News Releases
VA Hires More Mental Health Professionals to Expand Access for Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that it has made significant progress in providing increased access to mental health care services for our Nation’s Veterans by hiring new mental health professionals. Last year, Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced a goal to hire 1,600 new mental health clinical providers and 300 administrative support staff. The President’s Aug. 31, 2012, Executive Order requires the positions to be filled by June 30, 2013. As of Jan. 29, VA has hired 1,058 mental health clinical providers and 223 administrative support staff in support of this specific goal. (2/11/13)
VA Promotes National Wear Red Day to Raise Awareness of Heart Disease in Women Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs joins the nation in celebrating National Wear Red Day today to educate women Veterans about the risks of heart disease—the leading cause of death in American women and women Veterans. VA employees are encouraged to wear red to symbolize their awareness. (2/1/13)
VA Issues New Report on Suicide Data - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today released a comprehensive report on Veterans who die by suicide. In the past, data on Veterans who died by suicide was only available for those who had sought VA health care services. Today’s report also includes state data for Veterans who had not received health care services from VA, which will help VA strengthen its aggressive suicide prevention activities. The report indicates that the percentage of Veterans who die by suicide has decreased slightly since 1999, while the estimated total number of Veterans who have died by suicide has increased. (2/1/13)
New Members Appointed to VA Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced the appointment of six new members to the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. (1/31/13)
Disability Claims Initiative Reduces Processing Time, Adds Convenience - The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a new initiative that could eliminate the requirement for an in-person medical examination for some Veterans and shorten the time it takes to process Veterans’ disability compensation claims. (1/31/13)
Statement by Secretary Shinseki on the Passing of Former Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki released a statement on the passing of Former Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield. (1/30/13)
VA Introduces New and Enhanced Features for VA Blue Button - On Jan. 20, VA released an enhanced VA Blue Button, adding several new categories of information from the VA Electronic Health Record. Blue Button is the personal health record inside the My HealtheVet self-service platform and through My HealtheVet, VA Blue Button enables Veterans to download an electronic file that contains their personal health information. (1/29/13)
VA/DoD Continue to Improve Online Access to Benefits Information - The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense (DoD) just released improvements to the functionality of eBenefits, a joint self-service web portal that provides registered users with secure online information and access to a variety of military and Veterans benefits resources. (1/28/13)
VA Awards Grants to Improve Health Care Access for Women Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs recently awarded 32 grants to VA facilities for projects that will improve emergency health care services for women Veterans, expand women’s health education programs for VA staff, and offer telehealth programs to female Veterans in rural areas. (1/25/13)
National Deployment of Paperless Claims Processing System Underway - The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today the nationwide transition to paperless processing of Veterans’ disability claims at its regional benefits processing offices is underway. VA is aggressively building a strong foundation for its new electronic claims processing system, called Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) – a lasting solution that will transform how VA eliminates the backlog in 2015. (1/14/13)
VA Announces New Online Resources for Funeral Directors - The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today the availability of the new online funeral directors resource kit. Funeral directors nationwide may use the kit when helping Veterans and their families make burial arrangements in VA national cemeteries. (1/14/13)
VA and Ancestry.com Partner to Index Historic Burial Records - The Department of Veterans Affairs has partnered with the internet-based genealogy research firm Ancestry.com to bring burial records from historic national cemetery ledgers into the digital age. The effort will make the collection—predominantly of Civil War interments—accessible to researchers and Ancestry.com subscribers undertaking historical and genealogical research. (1/10/13)
VA Launches Challenge.gov Contest for Scheduling Appointments - The Department of Veterans Affairs is challenging software developers to create new systems that schedule appointments in VA’s nationwide health system. (1/9/13)
Statement from Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki on the Nomination of Sen. Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki released the following statement in support of the nomination of Sen. Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of Defense (1/7/13)
VA, SSA and IRS Cut Red Tape for Veterans and Survivors - The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it is cutting red tape for Veterans by eliminating the need for them to complete an annual Eligibility Verification Report (EVR). VA will implement a new process for confirming eligibility for benefits, and staff that had been responsible for processing the old form will instead focus on eliminating the compensation claims backlog. (12/20/12)
