Washington, D.C. — As the percentage of lawmakers with military experience drops from 75% in the 1970s to just 17% today, some argue this disconnect is reflected in how the U.S. treats its veterans. Montana Senator Tim Sheehy, a post-9/11 combat veteran, is among a new wave of leaders working to reform a system he says fails to meet veterans’ real needs.
“I didn’t serve for a handout,” Sheehy says. “We don’t need to be treated like broken people, we need a mission.”
That belief underpins his push for the Veterans Access Act, a legislative package aimed at overhauling how veterans access healthcare, particularly in rural areas. A key feature would require the VA to clearly inform veterans about their eligibility for non-VA care, giving them more flexibility to seek treatment locally.
Sheehy points to the VA’s ballooning budget, up nearly 80% in recent years, without matching improvements in health outcomes, even as the veteran population shrinks. “We’ve doubled inputs with no measurable improvement in outputs,” he says, calling instead for a system that rewards outcomes and gives veterans choice.
Montana’s rural healthcare system exemplifies the growing crisis. For years, community clinics relied on revenue from treating veterans under VA-funded programs. But recent policy shifts have redirected care back to VA facilities, cutting off that income stream. In some cases, veterans made up as much as 35% of a clinic’s revenue. Now, as the VA limits access to community care and even restricts the use of nonprofit shuttle programs that transport veterans, small clinics are at risk of closure.
“Veterans used to keep our doors open,” said one healthcare official. “Now, they’re told to wait 14 days for a ride to a VA facility. It’s absurd.”
Senator Sheehy argues the VA should move from being the sole provider of care to being a payer, allowing veterans to choose the care that works for them. Especially in remote areas, access delays can be deadly. With over 30,000 post-9/11 veteran suicides, four times the number lost in combat, the urgency is clear.
Sheehy and his allies are aiming to pass the Veterans Access Act by July 4, viewing it as a vital step toward honoring veterans through action, not bureaucracy. “Most of us are still young,” he says. “We’ve got decades left to serve, give us the opportunity, not the pity.”
