Imagine you’re on your way to a VA Medical Center (VAMC) or other VA facility for treatment, a procedure, or regular checkup. What types of information would you want VA physicians and staff to know? You definitely want them to know what brings you in and your medical or treatment history. At the very least, you’d probably hope that upon walking in they would know your chosen name and gender.
Every patient’s preference about what information they’d like to share with VA frontline staff is unique. That’s why VA’s Office of Information and Technology and the Veterans Health Administration’s LGBTQ+ Health Program partnered to empower Veterans to designate their preferred name and gender identity on their VA.gov profile.
The feature is the latest in a series of updates to VA.gov, which serves as the central hub from which Veterans can access and provide information related to their health, benefit, memorial, and other VA services. The Office of Information and Technology and the LGBTQ+ Health Program designed the update to give Veterans the flexibility to match their VA profile to their identity as they see fit. More importantly, it ensures that VA personnel have accurate patient information up front so they can deliver the best possible care.
Your VA Profile, down the road
VA has plans to add further enhancements down the road, echoing VA Secretary Denis McDonough’s and Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer Kurt DelBene’s pledge to make VA as inclusive as possible
“This solution is part of our continuous effort to cultivate a more diverse and inclusive VA and to enhance Veteran confidence in our service providers,” said DelBene. “This is just one example of how VA is meeting President Biden’s Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government.”
VA and its Office of Information and Technology are committed to ensuring Veterans can seamlessly access the benefits and services they have earned. For more information about how the Office of Information and Technology is advancing these objectives, visit DigitalVA.
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How about acknowledging the difference between Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. I served in Iraq and my brother served in Afghanistan at the same time. Different wars, different AO’s, different threats, different types of combat. And while we’re discussing updates to the record, I was an augmentee to an Infantry BCT, but my records reflect I was an 88M (truck driver) because women didn’t/couldn’t serve in Combat Arms in 2007. I didn’t drive any “trucks” I was the senior gunner. And a Combat Engineer, but women also couldn’t be Combat Engineers yet, so I was a “Bridge Crewmember” trained in demolitions.
What is wrong with you. Have you gone off common sense.
It’s about time. I moved out of the commie state of California in April of this year. I went to the VA in Augusta GA trying to get my refills filled at the VA and I had a hell of a time getting pills ordered. I showed them all of my bottles from the Redding VA in Shasta County, CA but it was a night mare getting them. I also needed to start seeing some Drs here, I am
100% disabled have both heart and cancer, good old AG , did get to me big time. It is not fund because on state VA will not pick up the phone and call another VA. Just maybe one day the VA will do what’s right for all us Vets that are still alive, I still believe the VA would like us OLD guys would just crossover to our final resting place. One more years and I will be 80 and I sure will fight until I can no longer fight. The best thing we can do if you are having trouble is to call the VA Whitehouse Hot Line 1-800-948-2311. I have called and it helps me get things done at the VA facility I go to.
God Bless you Brother, thank you for the information!
All information period. I go and am not asked any thing. Look at the records before I come and you will know. Hopefully!!!
WOULD BE GREAT if possible. It is not. I think you know why. I will let it go at that.
So…VA covering concussion related conditions or are we still doing the cataloging into labels which only serve to refer you to another special office of the VA that will inform you of the pending status for approval of treatment expenses coverage?
Trying to fit Vets into “groups” and then providing services based upon which grouping we fit is deceitful. You are entitled to this benefit if you were at this location between this date and that date. As the VA is slowly realizing wars are not containable. Agent Orange does not just exist in the jungles of Vietnam but as we now admit that it was in many other areas even in South America and let’s face it…here in the US. What about planes coming back from Vietnam that were coated in AO and maintenance and reconstruction were done on bases right here in the US. Burn pits exist wherever the military had stuff to dispose of. Please stop making vets jump through hoops to prove that our severe illnesses were the result of 8 years of service. Use statistics. Compare their serious disease rate to the population not servicing in the military. You don’t need a battalion of lawyers to figure this out.
I have been happy with my VA health care ,just call me whats on my birth certificate,the provider always seems short on time so don’t cut more of my time by having to look up some special name or gender.Just take care of my health needs,PLEASE John
Korean Veterans forgotten I was exposed to 8 rems of radiation during Hydrogen Bomb tests Denied benefits (compensation )
Being an atomic veteran I can sympathize with you I wonder if any vets have received compensation for radiation related issues ?
Just focus on care for veterans! Don’t expend effort and resources on this topic.
