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El Paso VA updates veterans on ID renewals, tele-town hall, volunteer program and community-care rules
Summary
El Paso VA representatives told the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on May 15 that administrative changes are internal, reminded veterans to renew VA ID cards, outlined community-care and dental eligibility, and announced local events and outreach programs.
A representative for the El Paso VA told the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on May 15 that recent federal administrative changes have not altered local clinical care and provided a series of operational updates for veterans in the El Paso area.
"As with any change in administration, we remain committed to our mission and there's no change to what we do for veterans in quality of care," said the representative, identifying himself as speaking on behalf of Dr. Sheree Taylor, the VA's interim executive director for El Paso.
The VA representative urged veterans to check the expiration date on their VA identification cards and to update records at the Eligibility and Registration Desk on the third floor of the El Paso VA. He said locally about 8,600 VA ID cards have been renewed and that the facility has about 30,000 enrolled veterans; the VA is working toward a target he described as 10,000 renewals.
On community care, the speaker explained the referral path: community-care referrals are initiated by a veteran's primary care team and managed through the VA's central community-care office (the CCS). For dental care, the representative said dental community care is limited to veterans with qualifying service-connected disability—he said veterans must be 100% service-connected to receive VA-funded dental care under the community-care process.
The VA announced several outreach items and programs:
- A tele-town hall with additional information planned for June; the VA asked veterans who are not receiving calls to notify the facility.
- A summer youth volunteer program that will run eight weeks for students ages 15–18; applications are being accepted through May 29 and the program begins June 9 (orientation will be scheduled for parents and guardians). The VA provided an internal contact extension during the meeting and left an informational guide in the meeting packet.
- A women's-veterans boutique on June 12 at the El Paso VA first-floor training rooms; donations were being accepted through that date.
- The annual "VA 2Ks Walk and Roll" to benefit homeless veterans on Wednesday, May 21, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center track adjacent to the El Paso VA.
The representative also described VA Health Connect nursing services and the facility's "whole health" approach, which he said is a patient-centered, team-based model. He encouraged veterans who experience changes in disability rating to update their records at the VA to ensure benefits and appointments are processed correctly.
Committee members asked several operational questions during the update, including how community-care referrals are scheduled (the VA replied that the primary care team initiates and coordinates referrals) and how dental eligibility is determined (the VA replied that qualifying service-connection is required for community dental referrals).
Ending
The VA representative left flyers and a benefits-overview guide with the committee and offered to provide contact materials to staff for distribution. He invited veterans to the tele-town hall in June for additional guidance.
