By Tom Philpott For The Times

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has proposed opening military TRICARE networks of civilian health-care providers to veterans who cant get timely mental health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

TRICARE networks currently exist to provide health care to military personnel and retirees, their families and survivors.

Two days after Romneys pledge, President Barack Obama signed an executive order with several new initiatives to improve access to mental health-care services for veterans, service members and their families.

One initiative directs the VA and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish at least 15 pilot programs involving community-based health providers to expand mental health services in areas not well served by the VA.

Another establishes an interagency task force on military and veterans mental health co-chaired by the VA, the Department of Defense and HHS.

Not mentioned is an initiative to allow the VA to refer veterans in need of immediate mental health care to the TRICARE network, but Rep. Jeff Miller, a Florida Republican and chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said the Romney idea has real merit.

The former Massachusetts governor unveiled it in a speech last week to the American Legion conference in Indianapolis.

Miller, during an interview, suggested Romneys notion is a reasonable step on a path Miller wants to travel giving veterans more access to private sector health care, at the VAs expense, rather than forcing them to commute long distances to a VA facility or to endure long delays to get a VA appointment.

Romneys idea, Miller said, would swiftly address the VAs shortage of providers of mental health care to treat post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury and the epidemic of suicides among veterans by immediately doubling the number of available mental health-care providers.

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Military Update: TRICARE networks eyed to improve veterans' access to care