The Veterans Administration healthcare system has been a polarizing integrated healthcare system over the past ten years. Some argue that the program is a highly successful government organization, while others argue it's programs come up short of providing accessible high quality care to the veterans population. This study will look at how accessible the VA healthcare facilities are to those they serve. Additionally the 2014 Phoenix Veterans healthcare Crisis caused President Obama to Sign the Veterans Choice Act allowing veterans who, "live more than 40 miles from a VA facility, or if VA doctors can't see you within a reasonable amount of time, you'll have the chance to see a doctor outside the VA system," (Branchley, 2014). This policy was then amended to allow any veteran who lived over 40 miles away on the road network from a VA facility to see non-VA providers. The Veterans Choice Act will be superseded by the VA Mission Act. Initial drafts of this policy propose that anyone outside of a 30 minute drive time to a primary care and mental health provider within the VA system could see an outside provider (Shane III, 2018). Understanding current access to care can help project how the state's veteran population will be affected by these changing policies.
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