(17 JAN 2019) United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilke was part of a town hall held on the internet today. The web event can be found at https://bit.ly/2DgeFSu The town hall lasted one hour and fifty minutes and featured speakers from different departments from within VA. Speakers included: VA Secretary Robert Wilke, Dr. Richard Stone – Veterans Health Administration, Dr. Paul Lawrence – Veterans Benefits Administration, Randy Reeves – National Cemetery Administration, Cheryl Mason – Board of Veterans Appeals, Dr. Lynda Davis – Veterans Experience Office, Dr. Kameron Matthews – Community Care, and Dr. Keita Franklin – Suicide Prevention. This report will focus on Secretary Wilke’s report to the town hall.
Wilkes started the town hall off by touting two positive reports concerning VA stating for the first time in VA’s history Partnership for Public Services has declared VA one of the best places to work in the federal government. The second report Secretary Wilkes spoke about stated VA care is as good or better than Americans receive in any part of our country. He went on to say to VA is still improving and people are noticing.
Wilkes announced the Appeals Modernization Regulations (AMR) will be published by the Federal Register on 18 JAN 2019 VA. Implementation of the regulations would begin 18 FEB 2019. Speaking further, Wilkes said AMR “gives Veterans more choice and control in the claims and appeals process and will result in quicker decisions.”
VA Secretary Wilke went on to discuss priorities for the upcoming year.
Wilke sited ending Veteran Suicide as his single most important priority stating suicide is a national public health issue that affects communities across America. He pointed to the VA’s Improvements concerning mental health care for veterans through telehealth and same day mental health services. Wilke would go on to say VA wants to educate empower and mobilize as many people as possible to join in veteran suicide prevention efforts as part of a public health approach that looks beyond the Veteran and brings in peers, family members, and communities to prevent suicidal behavior before it occurs. The VA Secretary pointed to the 400 suicide prevention coordinators and their teams that currently connect Veterans with care and educate communities about suicide programs and suicide prevention resources that can be found at every VA medical center to highlight this new approach.
Secretary Wilke spoke next about next about how the Whitehouse VA hotline [(855) 948-2311] was launched in June 2018 as part of the modernization effort. The hotline answers Veteran’s needs and concerns anytime of the day seven days a week. He spoke highly of the hotline’s 82% case resolution rate and the average seven second wait time to speak with an agent.
Wilke gave a brief overview of the Veterans Welcome Kits (https://www.va.gov/welcome-kit) He described them as a way to guide Veterans through: going to school, transition to jobs, buy a house, acquire health care, retire, and aging Veteran care. VA feels these Welcome kits need to be in more veteran hands.
When discussing the VA Mission Act, Wilke described it as the most transformative piece of legislation in the history of VA. The Community Care Program is expected to be operational by June 2019. It is anticipated to Improve service for veterans and payment times for Community Care partners by consolidating VA Community Care programs.
The last item Secretary Wilke discussed was the replacement of an aging electronic health records system. The VA is now connected with DOD, private health care companies, and private pharmacies creating an interoperable holistic record that from the day an American citizen begins service in uniform. Veterans will no longer need to carry paper records of any type in regard to service connected injuries or illness.
