WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Veterans Administration on Wednesday announced it is launching a new outreach campaign to encourage all eligible veterans to enroll in VA healthcare – including approximately 27,748 unenrolled Pennsylvania veterans who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan.
This campaign will include text messages and emails directly to veterans, public service announcements, paid advertising and events, VA said in a press release.
"VA is launching this campaign after reports of concerns from veterans about health issues – including mental health challenges and thoughts of suicide – potentially related to repeated blasts and head trauma (low-level artillery blasts, IEDs, missile launches, heavy fire, and more)," the VA's press release said. "Since the first reporting about these concerns, VA researchers have been urgently studying this matter to learn more about the potential health impacts of blast exposure on veterans."
Veterans enrolled in VA can access specialty screenings and services to address any health issues related to blast exposure, the agency said. Importantly, veterans who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan, and other specific locations are eligible for VA health care based on their deployments — they do not need to have any health conditions specifically associated with their service in order to be eligible for care.
"While we continue to urgently conduct research into the impacts of blast exposure, VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration encourage these veterans – and all eligible veterans – to apply for VA care today," the VA said. "Veterans who use VA health care have better health outcomes than non-enrolled veterans, VA hospitals are dramatically outperforming non-VA hospitals, and VA health care is often more affordable than non-VA health care for veterans."
Additionally, 92% of veteran patients currently report trusting VA outpatient health care – an all-time high, the VA added.
“We take veteran concerns about repeated blast exposure very seriously, and we are studying this matter urgently to learn more about potential health impacts,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “While we do that, we don’t want veterans to wait – they should enroll in VA health care today to get full access to primary care, mental health care, regular screenings, specialty care, and more. That’s what this outreach effort is all about: getting veterans in our care because veterans who come to VA are proven to do better.”
“VA aims to be the best, most accessible, and most affordable health system in America for Veterans, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve that care as science and research tells us about new concerns,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. “The more veterans who enroll, the more we can learn about the impact of blast exposure – and the better care we can ultimately provide those who served.”
Earlier this year, VA made all veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards (and meet basic requirements) eligible to enroll directly in VA health care – years earlier than called for by the PACT Act. This included all veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror or any other combat zone after 9/11.
Veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States are also eligible to enroll. Additionally, veterans who do not meet any of the above criteria can often still access VA health care by receiving VA disability benefits or based on income.
This new outreach effort is a part of the largest outreach campaign in VA history, which began when President Biden signed the PACT Act into law in 2022 and continues to this day. As a result of this campaign, more than 835,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care (a 37% increase over the previous period); more than 900,000 veterans have upgraded their priority groups, making them eligible for health care with fewer copays (an all-time record); and more than 4.4 million veterans and survivors have applied for disability compensation benefits (another all-time record).
The campaign has been focused on bringing new Veterans to VA by sending millions of texts and emails, hosting thousands of events nationwide, launching new paid advertising campaigns, working with influencers and companies, and more.
