Rodgers wins passage of act to close VA coverage loophole

By TIMOTHY SCHUMANN

THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) – A bill that would close a major VA healthcare coverage loophole for military veterans has passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a vote that could not have been more bipartisan.

The RELIEVE Act, along with the Wounded Warrior Access Act, passed the House Tuesday by a unanimous vote, with 422 representatives voting for it and 12 absent for the roll call.

“I introduced this bill after a veteran from Spokane reached out for my help,” said bill sponsor eastern Washington Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, on the House floor before the vote. “She had recently retired from service and she was days away from her first VA Appointment when she had a heart attack. She was rushed to the ER where made a full recovery, but the VA refused to pay for her care.”

RELIEVE Act is an acronym which stands for the Removing Extraneous Loopholes Insuring Every Veteran Emergency Act.

The law the bill is amending requires that a veteran be both enrolled in the veterans health care system, as well as have “received care under this chapter within the 24-month period.”

Under the current law, a veteran could be actively enrolled in care, on the way to their first appointment with the VA, get into a car accident, and be held personally liable for the entirety of their medical bills.

The RELIEVE Act would eliminate this loophole by adding a 60-day grace period between enrollment and requirement for that “received care under this chapter within the 24-month period” clause kicking in.