as a high reliability, veteran-centric organization,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/09\/30\/vas-community-care-programs-lack-wait-time-standards-and-proof-of-success-critics-charge\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"215\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_13102205629.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">VA\u2019s community care programs lack wait-time standards and proof of success, critics charge<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A GAO report this week said VA has refused to set guidelines on appointment delays for vets seeking care outside the department&#039;s medical system.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue of community care \u2014 where veterans can see private-sector doctors paid for by department funds \u2014 has been a contentious one within VA for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former President Donald Trump made expanding outside medical access a key point of his 2016 campaign and presidency, pushing for more \u201cchoice\u201d for veterans in where they received their health care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Democratic lawmakers \u2014 including President Joe Biden \u2014 have cautioned that too much use of private-sector doctors for core VA medical responsibilities could drain finances from the VA health care system and lead to \u201cprivatization\u201d of the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement to Military Times, Donald Koenig, special advisor to VA\u2019s acting Under Secretary for Health for Integrated Veteran Care, said the goal of the new changes is not to hamper or dismantle the community care program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNothing we are doing will change any appointments scheduled now or in the future,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re working to simplify, coordinate better, and make scheduling faster for veterans, whether for a VA provider or a community care provider. Our goal is to deliver the right care at the right time, that best meets our veteran\u2019s health needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials at Concerned Veterans of America \u2014 longtime advocates of increased community care programs and critics of the VA health care system \u2014 see it differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They noted that VA also recently took down a web page devoted to explaining veterans\u2019 options under the community care program, effectively limiting public information about how to enroll or schedule outside appointments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe administration does not like community care,\u201d said Darin Selnick, senior advisor to the group and former Veterans Affairs advisor for the Trump White House. \u201cIf they are renaming and neutering offices and moving around access to the revenue, it feels like it is part of a campaign to get rid of it completely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Koenig said the Office of Community Care won\u2019t be fully shut down until next spring, with a target now of March 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About 3,600 employees will be transferred to the new integrated care office, while another 4,300 will be reassigned to the Veterans Health Administration\u2019s finance office. No jobs will be terminated or physically relocated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Selnick said CVA has heard from numerous veterans and congressional offices about increased problems accessing the program and getting outside medical appointments. He said the decision to separate the financial and operational functions of the program could cause even more delays and confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/01\/31\/new-va-health-care-rules-trump-overreach-or-more-choice-for-vets\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/RYW32DW23VCERNJQSYTDCRN7KA.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">New VA health care rules: Trump overreach or more choice for vets?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Debate over how to expand veterans health care choices connects to larger national fights over the role of government and private-sector partnerships.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA officials say that\u2019s not true, noting that community care referrals were up about 12 percent last month compared to 2019 levels (September 2020 levels were down about 6 percent, but VA leaders say that\u2019s because of reduced demand related to the coronavirus pandemic.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers received a briefing on the looming changes this week. House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee ranking member Mike Bost, R-Ill., said he supports efforts to improve the community care program, but said he is leery of the moves so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am hearing more and more often from veterans who are not being given the choices they are entitled to under the law,\u201d he told Military Times. \u201cI am very concerned that this will divert much-needed focus from community care and make it that much easier for wait times to creep back up and veterans to suffer for it, just like they did in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s on Secretary McDonough to make sure that doesn\u2019t happen, and I will be keeping very close watch.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The department will close down the Office of Community Care in coming months, replacing it with a new agency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":36095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,93,12,25,67,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3226],"class_list":["post-67523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"TWUFRA66IFGVVJZYGJQTCVQ764","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2021\/10\/13\/changes-to-vas-community-care-program-raise-concerns-about-vets-health-care-access\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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