In a town hall event on Wednesday, May 15 at the Cleveland VA Medical Center, VA Secretary Denis McDonough addressed the top requested concerns from Veterans and their families, caregivers and survivors.

The one-hour-and-a-half town hall was streamed live on YouTube. Check out the recording online.

During the town hall, Secretary McDonough covered a broad range of topics, including:

For more information, visit VA.gov or call 1-800-MyVA411.

A few questions from Veterans and their answers.

Question: In applying for disability compensation, etc., I have been informed that there are not enough American Legion representatives in my area to handle the caseload of claims for Veterans. Not sure where to turn for assistance. I live in Cheektowaga, New York, a suburb of Buffalo.

Answers:

  • The Buffalo American Legion (ALG) office closed on April 1, 2024, due to budgetary constraints.
  • The American Legion has an office in Buffalo City Hall, though it might be inconvenient.
  • The Buffalo RO is stepping in to assist Veterans, and outreach efforts are being made to support those affected.

Question: Can you help with the appeal process and why does it take so long to get an answer? When calling 1-800-827-1000, representatives often do not provide accurate information on my case.

Answer:

  • Appeals are inherently complex, requiring more time for resolution.
  • The transition to the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) system aims to expedite the process.
  • Veterans now have three options for reviewing VA decisions: higher-level review, supplemental claim, or Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
  • The higher-level review process offers a quicker resolution with a de novo review.
  • Customer service quality at the VBA National Contact Center has significantly improved, with a 95.88% accuracy rate in appellate-related inquiries.

Question: Can student loan forgiveness be made available to Veterans?

Answers:

  • Several options exist to assist Veterans with student loan repayments, administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • Income-driven repayment plans like the SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) plan can lower payments to as little as $0.
  • Veterans employed by government or non-profit organizations might qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).
  • Total and Permanent Disability Discharge (TPD) is available for 100% disabled Veterans.
  • Active-duty members can benefit from PSLF and capped interest rates on pre-service student loans.

Question: If a medical condition is now presumptive under the PACT Act, why must a claim still be adjudicated?

Answers:

  • Each claim must be adjudicated to determine the severity of the disability, assigning a rating percentage and effective date.
  • The evaluation criteria in VA’s schedule for rating disabilities (VASRD) require individualized assessment.
  • Proper adjudication ensures the correct compensation based on unique claim circumstances.

Question: Why can’t VA lower the percentage for dental benefits to all honorably discharged Veterans?

Answer:

  • Eligibility for dental benefits varies, with several qualifying conditions, including compensable and non-compensable service-connected disabilities.
  • Specific programs provide limited dental care, such as Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, homelessness programs, and care-related needs.

Question: Why does VA not pay for cremation instead of burial?

Answer:

  • VA’s burial allowance covers all legal methods of disposition, including cremation, burial at sea, and medical school donation.

Question: Why does VA only offer a $40,000 maximum life insurance policy for Veterans with PTSD?

Answers:

  • VALife offers guaranteed acceptance coverage up to $40,000, designed to be self-supporting.
  • Premium offsets require congressional funding.
  • Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) allows for higher coverage conversion up to $500,000 after separation from service.

For more information, visit VA.gov or call 1-800-MyVA411.

Topics in this story

town hallVA Secretary Denis McDonough

Leave a comment

The comments section is for opinions and feedback on this particular article; this is not a customer support channel. If you are looking for assistance, please visit Ask VA or call 1-800-698-2411. Please, never put personally identifiable information (SSAN, address, phone number, etc.) or protected health information into the form — it will be deleted for your protection.

4 Comments

  1. Lloyd Omps May 31, 2024 at 14:10

    excuse me but there were over 300 comments here which addressed the myriad, disenfranchising comments from dissatisfied veterans who are having their reimbursements STOLEN from them thanks to the juggernaut pentagon contract given to Booz, Allen. Now – I only see three comments! What happened to all the hundreds of comments??? They were dumped into the VA vortex of ‘get rid of these complaints’. Typical VA response -Despite hundreds of complaints, NOTHING is done and VA pretends you and your issue does not exist. VA is a putrid , self serving organization that exists to DENY what veterans have earned so they can steal the funding. They deal with their own incompetence by creating 3rd party outfits who are paid millions by VA while we (the Veterans) are repeatedly denied and sent around a merry-go-round of duplicate efforts that seem to evaporate into the ether. And of course – this is NOT a customer support channel (that’s obvious). It’s just a circuitous path to another, meaningless, endless government scam. Do you wonder why Americans don’t trust government?

    [Editor: Are you referring to the comments on the Facebook post? This News post has not seen anywhere near that kind of engagement. VA News and VA social media channels are not places for customer support. You can learn more about this space, here: https://news.va.gov/disclaimer/. If you need support, you can contact us, here: https://www.va.gov/contact-us/. ]

  2. Elizabeth Mallard May 23, 2024 at 07:37

    I was awarded a claim January 2023 and now I’m denied because the Levels of appeal confused my Dic and SF-95 together denying my claims after I had award signed by Denis McDonough

  3. LAWRENCE S WILLIAMS May 22, 2024 at 20:50

    Iwanted to ask about appeals that were granted by the Apealls Board that was than reduced to 0 for doing and following medical advice. A person has to wonder about getting medical procedures and folling the rules to get penelized for doing the right thing?

  4. Stephen Vanalstine May 22, 2024 at 19:20

    I didn’t get to ask my question? Isn’t on camera for90min.it is this:why do veteran’s get .415€ per mile for medical appointments. The federal rate is 67€ PER MILE? WHY DO RURAL VETSWITH HIGH GASOLINE COSTS GET LESS? Canthis be adjusted? There has not been an increase in some time

Comments are closed.

More Stories