The Washington Post (3/25, Hicks) “Federal Eye” blog reports that the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) “announced plans to relax the agency’s” 40 mile rule for Choice Cards dictating “how far patients must live from the nearest VA medical center before the government pays for treatment at a closer private facility.” The original guideline determined 40 miles to be a straight line, “or as the crow flies, from the nearest VA clinic,” while the revised guideline will “instead measure the distance in driving miles, as calculated by commercial mapping services,” including Google Maps and MapQuest. VA Secretary Robert McDonald said in the announcement, “We’ve determined that changing the distance calculation will help ensure more veterans have access to care when and where they want it.”
Related Links:
— “VA to change 40-mile rule for Veterans Choice program,”Josh Hicks, The Washington Post, March 24, 2015.