{"id":4087,"date":"2025-08-10T20:23:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T03:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/10\/congress-looks-to-ease-veterans-use-of-health-care-outside-of-veterans-affairs-facilities-shots\/"},"modified":"2025-08-10T20:23:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T03:23:23","slug":"congress-looks-to-ease-veterans-use-of-health-care-outside-of-veterans-affairs-facilities-shots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/10\/congress-looks-to-ease-veterans-use-of-health-care-outside-of-veterans-affairs-facilities-shots\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress looks to ease veterans\u2019 use of health care outside of Veterans’ Affairs facilities : Shots"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n The Tibor Rubin Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach on Wednesday, July 31, 2019.
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WATERLOO, Iowa \u2014 John-Paul Sager appreciates the care he has received at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics, but he thinks it should be easier for veterans like him to use their benefits elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Sager, a Marine Corps and Army veteran, uses his VA coverage for non-VA treatment of back injuries stemming from his military service. But he said he sometimes must make several phone calls to obtain approval to see a local chiropractor. “It seems like it takes entirely too long,” he said.<\/p>\n

Many veterans live hours from VA facilities, or they need health services that aren’t readily available from the VA. In such cases, the department is supposed to provide a referral and pay for private care. Some veterans’ advocates say it often hesitates to do so.<\/p>\n