30 hearings have been held by the Senate VA Committee on the implementation of the VA Mission Act, current state of the VA, and to consider important nominations.

What changes come with the VA Mission Act? According to the joint VA committee the VA Mission Act’s purpose is to bring more care to more veterans in a more timely manner. The VA Mission Act should allow lab work, x-rays, and routine healthcare to be done locally instead of having to go to the VA center.  This should cut back on waiting on routine appointments and gets rid of the 40-mile rule.  Unfortunately, reports as of this month still reflect the VA stirring away from this plan and have their own designation care plans in the works.  The committee on veteran affairs has reminded VA Secretary Robert Wilkie that the VA Mission Act has been signed into law and is to be implemented by the June deadline.  Wilkie did agree to getting rid of all paper claims by moving to an electronic system and establishing a center for care and payment to develop new approaches to testing payment and service delivery methods.

One of the most anticipated changes that comes with the VA Mission Act is a groundbreaking support program for the caregivers of veterans and veterans that also serve as caregivers.  There are an estimated 5.5 million caregivers in our country and most do not have the support they need.  This program is to be completed by the June deadline as well, but the completed outline has yet to be published.

A major news outlet reported this week that the VA has been moving in the right direction for over a year now, focusing on the great work they have done in suicide prevention among soldiers. The joint Senate and Congressional Veteran Affairs Committee says otherwise. Just this month the joint committee called Secretary of Veteran Affairs Robert Wilkie out on the discrepancy stating that a mere $57,000 of their $6.2 million dollar budget had been used.  Senator John Testor is leading the charge by releasing this statement from the committee,

“As suicide prevention is the VA’s highest clinical priority and the third highest priority in its 2018-2024 Strategic Plan, it is appalling that the VA is not conducting oversight of its own outreach efforts,” the Senators wrote. “We request that you provide a full accounting of the $17.7 million the VA budgeted for its suicide prevention and mental health media outreach for Fiscal Year 2018.  We also request that rather than rely strictly on metrics the VA develops internally, that you consult with experts with proven track records of successful public and mental health outreach campaigns with a particular emphasis on how those individuals measure success.”

Robert Wilkie did not deny the lack of leadership due to key vacancies with in the agency and agreed that most veterans and their families are not aware of the programs that exist.  Wilkie expressed his concerns over the lack of communication to those that are in need of these programs and has vowed to make suicide prevention among veterans and their families a priority going forward.