Last night the House passed the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans' and Caregivers' COVID-19 Immunizations Now Expanded Act of 2021 or VA VACCINE Act. The bipartisan VA VACCINE Act takes critical steps in allowingVA to fully protect our veterans by granting VA the ability to vaccinate veterans and essential caregivers who are not currently eligible for or enrolled in the VA health care system.
"VA has done incredible work to vaccinate close to one million veterans. But under current rules, there are millions more veterans and caregivers who are not yet eligible to receive a vaccine because they are not eligible for or enrolled in VA health care services," said Congressman Pappas. "Those who have worn the uniform of our country should not have to fight yet another battle in order to get this vaccine, and I am proud to help advance legislation that will give the VA the ability to assist all of our veterans through this pandemic."
The VA VACCINE Act will expand VA's authority so they can provide vaccines to:
- Veterans who are not currently enrolled in VA's healthcare system, including veterans without compensable service-connected disabilities and veterans who have incomes above VA's threshold;
- Caregivers of veterans who are enrolled in various VA home-based and long-term care programs; and
- Veterans living abroad who rely on the Foreign Medical Program (including those who reside in the Philippines).
Original source can be found here.
