Trust in va among veteran patients in milwaukee vamc rises to 94. 2%, up 3. 7% since 2018 | va milwaukee health care | veterans affairs

Milwaukee , WI — Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veteran trust in Milwaukee VA Medical Center has risen to 94.2% — up from 90.5% in 2018 (the first year since VA

began conducting this survey). Nationwide trust in VA outpatient care has increased to 91.8% — up from 85.6% in 2018. This finding is based on a survey of Veteran patients who received VA

health care in the past 90 days. Within one week of using VA services, these Veterans were asked whether they trusted VA for their health care needs across a variety of categories –

including scheduling an appointment, health care visits, in-person pharmacy, mail-order pharmacy, labs/imaging, and Veteran safety.  This survey mirrors the findings of recent independent

studies. According to Medicare’s latest nationwide survey of patients, VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals on all 10 core patient satisfaction metrics — including overall hospital

rating, communication with doctors, communication about medication, willingness to recommend the hospital, and more. VA health care has also consistently outperformed non-VA care in 

peer-reviewed studies, overall quality ratings, and affordability for Veterans. Today, VA is delivering more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before in our nation’s history,

setting an all-time record for health care provided in 2023. As Veteran trust in VA has increased, more Veterans have also begun to choose VA care. VA has enrolled 401,006 Veterans in VA

health care over the past 365 days – 30% more than the 307,831 it enrolled the previous year. This is the highest number of enrollees in a single year in at least the past five years at VA,

and nearly a 50% increase over pandemic-level enrollment in 2020.  "It is an honor to serve America's heroes and I'm incredibly proud of the entire Zablocki team," said

Jim McLain, executive director of the Milwaukee VA. "They make a difference every day through their dedication and commitment to those who served." “We at VA work to earn the trust

of Veterans every day, in every part of the country, every time they come to us for their care,” said VA SECRETARY DENIS MCDONOUGH. “We’re proud that more than 91% of Veterans now trust VA

health care, but we still have work to do. By measuring Veteran trust, we can not only learn what we’re doing well at VA – we can also learn how to get better.”    “Delivering world-class

health care begins with trust,” said VA UNDER SECRETARY FOR HEALTH SHEREEF ELNAHAL, M.D. “Whenever a Veteran walks into a VA facility, we want them to know that we are going to take care of

them. That’s the standard to which we hold ourselves, and we’ll never settle for anything less.”  VA’s historic health care enrollment has been made possible by the bipartisan PACT Act –

signed into law by President Biden as a part of his Unity Agenda for the nation – which has allowed VA to expand VA health care and benefits to millions of Veterans. VA is also conducting

the most aggressive outreach campaign in its history, including hosting over 2,600 events since the enactment of the PACT Act, launching a $16+ million advertising campaign, using public

service announcements, and – for the first time ever – sending text messages to Veterans encouraging them to enroll in VA health care. VA is continuing these vigorous outreach efforts

throughout 2024, with more than 550 in-person events already scheduled for this year.  VA recently expanded health care eligibility for millions of Veterans nationwide, years earlier than

called for by the PACT Act. As of March 5th, all Veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military and meet certain requirements became eligible to enroll

directly in VA health care. This means that all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11 can

enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, Veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in

the United States are also eligible to enroll. VA also recently expanded health care to all World War II Veterans.  Moving forward, VA will continue to aggressively reach out to Veterans to

encourage them to come to VA. VA encourages all Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors to learn more about VA to understand how VA fits into their lives, and apply for their

world-class health care and earned benefits today. For more information about VA care, visit VA’s health care website. For more information about Veteran trust in VA, visit the VA trust

website.