Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie discusses dental treatments process with Dr. Jeffrey Manzo, Chief Dental Service, Wednesday at the VA Medical Center in Plains Township.
                                 Submitted Photo

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie discusses dental treatments process with Dr. Jeffrey Manzo, Chief Dental Service, Wednesday at the VA Medical Center in Plains Township.

Submitted Photo

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<p>U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie toured the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center Wednesday.</p>
                                 <p>Submitted Photo</p>

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie toured the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center Wednesday.

Submitted Photo

<p>U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie talks with VA personnel during his visit on Wednesday.</p>
                                 <p>Submitted Photo</p>

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie talks with VA personnel during his visit on Wednesday.

Submitted Photo

<p>U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie in the lobby at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center Wednesday.</p>
                                 <p>Submitted Photo</p>

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie in the lobby at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center Wednesday.

Submitted Photo

PLAINS TWP. — U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie says the VA will always have a large footprint in Pennsylvania because of the high number of veterans living in the state.

“When people from Pennsylvania go off and serve, they come back home to live and work here,” Wilkie said Wednesday. “There are very few states where the percentage of citizens serving in military is as high as it is here.”

Wilkie was in town to visit the VA Medical Center in Plains Township where he toured the facility, talked to patients and employees and thanked them for a job well done during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wanted to thank the folks here for a job well done,” Wilkie said. “The have taken care of 112 Pennsylvanians who had COVID-19 and many of the employees were deployed to other VAs.”

Wilkie stressed Pennsylvania’s strong military tradition as he talked about preparations being made in the event of a recurrence of the coronavirus.

“We want to make sure we are prepared and that all necessary supplies are in place,” Wilkie said. “We talked about the experiences of the pandemic and the many lessons that were learned.”

Wilkie said the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center continues screening measures for all individuals entering the medical center and its community based outpatient clinics.

To this date, Wilkie said the Wilkes-Barre center has not encountered any pandemic related challenges with staffing, services or equipment.

“We continue to closely monitor the pandemic and adjust operations as necessary to assure the continued delivery of safe reliable care while maintaining the safety of our veterans and staff,” Wilkie said.

Wilkie also talked at-length about the Vietnam veterans, noting that they are the largest number of veterans served by the VA.

“We are finally closing one of the last loops for Vietnam vets so that they will receive all the benefits all other veterans have received,” Wilkie said.

Wilkie noted that he just sent to Congress the largest budget in history for the VA — $240 billion — and the U.S. House of Representatives increased it by $10 billion.

“And that was OK with us,” he said. “We have highest approval ratings in history and our trust and approval scores are sitting at 90 percent. It’s a very different world today.”

Wilkie also said the persistent backlog of VA claims has been reduced significantly.

“We are getting much better at that,” Wilkie said. “In terms of appeals, we are way down and our waiting times times are much better.”

Wilkie also noted that the VA now offers veterans the option of getting treatment in the private sector.

“Is we can’t provide the needed services within a reasonable time, then veterans can seek treatment in the private sector,” Wilkie said. “Especially when long travel distances are required.”

Wilkie said the VA set a record of 58.9 million veterans served.

“It’s also important that veterans prefer coming to a VA facility because they want to go where people understand the culture and speak their language,” Wilkie said. “The VA is more than just a medical facility — it’s a place where veterans can come to talk and share the same experiences.”

Wilkie said the VA had to close its facilities to visitors during the pandemic, making it difficult for families of veterans, many from World War II and Korea.

“That was an incredibly tough decision to make,” Wilkie said. But in so doing, we were able to save lives.”

Suicide prevention

Wilkie discussed PREVENTS — the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide.

At the Wilkes-Barre facility, the Suicide Prevention Team continues to conduct outreaches, although in a virtual format given the impacts of COVID-19.

Year to date, the team has:

• Participated in 86 outreach events.

• Trained over 200 First Responders on Operation S.A.V.E. Training for local Crisis Intervention Programs.

• Maintained strong supporting relationships with all (19) County Directors of Veterans Affairs and Vet Center Outreach Coordinators (2).

• Corresponded and collaborated with county coroners and funeral homes to connect with family members of veterans lost to suicide in an effort to connect family members with services.

• Answered, referred and closed 380 consults from the Veterans and Military Crisis Line.

• Hosted a Suicide Prevention Month, Holiday Event and Spring Fling at the medical center to inform veterans and family members of services available through the VA or within the community.

Homelessness

Wilkes-Barre’s Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program is currently providing outreach and case management services to 26 actively homeless veterans. The Health Care for Homeless Veterans program is focused on delivery case management services to Veterans that are homeless in the shelter system or unsheltered.

There are currently 54 Veterans in the grant per Diem program, which is a community based VA funded Transitional Housing. The housing placement allows veterans to remain in transitional housing for 24 months to develop a housing stabilization plan.

Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for assistance.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.