January 10, 2024

Manchin, Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Fast-Track Veterans Access To Health Care Benefits

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined Senators Angus King (I-ME), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) in introducing legislation to give combat Veterans the option to enroll in their healthcare benefits program before officially transitioning out of active duty.

The bipartisan Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act would create an opt-in program to allow transitioning servicemembers to access Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare services their first day as a civilian. Currently, transitioning servicemembers must wait until they have left service and received their official separation paperwork to apply for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) healthcare and other services. That process can take several months, thus creating an unacceptable period where Veterans do not have access to the healthcare benefits they have earned.

Studies have shown the first year of a servicemember’s transition to civilian life is the most difficult and a time when they are at a higher risk to commit suicide. More than 200,000 servicemembers transition from military to civilian life every year, and this pre-enrollment period would ensure they have access to mental and physical care immediately upon separation.

“Ensuring our nation’s Veterans receive the support they need and deserve continues to be a top priority of mine,” said Senator Manchin. “I’m proud to join my bipartisan colleagues in introducing the Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act to help ensure our servicemen and women who are transitioning to civilian life have immediate access to the healthcare benefits they have earned upon separation from the military. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense legislation and I will continue working to improve access to healthcare benefits for Veterans in West Virginia and across the country.”

“Our combat veterans continually put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms and they deserve our utmost support and care, they have retired the uniform,” said Senator King. “The Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act is another way in which we can guarantee our servicemembers experience a warm handoff in their transition to civilian life. By eliminating this bureaucratic lag, we can deliver VA benefits to our men and women who served, the moment they return to civilian status.”

“Veterans represent the best of our country. Our men and women in uniform have made incredible sacrifices so that we can be free, and we have a responsibility to fulfill our commitment to them once their service is complete,” said Senator Rounds. “The Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act would eliminate the lapse in care that many servicemembers face when transitioning from the military to civilian life, and make certain that servicemembers have timely access to the health care services they need upon separation from the military. I am pleased to join Senator King on this legislation to remedy this gap in services which currently exists.”

“Our combat veterans risk their lives to fight for our freedoms and way of life,” said Senator Cramer. “Allowing servicemembers to pre-enroll for VHA healthcare before separation instead of afterward provides continuity of care rather than being stuck in bureaucratic backlogs. We must ensure our combat veterans’ transition to civilian life includes immediate healthcare coverage without delay.”