U.S. Sen. Jon Husted has joined legislation designed to improve veterans’ access to medical care by strengthening the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care Program. The Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers, or ACCESS, Act aims to ensure veterans receive timely access to health care when services are not readily available through the Veterans Health Administration.

Key Provisions of the ACCESS Act

According to the bill’s sponsors, the ACCESS Act would establish current community care eligibility standards as a baseline for veterans seeking care outside the VA system. The legislation would also streamline access to mental health and addiction treatment services and expand the factors the VA must consider when determining whether community-based care is in a veteran’s best medical interest.

Husted said the legislation would help ensure veterans receive quality and timely health care. “Our veterans have sacrificed for our country and deserve access to quality and timely health care,” Husted said in a statement. “Too often, long wait times or limited availability can stand in the way of getting the care they need.”

The legislation has received support from a number of veterans organizations, including the Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, The American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, among others.

Original reporting: WOWO News/Talk (Fort Wayne) — read the source article.