through hoops to have their health care covered’

re LI e V e

Continued from Page A2 appears in Title 38 Section 1725 of US Code, 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.”

It’s that last clause that’s causing trouble for many veterans.

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.

“It is unacceptable that veterans have to jump through hoops to have their health care covered by VA, especially in the case of an emergency,” said Rep. Pappas in a statement. “No veteran should ever think twice about seeking the care they need during an emergency, and no veteran should be faced with costly medical bills due or bureaucratic challenges for receiving that care.” holds 188,030 acre-feet. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, equivalent to the amount of water consumed annually by 10 people in an urban environment.

While the RELIEVE Act, if adopted into law, would close that loophole for veterans under care of the VA, it wouldn’t address the 1.53 million uninsured veterans highlighted in a recent report from the Cambridge Health Alliance of Harvard Medical School.