The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee advanced the Critical Access for Veterans Care Act, sponsored by U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer and Tim Sheehy, on Mar. 18. The legislation aims to make it easier for veterans in highly rural states to receive timely health care by supporting care closer to home.
Accessing routine medical services can be difficult for veterans in states with limited Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. The new bill establishes a five-year pilot program that would simplify how eligible veterans use Critical Access Hospitals through the VA Community Care Program. It creates a preauthorization pathway for outpatient services at participating hospitals for those living within 35 miles and meeting community care criteria, reducing administrative barriers and wait times.
The act targets Medicare frontier states such as North Dakota, Nevada, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska—areas where travel distances and limited VA resources present significant challenges. In North Dakota alone, there is only one VA Medical Center in Fargo and eight Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), while the state has 37 Critical Access Hospitals but only five towns with both a hospital and a CBOC.
“The Critical Access for Veterans Care Act recognizes the barriers veterans face in rural North Dakota and tests a more efficient way of delivering the care they were promised through local Critical Access Hospitals,” Cramer said. “It’s about making health care accessible, convenient, and practical for those who have served our country.”
During a legislative hearing in December, the North Dakota Rural Health Association and 22 rural health providers submitted letters supporting the bill. They wrote: “Far too long veterans have been stuck in a system where access has been overshadowed by bureaucratic procedure. This legislation offers a streamlined, practical approach which builds on existing infrastructure and recognized designations in rural health care to meaningfully improve veteran access to care.” National organizations such as the American Hospital Association also expressed support.
Cramer published an op-ed stating: “The promise to our veterans was quality care, not government-rationed care, and reforms are needed to deliver on this promise.”
According to the official website, Cramer offered constituent services such as federal agency assistance and citizen outreach. He earned degrees from Concordia College and the University of Mary according to his official website. His office facilitated engagement through public information efforts according to his official website and maintained offices across North Dakota as well as Washington D.C., according to his official website. He represents North Dakota in the U.S. Senate under the federal government according to his official website and emphasizes national defense as part of his work on the Senate Armed Services Committee according to his official website.
