Heinrich Chairs First MILCON, VA Subcommittee Hearing On VA Telehealth Program

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) opened his first hearing as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. 

The hearing titled, “VA Telehealth Program: Leveraging Recent Investments to Build Future Capacity,” focused on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) long-term vision for integrating telehealth into the way the VA provides healthcare to veterans, and how the VA will leverage investments from Congress in this area.

VIDEO: Heinrich Chairs First MILCON, VA Subcommittee Hearing On VA Telehealth Program [HD DOWNLOAD LINK HERE]

Senator Heinrich’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below.

Good afternoon, everyone.

This hearing of the Military Construction Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies appropriations subcommittee is now called to order.

I would like to start by saying it is an honor to serve as Chairman of this subcommittee.

And I would like to thank Ranking Member Boozman for your leadership on this subcommittee.

I look forward to working with you on a bipartisan basis to deliver for our nation’s veterans and their families.

I am proud to have several veterans in my family and to serve a state with one of the highest rates of military volunteerism in the nation.

Veterans deserve more than just words of gratitude for their sacrifice when they return home.

They deserve the quality care and benefits they earned.

In my chairmanship, I will be especially focused on ensuring a robust COVID-19 vaccination program through the entire VA system and providing better health care and housing assistance for veterans experiencing homelessness. 

I am also committed to improving the telehealth services that so many rural veterans in New Mexico rely upon to receive critical care.

I’d like to thank our witnesses for participating in today’s hearing that will address VA’s telehealth program – Dr. Lieberman, Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Health, Dr. Galpin, the Executive Director for Telehealth, and Mr. Galvin, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Information Technology.

We appreciate your participation today.

Some logistical items up front – As this is a hybrid hearing, Senators participating virtually should mute their microphones when they are not under recognition for the purposes of eliminating inadvertent background noise. 

When we get to the question portion of the hearing, we will use the standard five-minute rounds.

Senators will be recognized in seniority order.

VA has been expanding utilization of telehealth programs over the past several years, though as we saw across the country, the COVID pandemic led to a significant increase in patients seeking access to care through online platforms.

I am glad that VA was well positioned to provide this service to veterans who needed access to their providers, and has effectively responded to an increase of over one million patients engaged by telehealth since FY2018. 

In New Mexico alone, the number of veterans connected to VA by telehealth has tripled in that time.

Part of the reason VA was able to do this so quickly was due to the work of this Committee in producing the CARES Act, providing VA with resources to purchase devices for use by veterans and providers, to expand services, and to enter into partnerships with telecom providers to give access to additional veterans.

The funding in the CARES Act, the continued funding in the American Rescue Plan, and the increases provided by Congress over the last several years have demonstrated significant interest, and investment, in this treatment modality.

Despite funding increases of nearly 165% since FY2019, however, barriers to accessing telehealth remain.

Unfortunately, it is often the same veterans who already face barriers to receiving in-person healthcare who also have issues accessing telehealth services. 

I want us to discuss these gaps and how we can work to keep America's promise to all of our returning service members and their families.

As VA continues to utilize resources provided to expand telehealth capacity and bridge the digital divide, we must be absolutely sure that these resources are going where they are most needed. 

That means highly rural and remote veterans, including those in Indian Country.

That means veterans who face other barriers to getting the care they need in person.

We also need VA to do everything they can to enable those veterans to utilize the technology available to them – including digital literacy training and other support as needed. Broadband access remains an issue in many areas of this country, including many communities in New Mexico.

While VA is in some cases stepping up to provide devices with cell service and a data package to veterans, in many cases, that just isn’t enough to overcome widespread lack of access to broadband infrastructure in rural and Tribal communities.

VA cannot solve the country’s challenges with broadband, but in order to care for all of the veterans they are charged to serve, VA has a responsibility to engage with federal agencies and other partners in support of the effort to bring broadband connectivity to every American.

As the country continues to get the pandemic under control, clinics and healthcare facilities across the country will reopen further, and we are already seeing that people are feeling more comfortable seeking in-person care. 

VA will, and should, prioritize treating veterans who have delayed care during the pandemic, and much of that will be done in-person.

At the same time, VA must not scale back on efforts to expand telehealth initiatives.

While many veterans may no longer have a need or preference for in-home access when the pandemic ends, there are also veterans who still will not have the same ability to access VA in-person, or using telehealth. 

VA should redirect its focus to veterans who may need it more than most.

I look forward to hearing about the department’s long-term vision for integrating telehealth into the way VA provides healthcare to veterans, and how VA will leverage the investments that Congress has made in this area.