The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has enrolled 401,006 veterans in VA health care over the past 365 days — 30 percent more than the 307,831 it enrolled the previous year.
That is the most yearly enrollees in at least the past five years at VA, and nearly a 50 percent increase over pandemic-level enrollment in 2020, it said in a recently released statement.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
The number of new enrollees increased in all 50 states year-over-year, according to VA. The states with the largest number of new enrollees over the past year include Texas (41,287 Veterans), California (33,468) Florida (32,712), Virginia (20,537), North Carolina (17,562), Pennsylvania (16,167), Georgia (15,747), Ohio (12,717), Washington (11,873), Illinois (10,167), Colorado (10,028), Arizona (9,789), Tennessee (9,584), and Michigan (9,294).
VA credits the enrollment numbers to the PACT Act which allowed it to expand health care and benefits to millions of veterans from every era.
“Our clinicians know veterans — they often are veterans – and they know exactly how to help. Even if you don’t need this care today, you might need it tomorrow, or the next day, or 30 years from now,” VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal. “It’s quick and easy to apply, and once you’re in, you have access for life.”
VA is also conducting the most aggressive outreach campaign in its history, including hosting over 2,600 events since the passage of the PACT Act, launching a more than $16 million advertising campaign, using public service announcements and — for the first time ever — sending text messages to veterans encouraging them to enroll in VA health care. VA is continuing its outreach efforts throughout 2024, with more than 550 in-person events already scheduled for this year.
Under the PACT Act, VA has also upgraded the healthcare priority groups for 693,962 veterans over the past year — meaning are now paying lower copays.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
