Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) voiced her support Wednesday for the Rural Veterans Access to Care Act, legislation that passed the House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon and calls for the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a three-year pilot program to provide enhanced access to care for rural veterans.

“Our rural veterans face real and difficult challenges when it comes to accessing the healthcare that they need,” says Capito. “Thankfully this legislation puts in motion a program that stands to benefit rural veterans in states like West Virginia.

“This program will help limit the need for long-distance travel for our veterans to receive advanced treatment and even primary care services. We shouldn’t be placing our veterans at a disadvantage simply because they choose to live in a rural area and I applaud passage of this important piece of legislation.”

The three-year pilot program would apply to veterans who reside more than 60 miles from a VA primary care center, more than 120 miles from the nearest VA acute hospital care center or more than 240 miles from the nearest VA specialized consultative care center. Under the pilot program, these rural veterans would be able to receive key covered-services through non-VA providers.

Capito has also sponsored a similar piece of legislation that would establish a pilot-program within the Department of Veterans Affairs to enhance access to care for rural veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury. She also secured $5 million in additional funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Rural Health for fiscal year 2008.