Free Republic

Some ailing veterans can now use their federal health care benefits at CVS “MinuteClinics” to treat minor illnesses and injuries, under a pilot program announced Tuesday by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The new program, currently limited to the Phoenix area, comes three years after the VA faced allegations of chronically long wait times at its centers, including its Phoenix VA medical center, which treats about 120,000 veterans. The Phoenix pilot program is a test-run by VA Secretary David Shulkin who is working on a nationwide plan to reduce veterans’ wait times. Veterans would not be bound by current restrictions...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WBTV) - Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) cited a recent On Your Side investigation into problems with the VA Choice Program http://www.wbtv.com/story/31285298/veterans-families-call-wbtv-for-help-delays-at-va-medical-centers?clienttype=generic in testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs on Tuesday. Burr was testifying before the committee in support of legislation he introduced last week http://www.wbtv.com/story/31429194/burr-tillis-push-to-reform-va-program-highlighted-in-wbtv-investigation?clienttype=generic with a group of Republican senators aimed at making changes to the Choice Program. In his testimony, Burr cited the case of Marine veteran Jim Bancroft who told On Your Side Investigates about his problems receiving treatment by an outside provider through the Choice Program because the program's third-party administrator had...