Veterans Journal: VA goes digital, cuts homelessness and increases care

Last week’s column described the Department of Veterans Affairs’ recent year-end summary report declaring 21 reasons why it is heading in the right direction for 2015. The following is the second part in this series.

The VA goes digital. Under the VA’s technology initiatives, one major achievement has been its transition from an outmoded paper-intensive process to a fully electronic processing system called the Veterans Benefits Management System. The VA processed 93 percent of disability claims electronically and has converted more than 1 billion documents to digital images that are being maintained in veterans’ electronic claim folders.

The VA reduces the number of homeless veterans. Together with federal, state, and local partners, the VA reduced the number of homeless veterans estimated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for 2014 by 33 percent.

The VA hires more mental health care professionals. The VA hired 782 psychologists and psychiatrists in 2014 along with 257 other mental-health providers, such as social workers, nurses, licensed professional counselors and 45 mental-health administrative support employees.

Veterans Crisis Line expanded. In response to President Obama’s Executive Order (1.usa.gov/1wBKtcq), the VA expanded the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line by 50 percent, and enhanced its partnerships with community mental-health providers. Last year the VCL answered 374,050 phone calls, assisted 64,593 people through chat services and 13,463 people through text services.

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