7th District Veterans Plan

Veterans Healthcare & Services Initiative

Ensuring the men and women who served this country can access the care they earned — right here at home.

4.7M U.S. veterans live in rural areas — 24% of all veterans.
17.5/day veterans die by suicide nationally, with rural rates disproportionately higher.
2.8M veterans accessed community care outside VA in 2023 — the system is already shifting.

Plan Summary

Care Veterans Earned, Closer to Home

Ron McCoy’s Veterans Healthcare & Services Initiative focuses on rural access, VA Community Care, telehealth hubs, County Veterans Service Officer support, veteran mental health, caregiver outreach, housing assistance, and medical transportation.

“Healthcare is personal to me. I served over 20 years in the United States Navy and navigated the VA system firsthand as a disabled veteran living in rural Northeast Washington. I know the distance. I know the wait. I know what it means to have earned care that you cannot easily access. That experience drives this entire plan.” — Ron McCoy

The Problem

Rural Veterans Are Being Left Behind

Veterans in the 7th District face every barrier rural residents face — distance, provider shortages, limited transportation — plus a layer of VA bureaucracy designed around major medical centers, not rural communities like Republic, Newport, Metaline Falls, Okanogan, or Omak.

Distance

The Distance Problem

The nearest VA Medical Center is in Spokane. For veterans in Ferry County, Pend Oreille County, or northern Stevens County, that can mean a 90-minute to 2-hour drive each way before appointment delays or wait times.

Access

The Bureaucratic Barrier

Pre-approval requirements can force veterans through extra steps before accessing local community providers, even when those providers are closer than VA facilities.

Mental Health

The Mental Health Crisis

Rural veterans face isolation, provider shortages, stigma, and worse mental health outcomes. Veteran suicide remains a national crisis, and rural access gaps make prevention harder.

Benefits

The Benefits Navigation Gap

Many 7th District veterans are not receiving disability compensation, healthcare benefits, or caregiver support they are legally entitled to because no one helped them file.

Housing

Veteran Homelessness

Rural veteran homelessness is often undercounted and underserved. Veterans sleeping in cars, on couches, or in unsafe places need local housing resources and support.

Caregivers

Caregiver Isolation

Spouses and family members caring for veterans with service-connected disabilities or PTSD often receive minimal support and may not know existing caregiver programs are available.

The Goal

Every veteran in the 7th District who earned VA healthcare, disability compensation, mental health support, or caregiver assistance should be able to access it without a two-hour drive, a bureaucratic maze, or a feeling that nobody in Olympia is fighting for them.

Ron did not serve 20 years in the Navy to come home and watch his fellow veterans fall through the cracks of a system that was never designed for rural America.

First-Term Actions

Legislative Actions Ron Will Champion

These are specific bills, budget provisos, and advocacy positions Ron will pursue in his first term — each grounded in existing programs and legal frameworks.

Action The Issue Ron’s Direct Action as Senator
VA Community Care Expansion Rural veterans can be blocked from using local providers by pre-approval requirements, even when VA facilities are hours away. Advocate for rural and highly rural veterans to access local providers more easily and push for more 7th District providers to enroll as VA Community Care Network partners.
VA Telehealth Satellite Hubs Veterans in Republic, Newport, Metaline, Okanogan, and Omak have limited local VA telehealth access. Advocate for VA-funded telehealth access points in county courthouses, health clinics, or community centers in at least four district communities.
County VSO Funding Expansion Veterans Service Officers in rural counties are understaffed, and many veterans never file for benefits they earned. Introduce a state budget proviso to increase WDVA funding for County Veterans Service Officers in rural counties, with priority weighting for high-need areas.
Veteran Mental Health Access Rural veterans face provider shortages, stigma, and isolation that compound the suicide crisis. Support suicide prevention grants, veteran peer support specialist training, and Northeast Washington applications for federal veteran mental health funding.
Caregiver Support Program Outreach The VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers is underutilized in rural counties because families often do not know it exists. Push WDVA and the Washington State Office of Rural Health to conduct targeted outreach campaigns in 7th District counties for caregiver support eligibility and application help.
Veterans Housing Assistance Homeless and housing-unstable veterans in rural counties have too few local resources. Connect local nonprofits with SSVF grant opportunities and advocate for Blue Mountain Action Council’s SSVF program to expand into Ferry and Stevens counties.
Veteran Medical Transportation The VA Beneficiary Travel program reimburses eligible veterans for travel to VA appointments, but many veterans do not know it exists. Promote VA Beneficiary Travel through County VSOs and veteran organizations while integrating veteran appointment destinations into Rural Health Access Routes.

