HONOLULU — A temporary program by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help veterans receive faster health care has begun in Hawaii with the issuance of thousands of Choice Cards.
The Choice Program is a new benefit allowing veterans to receive health care in their communities instead of waiting for an appointment at a VA facility, but uncertainty remains on how it will be implemented, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Hawaii and two other states do not have VA medical centers. Hawaii has a VA clinic and a “memorandum of understanding” with Tripler Army Medical Center.
VA medical centers in the other states are guiding new veterans’ health care legislation, according to the department.
A measure signed into law in August, the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, requires the government provide non-VA care for veterans who can’t get an appointment at a VA medical facility within 30 days or who live more than 40 miles from the nearest VA facility.
About 50,000 veterans within the VA’s Pacific Islands Health Care System, which includes Hawaii, will receive Choice Cards, said Patricia Matthews, a VA spokeswoman.
Veterans with the cards will contact third-party administrator TriWest Healthcare Alliance to coordinate appointments, she said. The Choice Card provides a “safety net” for veterans on a VA waiting list, TriWest said on its website.
“The Choice Card is designed to supplement the care you receive at your VA medical facility, not replace or limit that care,” TriWest said in a statement on its website.
A $10 billion fund for paying for non-VA care was included with the Veterans Choice Act.