By David L. Snelling

Miami – An executive order issued by President Donald Trump that military veterans can be denied access to medical care based on their political party affiliation and marital status was a big misunderstanding, according to secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs Doug Collins.

The decree caused an uproar as Democrats feared they could be denied healthcare at VA hospitals, as the new executive order shifts changes in the medical facilities for millions of veterans nationwide.

Collins, however, said people were misinformed and that VA prohibits discrimination based political affiliation and marital status.

Trump’s executive order is invalid because veterans can’t be denied access to medical care based on race, sex, color, religion and sex, according to a federal law.

“All eligible veterans will always be welcome at the VA and will always receive the benefits and services they’ve earned under the law,” Collins said in a statement.

The news provides a sigh of relief to millions of veterans around the nation who rely on medical treatments also including mental health, rehab, dental and psychology.

The VA wanted to quell the rumors which spread across the U.S., causing anxiety among veterans who visited the hospitals to determine if they are denied access to healthcare.

According to the Guardian, the executive order aligns with the one Trump issued in January titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

The order was designed to roll back federal protections for transgender people but it also brought about changes within the VA.

The VA was created in 1930, which started out with 54 hospitals, 4.7 million veterans and 31,600 employees.

Today, the Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1, 380 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,193 outpatient clinics while serving 9.1 million enrolled veterans each year, according to the Veterans Health Administration.

According to a survey conducted by Vet Voice Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, despite some gripes, veterans still prefer to get their care at VA hospitals instead of private for-profit hospitals.

Eight in 10 veterans believe their health care should be paid in full, not a voucher which may not cover all costs.

They believe that being forced to shop for care on the open market, instead of being treated by VA doctors and nurses—means their health care will suffer, and they will end up footing the bill for claims that are denied or only partially paid.

The poll of over 800 veterans found that large majorities of veterans are getting quality care at their local VA hospital and throughout the system overall.

Most veterans think the VA hospitals in their areas have qualified doctors and nurses, deliver good quality care and care about veterans and their health.

When the rumors spread about Trump’s executive, veterans thought private for profit hospitals might be their only option.

“There is a lot of debate about ‘choice’ in veterans care, but when presented with the details of what ‘choice’ means, veterans reject it,” said Jon Soltz, Chairman of the Vet Voice Foundation. “They overwhelmingly

believe that the private system will not give them the quality of care they, and veterans like them, deserve. Further, they strongly believe that the VA, not the private system, is best equipped to deal with their needs, and the needs of veterans like them.”

Some political experts say the Trump administration is planning to dismantle VA healthcare and privatize the VA, which may explain his executive order that drew some much confusion.

The Trump administration has already fired 2,000 probationary employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs this year and those spared say they feel the impact of the layoffs.

Some say medical supplies have been harder to trackdown and more nurses have to deliver meals to patients.