KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A recent court ruling has veterans hoping that healthcare will be much more accessible and less complicated.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims said the Department of Veterans Affairs violated a law by denying reimbursement to thousands of veterans for emergency care they received at non-VA facilities.
The VA may have to pay out as much as $6.5 billion.
The ruling would apply to veterans who filed healthcare claims or will file claims between 2016 and 2025.
"What I would hope is that veterans seek the assistance. The culture of veterans is that we don't ask for help. We suck it up and drive on," David Strange, director of Veterans Upward Bound in Kansas City, Kansas, said.
Many times veterans don't live near a VA hospital.
"It's not easy to make a two-hour drive, make an appointment every time he needs a hangnail treated or whatever it is," Strange said.
The VA has said they'll only reimburse for service-related issues.
"A common issue is not knowing what or where to access and then delays in care. They'll go in for a service and they're three weeks away from getting real care. Well, that leads to more emergency room visits, leads to more quote en quote misuses of healthcare. Well, when there's no other option what are they supposed to do?" Josh Henges with Veterans Community Project said.
Henges works with homeless veterans. He said the biggest needs are behavioral health services and substance abuse treatments.
He told a story about one veteran who went to a facility associated with the VA for substance abuse treatment and was denied because he didn't start with the VA, although the facility is a VA referral.
"You want a veteran population that's confident that they're going to receive the care they're entitled to, and this decision might pave the way for that to actually happen," Henges said.
The VA says they're reviewing the court's decision.
