The National Federation of the Blind Seniors Division is not merely a social organization. We work hard to protect the rights of blind seniors. For some time, we have been advocating for accessible prescription labels for blind people who receive pharmacy benefits through the CHAMPVA program. Here is the latest correspondence we have shared with members of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees.

This work is likely to take more time, but we will not give up until we have won in our effort to secure fair treatment for seniors receiving services through CHAMPVA. Here is our correspondence:

Dear Chairmen Moran and Bost, and Ranking Members Blumenthal and Takano:

The National Federation of the Blind is the transformative membership and advocacy organization of blind Americans. We have members in all fifty states and numerous special interest divisions. I am writing to you today as the president of the Seniors Division of the National Federation of the Blind so that I may bring to your attention an urgent and ongoing problem affecting blind beneficiaries who receive healthcare coverage through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA). These individuals—primarily spouses, widows, widowers, and dependents of veterans with permanent and total service-connected disabilities—are being denied equal and meaningful access to prescription medications solely because they are blind.

As you know, CHAMPVA provides healthcare benefits to dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected conditions, who died of a service-connected disability, or who died while on active duty, provided those dependents are not otherwise eligible for TRICARE. As part of these benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs offers the Meds by Mail program, through which prescriptions are filled and mailed to CHAMPVA beneficiaries at no cost. However, blind CHAMPVA beneficiaries who rely on accessible prescription labeling, such as audible prescription labels provided through technologies like ScripTalk, are barred from using the Meds by Mail program. Instead, they are directed to fill prescriptions at local retail pharmacies that can provide accessible labels, a practice that forces them to pay a 25 percent cost share for medications that would otherwise be provided at no cost. This unequal treatment penalizes blind beneficiaries for using the very accessibility tools they need to manage their health safely and independently.

Audible prescription labeling is not a convenience. For blind individuals, it is an essential accessibility feature that enables them to identify medications, understand dosage instructions, and receive critical warning information. Denying access to such technology increases the risk of medication errors. With some medications, errors can result in serious injury or death. No beneficiary should be placed in this position, particularly those who qualify for full prescription coverage under CHAMPVA.

Beginning in 2023, we repeatedly raised this issue with the Department of Veterans Affairs. While we received confirmation from the VA that they understood the concern, including correspondence from the Under Secretary for Health, no solution has been offered to correct the discriminatory effect of the current system. Meanwhile, blind beneficiaries continue to shoulder unnecessary financial and safety burdens.

Blind CHAMPVA beneficiaries deserve the same level of service and access afforded to all others. Blind veterans already receive prescriptions with accessible labeling through VA pharmacies, demonstrating that the technology and expertise exist within the VA system. With leadership and oversight from Congress, we are confident that a comparable solution can be implemented for CHAMPVA beneficiaries as well.

The National Federation of the Blind Seniors Division stands ready to work with you and with the Department of Veterans Affairs to resolve this inequity. We urge you to grant your attention to this matter so that together we can ensure blind beneficiaries are not denied equal access to their healthcare benefits under CHAMPVA.

Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Glenn Crosby 
President, National Federation of the Blind Seniors Division