Federal law forces East Tennessee veterans to travel for medical care

By  Steven Powell

Some East Tennessee veterans say they have to drive too far to get medical care, despite a federal law that’s aimed at solving this problem.

The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act took effect in August. It allows veterans who live more than 40 miles away from a VA clinic to get treatment locally.

But some Scott County veterans don’t qualify, because they technically live too close. John Autrey lives almost 50 miles away from the VA clinic in LaFolette, which is the closet one. However, the government says he’s only 22 miles away. VA representatives told him that’s because it’s calculated in nautical miles.

The Korean War veteran, who has lung disease, still has to travel at least an hour and a half away for treatment.

“A lot of the times, if you have an asthma attack, you don’t need to go to a clinic, you need to go to an emergency room,” he says. It’s the exact type of problem this program tries to fix. His son, also named John, says he’s fed up.

“They signed this bill for the veterans assuming we all have airplanes and helicopters,” he says. The younger Autrey, who’s also a veteran, says he’s wasted hours on the phone, pleading his case.

“There’s a paragraph stating if you must drive around a mountain or something obstructing, then this would also qualify you for your 40 miles,” he says.

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