The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to establish research sites at 37 VA locations that will examine the long-term effects of COVID-19.
Seventeen of those sites have already been established and 20 more
are expected to come online within the next few months, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said during an April 25 press conference.
“We’re at the forefront of long COVID research, making groundbreaking discoveries that will enhance understanding of this disease in veterans and non-veterans,” he said.
Many veterans who seek care at VA are older and have pre-existing conditions, making them more susceptible to developing COVID and other virus-related health issues, officials said.
Research has found that contracting COVID increases a person’s chance of heart disease, diabetes, and mental health problems, VA Assistant Undersecretary for Clinical Health Dr. Elizabeth Brill said.
Brill said VA has “detailed longitudinal medical information” on 6 million veterans which provides it with a unique opportunity to study COVID.
“We can compare health outcomes after COVID infection to those of similar patients who have not been infected, something many studies are unable to do,” Brill said.
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According to data provided by the department, more than 624,740 VA patients and staff have been diagnosed with COVID over the last two years. At least 21,821 have died.
The number of VA staffers who couldn’t work because of COVID was more than 1,260 on Monday, up from about 404 from two weeks ago, McDonough added.
Brill anticipates continued surges and dips in COVID case numbers over time. She said the department is continuing to work to keep transmission rates down and on local contingency planning as rates increase.
Meanwhile, McDonough said the department is moving forward with the disciplinary process for health care staffers who aren’t in compliance with its vaccine and masking requirements. Thus far, four have been let go for refusing to wear a mask; one declined to provide their vaccine status and one did not comply with COVID testing requirements.
“We are in the process now of beginning that disciplinary process across the system,” he added.
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VA is not allowing health or religious exemptions from its vaccine requirements for employees who work in its oncology or intensive care units, stressed McDonough.
“The decision here, at the end of the day, has been a clinical one. It’s how do we ensure veterans that we’ve taken every step within our power to ensure their safety and their security?” he said.
Other employees have been provided with reasonable accommodations to the rules, McDonough said.
“That process is happening by facility and by the network,” he said.
McDonough added that said some VA bargaining unit employees on mandatory telework will return to the office in early next month. Others will return in late May or June.
“Those are going to be managed at and rolled out at a local level. There won’t be one national date where the bargaining unit employees come back across VHA [Veterans Health Administration] VBA [Veterans Benefits Administration] and NCA [National Cemetery Administration],” he explained.
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McDonough also reacted to a VA Inspector General report released on Monday that estimated that for each year the rollout of the new Electronic Health Record is delayed would amount to nearly $2 billion in additional costs.
“I continue to believe that we have the budget authority that we need over the life of this project. If we have reason to believe that that’s changed, we’ll obviously go straight to Congress and talk that through with them. But at the moment, I believe we have the budget authority we need,” he said.
McDonough is expected to appear before the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Thursday to discuss the VA’s budget.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.