By the end of January, if you are a veteran who is enrolled in the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system, you will receive a card for the Veterans Choice Program.

The Veterans Choice Program is a direct response to problems that veterans around the country have experienced in accessing healthcare though VA. Following disturbing news reports from Phoenix and other parts of the country about delays, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle came together to pass the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014. This legislation authorized the Choice Program.

On Nov. 5, 2014, VA Secretary Bob McDonald announced the beginning of a phased implementation of the Choice Program. Under the Choice Program, veterans who live farther than 40 miles from a VA facility or who have to wait over 30 days for an appointment will have the opportunity to receive healthcare in the community from non-VA providers. VA opted to send Choice cards first to those who live over 40 miles from any VA healthcare facility. Next, VA sent cards to those who had appointments with wait times greater than 30 days. Those cards were sent out in November 2014.

All remaining enrolled veterans will receive their cards by the end of January. It is important for veterans to know that the card is a not a replacement for VA’s identification card. Also, any care provided through the program must be authorized and is limited to veterans who are eligible based on either distance or wait times.

Moving forward, VetsFirst will continue to follow not only the implementation of the Choice Program but also VA’s efforts to streamline access to information about VA benefits and programs and improve customer service. As a generation of veterans who served in combat seeks services from VA, we must ensure that those services provide effective treatment and management of service-related disabilities.

Access to healthcare and VA disability compensation are cornerstones that allow veterans with disabilities to work and live successfully in their communities with their families. Unless the VA healthcare system is oriented in a way that serves the needs of these veterans, efforts to dismantle the VA’s healthcare system may continue to grow.

VA’s healthcare system has birthed many tremendous advances in medical care and provided strong support in recent years for veterans who are living with spinal cord injuries. We want to make sure that the system continues to have the resources that it needs to support a new generation of disabled veterans. To do this, however, VA must show that it is up for the challenge.

Today’s veterans need to receive care from a 21st century VA. VA must fully embrace changes that make it easier for veterans to have the choice to receive appointments on nights and weekends, and where appropriate, closer to their homes. Now is the time to align services with needs and create a strong VA healthcare system that meets those demands.