Director's Message August 11, 2023
VAPIHCS Veterans, As we continue to monitor the devastating fires in Maui, know that we stand to support our Maui ohana and anyone needing assistance during this stressful time. Our thoughts are with our Veterans, our staff, and their families and communities in Maui.
Please take care of yourself and each other. VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) is grateful for the outpouring of support that we have seen, and we appreciate every kind word, gift of your time, and monetary support to assist Veterans effected by this terrible crisis.
Mahalo to everyone who is sending their Aloha, and asking how you can help: donations or offers for assistance should go through the Center for Development and Civil Engagement (CDCE). Please contact Monetary donations may also be accepted online at the link below. Please contact Schoen.Safotu@va.gov, Center for Development and Civil Engagement (CDCE) for more information.
Please follow the instructions below to donate online to our Maui Veterans:
- Donate online | Veteran Affairs
- Under “State”, use the dropdown menu to select “Hawaii”
- Under “Facility”, select VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (459)
- Hit “Submit”
- Proceed to “Complete Agency Form”, and enter the required information, the donation amount, and specify in “Donor Intent” that this is for “Maui Veterans disaster donation”
Hawaii Wildfires: Veteran Disaster Resources https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVA/bulletins/36a098d
Sending our Aloha to our Veterans and their families in Maui.
PACT Act Legislation
VAPIHCS continues to support the enrollment of Veterans under the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act toxic exposure legislation. VA has said that the deadline to get in your intent to file has been extended to 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, August 14, 2023. This extension is due to an overabundance of caution on the part of VA due to some issues that occurred with the website. Remember this is just to file in time for back-dated benefits. You can still fill out an intent to file and enroll under the PACT Act any time after August 14, 2023.
Our next event will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 31, 2023, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on September 1, 2023 at the Oahu Veteran Center, located at 1298 Kukila Street, Honolulu, HI 96818. This will be a wonderful opportunity to speak directly with VA experts in your community about toxic exposure and enrollment under the PACT Act.
If you would like to learn more about the PACT Act right now, you may call us at 1-800-214-1306. If you select option 8, you can speak to the National PACT Act help center and ask any questions you may have. If you select option 4, you can speak to the VAPIHCS eligibility enrollment team and enroll over the phone with us. You may also file a PACT Act claim online as long as you have one of the following third-party identification services: Login.gov, ID.me, DS Login, or a Premium My HealtheVet account. We have held more than 20 events so far throughout the Pacific Islands to enroll Veterans under the PACT Act in-person, and we will continue to hold these enrollment events. You can follow us on Facebook or check our website to find out about events happening near you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.
Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles
The great Niagara Falls attracts millions of visitors from around the world to witness a stunning display of nature’s power. Over 750,000 gallons of water flow over the Niagara Falls every second!
But the engineers back in 1847 had a challenge. They were tasked with building a bridge over the river to connect the boarders of the United States and Canada.
How could they connect the two lands that were split by the tumultuous Niagara River below them? There were no helicopters to fly supplies over from one side to the other, and trying to swim or sail across would be impractical considering the dangerously raging, turbulent flow of water below. Finally, a local ironworker came up with a unique idea. He thought, if only a kite could be flown over from one side of the river gorge to the other, then they could get materials across. They held a kite flying contest, and on January 31, 1848, a young boy named Homan Walsh, just 16 years old, was able to fly his kite over the 80-foot-wide chasm, connecting the two boarders with a kite’s string. Then to the kite’s string, they attached a rope, and to the rope, they pulled a cable across, and so on, and eventually, they were able to build a surface strong enough for them to build Niagara’s first suspension bridge. Who would’ve thought that a little boy’s string would be strong enough to bridge two nations!
It’s tempting to underestimate the value of small beginnings. Perhaps as you contemplate the goals of your service, it can feel as though the initial steps that you’re taking towards accomplishing your goals can feel as small and as insignificant as the boy flying a kite over a mighty river. But had this young boy never started with the little he had; the rest of the bridge could have never been built. Sometimes a small start can be the most essential step, because without it, the rest of the process would never follow.
One Team, One Ohana!
Adam M. Robinson, Jr., MD, MBA, CPE
Director, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System
VADM, MC, USN, (RET)
36th Surgeon General, USN
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