Every year, the VA publishes a comprehensive report that is required by Congress. These reports are easy to find online. This article provides some highlights from the 2023 report that I found interesting. We know that the VA is the largest healthcare provider in the country. There are 1,321 facilities with 172 medical centers (hospitals) including our Togus. The VA nationally is the largest provider of graduate medical education. Togus VA Medical Center is a general medicine and teaching hospital, affiliated with 25 universities, that provides a full range of health services for veterans, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research. Togus offers specialized training programs in advanced general dentistry (only for veterans rated 100%), clinical psychology, and neuropsychology. Of the VA’s budget, $1.5B went to their homeless programs, and $700M to mental health and suicide prevention. Nationally, there were 46,552 homeless veterans with 35,148 homeless veterans were permanently housed. Addressing veteran suicide, 34,000 veterans in crisis received help. Unfortunately, the number of veteran suicides a day hasn’t changed much. 

On the benefits side of the VA (VBA), in 2023 the VBA paid $142.9B in compensation to 6.2M veterans with service-connected disabilities and their surviving spouses, $3.5B in pensions to 263K veterans (needs based benefit to wartime veterans 65 and over), and $10.8B in educational benefits to 862,750 veterans.  Other programs such as veterans’ readiness and employment, outreach, transition, economic development and insurance made up the rest of the VA’s 2023 $167B budget. How did we do in Maine in 2023? 31,777 veterans received $764M in compensation, 843 veterans received $10.4M in pensions, 2,784 veterans received educational benefits.   

And yet, we still have a large number of veterans in Maine not taking advantage of what the VA has to offer. The VA healthcare is not just for veterans with no other health insurance. Any veteran who has a current medical condition that is the result of something that happened while in the service, is eligible. It doesn’t have to be a combat injury or even have happened in the line of duty. Out playing baseball, slide into second base and mess up your knee? It gets fixed and you are OK but now when you are over 60, that knee starts to hurt again. That is a service-connected injury and you are eligible for VA healthcare, and get financially compensated as well. Retired military have most of their healthcare covered, but they can use the VA if they have a service-connected medical issue as well. Don’t want to use the VA for your medical care because you like our private doctor? You have both, pick where you go for each situation. Remember, the VA is free or with minimal co-pays typically only with prescriptions. Most health insurance have much higher (co-pays) and you pay for it. For more information or need help navigating the “system,” contact Ed Harmon or Dave Patch. You can reach both by calling the Post 633-4487.