The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs presented the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs with the VA’s Veterans Coordinated Access & Rewarding Experiences Act, also known as the CARE Act.  

The CARE Act looks to streamline current care offered to veterans through the VA. The bill would improve upon the current Veterans Choice Program by modifying existing VA facilities and improving staffing levels to ensure access to care. The proposal also looks to simplify and clarify eligibility requirements and modernize care coordination for veterans. 

The CARE Act also includes provisions related to increasing the VA’s graduate medical education efforts. In particular, the proposal would authorize the VA to expand its current GME positions by as many as 1,500 over the next 10 years. Residents participating in the program would be required to serve for a period of time in a Veterans Health Administration facility.  

More information on VA access to care is available on the VA website, and a press release on the CARE Act is also available here.