VA Press Room

Good morning, thanks for that warm welcome; and, Jean Gurga, thanks for the kind introduction. Let me start by saying how much I regret not being with you in person. Despite all the technological advances we are about to discuss, we don’t have a way around a heat wave and Canadian wildfires completely upending commercial aviation in the U.S.

For the first time, legal service grants are being awarded $11.5 million to assist Veterans who are homeless or those at-risk of being homeless.

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration awards six grants totaling more than $2,187,800 as part of the Veterans Legacy Program to award funding to educational institutions and non-profit organizations. These grants will provide funding for students and teachers around the country to learn about, memorialize, and share the stories of Veterans interred in NCA cemeteries.

In July, VA will kick off PACT Act Summer VetFest to inform Veterans, their families, and survivors about the PACT Act and encourage them to apply for the health care and benefits they have earned. The PACT Act, which President Biden signed into law on Aug. 10, 2022, is the biggest expansion of Veteran health care and benefits in generations.

The Department of Veterans Affairs establishes Agency Equity Team to ensure VA delivers its promise on providing world-class care and benefits to all Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors — regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, or sexual identity.

Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors can now report incidents of sexual assault or sexual harassment at VA facilities by calling 1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411, option 9).  

VA police officers will begin to use in-car and body-worn cameras. All VA police officers will be using body-worn and in-car cameras by the end of 2023, beginning June 20 with police officers in VA’s Desert Pacific Healthcare Network.

Medicare’s latest nationwide survey of patients shows VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals on all 10 core patient satisfaction metrics. This is part of Medicare’s award star ratings for surveys between July 2021 to June 2022.

Lourdes, thank you for that kind introduction. More importantly, thank you for your distinguished career of service, which continues with your invaluable leadership of the Center for Women Veterans

Nichole Coleman, thanks for that kind introduction, and thanks for inviting me to join you. I know this is your last conference as President of NACVSO.