WASHINGTON – Today, during a U.S. Senate Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) urged Secretary Robert A. McDonald of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide Connecticut veterans with more health care options close to home. Addressing the newly instated Veterans Choice Program, Murphy pressed McDonald to change a rule that prohibits individuals who live within 40 miles of a VA health care center from seeking care from non-VA facilities. Murphy explained how this rule creates a great hassle for many Connecticut veterans who live within 40 miles of a VA facility in New York City and are then forced to spend upwards of 2-3 hours sitting in traffic to simply see a doctor.

Recognizing how the regulation negatively affects Connecticut veterans, McDonald vowed to work with Senator Murphy to revise the department’s interpretation of the so-called Geographic Burden Statement.

In November 2014, the VA established the new Veterans Choice Program to cover non-VA health care services for eligible Veterans when the wait time for an appointment at a VA facility was too long or the distance between a veteran’s residence and the closest VA facility exceeded a certain distance. As part of the new program, the VA changed the distance calculation between a Veteran’s residence and the nearest VA healthcare facility from a straight line to driving distance, and requires veterans who live within a 40 mile driving distance of a VA health care facility to receive care at that VA facility.

The text of Murphy’s exchange with Secretary McDonald is below:

SENATOR MURPHY: When the rule was 40 miles as the crow flies, it was largely meaningless in the state of Connecticut -- small state, one VA. When it moved to 40 miles by way of car travel, that helped. But it ignored one reality in Connecticut, which is probably not exclusive to Connecticut – I bet you it plays out in places like Chicago and Los Angeles – which is that often the 40 mile car ride brings you into New York City, which is a route that many veterans from many parts of Connecticut are not going to make, and frankly should not make. But because they are technically 40 miles away from a New York VA facility, they don’t get access to VA Choice in their hometown because they technically could get in their car and wait in traffic for three hours to try to get into Manhattan, or Queens, or The Bronx.

I know this is tough to solve for. Because what you’re essentially trying to figure out is adding the ways in which people commute to the very basic numbers that you’ve assigned based on mileage. But is this something that you’re thinking about in terms of how you’re bringing as many people into the program as possible?

SECRETARY MCDONALD: Yes, Senator Murphy. We’re looking at something called the Geographic Burden Statement in the Choice Act, and allowing the Secretary to have the flexibility to determine that geographic burden. That would solve the problem that you’re describing. So, we’re working with the interpretation that currently exists, we’re looking to reinterpret it, and we’re going to work with you on that.