Va delivers record care and benefits to tennessee veterans in fiscal year 2024 | va tennessee valley health care | veterans affairs

WASHINGTON , DC — Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it delivered more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before in fiscal year 2024 — including to

Veterans, their families, and their survivors in Tennessee. These outcomes for the nation’s Veterans build on continued efforts by VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration to expand and

improve care and benefits for those who served, much of which has been made possible by the PACT Act — the largest expansion of VA health care and benefits in generations.  VA encourages

all Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors to learn more about VA and apply for their world-class health care and earned benefits today. “Veterans deserve the very best from VA

and our nation, and we will never settle for anything less,” said VA SECRETARY DENIS MCDONOUGH. “We’re honored that more Veterans are getting their earned health care and benefits from VA

than ever before, but make no mistake: there is still work to do. We will continue to work each and every day to earn the trust of those we serve — and ensure that all Veterans, their

families, and their survivors get the care and benefits they so rightly deserve.” KEY OUTCOMES FOR TENNESSEE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES, CAREGIVERS, AND SURVIVORS FROM THIS FISCAL YEAR

INCLUDE: * PROVIDING MORE WORLD-CLASS HEALTH CARE TO VETERANS: VA delivered more than 3,518,000 health care appointments to Tennessee Veterans this year, and 9,268 Tennessee Veterans

enrolled in VA health care. * DELIVERING MORE EARNED BENEFITS TO MORE VETERANS: 160,163 Tennessee Veterans received compensation and 3,671 received pension benefits this year, representing

an estimated $4,123,000,000 and $52,200,000 in earned benefits, respectively. Additionally, VA processed 63,450 disability benefit claims for Tennessee Veterans, with an overall grant rate

of 64.5%. * EARNING VETERAN TRUST: Nationwide, Veteran trust in VA reached 80.4% this year, an all-time record and an increase of 25% since 2016. Veteran trust in VA health care also reached

92%, another record.  * SUPPORTING VETERANS IN CRISIS: VA provided no-cost emergency health care this year to more than 1,510 Tennessee Veterans in acute suicidal crises. * SUPPORTING A

RECORD NUMBER OF SURVIVORS OF VETERANS: 2,905 Tennessee survivors received pension benefits this year, representing an estimated $32,540,000 in earned benefits. Additionally, 14,974 spouses

and dependents in Tennessee received Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, representing an estimated $306,500,000 in earned benefits. * SUPPORTING A RECORD NUMBER OF WOMEN VETERANS: 18,522

women Veterans in Tennessee received compensation, representing an estimated $507,700,000 in earned benefits. Additionally, 1,166 women Veterans in Tennessee enrolled in VA health care. VA

now has more women Veterans enrolled in its health care system than ever before. * GIVING VETERANS FINAL RESTING PLACES IN VA NATIONAL CEMETERIES: VA interred 1,257 Veterans in VA’s national

cemeteries in Tennessee this year. Veterans. Key actions from this year include: expanding eligibility for VA health care to all toxic exposed Veterans years earlier than called for by the

PACT Act; housing nearly 48,000 Veterans and awarding over $800 million in grants to help Veterans experiencing homelessness; expanding access to care across the nation through VA’s Access

Sprints, adding night and weekend clinics, and increasing the number of Veterans scheduled into daily clinic schedules; decreasing new appointment wait times for primary and mental health

care by 11% and 7%, respectively; removing copays for the first three outpatient mental health care and substance use disorder visits of each calendar year through 2027; expanding access to

VA cancer care through establishing new cancer presumptive conditions, expanding access to genetic, lung, and colorectal cancer screening, and expanding the Close to Me cancer care program; 

expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) for eligible unmarried Veterans and eligible Veterans in same-sex marriages; calling for the implementation of a targeted moratorium on

foreclosures for Veterans with VA-guaranteed loans through 2024; expanding access to VA care and benefits for some former service members discharged under other than honorable conditions;

launching tele-emergency care for Veterans nationwide; and launching VSAFE.gov, a new government-wide website and associated call center to protect Veterans from fraud and scams. Moving

forward, VA will continue to aggressively reach out to and engage Veterans to encourage them to come to VA for the care and benefits they have earned.