U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) on Tuesday announced that he had introduced legislation to expand veterans’ health care flexibility.

Carl’s bill, the “Veterans Health Care Flexibility Act,” would allow all veterans to receive care through the Veterans Community Care Program regardless of arbitrary standards. According to a release, the outside care veterans are currently allowed to receive is limited by way of them having to qualify for certain criteria.

Among the list of present standards, veterans must hold a need for a service that is not available at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility. Former service members also must live in an area that does not have a full-service VA medical facility. Additionally, current guidelines state that it must be in the veteran’s best interest to seek community care.

The South Alabama congressman asserted that veterans expressed their desire to see the VA health care system provide them with greater freedom to seek the care of their choice.

“Last week, I hosted a roundtable with some of south Alabama’s veterans to learn about different ways I can serve them in Congress,” Carl advised. “These veterans made it clear to me that it is past time to reform the VA health care system by giving veterans more control over the health care they are eligible to receive.”

He concluded, “With their concerns and recommendations in mind, I’m proud to introduce the Veterans Health Care Flexibility Act, which will allow veterans the flexibility to seek health care outside of the VA system, rather than being forced to travel long distances to a VA facility or wait entirely too long to receive care. This legislation is just the first of many steps we will take to ensure our veterans are receiving the quality of care they deserve. I’m proud to represent so many veterans in Congress, and I will continue being a fighter for them in Washington.”

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL