To the Editor:
America’s veterans have bravely served this country. It is only right that we honor their sacrifices by ensuring they have access to the care they deserve.

Much of their health-care needs are provided for by emergency medical services. These services are a lifeline for veterans in our communities. Now, a change to the Veterans Affairs’ reimbursement rules, due to be implemented in February 2024, threaten access to routine and emergency care. Diminished services could mean the difference between life and death for millions of our military veterans.

For over 20 years, I have witnessed firsthand the daily struggles that my longtime partner, a Vietnam veteran, deals with. Although I can assist him with his medical needs, I take comfort in knowing emergency services are available to him in times of crisis. However, the “Change in Rates VA Pays for Special Modes of Transportation” rule will cut reimbursement rates for air and ground ambulance operators.

The VA’s rule change will reduce how much the agency pays emergency transportation services to at or below Medicare rates and offer no payment for transportation to a non-VA facility. Many veterans live on fixed incomes and this could leave them with high out-of-pocket expenses or crippling debt.

Veterans living in rural areas will be most at risk if the VA suddenly stops covering the cost of transporting them from remote locations to high-quality medical facilities and specialists. Many of these ambulance services also provide on-the-spot emergency medical care.

These necessary house calls will be in jeopardy too. Further, the VA’s new rule change will put an unnecessary financial burden on our local governments, which already struggle with staffing and economic strains on their limited resources.

The VA cannot make any change to reimbursement rates until it properly considers the rule’s impact on veterans’ access to health care. I hope Senator [Charles] Schumer and our local representatives in Congress will urge the VA to delay the implementation of the rule and find a solution that won’t negatively impact our veterans.

Our nation’s veterans answered the call, and it is essential that we honor their service by ensuring that they have access to health care and the services they need.

Kathy Croce

Albany