U.S. Sen. Blackburn wants to 'cut red tape' for veterans seeking care outside the VA

Allie Feinberg, Knoxville News Sentinel

Fri, January 24, 2025 at 3:01 PM EST

1 min read

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and six of her Republican colleagues introduced legislation Jan. 24 that Blackburn says would improve veterans' access to health care outside Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.

"(The legislation empowers) veterans to directly schedule appointments at non-VA medical facilities, which will remove unnecessary barriers and provide veterans with greater autonomy to access the care they need,” Blackburn said in a news release.

There are over 440,000 veterans in Tennessee, according to a 2023 report by the VA. Just under 227,000 of those were enrolled in the VA health care system.

Currently, the VA has to approve veterans' referrals to outside doctors or clinics. Blackburn's proposed Veterans Health Care Freedom Act would remove those requirements.

The legislation would create a three-year pilot program to help veterans access care outside the VA network. The VA would be required to give veterans information about eligibility, cost sharing, treatments and providers "so that they can make informed decisions with respect to selection of primary and specialty care providers and other available treatments."

The VA also would be required to submit reports to congressional veterans affairs committees on the implementation and results of the pilot program, as well as the final design.

Blackburn's pilot would be funded Veterans' Health Administration money. It's co-sponsored by Republicans Tim Sheehy of Montana, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Sen. Marsha Blackburn wants to 'cut red tape' on care outside the VA

https://www.concernedveteransoh.org/post/u-s-sen-blackburn-wants-to-cut-red-tape-for-veterans-seeking-care-outside-the-va