Fed Regist. 2015 Apr 24;80(79):22906-8.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amends its medical regulations implementing section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, which directed VA to establish a program to furnish hospital care and medical services through eligible non-VA health care providers to eligible veterans who either cannot be seen within the wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration or who qualify based on their place of residence (hereafter referred to as the Veterans Choice Program, or the "Program''). VA published an interim final rule implementing the Veterans Choice Program on November 5, 2014. Under current law, VA uses a straight-line or geodesic distance to determine eligibility based on place of residence. This interim final rule modifies how VA measures the distance from a veteran's residence to the nearest VA medical facility. This modified standard will consider the distance the veteran must drive to the nearest VA medical facility, rather than the straight-line or geodesic distance to such a facility.
退伍军人事务部（VA）修订其实施2014年《退伍军人获得医疗服务、选择和问责法案》第101条的医疗法规，该法案指示退伍军人事务部设立一个项目，通过符合条件的非退伍军人事务部医疗服务提供者，为那些要么无法在退伍军人健康管理局规定的等待时间目标内就诊，要么因其居住地点符合条件的合格退伍军人提供医院护理和医疗服务（以下简称“退伍军人选择项目”或“该项目”）。退伍军人事务部于2014年11月5日发布了一项实施退伍军人选择项目的暂行最终规则。根据现行法律，退伍军人事务部使用直线距离或测地距离来确定基于居住地点的资格。本暂行最终规则修改了退伍军人事务部衡量退伍军人住所到最近的退伍军人事务部医疗设施距离的方式。这一修改后的标准将考虑退伍军人开车前往最近的退伍军人事务部医疗设施的距离，而不是到该设施的直线距离或测地距离。
