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In a special town hall event, VA Secretary Denis McDonough addressed questions from Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Health
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Responses: 201
I'm an Army veteran from Desert Storm. I never received my DD214. I provided enough paperwork to the VA to secure a VA home loan and I have the veteran stamp on my Florida DL. But, I have been told on numerous occasions that I do not qualify for any military benefits or even allowed a military ID because I do not have a DD214. I have gone through the National Archives numerous times also with no luck or results. How can I finally get this resolved? Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Mark Allen
Suspended Profile
Recently, while in the middle of a depression with thoughts of suicide, I contacted my local VA hospital in hopes of setting up a meeting with a counselor. The counselor who called me back handled the concern for my safety perfectly. Afterwards, when I asked about the possibility of continuing counseling with her (I had seen her once before) she said she had no open appointments until September 2025.
Obviously there is a staffing shortage. My question is:
How quickly will you commit to staffing all VA hospitals with the number of mental health professionals necessary to treat all veterans in mental crises in a timely manner?
Obviously there is a staffing shortage. My question is:
How quickly will you commit to staffing all VA hospitals with the number of mental health professionals necessary to treat all veterans in mental crises in a timely manner?
Suspended Profile
Recently, while in the middle of a depression with thoughts of suicide, I contacted my local VA hospital in hopes of setting up a meeting with a counselor. The counselor who called me back handled the concern for my safety perfectly. Afterwards, when I asked about the possibility of continuing counseling with her (I had seen her once before) she said she had no open appointments until September 2025.
Obviously there is a staffing shortage. My question is:
How quickly will you commit to staffing all VA hospitals with the number of mental health professionals necessary to treat all veterans in mental crises in a timely manner?
Obviously there is a staffing shortage. My question is:
How quickly will you commit to staffing all VA hospitals with the number of mental health professionals necessary to treat all veterans in mental crises in a timely manner?
First of all, you should know I live in RI, right on the border of CT. It's easier for me to travel (only 30 min) to a CBOC in New London, CT for Primary Care visits. Because of my choice to go there, I am sent to the VA hospitals that CBOC is affiliated with (West Haven and Newington VAMC's in CT). Those VAMC's are 1.5 and 2.0 hours respectively, away from my location. So, there are some VAMC services that I need without being sent by my PCP, so I use the Providence, RI VAMC for that (ie: Psych, Dental, ER visits...). What has happened to me MANY times is on several different occasions, one VAMC needs to know about a visit at another VAMC. A full understanding of my medical history will not be known unless one VAMC goes in an old outdated system called Joint Legacy Viewer (JVL).
Solution: In this day and age, there is simply no reason why a Veterans information (complete record) shouldn't be IMMEDIATELY available without having to jump through hoops or outdated systems...regardless of what VAMC he/she goes to! ALL VAMC's need to become ONE!
Solution: In this day and age, there is simply no reason why a Veterans information (complete record) shouldn't be IMMEDIATELY available without having to jump through hoops or outdated systems...regardless of what VAMC he/she goes to! ALL VAMC's need to become ONE!
Why does the VA turn down my claims for cancer from Agent Orange even thought my doctors and many of the VA doctors say it is from Agent Orange?? One claim has been denied since 2016. Semper Fi
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Anytime you believe that you have a medical condition that was caused by your military service, VA encourages you to file a claim. You can file a claim online via VA.GOV or, in person at any regional office, or with an accredited representative. If you intend to file a claim for a condition that was previously denied, specifically called a supplemental claim, new and relevant evidence is required. You can also submit lay evidence to support your claim. Lay evidence is written testimony by you or someone who knows about your condition or related events. Anyone can provide lay evidence. This person doesn’t need to have any specific training or education. We’ll review lay evidence along with any other evidence you submit.
Who do I contact at the VA about publicizing a service that is provided by a non-profit 501(c)3 charity that helps military men DNA test so they can find a child left in the Philippines and Vietnam while serving there? I have repeatedly contacted the VA but have not received a reply. There are is an estimated 50,000-200,000 children that were conceived by service men while docked deployed, stationed or on R&R in the Philippines and there are fathers who would like to be able to find their child. The Father Founded organization provides free DNA testing with Ancestry, a genetic genealogist, and network in the Philippines to help servicemen find their child. Please contact me if publicizing is allowed. To find out more about Father Founded, visit the http://www.fatherfounded.org website. Articles about our efforts have been published in the Stars and Stripes, BBC and featured on the DNA today podcast. I can be reached at [login to see] or on my cell phone at [login to see] . Thank You! Angela Simmons-Jones, MSgt-USAF Ret.
