WASHINGTON – The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) made public, March 27, the COVID-19 Response Plan it is executing within its medical facilities to protect Veterans, their families and staff.
VA deems the plan a valuable tool that’s useful for the nationwide medical community.
The “For Official Use Only” designation has been removed from the plan, making it publicly available. This access allows medical providers across the country to review, learn from and provide feedback, as the nation works to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
“VA has a world-class medical team doing incredible work on the frontlines of this fight,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “We will continue to share best practices and lessons learned with other government agencies and the private health care system as appropriate so we can defeat COVID-19 as a nation.”
VA has shifted some outpatient care to telehealth and some elective and non-emergent procedures have been postponed. This enables Veterans to receive care through minimal contact with staff, saves time and reduces the need for personal protective equipment, making those resources available for critical use.
Additionally, VA will begin to implement two zones within all inpatient units: one for dedicated staff and space to care for COVID-19 patients; the second will be a zone for all other care. These overall changes are aimed at minimizing the risk of infection as VA’s medical professionals make decisions based on what’s appropriate for the given environment and situation.
For the latest information about coronavirus visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
To learn more on how VA is responding to COVID-19 visit our Coronavirus FAQs page or read VA’s public health response.
Veterans, their families and staff members are urged to take everyday precautions to protect against respiratory illness caused by COVID-19. Those exhibiting symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath should call their VA medical center before going to a clinic to limit risk of exposure.
Read VA’s COVID-19 response plan here.
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
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