Secretary McDonough

Since 1973, NCA has ensured that Veterans, service members, and their families are honored with a final resting place that pays tribute to their service.

VA reduced the number of Veterans with opioid prescriptions by 67% since 2012, from 874,897 Veterans in 2012 to 288,820 in 2023

The Department of Veterans Affairs announces several critical steps forward on its Veteran suicide prevention initiatives, including $52.5 million in new Veteran suicide prevention grants, a new set of Veteran suicide prevention public service announcements (PSA), and — for the first time — statistics on the impact of VA’s new program offering free emergency medical care to Veterans in acute suicidal crisis at any VA or non-VA health care facility.

Veterans and their survivors have filed more than one million claims for toxic exposure-related benefits under the PACT Act since President Biden signed it into law Aug. 10, 2022. VA has processed more than 551,000 of these claims, granting 77.9% of them and awarding more than $2.2 billion in earned benefits to Veterans and survivors. Supporting Veterans and their families is a core pillar in President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the nation, and today’s announcement helps deliver on his promise to comprehensively address military related toxic exposure.

Army Veteran Tanya Bradsher was confirmed by the Senate as VA’s deputy secretary. In this role, Deputy Secretary Bradsher will help lead the Department of Veterans Affairs as it continues to deliver more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before in our nation’s history.

Food has the extraordinary ability to bring people together, and nowhere is this more evident than among our Vets. The shared experience of service and sacrifice creates a unique bond.

Fifty-five years ago when Captain Cleland was grievously wounded on Hill 471 in Vietnam, Marine Charlie Waldron was one of those who helped save his life. And though Charlie couldn’t know it, when he saved Max, Charlie was saving the lives of thousands of other American Veterans.

Fifty-five years ago when Captain Cleland was grievously wounded on Hill 471 in Vietnam, Marine Charlie Waldron was one of those who helped save his life. And though Charlie couldn’t know it, when he saved Max, Charlie was saving the lives of thousands of other American Veterans.

AI is changing the health care landscape and it’s having a real impact in the lives of Vets across America. Our team is hard at work exploring how AI can help VA make better, faster, and more informed Veteran-centric decisions—improving Veteran health outcomes and benefits decisions while eliminating redundant administrative tasks and promoting collaboration across VA and with our federal and community partners.

Matt [Quinn], thanks for that kind introduction and for your exceptional leadership of our National Cemetery Administration. I’m honored to join you today for this important celebration of NCA’s 50th Anniversary—five decades of excellence serving Veterans and their families.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new settlement agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) that resolves litigation over adverse actions taken against former VA employees under the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. This settlement resolves the Federal Labor Relations Authority finding that VA failed to bargain with AFGE regarding the impact and implementation of the 2017 law.

VA and the NAACP work together to advance and improve the quality of life for all Veterans, including minority Veterans.