Bipartisan legislation that would direct the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish tests and vaccinations to America’s military veterans during public health emergencies was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Veterans’ Access to Care Concerning Inoculations Needed in Emergency Situations (VACCINES) Act, H.R. 4506, which U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) sponsored on July 19 with cosponsor U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA), would ensure that all veterans, regardless of their status within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system, would be eligible to receive testing and vaccination services in the event of a future national public health emergency.
“The VACCINES Act will grant the VA the authority to ensure that all veterans have access to this care during these circumstances,” Rep. Amodei said. “As we have seen throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a virulent and highly transmissible disease does not discriminate based on an individual’s age or health status, and removing bureaucratic barriers to diagnostics and life-saving vaccines is the most effective way toward getting back on the road to recovery.”
Certain veterans, including those with income exceeding a defined threshold, are not eligible for enrollment in the VA’s health care system. When the COVID-19 vaccine was rolled earlier this year, veterans had to confront a confusing enrollment process at the VA that caused unnecessary delays.
“The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that we have work to ensure that all of our nation’s veterans have access to testing and vaccination during a public health crisis,” said Rep. Lamb. “This commonsense bipartisan bill removes the bureaucratic obstacles at the Veterans’ Administration to providing that care in the event of a future pandemic.”
The Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion endorsed the legislation.
“The COVID-19 pandemic left everyone scrambling to navigate where to obtain virus testing and vaccines when they became available. Lawmakers rushed to pass legislation that would provide funding and authority to prevent the spread of, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19, including access to testing and vaccines,” said Tammy Barlet, deputy director at the National Legislative Service for the VFW.”
“The VFW supports the Veterans’ Access to Care Concerning Inoculations Needed in Emergency Situations (VACCINES) Act, which would grant VA the authority to provide testing, and vaccines to all veterans in potential future pandemics. We must implement lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for any future public health emergencies,” Barlet added.