Marsha Blackburn
03/06/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/06/2026 17:36
Blackburn, Hassan Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Access to Specialty Care for Female Veterans
Blackburn, Hassan Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Access to Specialty Care for Female Veterans
March 6, 2026
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) released the following statements after introducing the bipartisan Women Veterans Specialty Care Access Act to improve access to specialty care, including gynecology, obstetrics, maternity, and postpartum care, for female veterans.
"Female veterans are one of the fastest-growing populations served by the VA, and we need to do everything in our power to ensure they receive the care they have earned in a timely manner,"said Senator Blackburn. "Our Women Veterans Specialty Care Access Act would allow female veterans to directly schedule an appointment for women's specialty care without requiring them to get a referral from a VA primary care provider."
"This bipartisan bill permanently removes the needlessly time-consuming step of requiring women veterans to receive a referral form from their primary care provider to access women's health care," said Senator Hassan. "This commonsense bill will help make it easier and faster for women veterans to receive the care that they need, have earned, and deserve."
BACKGROUND
- On December 4, 2025, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that women veterans would no longer require a referral from their VA primary care providers to make appointments with VA gynecology specialists, allowing these women to make appointments directly with VA gynecologists.
- Requiring women to first obtain a referral from their primary care provider to access gynecology and related specialty services can delay preventive and time-sensitive care, create unnecessary administrative burdens, and complicate access to maternity and postpartum services.
WOMEN VETERANS SPECIALITY CARE ACCESS ACT
- Senators Blackburn and Hassan introduced the Women Veterans Specialty Care Access Act to make this policy change permanent by codifying it into federal law and expanding it. This bill would:
- Allow any covered veteran to directly schedule an appointment for women's specialty care, including gynecology, obstetrics, maternity, and postpartum care, without requiring a referral from a VA primary care provider;
- Ensure direct scheduling is available at each VA medical center or clinic that offers women's specialty care and through all scheduling modalities used by the VA, including telephone and online tools;
- Prohibit any additional approval, referral, or screening requirements as a condition of accessing women's specialty care; and
- Preserve existing eligibility and community care standards.
Click here for bill text.
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