On Thursday, things will continue changing for the better for veterans seeking medical care outside the VA system.

At least, that’s the goal.

The Mission Act, a bipartisan bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in June 2018, officially takes effect this week. And parts of the bill expanding the ability to seek care at private providers are likely of greatest interest to local veterans. The bill will simultaneously end and build on the Choice Program, which expanded the ability for veterans to seek care outside the VA system but left some difficulties accessing that private care.

Salisbury VA Director Joseph Vaughn said an item that will be of interest to veterans is that those in the VA system will now be able to visit a contracted urgent care facility with few, if any, barriers.

Thresholds have been lowered, too, for drive distances before private care is OK. And, technically, all that’s needed for a veteran to seek care outside the VA system is coming to a mutual agreement with his or her primary care provider, Vaughn said.

One important caveat for local veterans, Vaughn said, is that Novant Health and Atrium are not yet contracted for some services, including urgent care visits. Vaughn said he expects that to change soon. And, after that, the degree to which local veterans can take advantage of the new bill will expand significantly.

The process of going to a private urgent care facility is something like the following, according to a Veterans Affairs fact sheet provided to the Post. However, before any of the following steps can occur, the veteran must have received care at a VA facility within the previous two years.

• Eligible veterans find and travel to a contracted urgent care provider.

• Veterans state they are using his or her VA benefits, and the urgent care provider confirms the veteran’s eligibility.

• Veterans receive covered urgent care services and medication is prescribed if needed.

• The urgent care provider bills a VA third-party administrator and VA may bill the veteran the applicable co-payment.

Urgent care facilities inside Walgreens and CVS stores already are contracted, but Vaughn and other VA staff said they are not aware of any such locations in Salisbury or Rowan County.

To be clear, the urgent care benefit is not the only part of the Mission Act that could affect local veterans — Vaughn said there are sections of the bill related to physician recruitment that will be helpful to VA facilities — but it’s one that could be used often.

The Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act (more commonly called the Mill Bill) became law nearly two decades ago and already provided authorization for the VA to pay for emergency care — not the flu or a minor injury, for example — at non-VA facilities.

Here’s how Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican whose 8th District includes much of Rowan County, described the bill when he voted for it last year: “It aims to give veterans more options and flexibility in choosing their health care while streamlining current VA programs. In addition, it expands the VA’s caregiver program to help ensure the four million spouses, family members, and friends who care for ill or injured service members and veterans have the support they need.”

Hudson has been a cheerleader for expanding ease of access to private care.

Rep. Ted Budd, a Republican whose 13th District covers Salisbury, said the goal of the bill is to ensure every veteran has access to community care if the VA doesn’t offer it.

The W.G. “Bill” Hefner VA Medical Center held a sparsely attended town hall meeting Thursday to discuss the Mission Act. Perhaps that means veterans are satisfied with their care through the VA, Vaughn said.

“Most of the folks I talk to say, ‘I’m pretty happy with my care. I go to the VA,’” Vaughn said, noting that the facility has received a 90% trust score in surveys of patients.

Still, Vaughn said the bill is needed, particularly the urgent care provision. It will remove some burden from VA facilities.

“It’s going to free up our emergency department to see people that truly have emergency conditions and, I think, it’ll help ease the burden on primary care,” he said.

The patient population at most VA hospitals is shrinking, but the opposite is true in the Salisbury and Fayetteville VA systems, Vaughn said.

“We’re growing somewhere in the 8% to 10% range,” he said. “Most of that is coming from our Kernersville and Charlotte facilities, but when you’re growing that much and you’re trying to keep up with primary care … it adds more burden to the system when you have people coming in with a cough or a runny nose. So, I think the urgent care piece will help us a lot.”

Because the Mission Act is just now rolling out, Vaughn expects there will be changes and updates to VA rules in upcoming months.

The Salisbury VA staff recommends that veterans or family members with questions about the bill email VHASBYMissionAct@va.gov.

Josh Bergeron is editor of the Salisbury Post. Email him at josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com.