VFW Advocates for Expanded Health Access Through Veterans Choice

A Hawaii-based lieutenant in the United States Navy, Adam Schwarze previously spent a decade as an infantryman in the Marine Corps. To stay informed on issues that affect veterans. Adam Schwarze maintains membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

To support and advocate for veterans’ access to high-quality and timely healthcare, the VFW publishes reports on the Veterans Choice Program, a US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program that allows veterans to receive care from a community provider rather than waiting for a VA appointment.

In the past, VFW reports have helped effect changes including refined definitions of geographic eligibility. Previously, distance was defined “as the crow flies,” which prevented many veterans from access to VA benefits at community clinics. The new calculations considered driving distance from the veteran’s permanent residence to the closest VA facility. According to the revised criteria, any veteran whose permanent residence is more than 40 miles driving distance from the closest medical facility with a full-time primary care physician is eligible to participate in the program.

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