Press Releases

Congressman Salud Carbajal, U.S. Representative for the Central Coast and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, expressed concerns directly to the head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) about the closure this week of a veterans substance abuse treatment facility in San Luis Obispo and its potential impact on Central Coast veterans.

In two meetings and through a letter sent to his office, Rep. Carbajal explained to VA Secretary Denis McDonough the impact that the closure on Monday of Legacy Village would have on Central Coast veterans and pressed him on changes the VA could make that would prevent veterans seeking substance abuse treatment from needing to travel to the Los Angeles area to receive treatment.

Secretary McDonough pledged that the VA would travel to the Central Coast in the coming weeks to meet with Carbajal’s team and Central Coast veterans advocates to discuss their policies on referrals to Central Coast facilities and how the VA will continue to support veterans in the region following the closure.

“For most types of care if the drive time exceeds 30 minutes, then the veteran can receive community care. Unfortunately, residential SUD treatment was excluded from the designated access standards,” Rep. Carbajal wrote in his follow-up letter to Secretary McDonough. “At the most northern part of the district the drive time to the Domiciliary in Los Angeles is nearly four hours, and from the most southern part he drive time still exceeds an hour. My district is not unique…We owe it to our veterans to provide accessible and quality care.”

The letter sent by Rep. Carbajal today to the VA Secretary can be found here.

In is discussions with Secretary McDonough and in his letter, Congressman Carbajal pushed the VA to update their rules related to referrals to non-VA facilities to include those offering treatment for Substance Use Disorder (SUD), which was seen as a major impediment to continuing referrals to Legacy Village this year.

Congressman Carbajal and his team liaised privately between Legacy Village and VA staff starting in spring of 2023 on behalf of veterans seeking treatment for SUD when referrals to the facility were interrupted.

The Congressman shared with Secretary McDonough that he is personally committed to seeing that policy change made, either through VA rulemaking or through congressional action if necessary.

“I am requesting that the VA use its existing authority, under the MISSION Act or otherwise, to establish drive-time standards for residential SUD treatment and ensure that these as well as existing wait-time standards are systematically applied when veterans are being clinically evaluated and considered for referral,” Rep. Carbajal wrote in his letter. “Eliminating this barrier to treatment will allow veterans who do not live near a Domiciliary to quickly receive the care they need.”

Congressman Carbajal, as a veteran of the Marine Corps, also uses the VA medical care system and seeks referrals to local facilities on the Central Coast to avoid the long distance commutes that would be required to visit Los Angeles-based VA facilities

“As a veteran myself I am enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System,” Rep. Carbajal wrote. “I know firsthand the good work the VA does to take care of our veterans, but I also know the system is imperfect and needs to be improved.”

The Congressman met with Secretary McDonough in meetings of the Military Veterans Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

The full text of the letter to Secretary McDonough can be found here and below:

Secretary McDonough,

I want to first thank you for taking the time to meet with me today, and for your commitment to addressing this issue. As a veteran myself I am enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System. I know firsthand the good work the VA does to take care of our veterans, but I also know the system is imperfect and needs to be improved. I am writing to express my deep concerns over barriers to access for veterans seeking substance use disorder (SUD) treatment at residential facilities.

Under the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (MISSION Act) the VA was required to create access standards for the Community Care Program (CCP) every three years. These are known as the designated access standards and the last time they were eligible for changes was in 2022 and it was determined that no changes were needed. The current designated access standards allow for veterans seeking primary, mental health, non-institutional extended, and specialty care to receive community care if their drive time to or wait time at their regional VA medical center exceeds a certain amount of time. For most types of care if the drive time exceeds 30 minutes, then the veteran can receive community care.

Unfortunately, residential SUD treatment was excluded from the designated access standards. This has created a massive barrier to getting veterans treatment for SUD who do not live next door to a VA Domiciliary. My district encompasses a majority of California’s Central Coast. At the most northern part of the district the drive time to the Domiciliary in Los Angeles is nearly four hours, and from the most southern part the drive time still exceeds an hour. My district is not unique in the distance there is from VA medical centers. This issue affects veterans nationwide. 

We owe it to our veterans to provide accessible and quality care. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than one in ten veterans are diagnosed with SUD and substance abuse is known to increase the chances of an attempted suicide.  It is critical we make it easier for veterans to access SUD treatment, including at residential centers.

I am requesting that the VA use its existing authority, under the MISSION Act or otherwise, to establish drive-time standards for residential SUD treatment and ensure that these as well as existing wait-time standards are systematically applied when veterans are being clinically evaluated and considered for referral to VA facilities or community providers. Eliminating this barrier to treatment will allow veterans who do not live near a Domiciliary to quickly receive the care they need.

Thank you for your time and attention to this important issue. I look forward to hearing what steps the VA is taking to implement drive and wait time standards for veterans seeking community care SUD treatment.