House lawmakers approved new legislation that would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to administer a COVID-19 vaccination to any veteran and caregiver, regardless if they reside abroad, Military Times reports.

“We don’t have time to waste,”  said House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif.. “We must get more shots in arms, our VA VACCINE Act makes sure that VA can.”

The biggest caveat is that vaccine availability within the United States. Earlier in the week the VA announced that the agency has vaccinated over one million veterans since mid-December, but supply needs to ramp up significantly to reach the approximately 20 million veteran, spouse, and caregiver population in the United States. VA officials have reported that they will receive nearly 7 million doses in the coming months to vaccinate its staff and veteran population.

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) says the bill would provide the vaccines at no cost to veterans, veteran spouses, caregivers, and Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) recipients.

“We need to vaccinate as many Americans as possible to get through this pandemic and get our economy back on track,” said Senator Tester. “That starts by making sure that every veteran has access to a vaccine, regardless of whether they’re enrolled in VA health care or not.”

Photo by Capt. Daniel Parker