Empower pushes for better veteran care access in rural Arizona

Empower Chief Growth Officer Anthony Conti met with Rep. Abe Hamadeh in Phoenix on Oct. 21 to discuss expanding VA exams and medical services for veterans, especially those in rural areas. The conversation builds on earlier meetings in Washington as Empower looks to bring care closer to home through more in-person and telemedicine options.

Why it matters: - Veterans in rural communities often face long drives for exams and basic medical appointments. - Empower is pressing for a care model that combines in-person clinicians and telemedicine to reduce those barriers. - The discussion adds to ongoing Washington outreach around VA disability exams and connected medical care.

What happened: - Empower Chief Growth Officer Anthony Conti met with Rep. Abe Hamadeh in Phoenix on Wednesday, Oct. 21, over dinner. - Hamadeh represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District and serves on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. - The discussion focused on expanding access to care for veterans, with an emphasis on rural communities. - The dinner followed an earlier meeting in Washington, D.C., in September between Empower founder and CEO Yisroel Loeb, PhD, Hamadeh and Veterans’ Affairs Committee staff.

The details: - Empower is advocating in Washington for expanded VA Compensation & Pension examinations. - Empower is also pushing for broader general medicine services alongside behavioral health care. - The company wants disability examinations to be more timely and high-quality, so veterans wait less and travel less. - Empower says connected general medicine and behavioral health services can keep care from being split across separate systems. - The company is pairing in-person clinicians with telemedicine where clinically appropriate to reach veterans far from major medical centers. - Loeb also recently met in Washington with several Veterans Service Organizations to advance the discussion on expanded VA C&P and general medicine services. - Conti said Empower provides in-person care in 43 states and telemedicine in all 50. - The company’s Phoenix-based network is clinician-led and includes licensed psychologists and medical providers under named clinical leadership.

Between the lines: - The meetings suggest Empower is building congressional and advocacy support for a broader role in veteran exams and medical care. - Rural access is the core policy argument, but the larger pitch is about reducing fragmentation in veterans’ care. - Empower is positioning behavioral health and general medicine as connected services rather than separate lanes. - The outreach also signals an effort to influence how veterans’ care is delivered nationally, not just in Arizona.

What's next: - Empower said it will keep working with Hamadeh’s office on ways to better serve veterans in Arizona and across the country. - The company plans to continue making its case in Washington for more convenient, closer-to-home care. - Empower will keep engaging Veterans Service Organizations and other stakeholders on VA C&P and general medicine services. - The company’s broader footprint in 43 states for in-person care and all 50 states for telemedicine gives it room to expand that effort.

The bottom line: - Empower is using Capitol Hill outreach to argue that veterans should not have to choose between distance and care quality.