The Department of Veterans Affairs is prepared to enact part of the VA Mission Act, which will expand veterans' access to care providers within the VA community, Federal News Network reports.
Beginning June 6, an estimated 40 percent of the VA's patient population will be eligible to see a medical provider within the community under the following criteria: the individual has been waiting more than 20 days for healthcare or the patient would require a 30-minute drive to the nearest VA facility, according to the report. Just 8 percent of veterans currently have access to the VA's community care programs.
While the VA continues to develop the programs' IT systems, the department will experience most of the Mission Act changes on the back-end, including its decision support tool designed to determine veterans' eligibility to enroll in the program.
The VA established a joint operations center to manage potential needs that may arise while the Mission Act is implemented, Federal News Network reports. Additional improvements to the community care program are anticipated for this summer.