Bill to expand COVID vaccine access for veterans passes the House

A bill aimed at expanding COVID-19 vaccine access for veterans at home and abroad passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The bill was sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key. It would close a loophole that prevents veterans who are not already registered for the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare services from receiving the vaccine.

“It’s a national disgrace and unacceptable that aging veterans with health conditions are being turned away and denied the vaccine because of a loophole in VA rules,” Buchanan said in a prepared statement.

The “VA Vaccine Act” would also grant vaccine access to family caregivers and healthcare professionals who work with veterans.

The bill was endorsed by veterans groups in Manatee and Sarasota counties, including the Manatee Veterans Council, Veterans for Common Sense of Bradenton and the Sarasota County Veterans Commission.

“Our veterans deserve nothing less than access to the vaccine as soon as possible,” said Manatee Veterans Council chairman Edwin Robinson in a prepared statement.

Buchanan and other lawmakers are calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the bill immediately due to the emergency nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile a similar bill, the “Save Lives Act,” has been introduced in the Senate. That bill would also grant vaccine access to spouses of veterans and participants of the VA’s program for family members of disabled veterans, CHAMPVA. A vote on the Senate bill is expected in the next several weeks, according to Stars and Stripes.