Posted on Nov 11, 2021
2021 Veterans Day Q&A with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough
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Over the past few weeks, the VA worked to answer more than 400 questions below on: Inflation, Burn Pits, Mental Health Services, Disability Claims, Medical Marijuana, Caregivers and Survivors, Community Care, Billing, Post-9/11 GI Bill, LGBTQ+, Electronic Healthcare Record, COVID-19, Dental, and Homeless Veterans.
On Veterans Day, Secretary McDonough directly responded to 9 RallyPoint member questions below. These responses are pinned below in green boxes.
On Veterans Day, Secretary McDonough directly responded to 9 RallyPoint member questions below. These responses are pinned below in green boxes.
Veterans Affairs (VA)
Health
Mental Health
Disability
GI Bill
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 404
Dear Mr. Secretary,
The community care program was designed to expedite Veterans' health care. This is simply not working in Texas. If you cannot get an appointment with the VA within 30 days, you are turned over to community care. Then your wait will take months. I personally waited for a year. Why is this program not being properly monitored?
The community care program was designed to expedite Veterans' health care. This is simply not working in Texas. If you cannot get an appointment with the VA within 30 days, you are turned over to community care. Then your wait will take months. I personally waited for a year. Why is this program not being properly monitored?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA monitors the Veterans wait times from the date the consult is entered to when the appointment is scheduled. VA Medical Centers continue to work towards improvements to decrease the Veteran's wait time for a scheduled appointment in the community. Veterans have a choice of staying in VA or using the community providers when they are eligible.
Get and keep better vetted and qualified mental health care providers-doctors that prescribe psyc meds should be better qualified. Check Palo Alto psyc pharmaceutical specialist. My husband is bipolar and was prescribed Prozac after begging to be put back on ambilify that worked for him I’m the past and denied until to late. The result was devastating to our entire family-lost our home-separated-financially ruined. My husband is over 2,000 miles away when he crashed-me, and children, grandchildren devastated. Don’t know if we will ever get our lives back that we had before. We can’t.
On addition to overly-prolonged waiting periods for Bioard of Apoeals, why aren't "Higher Review" assessments done by a non-affiliated entity?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The higher level review is completed by the same agency that crafted the original decision. However the higher level reviewed must be a more senior employee who has more experience than the original decision maker. Breaking the higher level review away from the original agency that created the decision would not be in the best interest of the Veteran or the VA as another agency will lack the experience in that specific element of law and process.
A1C Robert O Neill
I would like to know why veterans[ with less than 80% disability] do not have dental coverage and yet congressmen do and is there a program being worked on that will correct what i see as an injustice to veterans . Thank you for your consideration.
Where's the accountability?!?! And why is the Marine Corps trying to make an example of a leader who is demanding accountability from this cluster called OEF/OIF?!
My father passed away this year. I thought that he was in the VA system, but he was not fully. I found out that he had stopped seeking service after he was told that he earned too much money on the means test. He had many injuries that would have most likely rated him 100% service-connected (back in the 1960s and '70s) and my mother, now a widow would have been eligible for DIC and other valuable VA benefits. Education for veterans is so important.
Question: VA needs to streamline what a veteran is, stop using pre 9/11, post 9-11, Agent Orange, WWII, etc. If you are a veteran and injured that should be it Period. Can VA streamline this system, we are less than 1% of the US population you said at the MOAA meeting in Arlington on October 15, 2021.
Question: VA needs to streamline what a veteran is, stop using pre 9/11, post 9-11, Agent Orange, WWII, etc. If you are a veteran and injured that should be it Period. Can VA streamline this system, we are less than 1% of the US population you said at the MOAA meeting in Arlington on October 15, 2021.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
One of our highest priorities and core responsibilities is providing Veterans with the benefits they have earned. Secretary McDonough speech 02/09/2021
We are reaching out to Veterans during their transition from active duty via the TAP program. We have regular outreach events and ensure all information about available benefits is available on our website, va.gov to ensure our Veteran population is exposed to and has access to inforamtion about all that VA has to offer.
We are reaching out to Veterans during their transition from active duty via the TAP program. We have regular outreach events and ensure all information about available benefits is available on our website, va.gov to ensure our Veteran population is exposed to and has access to inforamtion about all that VA has to offer.
Mr. Secretary, thank you for taking questions!
My question: I retired in 2005 with 23yrs of service. I had been using the VA as my primary care provider. When I turned 65yrs old in 2019 my Tri-Care turned to Tri-Care for Life and was now my secondary insurance after Medicare. Since one Federal Agency cannot pay another agency, I would have had to switch my status at the VA to "Prior Service" instead of having "Medical Insurance". If I didn't want to, I would have to find a new doctor outside of the VA.
I find this very disheartening. I would of had to find a new doctor, have all my medical records transferred, et. al., when the VA was taking great care of me; Or, have to pay a fee for each clinic I saw if I stayed at the VA.
What can be done to help Veterans with this issue. Getting older, going to be on a fixed income. Can Congress approve Medicare to pay the VA?
My question: I retired in 2005 with 23yrs of service. I had been using the VA as my primary care provider. When I turned 65yrs old in 2019 my Tri-Care turned to Tri-Care for Life and was now my secondary insurance after Medicare. Since one Federal Agency cannot pay another agency, I would have had to switch my status at the VA to "Prior Service" instead of having "Medical Insurance". If I didn't want to, I would have to find a new doctor outside of the VA.
I find this very disheartening. I would of had to find a new doctor, have all my medical records transferred, et. al., when the VA was taking great care of me; Or, have to pay a fee for each clinic I saw if I stayed at the VA.
What can be done to help Veterans with this issue. Getting older, going to be on a fixed income. Can Congress approve Medicare to pay the VA?
Why can't I buy a houseboat or a manufactured home ? That's the only options in my Price range. I'm pre-qualified through Veterans United for $120‐140,000. My monthly SSDI & VAD add up to $1600/mnth. Rent has gone up to over $1k/mnth for a 1 br Efficiency in every part of the Country I've looked.
I can afford a 40', 20 year-old boat and upkeep better than RENT !! WTF ???
I can afford a 40', 20 year-old boat and upkeep better than RENT !! WTF ???
I have sent emails to his email address for resolution of issues I have had with the VA. They send back an email saying they are sending the complaint to the leadership and I can never hear anything else about them. I can’t even request a FOIA due to them not giving me any information back. How do you get treatments when you are 100% disabled and the VA offers no treatments for them? Then when you look into your records they are filled with false statements. The VAOIG will do nothing. How do you file a lawsuit for falsification of government records? Seem nobody will answer any of these questions!
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