Health Care Access and Quality for New York Veterans Provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Community Care: Volume I, Understanding the Impact of Proposed Policy Changes.

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has approximately 9 million enrolled veterans annually, including over 300,000 in New York. While VA traditionally delivers care through its own facilities, the VA Community Care program allows eligible veterans to receive VA-funded care from private-sector providers. Proposed policy changes seek to expand eligibility for Community Care by relaxing or removing current standards related to drive time, wait time, and service availability. This study examines how such changes could affect access to and the quality of care for veterans in New York. The companion study (Volume II) provides supplementary methods and data that are helpful, but not critical, for understanding the analyses. Overall, expanding Community Care eligibility may modestly improve geographic access but has uncertain effects on timeliness and mixed implications for care quality for veterans in New York. Further data and modeling are needed to assess the full impact of these proposed policy changes.