Connected Approach

The Veteran Healthcare Ecosystem

Individual bills matter. But what the 7th District needs is a connected veteran healthcare ecosystem where every piece reinforces the others.

Navigation

Rural Health Navigation Line

Veterans-trained navigators would understand VA benefit structures, Community Care Network enrollment, and disability claims processes. A veteran calling for help should not have to explain what a DD-214 is before getting support.

Transportation

Medical Shuttle Connection

VA Beneficiary Travel reimbursement combined with Rural Health Access Routes creates a fuller transportation solution. The shuttle runs the route. VA reimbursement helps cover eligible trips.

Housing

Medical Respite Campus

Veteran-designated units in a Rural Medical Respite Campus can create a clinical safe landing for homeless and housing-unstable veterans who might otherwise cycle through ERs and county jails.

Peer Support

Veterans Helping Veterans

The most effective suicide prevention for rural veterans is peer-to-peer connection. Ron will advocate for funding to train and certify Veteran Peer Support Specialists in the 7th District.

Whole Health, Local Outreach

The VA’s Whole Health model focuses on mental, physical, and emotional health. Washington State already has a no-cost clinical counseling program through WDVA for veterans and their families. Ron will push for dedicated rural outreach from this program into the 7th District.

Funding

Where the Money Comes From

Every funding source below is either federal money veterans have already earned, existing state programs, or grant opportunities available to community organizations right now.

Federal

Federal Veteran Programs

VA Community Care, VA Beneficiary Travel, VA telehealth infrastructure, HUD-VASH vouchers, SSVF, and the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox suicide prevention grant program.

State

Existing State Support

WDVA rural VSO funding, Washington caregiver support programs, and the Washington Office of Rural Health can be directed toward rural veteran access.

Community

Private & Local Partners

Empire Health Foundation, regional nonprofits, healthcare providers, and local veteran organizations can support rural health access, housing, outreach, and peer support proposals.

Measurable Goals

What Success Looks Like

Ron will push for measurable outcomes that show whether veterans in the 7th District are actually receiving better access, stronger support, and local services.

Access

  • 4+ VA telehealth access hubs active in 7th District communities.
  • Local providers enrolled in VA Community Care Network in all four district counties.
  • VA Beneficiary Travel utilization increased through VSO outreach.

Mental Health

  • At least one veteran suicide prevention grant secured for Northeast Washington.
  • Veteran peer support specialist network established in the 7th District.
  • WDVA counseling program conducting active rural outreach in district counties.

Benefits Navigation

  • One fully funded VSO in each district county.
  • PCAFC caregiver program enrollment increased through targeted outreach.

Housing

  • SSVF program expanded to cover Ferry and Stevens counties.
  • At least one veteran-designated unit included in the Rural Medical Respite Campus pilot.

The Bottom Line

Veterans who served this country should not have to drive two hours to see a doctor they earned the right to see. Veterans in crisis should have a local peer who understands what they went through. Veteran families caring for wounded warriors should know what support is available and be able to access it without navigating a bureaucratic maze alone.

Ron McCoy served this country. He knows the system from the inside. And as your state senator, he will fight to make sure every veteran in Northeast Washington gets the care, the benefits, and the respect they have already earned.

Lives Here. Served Here. Fights for You Here.

Contact Ron’s Team

Paid for by the Committee to Elect Ron McCoy.