The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the implementation of a policy that will make it easier for all VA-enrolled Veterans to access health care from non-VA providers at department expense.

Since 2019, the MISSION Act has allowed millions of Veterans to access community care outside the VA system when it is in their best medical interest. These decisions have been made jointly by Veterans and their referring clinicians but were not considered final until they were reviewed by another physician. This extra layer of review created an additional obstacle for Veterans seeking quick access to the care they’ve earned.

Effective immediately, VA will implement language in the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act such that the determination of eligibility under Best Medical Interest is final and shall be made by the Veteran and the Veteran’s referring clinician, which will help thousands of Veterans gain…

Secretary Hegseth signed the attached memo with updated guidance on the review of requests from Service members and former Service members adversely impacted by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

This memo may be found on the DoD website at:  https://media.defense.gov/2025/Apr/23/2003696408/-1/-1/1/PROVIDING-SUPPLEMENTAL-REMEDIES-FOR-SERVICE-MEMBERS-AND-VETERANS-NEGATIVELY-IMPACTED-BY-THE-DEPARTMENT-OF-DEFENSE-DEFUNCT-CORONAVIRUS-DISEASE-2019-VACCINATION.PDFSecretary Hegseth provided remarks about this memo via his X account: https://x.com/SecDef/status/1915164433157968186 

In addition, a DoD news article with additional context is found at this link:  https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4164505/defense-secretary-orders-additional-remedies-more-clarity-on-covid-19-reinstate/