WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working to ensure veterans’ health insurance doesn’t lapse after their service.
Congresswoman Young Kim (R-Calif.) says active duty service members have health insurance through the government’s TRICARE program.
“But that is not the case once they separate,” Kim said.
Kim says there’s a months-long gap between leaving service and getting the official documents veterans need to enroll in VA health care.
“You need to wait 180 days after separation,” Kim said. “Then you can go to the VA and sign up to continue your program.”
That pause in coverage is why Kim is re-upping a bill in Congress that creates a pilot program for active duty service members to enroll in VA health care six months before the end of their service. It’s called the “Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act.”
“We wanted to make sure there was no lapse,” Kim said.
Kim’s bill also says the Department of Veterans Affairs must report to Congress annually on the program and pre-enrolled members.
The proposal has support across the aisle.
“A very positive thing in such a tightly divided Congress,” Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) said.
Congresswoman Tokuda is cosponsoring the bill. She’s seen the sacrifices from service members in her own family.
“My grandfather and my great uncles, they served in World War II. My father-in-law, no longer with us, was a Vietnam vet. My brother in the most recent conflict served in Kuwait,” Tokuda said.
Tokuda says Congress can never fully repay those who served but can at least do a better job of caring for them.
“Let’s think about the fact that they never stopped caring for us, and we’ve got to do the same,” Tokuda said.
Kim’s bill was introduced last session but ran out of time. She says this time around, she’s optimistic it will pass the House and Senate.
“And then, get it on to the president’s desk,” Kim said.
