As Wyoming veterans continue to experience delays and limited access to care, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., is calling for a review of and improvements to the Veterans Choice Program.

During a speech on the Senate floor today, Enzi noted that he has not only heard concerns from veterans in need of care, but from providers who have been unable to get reimbursed for medical services. According to Enzi, this means some doctors and facilities have ended their participation in VA Choice because it is taking too long to get reimbursed or they are unable to get reimbursed at all.

“Time and again I hear reports of how difficult it is to get simple answers, let alone care or provider reimbursement, from the VA and the contractor administering the program in Wyoming,” Enzi said. “The consequences of this poorly-run program are ultimately borne by our veterans. In a frontier state like Wyoming, losing access to one specialist can mean losing access to the only specialist in the area.”

One veteran told his story to Enzi about waiting for a surgery follow-up and cancer screening, but he cannot go to the same doctor because VA Choice never paid the provider. Another veteran was not able to access vision care, and another could not access necessary neurological care because of reimbursement issues.

“We created VA Choice to better serve the health care needs of veterans, not create a new source of uncertainty about whether they will be able to get the care they need,” Enzi said. “This is unacceptable. This defeats the entire purpose of the program. And until we improve the program, more providers will drop out of the program and more veterans will be harmed.”

Enzi said he is working with the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to make sure that any new version of community care for our veterans takes into account the unique challenges that rural and frontier health care networks face.

Established by Congress in 2014 in response to the nationwide crisis of veterans’ access to care, the Veterans Choice Program allows veterans who live more than 40 miles from the closest VA facility, or who face a significant delay in scheduling an appointment, to access non-VA care.

Click here to read the full speech.