The Trump administration on Monday pushed back against claims that veterans could be denied care based on marital status or political affiliation.
The Guardian said it obtained documents on the new guidelines, reporting that professional medical staff are still required to treat veterans regardless of race, color, religion, and sex, and all veterans remain entitled to treatment.
But individual VA employees are “now free to decline to care for patients based on personal characteristics not explicitly prohibited by federal law,” according to the media outlet.
According to the Guardian, the documents reportedly show that “language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status has been explicitly eliminated.”
It also reported that some of the new rules have already been imposed at some VA medical centers.
In response to Trump’s Jan. 30 executive order, however, the VA did announce a plan targeting medical treatments for gender dysphoria, saying it would phase out cross-hormone therapy for veterans. The savings would go toward helping paralyzed veterans and amputees, the VA said.
The executive order does not target individuals based on marital status or political affiliation.
However, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), in response to the news story, claimed many of her constituents are worried about being denied care and have called her office to voice their concerns.
Collins issued his own statement and dismissed the claims.
Collins denied the claim that VA health care would suffer under Trump, stating that the department has reinforced health care and benefits by safeguarding 300,000 mission-critical positions to ensure services for the nation’s veterans remain uninterrupted.
He also denied rumors that benefits for veterans would be cut, saying that the VA redirected nearly $98 million toward veterans’ care and services rather than reducing them.
The secretary said that veterans should seek information directly from the VA rather than relying on information spread via unofficial online sources.
