Glacier Country News

Ceding to Congressman Ryan Zinke’s oversight and demands, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has delayed the implementation of a proposed rule that would have significantly reduced affordable air and ground ambulance services for veterans. In 2020, the VA suggested cutting reimbursement rates for these services by up to 90%, using outdated market data from 1998 for air ambulances and 2002 for ground ambulances. The proposed changes would have made it financially unfeasible for air ambulances to operate, particularly affecting rural areas like Granite County in Montana, which lost its ambulance service due to similar cuts.

Zinke utilized his position on the MILCON-VA subcommittee on Appropriations to delay this rule's implementation for nearly two years. His efforts included leading multiple oversight letters to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, introducing legislation and amendments, and testifying before the Rules Committee. These actions culminated in delaying the initial enactment originally scheduled for February 2024.

The VA's decision to further delay the rule until 2029 allows time for a new appraisal of market data, potentially mitigating the adverse effects of the original proposal. Additionally, language drafted by Zinke in the House-passed FY25 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill would have defunded reimbursement changes set to take effect in 2025.

"In rural areas, healthcare is hard to access; we need to be expanding options for veterans, not limiting them," Zinke said. "This delay will allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to update outdated data and keep lifesaving air and ground ambulance services available for Montanans."

Supporters such as Ken Greenberg from Jewish War Veterans (JWV) praised Zinke’s efforts: "JWV has led the fight in the VSO community on this issue... For two years JWV has been vocal that 'as published, this rule would put more than 2.7 million rural veterans at risk.'"

The National Defense Committee also commended Zinke's role: "Rep. Zinke’s been at the forefront of protecting Montana’s and America’s veterans’ access... This announcement by the VA would not have happened but for his aggressive Congressional oversight."

Background information indicates that since February 16, 2023, when the VA published a final rule amending its beneficiary travel regulations with an effective date initially set for February 16, 2024, Rep. Zinke opposed it. Despite promises from VA Secretary Denis McDonough during a March budget hearing regarding fair contracts exempting vendors from CMS schedules, issues persisted.

In response to these concerns about non-VA directed emergency transports being automatically reimbursed under CMS schedules due to statutory limitations on negotiated contracts with VA vendors, Rep. Zinke introduced bipartisan amendments aiming at defunding these changes. Although his testimony supported these amendments in July before Congress sought legislative authorization allowing such contracts through multiple letters unanswered by Secretary McDonough's office resulted finally pushing back deadlines extending now till February16th/29 preventing detrimental impacts otherwise anticipated earlier among veteran communities nationwide reliant heavily upon timely medical evacuation provisions/services therein dependent accordingly under discussed circumstances overall.