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

By the way, all these problems came about as I was attempting to prevent anything that would--& did--leave me penniless (just as pandemic was declared, no less). Husband died Fri., 9 Aug 2019; knowing Aid & Attendance would cease upon his death, I attempted to report it Mon., 12 Aug., but police incident report ticket submitted by grieving widow in lieu of death certificate was insufficient, tho it was documented that his records could be accessed on my behalf. At any rate, I began applying for V.A. financial assistance (personal pension due to diminished income, spousal pension due to disability, etc.) several months before Dept of Defense took it upon themselves to "collect" funds owed to V.A.

Unfortunately we are unable to answer questions about individual claims in this forum. You can contact our call center at [login to see] for details specific to your claim. Unfortunately the law does require that Social security benefits be counted as income when computing entitlement to pension. With the increased income from Social Security, it is likely that the amount you receive for pension would be reduced.

There are many reasons for a repeat test, especially if the first test had both central and obstructive components or if your settings have had to change significantly over time. Weight changes can often alert the need for a repeat test as well.

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Cases at the Board are worked in docket order (the order received). The amount of appeals received by the Board has continued to grow. One of the first things I did as Secretary was authorize the Board to increase the number of Veteran Law Judges and support staff to make more decisions. The Board Is currently authorized to have 138 VLJs up from ____ (Katy). This decision was made as the number of appeals continue to grow despite the record numbers of production coming out of the Board. The Board has increased decision output of 52,661 in 2017 to nearly 100,000 in FY 21 while maintaning accuracy rates, and we are committed to providing more appeals decisions in FY22 with a goal of over 111, 000 while holding 50,000 hearings.

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.

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 has established a five-year strategic vision for connected care which will enhance Veteran digital engagement, deliver health care without walls, sustain and increase capacity in rural and highly rural locations, and solidify VA's connected care foundations. The strategy includes initiatives that will enhance the accessibility of VA health care in rural areas by delivering enhanced video telehealth care in the home using VA Video Connect and VA provided examination peripherals (e.g., digital stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, thermometers, etc.). The strategy also includes continued focus on expanding the capacity of VA services in rural and underserved areas by distributing clinical resources using telehealth through clinical resource hubs and other virtual health care delivery initiatives. Services that will be distributed include inpatient services such as tele-critical care, high volume outpatient services such primary care and mental health, and low volume, highly specialized services such as stroke neurology.  Additionally, the strategy supports expanding remote patient monitoring capabilities, allowing rural and highly rural Veterans to attentively monitor and manage chronic health conditions, in partnership with VA, from their homes.

As part of its vision to deliver trusted VA care, anytime and anywhere, VA will continue efforts to bridge the digital divide for Veterans who lack the technology or broadband internet connectivity required to participate in VA telehealth services irrespective of their location in the country. Central to this effort, VA has implemented a national digital divide consult process in the electronic medical record. Through this process, qualifying Veterans can obtain an internet connected device from VA or assistance in applying for Federal Communications Commission administered internet subsidies. The FCC subsidies are available through the LifeLine and Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) programs. The Lifeline and EBB programs can combine to provide many qualifying Veterans $59.25 per month for their internet services. Veterans on tribal lands can receive $109.25 through these programs. VA completed over 66,000 digital divide consultations in FY21 and has distributed thousands of internet connected tablets since the start of the pandemic. Additionally, VA has worked with major wireless carriers such as Verizon, T-Mobile, SafeLink by Tracfone and AT&T to support Veterans' access to VA telehealth services through Zero Rating the telehealth platform VA uses to deliver telehealth to the home. Zero rating this platform allows Veterans, their families, and caregivers to use VA Video Connect with fewer worries about data fees.

VA will also continue enhancing existing telehealth infrastructure at community-based clinics serving rural and highly rural parts of the country. Clinical video telehealth visits, with full remote examination capabilities, allow Veterans to receive specialty care services at their closest clinic, even if the specialist is elsewhere in the VA system. This supports care in rural areas, even where affordable broadband isn't readily available in the community.

VA is also evaluating the opportunity to leverage community-based telehealth access points through its ATLAS (Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations) pilot program. ATLAS is a pilot designed to bridge the digital divide and reach rural and underserved Veterans in areas with limited access to broadband and health care. Through this initiative, VA is teaming up with Philips, Walmart, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and The American Legion to provide convenient locations within Veterans' communities equipped with the broadband and telehealth technology necessary to access VA healthcare. Walmart has provided space within their health services room as well as equipment, while Philips designed unique and private spaces equipped with state-of-the-art telehealth equipment within VSOs. VA currently has 12 ATLAS locations nationally that are open and available for scheduling.