As the Department of Veterans Affairs reaches a milestone of fully vaccinating more than 2 million people against the coronavirus, Secretary Denis McDonough announced Wednesday that vaccines are now available to all veterans, spouses and caregivers at all VA medical facilities nationwide.
The Save Lives Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last month expanded free vaccine access at VA to all veterans -- not only those enrolled in or eligible for VA health care -- as well as their spouses and caregivers.
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But while vaccine supplies remained limited in some areas of the country, VA medical centers and other facilities rolled out the expanded eligibility at each VA as supply allowed, prioritizing enrolled veterans first.
McDonough told Capitol Hill lawmakers late last month that his goal was to expand access to vaccines for everyone eligible under the new law by May 1. On Wednesday, he announced that VA was ahead of schedule.
"Today @DeptVetAffairs will fully implement the #SaveLivesAct at medical facilities across the country to provide #COVID19vaccines to all veterans, their spouses and caregivers ahead of the projected May 1 start date," McDonough's official Twitter account announced Wednesday afternoon.
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The new law increased the number of people VA was responsible for vaccinating from roughly 9.5 million to more than 33 million, and meant the massive federal healthcare system needed hundreds of thousands of more vaccines per day to reach that goal.
As of this week, VA has vaccinated more than 2 million individuals, including veterans, VA staff and federal employees. VA, the largest healthcare system in the United States, has administered at least one dose of the vaccine to more than 4.56 million veterans.
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VA already rolled out expanded eligibility at pilot locations to work through the communications, space and staff, registration systems, enrollment and scheduling, documentation and data transmission to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before a nationwide launch.
"We're determined to vaccinate as many veterans as possible, and expand eligibility for vaccinations," McDonough told lawmakers last month.
Department officials said they needed a minimum of 600,000 total weekly doses to further expand to all the individuals newly eligible under the law.
How to get your vaccine at VA
Veterans can sign up to get a COVID-19 vaccine at VA using the department's website: www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/stay-informed. VA officials are encouraging veterans to sign up online rather than call or come to a VA facility in person.
"All those who served in the active military, naval or air service" and were discharged or released from service under any conditions "other than dishonorable" are eligible to receive the vaccine at VA under the new law. This includes veterans with "bad-paper" discharges.
Also eligible are:
- Spouses of veterans, including those whose spouse is deceased;
- Caregivers in VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, Program of General Caregiver Support Services, Medical Foster Home Program, Bowel and Bladder Program or Veteran Directed Care Program;
- Civilian Health and Medical Programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) recipients.
Once you've signed up for your vaccine, VA will contact you when one is available, and offer updates on walk-in clinics or mass vaccination events in your area.
For veterans already enrolled in VA care, there's no need to sign up. VA staff should reach out to those veterans automatically.
VA also asks that veterans who can receive a vaccine outside VA take whichever is the earliest opportunity to get vaccinated.
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Reach Abbie Bennett: abbie@connectingvets.com or @AbbieRBennett.
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