A record number of West Virginia veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare in the last year.
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has enrolled more than 2,000 West Virginian veterans in VA health care over the past 365 days, a 23 percent increase from previous years.
A press release from the VA credits the increased enrollment to the expansions in the PACT Act, which allowed the VA to expand health care and benefits to millions of veterans.
As of March 5, 2024 all veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military and meet certain requirements became eligible to enroll directly in VA health care.
“We want every eligible veteran to enroll in VA health care for one simple reason: Veterans who come to VA are proven to have better health outcomes – and pay less – than veterans who don’t,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “That’s why we’ve spent the past year meeting veterans where they are – hosting thousands of events, sending millions of texts, advertising on every corner, and much more – to get them to come to VA. This aggressive outreach campaign has led more Veterans to enroll in VA care than during any year in at least a decade, and we’re not slowing down now.”
Nationally, rates of enrollment increased by 30 percent. This is the most yearly enrollees in at least five years at the VA and a nearly 50 percent increase over pandemic-level enrollment in 2020.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.
West Virginia leaders are concerned plans to modernize the Veterans Affairs medical system will significantly reduce treatment options in the state.
West Virginia leaders are concerned plans to modernize the Veterans Affairs medical system will significantly reduce treatment options in the state.
In March, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) presented recommendations to the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission to modernize services and address aging buildings within the VA health care system over the next decade.
Within those recommendations, three VA Medical Centers in West Virginia – The Beckley VA Medical Center, the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, and the Hershel “Woody” Williams VAMC in Huntington – would see a reduction in services.
In a press release Thursday, Ted Diaz, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance said, “I do not believe veterans should have to choose between living in communities they love and having reasonable access to health care.”
Diaz and his staff have called on West Virginia’s federal elected leaders in D.C. to oppose the recommendations.
Clarksburg and Huntington would have their emergency departments converted to urgent care centers. All three locations would no longer offer in-patient medical and surgical services. The VA says veterans can turn to other medical providers in their area for these services.
The VA will instead focus on community living centers for an aging regional veteran population.
The recommendations include building a new VAMC in Beckley to replace the current facility that dates to 1950, but upon reopening its focus would be on out-patient treatment.
The VA cited projected decreases in enrolled veterans through 2029 of between 12.5 percent and 15 percent in all three of the medical centers’ markets as justification for these recommendations.
Steven Kennedy grew up in McDowell County. A lot of his family made a living working in the mines, even his father, but his dad discouraged him from going into the industry.
“He’s like, ‘don’t break your back.’ Do something that you enjoy,’” he said. “I can tell that he really regrets not going to college.”
Kennedy heeded his father’s advice. He didn’t go into the mines, but he didn’t go to college either.
“I did not feel like I was smart enough to go to college and nor did I know what I wanted to do or anything,” Kennedy said. “So the military, that was my choice.”
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Steven Kennedy
It wasn’t an easy choice but one Kennedy came to after looking for work in North Carolina, and coming up short-handed felt his options were limited.
“Your options are drive a truck, work in the coal mines or go in the military,” Kennedy said. The military was probably the best thing I could have done.”
Kennedy joined the U.S. Army in 2012. While serving four years of active duty and three years in reserves, Kennedy found camaraderie, discipline and eventually a path to an education as his father encouraged.
It turns out, he was smart enough for college. He earned a degree from Concord University in 2018, and is now pursuing a master’s of health promotion while working full time at the university.
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Steven Kennedy at his college graduation.
Another veteran, George Williams, is originally from Wilmington, North Carolina.
He served in the U.S. Navy for nine years and remembers similar thoughts before joining the military.
“You know, I was never a good student in high school,” Williams said. “I was kind of getting into a little bit of trouble, nothing major, but little things here and there. And I just decided that I didn’t want to go to school. That didn’t feel like working a real job. So I followed in my brother’s footsteps and joined the Navy.” Williams said he enjoyed his time on active duty, but found himself away from home a lot. He missed his family. So he and his wife ventured on a road trip looking for a new life. They found it in Mercer County.
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George Williams
“My wife liked it. She liked the mountains, and she said, ‘Hey, let’s stay here for a few nights.’ A few nights turned into a few days and a few days into a few weeks,” Williams said.
They both got jobs at Walmart, Williams worked at the auto shop changing oil and tires.
“It’s not a bad job,” Williams said. “It’s just boring. I said, ‘I think I’m gonna go to school,’ and she said, ‘You’re crazy.’”
That ‘crazy’ idea ended up making sense. He enrolled at Concord University.
“I just absolutely loved it,” Williams said. “I’d never been a student before. I was 40 years-old at the time and for some reason going back to school was just the right fit for me.”
Such a good fit, in fact that Williams eventually earned his doctoral degree and is now an assistant professor of English.
He’s also the university’s veterans advocate, helping other veterans as they venture into higher education. Williams has also created an entry level college course tailored to veterans.
He said it’s a way to continue to serve as a civilian in his newfound home of West Virginia.