What absolute bullcrap. Since when has the alleged transgendered issue become so important? If a person can’t determine their own sex then they are truly mentally beyond help. Just another example of our country being brought down by liberal ideas that make NO sense. Biden and his entire agenda SUCK. He is a Communist
Your rationale and linkage makes no sense. Your negativity is a cancer to the rest of us. I hope you find treatment.
I can’t wait to tell James about Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome or AIS. Go ahead James, look it up. I have to wonder how many women James enjoyed having sex with that had male XY chromosomes. Human nature is far more complicated than the gullible, Bible-beating morons care to know. There’s XO, XXY, XXYY, XXX and at least sixteen more possible combinations of chromosomes that can make a viable human being. The chromosomes only suggest what you could be. It’s the expression of those chromosomes (or not) and the levels of hormones during fetal and early childhood development that make you what you are. A lot of people are in between (partial AIS for example) and they are going to be that way, regardless of what James Wix chooses to believe.
the new sign in for travel pay is very confusing.
I consistently read reports of how the VA is helping Post 911 vets, Wounded Warriors. I wouldn’t know of that care, I am just a service connected 100% disabled vet. So what about us other veterans. The VA has made it more difficult to get care, not easier. Community Care has become a joke. The VA has made veterans jump through hoops just to get medical care. And now this report of being able to put in our profile of our sexual preference. It’s preposterous! The VA needs to focus on Community Care and improving it.
I am curious as to how the LGBT population desiring equal spousal benefits sign up. My husband died in 2018 after we were together for ten years but married for just three months. Do the LGBT COMMUNITY SIGNING UP FOR SPOUSAL BENEFITS NEED PROOVE THEY’ve
Been together married for minimum of one year?
Your lgbtabcd bullsht puts a majority of people off. quit pushing this agenda you do more harm than good.
The 1% is leading the 99% along with a bull ring in their nose. Our appointed and elected officials neet to grow some testicals and quit bowing down to a minute part of the population.
I HATE to receive communications from the VA that praise Biden for his great job. Please keep politics out of the VA.
I’m glad to see VA is in the beginnings of making changes to veterans records that are so personal. I say beginnings because there is so much confusion, as is the norm, with anything new, out of the ordinary, confusing, difficult to comprehend or control. Misunderstanding and fear of change seems to bring out the worst in some folks, but that is the nature of the beast. Overall, I’d say kudos for taking up the challenges that are this subject. There are so many others. I guess, as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Wow, way to go VA! So if I say that I identify as a goat, will you provide me veterinary care? I’m glad you’re focusing on woke issues rather than fixing the VA Medical Centers. My VAMC has a groundhog living under a sidewalk because maintenance budgets are so tight. The hallways look like they were last decorated during the Siege of Khe Sanh. But glad we got to this first.
Since you asked what we like to be called, my race is “White.” You lowercase “white” but uppercase “Black.” Either make it “White” and “Black” or “white” and “black.” We are all equal–we are brothers-in-arms. Knock off this woke, racist garbage.
That is part of the problem we try to forget the pass and create a new improve pass. We should see it for what was and deal with our pass. Because we will always be conflicted with Black and White (Woke). In the armed forces we always had each other back.
But can I self identify as an AH-64 Apache?
How about focusing on training VA personnel that women are veterans too?
A video describing the new check-in system would be helpful
God decided my sex, My parents decided my name. My english teachers identified the pronouns. I acknowledge God’s decision, my parents’ wisdom, and my teachers’ common sense.
AMEN
Golf clap for you.
You don’t understand the medical science behind “alternative” sexual identities, and I don’t imagine you’d care to understand. I didn’t understand for a long time until I spoke with gay, lesbian and transgender people over the years. That prompted me to educate myself a little about it. You might be a better human if you put in just a small bit of effort to understand your fellow humans. Even just accepting them without understanding is better than nothing.
And by the way, “English” should be capitalized. If your esteemed mentors taught you differently then maybe they’re not so worthy of your praise.
Opinionated and/or bigoted, much? As a trans-woman who’s also a 20+ year retired USAF O-5, I’d love to feel like there was a bit more neutrality or at least a little bit of acceptance of your fellow LGBTQ veteran brothers and sisters. You do you, Richard. Thank you for your service, anyway!
USAF SSgt ’86-’94. I transitioned MtF in 1999. I was paying out of pocket for about 17 years. I am semi-retired now and my income has dropped. I looked into getting HRT from the VA but it’s like trying to get Trump voters to think critically. It’s nearly impossible.
Amen Richard!
Amen, well done.
AMEN BROTHER!
We care about our comp & pension claims getting processed faster and accurate. This is a small fry , focus on the important things.