Hoeven Pressing for VA Pilot Program in Fargo, Allowing Veterans to Schedule Private Care Through Local VA Medical Center

Senator John Hoeven today hosted a roundtable in Fargo with Gene Migliaccio, Deputy Chief Business Officer for Purchased Care at the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Veterans Health Administration, and Matthew Ruest, Vice President of Government Services Field Operations for Health Net, to advance a new pilot program in the state that will allow veterans to schedule health care appointments with non-VA private providers directly through the Fargo VA Medical Center.

Hoeven brought the officials to North Dakota so they could hear firsthand from local veterans and health care providers about the scheduling and service reimbursement issues arising from the use of a third party administrator contracted by the Veterans Choice Program.

"We've heard from veterans throughout the state who are struggling to make appointments through Health Net, seriously delaying their ability to access the timely care they need," Hoeven said. "I appreciate Dr. Migliaccio for taking the time to hear from our veterans, and I look forward to working with the VA to establish a pilot project here that will help resolve these issues and empower the local VA Medical Center to schedule non-VA care for our veterans."

The pilot program would be an administrative remedy to address the bureaucratic delays and confusion that veterans have experienced in North Dakota when trying to schedule appointments. Separately, Hoeven and his colleagues have introduced the Veterans Choice Improvement Act, which would address the scheduling and reimbursement challenges on a national level.

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