Veterans
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
The MISSION Act authorizes VA to submit statutory waivers to Congress for the purpose of testing innovative service delivery models to improve the quality of care for America’s veterans.
Under existing statute, VA has limited authority to provide dental services for veterans. With this waiver request, VA is submitting a proposal to increase access to dental services for enrolled veterans ineligible for dental services through VA by connecting them with community-based, pro bono or discounted dental service providers.
“The MISSION Act gave veterans real choice over their healthcare decisions,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert L. Wilkie. “Through this pilot proposal, we want to ensure veterans have access to quality dental care through a network of providers who are proud to serve America’s heroes.”
Poor oral health can have a significant negative effect on overall health. Clinical research has found possible connections between gum problems and heart disease, bacterial pneumonia, and stroke.
Upon approval of this pilot, VA will work with groups such as the American Dental Association and Federally Qualified Health Centers across the U.S. to offer pro bono and discounted dental services to Veterans.
“This waiver submission opens the door to years of groundbreaking innovation under the MISSION Act to improve care for our veterans, who are top of mind for this President and this Administration every single day,” said Director Joe Grogan of the White House Domestic Policy Council.
Section 152 of the MISSION Act led VA to establish a Center for Care and Payment Innovation to test payment and service delivery models, with the goal of reducing expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care for veterans.
In implementing this section, the secretary was granted authority to waive statutory requirements that may impede innovative approaches upon notification of and approval from Congress.
The dental care proposal, titled the Care Coordination for Dental Benefits demonstration project under the Community Provider Collaborations for Veterans Pilot Program, is the first waiver request and pilot program submitted to Congress under this authority.
The VA Innovation Center, led by Michael Akinyele, is implementing Section 152 of the VA MISSION Act under the Office of Enterprise Integration.
VA published a proposed rule (RIN 2900-AQ56) establishing the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment on July 29 (84 FR 36507).
VA published a final rule implementing its authority on October 25, 2019; this rule became effective on Nov. 25.
“This pilot program enables us to explore leading practices across the U.S. health care system to meet veterans needs today and into the future,” said Dr. Melissa S. Glynn, Assistant Secretary for Enterprise Integration.
VA will publish details of the Community Provider Collaborations for veterans pilot program for public comment in the Federal Register.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
The 17 percent increase over the prior fiscal year contributed to VA’s delivery of more than 2.6 million episodes of telehealth care in FY 2019.
“VA is committed to offering veterans the health care they deserve, whenever and wherever they need it,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “We want every veteran to have a choice to schedule an in-person, telephone or video visit with their providers depending on their preferences for health care delivery.”
This comes as VA improves its efforts to inform veterans about telehealth service options, and with the completion of the first full fiscal year of VA’s Anywhere to Anywhere initiative.
The telehealth program allows VA health care teams to treat veterans regardless of their location, including across state lines.
By the end of FY 2020, all primary care and mental health providers will be able to deliver care to patients, both in-person and via a mobile or web-based device.
Use of the VA Video Connect app, which connects veterans to their care teams through a secure video session, increased by 235 percent in FY 2019.
More than 99,000 veterans used the app at home, eliminating a trip to the nearest VA facility. More than 200,000 or approximately two-thirds of the 294,000 VA Video Connect appointments in FY 2019 were for tele-mental health visits.
Also this October, VA launched Accessing Telehealth through Local Areas Stations or ATLAS, in Eureka, Montana to provide timely care for veterans who live long distances from VA medical centers or have poor internet connectivity at home.
Additional locations are scheduled to open as pilot sites in select American Legion posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars posts and Walmart stores.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
he technology, now in use at 15 VA medical centers, uses thermographic monitoring of a patient’s feet to identify early onset of diabetic foot ulcers, or DFUs, which can lead to limb loss if not detected early.
Known as thermal imaging, the non-invasive test involves no radiation and uses a special camera to measure skin temperature. This allows clinicians to develop plans for preventing added deterioration of a patient’s health.
“VA’s early adoption of cutting edge, innovative solutions to combat a disease that impacts so many veterans is another example of how VA is aiming to be a leader in health care innovation,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “VA is uniquely positioned in its ability to test and quickly scale new solutions throughout its health care system, which can drastically change veteran lives.”
