EXCLUSIVE — Lawmakers in the House and Senate are set to introduce legislation Wednesday designed to make community care for veterans more accessible.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL) reintroduced the Ensuring Continuity in Veterans Health Act, which builds on the 2018 Mission Act that was designed to improve access to care either through the Department of Veterans Affairs or other local options.
If signed into law, the bill will specifically require the VA to consider the continuity of healthcare for veterans in determining what is in their best medical interest.
“Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country and deserve access to quick and quality care,” Tuberville said. “Under the Biden-Harris VA, we witnessed an exasperation of bureaucratic red tape, which has put our veterans’ health at risk. Allowing veterans to see their local doctor alleviates wait and drive times, especially for those who do not live close to a VA facility. I’m proud to introduce the Ensuring Continuity in Veterans Health Act and will keep fighting to put our veterans first.”
Veterans can go to local VA hospitals, but if there are long wait times or the hospitals are too far away, they can try to see more accessible non-VA-associated medical providers, referred to as community care. However, various criteria must be met.
“Those who bravely served our nation deserve a healthcare system that provides timely access to quality care,” said Franklin. “Our veterans should be empowered to choose the care that works best for them, whether inside or outside the VA. I’m proud to reintroduce my bill, the Ensuring Continuity in Veterans Health Act, which builds upon President Trump’s MISSION Act.”
Earlier this month, Tuberville co-sponsored the Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers Act of 2025, which also calls for improved access to care.
The legislation is endorsed by several veterans’ groups, including the Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Military Officers Association of America, among others.
VA Secretary Doug Collins was confirmed to the position in a bipartisan vote earlier this month. During the former Georgia congressman’s confirmation hearing, he expressed support for expanding eligibility for veterans to receive care outside of the VA.
He told lawmakers that “delivering timely access to care and benefits for every eligible veteran is job one at VA.”
Collins’s confirmation makes him the first post-9/11 veteran in the position. He served as a chaplain in the Navy and Air Force Reserve and deployed to Iraq as a member of the 94th Airlift Wing.
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Millions of troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to toxic burn pits, which have caused severe health implications. It’s been commonly referred to as this generation’s agent orange.
Collins was able to shed light on his own experiences with burn pits during his hearing, saying, “I’m an Iraq war veteran. I understand burn pits because I slept next to one for many months. I understand this generation that went for time and time again, deployment after deployment in a different way than we’ve seen many times before in our past wars and the needs that they have.”