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President Signs Veterans’ Emergency Care Fairness Act 

President Obama signed The Veterans’ Emergency Care Fairness Act this week, legislation that enables the VA to reimburse enrolled veterans for the cost of emergency treatment not covered by his/her outside health insurance. Previously, VA could reimburse veterans or pay outside hospitals directly only if a veteran had no third-party health insurance. The VA can now pay the difference between the amounts paid by the third-party and the VA allowable amount. VA is not responsible for copayments the veteran owes to the third party.

The FRA-supported measure, sponsored by House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairmen Rep. Bob Filner (Calif.) and Sen. Daniel Akaka (Hawaii), also allows the VA to provide retroactive reimbursements for care received prior to the passage of this bill. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that this legislation will cover approximately 700 future claims per year and as many as 2,000 veterans retroactively.