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VERIFY: Veterans will not be withheld from VA health care benefits if unvaccinated

A viral claim originated from an article on a website that describes its stories as “parodies, satire, fiction, fake, and not real."

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — President Biden is mandating vaccines for federal workers and strongly encouraging businesses to do the same but what about our nation's veterans who rely on federal benefits?

You may have seen claims on social media saying President Biden ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to withhold health care benefits for unvaccinated veterans starting November 1. So, is this true?

Our sources for this are the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System, and the text from President Biden’s Executive order on September 9.

In July the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that all healthcare personnel who work in veterans’ health administration facilities must get vaccinated.

But that does not extend to non-employees who use the department's services. That means if you work for the VA you must be vaccinated.

But if you're simply a veteran going to the VA the rules don't apply to you.

On September 9 President Biden issued an executive order introducing new federal vaccine requirements but the order does not mention veterans or their government health care benefits.

The VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System confirmed that, adding a statement from the veterans’ affairs press secretary.

"The president has not and will not withhold benefits to veterans who choose not to be vaccinated. The spread of this misinformation is extremely detrimental to our veterans and their families and should cease immediately."

So we can confirm the claim that President Biden ordered the veterans affairs to withhold health care benefits for unvaccinated veterans is false.

If what you see on social media does not come from a source you know investigate.

The viral claim originated from an article on a website that describes its stories as "parodies, satire, fiction, fake, not real" and says everything it posts is made up.

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