Of the close to 16,000 veterans who call Yuma County home, about 7,000 served in the Gulf wars between 1990 and 2021.
Denis McDonough, U.S. Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs knows those numbers are only a partial count, because of the region’s popularity as a winter destination for retirees, many of them also veterans who count on VA services while they call the Yuma region home.
McDonough learned more about the cyclical nature of the veteran population of Yuma County during a tour of the Yuma VA Clinic.
McDonough tells KAWC's Arizona Edition he is proud of how the local clinic manages resources and staffing given the annual fluctuation in demand but notes he'd like to find ways for Yuma and other VA facilities to solve staffing shortages. He says programs at the VA over the last couple of years offer some lessons.
McDonough also has a specific message for Gulf War veterans about a new law that seeks to address the health effects of toxins tied to burn pits used by U.S. forces to destroy equipment, waste and trash between 1990 and 2021 in war zones.
For years, those veterans have sought to have their health conditions recognized and covered by the VA.
Secretary McDonough says he wants those veterans to apply for new coverage under the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.
McDonough talks about who is eligible and what an influx of potentially a million plus new patients could mean for wait times and claims processing at VA facilities.
