The VA looks like it is changing course on a plan that would have threatened the privacy of veterans receiving mental health care via telehealth, according to documents obtained by NPR.
The Department of Veterans Affairs embraced telehealth, especially for mental health care, in recent years. Now, staffers hired to give therapy and other health care remotely are ordered to do it from offices lacking privacy, VA clinicians told NPR.
While the VA never offered gender-affirming surgery, it did offer treatments like hormone therapy. The agency says less than than 0.1% of the 9 million veterans it provides care for identify as trans.
In an internal VA memo seen by NPR, the VA says it's rescinding a directive that contains detailed guidance on the kind of care transgender veterans can receive at VA facilities.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the largest providers of mental health care in the U.S. Its integrated care model means patients are already feeling the cuts and changes that are underway.
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Doug Collins as secretary of veterans affairs, putting the former congressman and Iraq War veteran at the helm of a department that provides crucial care to America’s veterans.
Outside of designated holidays and the occasional “thank you for your service” received after a recognized sign of service, disabled veterans tend to be often overlooked as being considered a protected community. An even larger issue, which remains a concern among some discharged and retired veterans alike, is getting disability benefits for those who reach the qualifications.
The Atlanta Veteran’s Affairs office has a new name honoring a late U.S. senator and veteran from Georgia. The Senator Johnny Isakson Department of Veterans Affairs Atlanta Regional Office in Decatur, Ga., was renamed Monday after a two-year process led by U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
An NPR investigation finds that many people with VA loans who got a COVID forbearance are at risk of losing their homes. The VA has a fix, but it could be too late unless it halts foreclosures.
Veterans rated VA hospitals higher than private facilities for things like patient satisfaction, hospital cleanliness and communication with nurses and doctors.
Experts say treatment that focuses on so-called 'invisible wounds of war,' such as substance use and post-traumatic stress disorders, is improving the quality of life for veterans. That’s likely contributing to the declining rate of suicide among former service members here in Georgia.
