WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (MA-5) and the Massachusetts Delegation, including Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Representatives Richard Neal (MA-1), James P. McGovern (MA-2), Lori Trahan (MA-3), Jake Auchincloss (MA-4), Seth Moulton (MA-6), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-8), and William Keating (MA-9), sent a letter to Secretary-Designate of Veteran Affairs Denis McDonough to express their concerns regarding the continued reports of VA patients being sent to out-of-state or far-away health care facilities for medical appointments.
“We know this pandemic has created many challenges to providing veterans quality health care, and we know that resources at many hospitals grow scarce as the number of COVID cases continue to rise,” the lawmakers wrote. “However, forcing veterans, who are often critically vulnerable to the risk of infection, to cross state lines or travel great distances is not an appropriate solution.”
The delegation also noted that the numerous reports of veterans being forced to travel great distances within state lines is at odds with the MISSION Act, which stipulates that a veteran can receive care closer to their home if the closest VA care is more than a 30-minute drive for standard care and a 60-minute drive for specialty care.
“We owe our veterans the best health care we can provide and sending them across New England during a global pandemic falls far below those standards,” they wrote. “Accordingly, we would like to know why veterans are being sent across state lines during this pandemic and what you will do to limit this in the future. Lastly, we would like to receive clarification on why the VA has reportedly marked veterans that object to these great distances as ‘no shows’ to their appointments and would like to know how the VA will ensure our veterans’ specific needs are being met appropriately.”
Massachusetts Veteran Service Organizations(VSO) and veterans expressed their support for the letter.
“Inflexibility of third-party appointment schedulers compounded by the large distances traveled to multiple mandatory medical screening appointments has proven to be a severe obstacle for even young Veterans to overcome in pursuing VA benefits,” said Michael Durham, an Army veteran and current Medford VSO. “To our many elderly and high-risk Veterans, the new process is an insurmountable barrier due to the physical and emotional stress incurred while trying to navigate the needlessly complicated process.”
“Cosmo has M.S. and his balance is very bad, so any long-distance travel usually exasperates his unsteadiness”, said Veteran spouse, Martha DiChiappari. “My son Stephen took the day off of work to drive down with us because it can be difficult for me to get him out of the car and into the wheelchair. He’ll be 73 in September and to have people traveling this distance, it’s difficult.”
The full text of the letter can be found here and below:
The Honorable Denis McDonough
Secretary-Designate
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Secretary-Designate McDonough:
We write today to express our concerns regarding the continued reports of VA patients being sent to out-of-state or far-away health care facilities for medical appointments. We know this pandemic has created many challenges to providing veterans quality health care, and we know that resources at many hospitals grow scarce as the number of COVID cases continue to rise. However, forcing veterans, who are often critically vulnerable to the risk of infection, to cross state lines or travel great distances is not an appropriate solution.
We have received numerous complaints from constituents and Veterans Service Officers of veterans being asked to travel across state lines, during a global pandemic, in order to receive health care or Compensation and Pension examinations. This continues despite many states having strict quarantine and travel orders. In Massachusetts alone, we have received reports of veterans being asked to travel to Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island for appointments, including a veteran with Multiple Sclerosis who had to drive 210 miles round trip in a blizzard to an appointment in Connecticut. Furthermore, many veterans report being classified as a “no show” when they object to crossing state lines, putting their disability compensation at risk.
There are also numerous reports of veterans being forced to travel great distances within state lines. While not afoul of quarantine regulations, this still presents a serious risk to the vulnerable veterans who seek health care. One veteran from outside Boston reported being sent to Western Massachusetts for his appointment, a 206-mile and 4-hour round trip. This is simply unacceptable and would seem at odds with the MISSION Act, which stipulates that a veteran can receive care closer to their home if the closest VA care is more than a 30-minute drive for standard care and a 60-minute drive for specialty care.
We owe our veterans the best health care we can provide and sending them across New England during a global pandemic falls far below those standards. Accordingly, we would like to know why veterans are being sent across state lines during this pandemic and what you will do to limit this in the future. In addition, we would like to know why veterans are being forced to travel so far from their homes, in contradiction of the MISSION Act. Lastly, we would like to receive clarification on why the VA has reportedly marked veterans that object to these great distances as “no shows” to their appointments and would like to know how the VA will ensure our veterans’ specific needs are being met appropriately.
Sincerely,