Rural Veterans Deserve an Easier Path to Their C&P Exam
By Empower Clinical Quality Team
A veteran should be able to focus on being heard at an examination. Finding a ride, navigating unfamiliar instructions, or determining whether a video appointment will work should receive attention before exam day. For rural veterans, practical access deserves the same deliberate planning as the examination itself.
At Empower, we believe respect begins with making the next step easy, understandable, and workable.
Distance is only part of access.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has identified distance and staffing shortages as barriers to rural veterans’ health care. VA also recognizes that limited broadband can restrict rural veterans’ ability to use telehealth. These findings concern health care broadly, but they highlight practical issues that exam programs should consider when arranging appointments. GAO: Rural Veterans’ Access · VA: Challenges Facing Rural Veterans
An appointment’s location tells us where it will happen. It does not tell us whether the veteran can reasonably get there.
Our position is simple: scheduling should include a conversation about transportation, accessibility, technology, and the instructions the veteran needs to participate.
Use the right examination format.
VA may arrange some Compensation and Pension examinations through telehealth. It also uses the Acceptable Clinical Evidence process when the existing evidence is sufficient, allowing records review instead of an examination in qualifying cases. These are program decisions, rather than options every veteran can select independently. VA: Claim Exams
Telehealth can remove a journey when it is appropriate. But offering video alone is not a complete rural access strategy. A veteran may lack a reliable connection, a suitable device, or a private place to speak. An examination may also require an in-person component. The strongest argument against a telehealth-first approach is that convenience cannot determine what constitutes an adequate evaluation.
We agree. The better standard is to choose a format that satisfies the examination requirements and works for the person attending.
Make the logistics part of the service.
For organizations arranging rural examinations, we recommend four practical commitments:
Explain the purpose. Make clear what the appointment is for and what the veteran should expect.
Identify barriers before confirming the plan. Ask about travel, mobility, communication needs, and technology.
Make preparation concrete. Provide clear directions or connection instructions and a reachable contact for problems.
Plan for disruption. Establish how a veteran should report transportation trouble or a failed connection.
These are recommendations for service design. Their value should be assessed through actual experience: completed appointments, avoidable repeat visits, and feedback about whether instructions were clear.
Veterans with scheduled exams can request transportation help or other accommodations when confirming their appointment. VA’s guidance directs them to the contact on their exam letter. VA: Scheduling and Accommodations
Protect the purpose of the exam.
A C&P exam gathers information for a benefits determination. It is separate from a treatment appointment, and the examiner does not decide the claim. Making access easier should preserve that distinction and the quality of the evidence collected. VA: What Happens at a Claim Exam
Empower provides behavioral health and general medical C&P evaluations, with delivery subject to examination and program requirements. Explore Empower’s VA Evaluation Coverage
Our responsibility is to make the experience as clear, respectful, and accessible as the work allows. A rural address should prompt thoughtful coordination. The veteran’s time, circumstances, and service deserve it.
