Enrollment-Provision of Hospital and Outpatient Care to Veterans Subpriorities of Priority Categories 7 and 8 and Annual Enrollment Level Decision

As required by Pub. L. 104-262, the Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must make an annual decision concerning enrollment in VA's health-care system in order to ensure that medical services provided are both timely and acceptable in quality. An enrollment system is necessary because the provision of VA health care is discretionary and can be provided only to the extent that appropriated resources are available for that purpose. In recognition of that fact, Congress has prioritized eligibility to enroll in the VA system by creating eight priority categories, with priority category 8 veterans (those who do not have compensable service-connected disabilities, and whose incomes exceed geographic-means tests) having the lowest priority for enrollment. The law recognizes the higher obligation owed to veterans requiring care for their service-connected disabilities, and to lower-income veterans. Since the implementation of the enrollment requirement in 1998, all veterans seeking VA care have been permitted to enroll. However, due to a tremendous growth in the number of veterans seeking VA health-care benefits in recent months, VA has been unable to provide all enrolled veterans with appointments within a reasonable time. Many VA facilities have either placed new enrollees on waiting lists or have scheduled appointments so far in the future that the services cannot be considered timely. This document announces the enrollment decision required by law. VA will continue to treat all veterans currently enrolled in any category, and will treat new enrollees in categories 1 through 7. However, to protect the quality and improve the timeliness of care provided to veterans in higher enrollment-priority categories, VA will suspend the enrollment of additional veterans who are in the lowest statutory enrollment category (priority category 8). It is emphasized that this decision will not affect veterans already enrolled in the VA sy