Secretary McDonough

Terrence, thanks so much. And it's great to join everybody. Thank you for your patience and your flexibility with me, y'all. I was exposed to COVID late Sunday night. I don't have COVID yet, but I'm still within the window.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced $10 million in new funding for eligible states, territories, and Tribal governments through cooperative agreements to better inform Veteran suicide prevention strategies.

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will begin building a new national cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2025. The cemetery will be named Albuquerque National Cemetery and will be the third national cemetery in the state.

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced the award of the second option period for its contract with Oracle Health in support of VA’s Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization, with an emphasis on improved fiscal and performance accountability.

oday, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will host the second annual PACT Act Summer VetFest — featuring more than 100 Summer VetFest events in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico — to encourage Veterans and survivors to apply for the health care and benefits they have earned under the PACT Act.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs strongly encouraged mortgage servicers to extend the Veteran foreclosure moratorium — originally slated to expire on May 31 – through Dec. 31.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veterans no longer need to pay copays for their first three outpatient mental health care and substance use disorder visits of each calendar year through 2027.

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veteran trust in VA has reached an all-time high of 80.4% – up from 55% when the survey began in 2016.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for joining us for this month's press conference. We hope you had a reflective Memorial Day yesterday. We'll go ahead and get started. We’ve got a lot to cover. And with that, I'll go ahead and turn it over to Secretary Denis McDonough. Over to you, Mr. Secretary.

My friend and advisor, Chief Bill [Smith, National Indian Health Board Chair], it’s good to see you again, and thanks for the kind introduction.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced the expansion of a partnership with the Department of Defense (DOD) to increase VA health care access for Veterans in Virginia.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it will host Memorial Day ceremonies at more than 130 national cemeteries across the country to commemorate the lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation, as well as all Veterans buried in VA cemeteries.