VA provided record levels of benefits in 2023
- The Department of Veterans Affairs provided record benefits in 2023
- The VA credited the record levels of service to the PACT Act
- Benefits included health care, life insurance and burials
The US Department of Veterans Affairs building is seen in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2019. (Photo by Alastair Pike / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it provided more care and benefits than ever in fiscal year 2023.
The VA provided more than 116 million health care appointments, $163 billion in earned benefits, and processed more than 1.9 million veteran and survivor claims. The agency also processed more than 100,000 appeals.
“As Americans, it’s our sacred obligation to serve Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors — just like they’ve served us,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
The VA also touted an outreach campaign that led to more than two million claims applications and over two million intent-to-file notices.
The agency also reported providing assistance to more than 74,000 veteran family caregivers and provided 5.5 million dental procedures to veterans.
The Veterans Crisis Line reported more than a million calls, texts and chat messages and provided more than 33,000 veterans in acute suicidal crisis with emergency health care.
The VA also reported a record in life insurance overage, with $1.5 trillion in coverage given to 5.6 million policyholders. The agency also screened more than four million veterans for toxic exposure and buried 5.4 million people in VA national cemeteries, including 4.1 million veterans.
The agency also noted nearly 10 million individual pages are now in the Veterans Legacy Memorial, a digital platform memorializing veterans and service members.
The agency credited the amount of service to the Biden administration’s PACT Act, which expanded health care and benefits.