Arizona Dem asks VA to clarify definition of ‘timely’ access to care

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on Wednesday asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to clarify its definition of “timely” access to medical care.

In a letter to VA Secretary Robert McDonald, Sinema asked for an explanation of how the agency deems a scheduled appointment to be made within its wait time goals.

{mosads}The VA reform bill signed into law earlier this year establishes that the Veterans Health Administration’s wait time goals should be no more than 30 days from the date a veteran requests a medical appointment. 

However, the VA said in a report to Congress this month that an appointment is considered timely with the Veterans Choice Program if it is scheduled 30 days after the appointment is “deemed clinically appropriate by a VA health care provider.”

Sinema expressed concern that the language could be read as more than 30 days.

“In other words, if a VA health care provider recommends an appointment seven days from an initial visit, under this definition a timely appointment is 37 days from the initial visit. This is not timely, and I do not believe this result is reflective of your intention,” Sinema wrote.

The Arizona Democrat suggested the VA use a more limited definition.

“I recommend that you direct VA health care providers to use date ranges and provide care within the date range to ensure that veterans receive high-quality health care within a timely, clinically determined window,” Sinema wrote.