COVID-19

On September 18 2023 VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal held a media roundtable with members of the press to discuss the steps that VA has taken to address COVID-19, PACT Act implementation efforts suicide prevention and staffing,

The Department of Veterans Affairs relaxes masking requirement at VA medical facilities. VA facilities will no longer universally require masks in most clinical areas.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it has relaxed the masking requirement at VA medical facilities. This update ensures the safety of Veterans while accommodating individual masking preferences and aligning with CDC guidelines.

Today, VA released a study showing the medication Paxlovid can reduce the risk of symptoms of 'Long COVID,' which affects millions of people in the U.S. and around the world. In the interest of public health, the study, 'Nirmatrelvir and the risk of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19,' was released before peer-review on the pre-print server medRxiv.

This month, the Department of Veterans Affairs published “Whole Heath System Approach to Long COVID” — a guidebook for caring for Veterans with Long COVID.

I routinely test for COVID-19 every day, and today I tested positive. My symptoms are mild, and I am following my physician’s directions.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Health Administration launched three operational levels called VHA COVID-19 Health Protection Levels to provide a consistent, nationwide approach at its medical centers.

The Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development Marcia L. Fudge, Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Treasury Janet L. Yellen are calling on servicers of federally backed mortgages to make every effort to ensure no individual or family unduly experiences unnecessary hardship or foreclosure while assistance is available under the Homeowner Assistance Fund.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is awarding 36 capital grants totaling approximately $64.7 million to community organizations under VA’s Grant and Per Diem program to improve the quality of housing options for Veterans experiencing homelessness.

We’ve lost so many of the Vets we serve, the colleagues we work with, and the family and friends we love. And we’re still not out of the woods after two long years of the pandemic. But the reality is that—because times have been hard—this is the moment when Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors need us most. I know DAV has risen to that challenge—driving hundreds of thousands of Vets to VA hospitals for free during the pandemic and helping Vets and their families file 150,000 new claims last year alone.

President Biden and I want to improve and expand VA support to better meet caregivers’ needs. It is a priority for me. And it’s a priority for President Biden. That’s why he called on a very special person to serve as my Senior Advisor for Families, Caregivers, and Survivors.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and its participating VA medical centers across the country are in the midst of “Roll Up Your Sleeve 2022” blood drives in response to the ongoing national need for blood during the continuing COVID-19 public health emergency.