The Department of Veterans Affairs was the target of criticism again, as it was reported that there is a fatal flaw in its new Choice Program. The VA finally relaxed the distance 40-mile distance rule and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart took credit for the sudden change.
The rule in question forced veterans to prove that they live within 40 miles of a VA facility, which can be difficult for veterans in rural areas. For whatever reason, the distance was measured in distance “as the crow flies,” rather than in actual miles. On Monday, The Daily Show poked fun at that, just as other outlets had reported on it.
So on Tuesday, when the VA announced that it was finally going to relax that requirement, Jon Stewart took credit for the change.
“Some naysayers out there will say, ‘But the VA made that decision before The Daily Show wrote, taped and aired that piece [on Monday] and The Daily Show just didn’t know about that because that information hadn’t been made public yet,’” Stewart said. “F**k that! I say, credit where credit is due!”
The Choice Program was put in place after reports that veterans waited months for care. It was supposed to make it easier for them to get private care paid for by the government.
“We’ve determined that changing the distance calculation will help ensure more veterans have access to care when and where they want it,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald said on Tuesday, reports the Associated Press.
image courtesy of Tina Kaawaloa/INFevents.com
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