In an unprecedented move, the Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced a new plan to improve veterans care services. The program, which will be called the New Veterans Choice Program, will combine all private sectors of the current health network and merge it into one large program, according to RT America.
"We want an integrated network," VA Secretary Robert McDonald told The Washington Post. "We want the very best providers connected with us. This is a big deal, and it will be a big improvement over what we have now."
The department hopes that by combing the sectors, they can eliminate the gaps in the veterans' health systems. It also plans to expand its services to be able to accommodate the growing number of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, as reported by The Washington Post.
The new plan will allow veterans who do not live close to VA hospitals or who have been waiting more than 30 days for an appointment to visit private doctors in their area.
The Department of Veterans Affairs proposed the new plan on Nov. 18, and it is expected to go into discussions toward the end of the month or in December.