The VA Medical Center in Providence will host a town hall meeting on the Vineyard on Sept. 15 to discuss changes and improvements to veterans’ health care on the Island and answer questions.

The town hall discussion will take place at 4 p.m. at the American Legion Post 287 in Vineyard Haven.

U.S. Rep. Bill Keating announced this week that Island veterans who are enrolled for health care through the VA Medical Center in Providence will have better access to health care on the Island under a new law passed by congress in 2014.

According to an announcement sent this week, Island veterans are automatically eligible for the new Veterans Choice program, which gives veterans more options for receiving health care, including using local providers outside of the VA.

“I am encouraged to see the Choice Program working for veterans in my district,” Rep. Keating said in a press release. “The new model allows veterans who live great distances from VA facilities to get medical services more quickly and closer to home, as well as ensuring access to reliable health care. This program will help many on the islands.”

Vineyard veterans struggled with access to health care after a contract between the Veterans Administration and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital expired. A new contract was signed and went into effect in late 2012, but veterans said they were still required to travel for specialty care and some emergency services.

For more information about the program or the meeting, contact Dukes County veterans agent Jo Ann Murphy at 508-693-6887 or Rep. Keating’s New Bedford office at 508-999-6462, or visit www.va.gov/opa/choiceact.