2021 Veterans Day Q&A with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough

You can go to a Attorney who specializes in VA Claims, He will NOT charge you any money till you win. You should be at 30% for hearing Loss not 10%. They are a PITA trying to get claims throw the attorney will get 20% of what you get from the VA and fill out all the paperwork needed. Trust me, its worth the 20%. And once your claim is though, you can appeal and then if denied go in front of a VA Judge, if you win all the time you will get paid for arrears. My Claim is almost 2 years and I am still waiting to go in front of a judge.

Unfortunately, we are unable to answer questions specific to your individual claim in this forum due to privacy issues. Please contact our national call center for claim specific assistance at [login to see] for the status of your claim and so we may provide individual assistance.

Because congress won't let thc be downgraded from a schedule 1 drug. Of course that is because big pharma would loose a ton of money on their drugs.

As an agency of the U.S. Government, VA is governed by federal laws, not state laws. VA and all VA staff, including contractors, as well as outside providers acting on VA's behalf, may only prescribe medications that have been approved by the FDA for medical use. At present, marijuana and most products containing delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), or other cannabinoids are not approved by the FDA for this purpose. For these reasons, VA providers may not prescribe or recommend medical marijuana, nor complete paperwork/forms required for Veteran patients to participate in state-approved marijuana programs. In addition, VA pharmacies may not fill prescriptions for these drugs, nor will VA pay for such prescriptions from any source. Federal law would have to be changed, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would have to approve medical marijuana before VA providers would be able to prescribe or recommend medical marijuana or complete paperwork/forms for Veteran patients to participate in state-approved marijuana programs.

STOP GIVING THAT SEDITIOUS FUCKER OF A PRESIDENT PROPS. President Obama's administration was the one that actually made Veterans Choice possible.

The last guy didn't have a hand in veterans choice.

It is not going away, it is successful program and the other 2 comments were spot on. That nit-wit tRump had nothing to do with this except resign a bill into law that was already passed

The Veterans Choice Program (VCP) ended on June 6, 2019.  At that time existing VA Community Care programs were combined into a new system of Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP).  VCCP offers a consolidated program with standard eligibility for community care.
Veterans must meet one of the community care eligibility criteria. Once the Veteran is determined to meet eligibility criteria for the necessary care, the Veteran's preference for community provider, and location of services is used to determine where care is rendered.
For more information, the VA provides a Fact Sheet online at Veteran https://www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE/docs/pubfiles/factsheets/VHA-FS_MISSION-Act.pdf

Section 8, foodstamps and daycare assistance isn't just for people who can't and don't work. There are actually military members who use these services.

The VA’s annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is authorized by Congress and is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Based on the increase in the CPI announced on October 13, 2021, VA beneficiaries will receive a 5.9 percent COLA increase. This is the largest increase in benefits payments since 1982 when the COLA was 8.7 percent.

Many of VA's employees are Veterans and all are dedicated to doing the best that we can do for every Veteran. There are multiple quality checks that are completed to ensure claims are completed timely and accurately and training is in place to ensure that all employees are knowledgeable and capable to complete all claims processing.

As the nation's largest healthcare organization, the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) is uniquely positioned to not only provide stellar care and services to Veterans in areas such as mental health, primary care, and geriatrics, but to also provide that same level of quality of care in specialty areas and concurrently accomplish the other missions of VHA. VHA has trained over 65% of all US doctors at a VA facility and provided groundbreaking research into areas that impact Veterans such as suicide prevention, opioids, Gulf War illnesses, and prosthetics, equipping providers with the knowledge and innovative tools to administer care that is tailored to the needs of each Veteran.

Cases at the Board are worked in docket order (in the order in which received). Hearings are often affiliated with a decision. Unfortunately hearings are not necessarily schedued in docket order meaning that once your hearing is complete you may have a substantial wait for a decision. As the Board continues to work it's oldest appeals (Legacy cases) we hope to see the time from hearing to decision reduce and align with expectations. Please remember a case that has elected a hearing at the Board may take longer compared to non hearing appeals and evidence submission appeals.

VA takes access to care very seriously. Mental Health services cover the extensive array of care from self-help apps, to outpatient services, to residential care, to acute inpatient psychiatric stabilization. VA Medical Centers maintain mental health open access scheduling with open availability every day during regular hours of operation. Additionally, all VA Medical Centers offer extended hour availability for evenings and weekends.
Veterans requesting a mental health appointment can contact their local VA Medical Center for scheduling. No referral is necessary.
The public website - https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/ provides typical mental health appointment wait times for all VA locations. Veterans are able to search for local appointments, see the available providers in their area, and schedule appointments for care.
Of 1.2 million Veterans who received VHA mental health services and completed a survey following their appointment, 87% reported they received their appointment on a time and date that worked for them.
Through FY 2021 Q3 Veteran satisfaction data reveal a high level of satisfaction with VA mental health care. The vast majority of responding Veterans reported that they are treated with respect and kindness by VHA mental health staff (95%) and that mental health treatment has been helpful in their life (90%). We share this information broadly and work to continue to improve performance where needed.

Esketamine (Spravato®) is an FDA-approved medication that is available to administer to Veterans based on their clinical assessment and the individual medical needs the Veteran, in accordance with VHA Pharmacy Benefits Management policies and guidance. However, Esketamine is only available through a restricted distribution system, and may only be authorized through providers who understand and comply with the requirements set forth, by Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services and the Spravato Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (https://www.spravatorems.com/).
This medication is covered by Third Party Administrators (TPAs) for the Community Care Network (CCN). Coverage under CCN requires community providers to buy and bill TPAs for Esketamine which can be a large expense to the provider. We are aware of difficulties and concerns providers are facing in this endeavor and working toward a process for improvements, specifically with Esketamine. We have already begun reaching out to CCN community providers and TPAs to collaborate on solutions, and would be interested in getting more information to assist this provider in particular with offering this treatment. Please send additional information, with this question and answer, of the provider's Name, Address, and Phone number so we are able to attempt to offer further support.