A Florida congressman introduced a bill aiming to change a Veterans Affairs policy for veterans who receive emergency care outside of a VA facility.
Under current law, a veteran who receives emergency care from a provider other than the VA has 72 hours after admission to notify the VA, Rep. Brian Mast said on his website March 23. If the veteran fails to meet that deadline, they are responsible for their entire medical bill.
"That means veterans right now are being penalized to the tune of thousands of dollars just because they don't navigate the bureaucracy fast enough," Mr. Mast said.
Mr. Mast's bill would change the notification policy from 72 hours after admittance to 72 hours after discharge.