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

I completely agree with SPC Haskin. There are numerous scientific papers and recommendations to include hypertension but the VA will not include it. The last thing I heard was that it would be too expensive because so many vets suffer from it. When we agreed to serve we were not told our benefits would depend on the budget. It is time to serve those that served the nation.

Hypertension reached the level of "sufficient evidence of and association" based on a study of a specific cohort, the Army Chemical Corps, done by VA's Post Deployment Health Services (now Health Outcomes Military Exposures). However, hypertension is also a disease with many causes that increases with age, independent of environmental exposures. Because this is a common condition of ageing and conflicting evidence, hypertension is not currently a presumption for Agent Orange exposure. VA is currently awaiting two other studies that may shed light on possible associations between Agent Orange and hypertension. VA considers all relevant information about a condition before a recommendation is made. There is no plan to add Monoclonal Gammopathy of Unknown Significance (MGUS) as a presumption since this is a laboratory finding of unknown significance, as the name of this finding implies. Multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, may be a consequence of MGUS in a small percentage of cases, and is already a presumption for Agent Orange.

VBA hires a diverse workforce of individuals with different training and perspectives to process claims. VBA provides initial, in-depth training, as well as annual training to ensure all claims processors are trained and capable of identifying and making determinations on claims. VBA relies on medical professionals through examinations and medical opinions to provide the medical information necessary to apply evaluations of disabilities to the rating schedule, and in turn, individuals completing claims do not need to be formally medically trained.

Claims take differing amounts of time depending on the issues claimed. We are working to ensure a timely and accurate decision for all claims received. Additionally, we are hiring an additional 2000 claims processors to work through the backlog of claims. As of November 3, 2021, the average days to complete (ADC) a rating claim is 117.1 and the average days pending (ADP) for a rating claim is 143.9 days.

I have noticed this issue at my VA hospital as well. It seems to be specific to narcotic medications. They would rather treat my chronic pain with ibuprofen than any medication I know works, and that I have been issued previously be civilian doctors, that the VA has the records to confirm.

Amn Kevin Engle I was taken off of a narcotic that the VA had me on for years because they didn't want me to get "addicted". It was such BS, and even though it worked well I can't get it prescribed again...

Good care is not possible without open and clear communication between the patient and provider. The pandemic has been stressful for everyone. This can cause communication breakdowns that get in the way of patients getting the care they need and deserve. A good way to address this is for the patient to explain to their healthcare provider what worries or concerns them most, and share concerns if the answer is unclear. The provider's main job is to care for the patient, and this can't happen without open lines of communication.   

Dr. Mary Horn or Dr. Janette Varanelli can advise on VHA policy on anti-scratch lenses. The requirements for the eyeglass contract PSAS is currently developing requirements for will require that Plastic lenses have scratch resistant coating.

Without knowing the specifics about your medical conditions, it isn't possible to answer your question. Farziga is a drug called an SGLT2 inhibitor. VA has a different SGLT2 inhibitor on its drug formulary called Jardiance. I encourage you to speak with your VA clinical team again about your medication therapy and whether one of the SGLT2 inhibitors is appropriate for your specific situation

That’s Congress, not the WH. Contact your congressional reps.

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.

They are not reading the claims, I had 6 claims NOD for the past 11 years. Sent to BVA and they were remanded back VBA. The remand had some harsh words and that they did not read the claim or the evidence.

VA is reaching out to invite individuals who filed claims in the past and were denied, to resubmit their claims associated with new presumptive conditions. If VA previously denied a claim for the new presumptive conditions, the Veteran may contact their accredited Veterans Service Organization or call [login to see] for more information. Additionally, on Monday, August 2, 2021, VA released over 246,000 outreach letters to potentially impacted Veterans and survivors of toxic exposure/particulate matter. The letters included information about the new conditions, provided information about the new policy and encouraged them to submit a claim.