Suspended Profile
The Question(s) I want answered are this: Why exactly are we veterans and our dependents/family members consistently lied to and mislead about how the VA Hospital System has "gotten SO much better over the years", when clearly it has not (This goes for the Minneapolis, MN VA, Miami FL VA and the Sunrise FL VA Clinic).
Why is it that the VA Hospital System seems to enjoy hiring individuals who are only working at The VA to collect a paycheck and seem to enjoy being rude, nasty, good for nothing, pathetic people who exist only to make our (Veterans) lives difficult?
How and why is it that The Director of the Miami VA Hospital goes to work everyday in her Ivory Tower and is SO clueless as to what is happening at the Miami VA Hospital and the Sunrise, FL VA Clinic and allows for personnel to mistreat Veterans on a daily basis?!
I am a Corporate Recruiter and have an HR Background as well and trust me when I say this here...if I had ever caught wind of and/or experienced first hand how rude personnel are to customers at a client location? I would literally fire them on the spot and have them escorted off the premises (which I have done) and the VA Hospitals need to do the same thing!
Why is it that the VA Hospital System seems to enjoy hiring individuals who are only working at The VA to collect a paycheck and seem to enjoy being rude, nasty, good for nothing, pathetic people who exist only to make our (Veterans) lives difficult?
How and why is it that The Director of the Miami VA Hospital goes to work everyday in her Ivory Tower and is SO clueless as to what is happening at the Miami VA Hospital and the Sunrise, FL VA Clinic and allows for personnel to mistreat Veterans on a daily basis?!
I am a Corporate Recruiter and have an HR Background as well and trust me when I say this here...if I had ever caught wind of and/or experienced first hand how rude personnel are to customers at a client location? I would literally fire them on the spot and have them escorted off the premises (which I have done) and the VA Hospitals need to do the same thing!
My spouse has been being seen at the VA for over 12 years and now that she turn 65 and has tricare for life she cant be seen there unless we pay 80 percent out of pocket? This isnt fair Im 100% service connected. Why wont VA change this?
How close are we in having Major Richard Star Act passed and start receiving benefits?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA does not have any information on this legislation. The status of pending legislation is available to the public on Congress.gov.
On or about 1 September 2024 the Dallas VA clinic took over responsibility for Community Services from their subcontractor Tri-West. The issue is Customer Support must have assumed a tremendous backlog or do not have the resources to cope or both. I have now been waiting 6 weeks without contact from the Case Manager. When I call them, I am told my case is still pending. Can you help this situation? I am sure I am not the only Veteran not being serviced. Thank you
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
In anticipation of TriWest Optional Task ending October 1, 2024, Dallas VA Healthcare System will hire full time employees to support Care in the Community who will focus on supporting a Care in the Community call center and scheduling efforts.
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VA is currently modernizing its EHR across the nation. The Federal EHR will ultimately simplify the experience for Veterans and their health care teams, enhance standardization across VA and improve interoperability between VA, federal partners, and the rest of the U.S. health care system. By storing Veteran health records in a common system, VA will eliminate the current reliance on multiple complex clinical interfaces and manual data entry. The new EHR system will provide clinicians with quick and efficient access to data, improving VA’s delivery of health care to our nation’s Veterans. In April 2023, VA announced that as part of a larger program reset, it was halting future deployments to prioritize improvements at the sites currently using the Federal EHR. When the reset goals have been met, and the reset concludes, VA will release a new deployment schedule and expects to resume pre-deployment activities in Fical Year 2025 with greater confidence in the readiness of both the Federal EHR system and the VA health care system to successfully navigate this important change.
Protecting Veteran health information is a top priority for VA. While our legacy EHR may reduce some efficiencies, the VA is committed to guarding the privacy and security of Veteran information, following strict policies and practices. As VA modernizes to the Federal EHR, this will further enhance our commitment, ensuring we remain compliant with national cybersecurity standards.