Virtual Veteran Town Hall 

 

Virtual Veteran Town Hall February 24, 2022   1 - 2 p.m.

Our Virtual Veteran Town Halls are designed to better engage with our Veterans to obtain feedback to better serve the Veteran community.

You will be able to ask questions directly through the Chat Box at any time during the town hall. We will do our best to open phone lines at the end of the town hall to take questions over the phone.

Microsoft Teams Meeting Link : https://bit.ly/35g0oWm

Scan the QR code below from your Smart Phone or call in (audio only)

+1 872-701-0185,,289105775# United States, Chicago Phone Conference ID: 289 105 775#

                     

---

Upcoming Changes to Appointment Reminders

 

To reduce the no-show rates for medical appointments, new & improved Appointment Reminder Notices will be sent to our Veterans beginning February 7, 2022, keep an eye out for your postcard.

 

For more information, suggestions, or questions, please contact your Patient Advocate at 302-994-2511 x5436 or x4330.

---

Important Information Related to COVID-19 Testing

Dear Veterans,

Visitation Guidelines Effective 1/11/2022

Due to the rise in the COVID-19 positivity rate in our communities, the Wilmington VA Medical Center (WVAMC) has returned to more restrictive visitation at its facilities to protect the health and safety of our Veterans and staff. Scan the qr code below or visit our website for more information on our visitation guidelines: VA Wilmington Health Care | Veterans Affairs   :  COVID Visitor Guidelines v3.pdf (va.gov)

Wear a mask.

Wash your hands.

Social distance.

Get Vaccinated.

Thank you for being a partner in your care. If you have questions, please speak with your nurse or a member of our care team.

---

Counterfeit Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) Home / Self-Test Kits

This purpose of this memorandum is to ensure awareness that counterfeit COVID-19 home / self-test kits, also known as over-the-counter tests, are now present in the commercial marketplace. Counterfeit COVID-19 test kits increase the risk of unknowingly spreading COVID-19 or that a Veteran or staff member will not receive timely and appropriate treatment. 

 

The demand for COVID-19 home / self-test kits is straining existing manufacturing capacity in the United States and worldwide. As happened in 2020 and 2021 with N95 respirators, the gap between supply and demand resulted in an increase in opportunistic scammers entering the marketplace. Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) seeking COVID-19 home / self-test kits at the local or regional levels are advised to:

• Verify that the COVID-19 home / self-test kits are Food and Drug Administration cleared products (see https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-emergency-use-authorizations-medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics-euas-antigen-diagnostic-tests-sars-cov-2).
• Check the FDA list of fraudulent COVID-19 products and companies to ensure the tests kit and company are not on the list (see https://www.fda.gov/consumers/health-fraud-scams/fraudulent-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-products.
• Validate purchase sources, especially on-line sources, including searching the internet for the seller of the home test kits and including words such as “scam,” “complaint” and “review.”

VHA will continue to provide national contracts for Cepheid, Abbott IDNOW and Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 test kits and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and VAMCs shall not use local or regional contracts for these products. VISNs and VAMCs will continue using the National Contingency Response Tool (https://ncrt.va.gov/#!/) to request and receive distribution for those products from the East Coast Regional Readiness Center. We are developing and will implement an acquisition strategy for national contract(s) for home / self-test kits and will provide updates as that strategy progresses. 

 

Should a facility, despite its best efforts, receive counterfeit or fraudulent COVID-19 home / self-test kits, there is a duty to report to the VA Office of the Inspector General, at 1-800-488-8244 or email the VA OIG Hotline at vaioghotline@va.gov. 

Please direct questions regarding this guidance to VHA LOG OPS Center at vhalogopscenter@va.gov

 

---

Travel Pay

Eligible for travel pay? A My HealtheVet Premium account grants access to the BTSSS travel pay system, Secure Messaging with your care provider, and online appointment scheduling. Upgrade to a Premium Account to use a single username and password. 

https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/ss20200416-upgrade-to-premium-now

Combining electronic filing with direct deposit is the fastest way to get your beneficiary travel payment. While you may still file a paper claim or receive a paper check, paper methods will take longer for staff to process. Here’s how to speed up your claims processing:

1. Sign up for Direct Deposit.

2. Add your banking information to your Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS) profile.

3. File a travel claim electronically with BTSS