VA VACCINE Act Passes House

Statement

Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) applauded the passage of the VA VACCINE Act that passed without objection in the House of Representatives last night.

"Amid partisan legislative debates, the House passed a common sense bill that expands the VA's ability to provide life-saving COVID-19 vaccines to veterans and their caregivers when additional doses are available," said Rep. Estes. "This is great news for the men and women who have served our country and builds on the successes of Operation Warp Speed by removing barriers and inoculating more Americans quickly."

The VA VACCINE Act expands the VA's authority to provide vaccines to veterans not currently enrolled in the VA health care system -- including veterans without compensable service-connected disabilities and veterans who have incomes above a certain threshold, caregivers of veterans who are enrolled in various VA home-based and long-term care programs, and veterans living abroad who rely on the Foreign Medical Program. The VA will still prioritize veterans in the Veterans Health Administration, but the bill allows more veterans to receive the vaccine when supplies are available.

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