VA’s use of the Podimetrics Mat builds on a 2017 VA-led study at the Phoenix VA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare Systems.
The study showed the in-home foot-temperature monitoring device was able to detect 97 percent of DFUs as early as five weeks before the onset of symptoms, with 86 percent of participants using the mat an average of three days per week.
With more medical centers offering use of the mat, VA has continued to observe similar outcomes. One VA facility found 84% of veterans are using the mat almost daily, allowing preventative clinical interventions to take place.
The mat will be available to all Veterans across the country through their local Prevention of Amputations for Veterans Everywhere clinic providers.
In addition, VA’s Veterans Health Administration Innovation Ecosystem is implementing a pilot program of the mats at VA facilities in the southeast, where some of the highest DFU rates exist.
Through the effort, VA will be able to further evaluate best practices and optimize care models, ultimately improving the effectiveness of the technology in the VA health care system. Last year, VA treated more than 75,000 DFU cases across the country.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Garamendi voted “aye” on every bill.
“As the representative of over 60,000 veterans in Congress, I will always work to provide the care and support America's veterans have earned through their selfless dedication and service to our nation. These nine bills take a comprehensive approach to helping veterans by addressing issues with the VA, protecting and expanding the GI Bill, providing stronger health care services for veterans, serving military families, and more. I’m pleased that the House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass these bills, and I urge the Senate to adopt this legislation and provide much-needed support for America’s heroes,” Garamendi said.
An overview of each bill is included below:
H.R. 4360, the VA Overpayment Accountability Act: Addresses longstanding payment errors at the VA that have burdened veterans and their families.
H.R. 3224, the Deborah Sampson Act: Fights for equal treatment by providing female veterans proper access to VA medical care.
H.R. 4162, the GI Bill Planning Act: Expands the opportunities promised by the GI Bill by extending the period servicemembers can elect to use their GI benefits.
H.R. 4625, the Protect the GI Bill Act: Protects veterans from predatory education institutions that aim to profit from their GI Bill benefits.
H.R. 4477, the Reducing High Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act: Improves the quality of care within the Veterans Health Administration to guard against fraud that harms veterans seeking care.
H.R. 4771, the VA Tele-Hearing Modernization Act: Establishes teleconferencing services to make it easier for veterans with pending appeals to appear before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
H.R. 4356, the Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act: Ensures grieving families of fallen servicemembers are not trapped in contracts with their phone, cable or internet providers.
H.R. 3996, VA Design-Build Construction Enhancement Act: Tackles the multibillion-dollar backlog of construction projects at the VA.
H.R. 1424, the Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross Memorial Act: Prevents the VA from denying veterans the honor they have earned by allowing fallen heroes to be buried with the Battlefield Cross in VA cemeteries.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
Established by Congress in November 1994, the center monitors VA’s administration of benefits and services to women veterans to ensure they receive equal access to VA programs.
“The center serves an important role in how VA addresses the evolving needs of women veterans – from identifying ways that VA can enhance its benefits and services – to creating initiatives that demonstrate the stellar contributions of women veterans,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “The center has also shown great commitment honoring the legacy of the women who serve.”
The commemorative opening remarks came from the secretary, there was acknowledgement of the center’s accomplishments and recognition of special guests including: Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Irene Trowell-Harris, the center’s longest serving former director; retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5, Phyllis Wilson, current president of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation; author and women veterans rights advocate, Erin Miller; and Elizabeth Estabrooks, Oregon Women Veterans coordinator and pioneer of the “I Am Not Invisible” campaign.
Center accomplishments:
– Operationalizing and managing VA’s Women Veterans Program, comprised of representatives from VA’s administrations and staff offices, to enhance the delivery of VA benefits and services.
– Establishing public and nonprofit partnerships, to improve understanding of VA’s benefits, services and processes.
– Creating national initiatives to promote cultural transformation in VA and the public, and to encourage women Veterans to self-identify as veterans.
– Providing support to VA’s Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, which was created to advise the VA’s secretary on the needs of women veterans.
– Visit the Center for Women Veterans’ initiatives and the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans for more information.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
With the exception of the Santa Rosa VA CBOC, the San Francisco VA Medical Center and its other CBOCs are open and operating under normal conditions.
Veterans in need of emergency prescription refills can call 800-847-3203.
