WASHINGTON – The SAVE LIVES Act—bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema—was signed into law, allowing the VA to provide no-cost COVID-19 vaccination services to all Arizona veterans and veteran spouses, and eligible caregivers and dependents as the vaccine supply grows.
“Our SAVE LIVES Act ensures families and caregivers of Arizona veterans can receive COVID-19 vaccines from the VA,” said Sinema, member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The Sinema-backed bipartisan legislation prioritizes veterans receiving care at the VA for vaccination, but as vaccine supply grows, allows the VA to provide vaccines to veterans normally not eligible for VA care and a broader population of caregivers, veteran spouses, and beneficiaries of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA).
The SAVE LIVES Act expands VA’s authority to:
- Veterans not eligible for enrollment in the VA health care system—including veterans without compensable service-connected disabilities and veterans who have incomes above a certain threshold
- Veteran caregivers enrolled in various VA home-based and long-term programs
- Veterans living abroad who rely on the Foreign Medical Program
- Veteran Spouses
- Recipients of CHAMPVA (spouses or children of permanently and totally disabled veterans or of veterans who have died from service-connected disabilities)
Sinema’s office heard directly from Arizona veterans and caregivers about their desire for more access to COVID-19 vaccines at Arizona VA Medical Centers. Sinema’s legislation gives the VA more flexibility to assist these Arizonans as the vaccine supply increases.