Today, many Veterans are turning to access care from the Veterans Administration https://www.va.gov. However, for Veterans living in rural areas especially veterans without broadband, connecting to VA telehealth services may be very difficult.
The VA now provides Digital Divide Consults to help Veterans talk to a VA social worker to help determine their eligibility for programs and to help Veterans get internet service in order to use VA telehealth.
In addition, Veterans through the FCC’s Lifeline Program are able to obtain subsidies related to the cost for their home broadband and phone service. Many Veterans are eligible for Lifeline benefits.
To help obtain broadband, the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program is in place to expand broadband discounts and eligibility as part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the Lifeline and EBB programs are included in the Digital Divide Consult Program.
Veterans also receive assistance through the Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations (ATLAS) which brings telehealth care into Veterans’ communities by providing private spaces for Veterans to have video appointments with their VA providers.
The VA has teamed up with public and private organizations, including The American Legion, Philips North America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Walmart to create ATLAS sites in select communities.
Also, to further help, Veterans, can subscribe to AT&T SafeLink by TracFone, T-Mobile, and Verizon. This helps Veteran subscribers avoid data charges when using VA Video Connect on their networks and helps Veterans access their VA care team through telehealth without the worry concerning data fees.
In another effort to help Veterans, the VA has launched the Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS) program to bring specialty eye care services to veterans in underserved areas. This telehealth initiative places eye technicians in VA clinics in rural areas to conduct screenings where results are then sent to VA eye care providers for diagnosis and follow-up care.
One VA Medical Center in Cheyenne Wyoming, has launched a pilot program to expand mobile eye care access to even more underserved veterans living in rural areas.
The program launched in 2015 is called the Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS) program to bring specialty eye care services to underserved Veterans. This telehealth initiative places eye technicians in VA clinics in rural areas to conduct screenings. Then the results are sent to VA eye care providers for diagnosis and follow-up care.
Since the inception of TECS, there are now 40 TECS sites across the country. However, the Cheyenne VA’s outpatient clinics are too small and far apart to include full TECS clinics at each site, so the team came up with the idea to put TECS equipment in a van.
In October 2020, COVID-19 cases spiked in Wyoming which meant that the pilot program’s launch had to be delayed due to restrictions related to COVID-19. However, in May 2021, the VA’s only TECS van traveled to examine the first patient in Wheatland, Wyoming.
Dr. Patricia Stepp, Ophthalmologist instrumental in carrying out this project through the Cheyenne VAMC Administration, envisions parking TECS vans at Veteran Service Organization locations and at other community centers.
For more information on VA telehealth, go to https://connectedcare.va.gov.