Veterans with oxygen needs should contact the vendor listed on their supplies.
For veterans with Apria oxygen devices, please call 1-866-509-7732.
Patients with urgent symptoms can call the San Francisco VA telephone advice nurse line at 800-733-0502.
For medical or psychiatric emergencies, please dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The Santa Rosa VA CBOC will remain closed until the evacuation orders are lifted.
The Ukiah and Clearlake VA CBOCs will close on Wednesday, Oct. 30, because of the unsafe Air Quality Indexes near the clinics.
The San Francisco VA Medical Center, Downtown San Francisco, Eureka and San Bruno VA CBOCs remain open and are operating under normal conditions.
Please continue to be safe, and stay tuned to local media for immediate updates.
Veterans impacted by the PG&E scheduled outages who need emergency prescription refills should call 800-847-3203.
Veterans with oxygen needs should contact the vendor listed on their supplies. For veterans with Apria oxygen devices, please call 1-866-509-7732.
Patients with urgent symptoms can call the San Francisco VA telephone advice nurse line at 800-733-0502.
For medical or psychiatric emergencies, please dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The Santa Rosa VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic and portions of Santa Rosa are under evacuation orders due to the Kincade fire.
The Santa Rosa VA Clinic will remain closed on Monday, Oct. 28, and will not reopen until evacuation orders are lifted.
Clinic employees are contacting/rescheduling patients with scheduled appointments on Monday, Oct. 28.
Due to PG&E's public safety power shutoffs, the Clearlake, Eureka, San Bruno and Ukiah VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics are contacting/rescheduling patients with scheduled appointments on Monday, Oct. 28.
The Clearlake, Eureka, San Bruno and Ukiah VA clinics will remain open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 for walk-in visits, with limited functionality due to the power outage.
The San Francisco VA Medical Center and Downtown San Francisco VA clinic will remain open and operate under normal conditions on Monday, Oct. 28.
Veterans impacted by the PG&E scheduled outages who need emergency prescription refills should call 800-733-3202.
Veterans with oxygen needs should contact the vendor listed on their supplies. For Veterans with Apria oxygen devices, please call 1-866-509-7732.
Patients with urgent symptoms can call the San Francisco VA telephone advice nurse line at 800-733-0502.
For medical or psychiatric emergencies, please dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“Honor” underscores Humana’s commitment to veterans and is designed to complement health care provided through Veterans Affairs.
Humana Honor also boosts Humana’s Medicare Advantage slate of plans that are available to all Medicare-eligible individuals, which offer affordable health benefits and wellness programs with added convenience and a holistic focus on health and well-being for veterans and their families.
Humana Honor Plans are available to anyone eligible for Medicare, but are designed in a way that may complement the benefits a veteran receives through VA Healthcare.
Highlights of Humana Honor Medicare Advantage plans for 2020:
– All plans are $0 premium, and all but one offer a Part B giveback (premium reduction).
– Enrolling in Humana Honor may augment VA coverage and help close any gaps in health care coverage.
– Humana Honor may provide Medicare-eligible veterans with additional health care services and location options.
– Humana Honor will give veterans access to robust dental coverage.
– Humana Honor plans offer a broad network, including Urgent Care access.
Humana’s coordinated effort in creating Medicare Advantage plans that enhance options for veterans is an important milestone in helping veterans overcome barriers to achieving their best health.
“The launch of Humana Honor is a natural next step in our commitment to veterans and their families,” said Alan Wheatley, president, Retail Segment at Humana. “Considering care options from multiple sources can be confusing, and we understand that veteran health goes beyond physical symptoms – it’s a state of general well-being that encompasses a healthy body and mind – and our 2020 Humana Honor plans reinforce our ongoing commitment to support the total care our veterans need, not just in the doctor’s office.”
Humana Honor consists of 17 plans, available in 28 states including; Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.
Humana has served Medicare beneficiaries for more than three decades, with 8.4 million Medicare members in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, as of June 30, 2019.
Slightly over 4 million of those members are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, which often provides them with extra coverage, such as prescription drug coverage and dental, hearing and vision benefits.
For more information about Humana’s 2020 Medicare offerings, visit www.Humana.com/Medicare or call toll-free 1-800-457-4708 (TTY: 711).
Licensed sales agents are available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, seven days a week.
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