1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

The Veterans' ACCESS Act poses a grave threat to the VA health care system that veterans depend on. By allowing unrestricted access to private outpatient care without VA oversight, and expanding this to all medical services after three years, the bill would effectively transform the VA into an insurance provider writing checks to private facilities. This would drain funds from the VA, leading to facility closures and reduced services. Experts have already warned that the VA cannot sustain the current rapid growth in community care spending without major budget increases. Dismantling the VA's integrated, specialized care would force veterans into areas with provider shortages, especially for mental health, inpatient, and emergency services. Rural veterans would be particularly impacted by hospital closures. The VA's critical research into conditions like PTSD and traumatic brain injury would also suffer. Overwhelming majorities of veterans' groups want to preserve and improve the VA system, not privatize it. This misguided legislation cannot be allowed to undermine the high-quality, veteran-centric care that the VA provides after the immense sacrifices of military service. I urge you to vocally oppose the Veterans' ACCESS Act and any efforts to defund or dismantle the VA health care system that our nation's veterans have earned and rely upon.