Military veterans and their spouses and caregivers are now eligible for coronavirus vaccinations from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, thanks to a new law enacted Wednesday.
The Save Lives Act, signed into law by President Biden, supports local efforts on a federal level to immunize veterans and expands the VA’s ability to provide coronavirus vaccinations, according to VAntage Point, the VA’s official blog.
Covered individuals include:
– Veterans who are not qualified to enroll in the VA’s health care system.
– Certain veterans who are eligible for hospital care, medical services and nursing home care out of the country.
– Family caregivers approved as providers of personal care services for veterans under the VA’s program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.
– Caregivers of veterans partaking in the VA’s program of General Caregiver Support Services.
– Caregivers of veterans participating in the VA’s Medical Foster Home Program, Bowel and Bladder Program, Home Based Primary Care Program or veteran-directed care programs.
– Civilian health and medical programs of the VA.
– Veteran spouses.
Veterans registered in the VA’s health care system are the top priority, followed by veterans who fail to enroll but receive hospital care and medical services for specified disabilities in the first 12 months of separation from service, then the caregivers of those prioritized veterans.
Vaccines provided abroad are approved to be furnished in a geographic location other than a state regardless of whether vaccines are needed for the treatment of veterans with a service-connected disability including those in the VA’s rehabilitation program, VAntage Point reported.
