VA delivers record care and benefits to Nebraska and Iowa Veterans in fiscal year 2024

These outcomes for the nation’s Veterans build on continued efforts by VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration to expand and improve care and benefits for those who served, much of which has been made possible by the PACT Act — the largest expansion of VA health care and benefits in generations.

VA encourages all Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors to learn more about VA and apply for their world-class health care and earned benefits today.

“Veterans deserve the very best from VA and our nation, and we will never settle for anything less,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “We’re honored that more Veterans are getting their earned health care and benefits from VA than ever before, but make no mistake: there is still work to do.

We will continue to work each and every day to earn the trust of those we serve — and ensure that all Veterans, their families, and their survivors get the care and benefits they so rightly deserve.”

Key outcomes for Nebraska Veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors from this fiscal year include:

• Providing more world-class health care to Veterans: VA delivered more than 885,000 health care appointments to Nebraska Veterans this year, and 2,550 Nebraska Veterans enrolled in VA health care.

• Delivering more earned benefits to more Veterans: 48,258 Nebraska Veterans received compensation and 635 received pension benefits this year, representing an estimated $954,000,000 and $9,500,000 in earned benefits, respectively. Additionally, VA processed 16,654 disability benefit claims for Nebraska Veterans, with an overall grant rate of 66.7%.

• Supporting Veterans in crisis: VA provided no-cost emergency health care this year to more than 340 Nebraska Veterans in acute suicidal crises.

• Supporting a record number of survivors of Veterans: 337 Nebraska survivors received pension benefits this year, representing an estimated $3,320,000 in earned benefits. Additionally, 3,579 spouses and dependents in Nebraska received Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, representing an estimated $73,300,000 in earned benefits.

• Supporting a record number of women Veterans: 4,522 women Veterans in Nebraska received compensation, representing an estimated $109,200,000 in earned benefits. Additionally, 308 women Veterans in Nebraska enrolled in VA health care. VA now has more women Veterans enrolled in its health care system than ever before.

• Giving Veterans final resting places in VA National Cemeteries: VA interred 832 Veterans in VA’s national cemeteries in Nebraska this year.

Key outcomes for Iowa Veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors from this fiscal year include:

• Providing more world-class health care to Veterans: VA delivered more than 1,377,000 health care appointments to Iowa Veterans this year, and 3,335 Iowa Veterans enrolled in VA health care.

• Delivering more earned benefits to more Veterans: 50,593 Iowa Veterans received compensation and 1,279 received pension benefits this year, representing an estimated $1,050,000,000 and $16,600,000 in earned benefits, respectively. Additionally, VA processed 20,483 disability benefit claims for Iowa Veterans, with an overall grant rate of 65.2%.

• Supporting Veterans in crisis: VA provided no-cost emergency health care this year to more than 450 Iowa Veterans in acute suicidal crises.

• Supporting a record number of survivors of Veterans: 941 Iowa survivors received pension benefits this year, representing an estimated $8,520,000 in earned benefits. Additionally, 4,727 spouses and dependents in Iowa received Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, representing an estimated $95,300,000 in earned benefits.

• Supporting a record number of women Veterans: 4,162 women Veterans in Iowa received compensation, representing an estimated $99,100,000 in earned benefits. Additionally, 286 women Veterans in Iowa enrolled in VA health care. VA now has more women Veterans enrolled in its health care system than ever before.

• Giving Veterans final resting places in VA National Cemeteries: VA interred 53 Veterans in VA’s national cemeteries in Iowa this year.
 

Key outcomes for Nebraska & Iowa Veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors from this fiscal year include:

• Earning Veteran Trust: Nationwide, Veteran trust in VA reached 80.4% this year, an all-time record and an increase of 25% since 2016. Veteran trust in VA health care also reached 92%, another record.
 

Veterans. Key actions from this year include: expanding eligibility for VA health care to all toxic exposed Veterans years earlier than called for by the PACT Act; housing nearly 48,000 Veterans and awarding over $800 million in grants to help Veterans experiencing homelessness; expanding access to care across the nation through VA’s Access Sprints, adding night and weekend clinics, and increasing the number of
Veterans scheduled into daily clinic schedules; decreasing new appointment wait times for primary and mental health care by 11% and 7%, respectively; removing copays for the first three outpatient mental health care and substance use disorder visits of each calendar year through 2027; expanding access to VA cancer care through establishing new cancer presumptive conditions, expanding access to genetic, lung, and colorectal cancer screening, and expanding the Close to Me cancer care program; expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) for eligible unmarried Veterans and eligible Veterans in same-sex marriages; calling for the implementation of a targeted moratorium on foreclosures for Veterans with VA-guaranteed loans through 2024; expanding access to VA care and benefits for some former service members discharged under other than honorable conditions; launching tele-emergency care for Veterans nationwide; and launching VSAFE.gov, a new government-wide website and associated call center to protect Veterans from fraud and scams.

Moving forward, VA will continue to aggressively reach out to and engage Veterans to encourage them to come to VA for the care and benefits they have earned.

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Jeff Gates, Deputy Public Affairs Officer

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