S.2757 / H.R. 5530, the VA Emergency Transportation Access Act has been introduced by Congressional leaders to protect Veterans' access to emergency ground and air services by requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to perform a thorough study of the impact of any change to reimbursement rates prior to modifying the current rates. This legislations come as the VA and ambulance industry continue to work cooperatively on a solution to the reimbursement issue caused by the Final Rule in February that lowered all air and ground ambulance payments to parity with Medicare.

The Medicare program reimburses ambulance service organizations far below the cost of providing critical emergency ambulance transportation services. Specific to Air Ambulances, the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) estimates that the final rule would result in a 90% reduction in payments for air ambulance services provided to Veterans. This reduction in payments will significantly impact the availability of air ambulance transport to Veterans and dramatically reduce veterans' access to emergency medical services throughout the United States.