VA faces big challenge
In addition to vets, it may be called on to aid civilians
WASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department is bracing for a potential surge of 1 million veterans infected by coronavirus and preparing for the possibility it may have to absorb overflow civilian patients if private hospitals are overrun.
Based on a “worst case” scenario that up to 1 in 5 of its mostly elderly population of veterans will need coronavirus care, the government-run hospital system is seeking $16.6 billion in emergency money, according to a VA document submitted to Congress and obtained by The Associated Press.
The money would be used over six months to ramp up COVID-19 testing, cover hospital care and protective masks for 4,500 more veterans, add ventilators, boost online telehealth options as Americans continue to hunker at home and pay for 40,000 more urgent care visits. About $170.74 would be allocated per VA employee in certain divisions for hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes and antiviral face tissue for the rest of the budget year that ends Sept. 30.
During national emergencies, such as the one declared by President Trump, the VA not only serves 9 million veterans but also acts as a backup health care system to the broader public.
If called upon by states and the Health and Human Services Department, the VA network of 170 hospitals, 1,074 outpatient sites and more than 350,000 employees could provide care to first responders and civilians in hard-hit communities.
It could be an unprecedented task for the VA, which has faced past criticism for staff shortages, management disarray and long patient wait times.
Since January, the department has run drills and checked stockpiles of medical equipment.
As coronavirus spread in the U.S., the VA locked down visitation at its 134 nursing homes and 24 spinal cord injury centers to protect elderly and vulnerable patients and screened patients for symptoms of the virus before they entered facilities.
To increase capacity, the VA has cut back on routine appointments, limiting dental work and canceling elective surgeries, according to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie.
At the VA, officials said they were tracking at least 83 cases of veterans who showed signs of the virus. One patient in their 70s died late last week at a VA facility in Portland, Ore., of complications from COVID-19. The department currently has 1,200 coronavirus test kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 2,000 VA-developed tests. More than 800 veterans have been tested.
A group of Democratic senators and the House Veterans Affairs Committee have pressed the VA to provide regular updates on its preparedness and available resources to address the pandemic.
“VA must be properly prepared to respond to the unique needs of our nation’s veterans, and ready to activate its critical Fourth Mission to support all Americans if it becomes necessary,” said Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
He urged the agency to work aggressively “to determine both immediate and projected needs for health care workers and first responders on the front lines — including beds and personal protective equipment.”