Director's Message June 7, 2024

 Through much of history, Normandy has been known for the impressionist paintings of Monet, peaceful seaside towns, and local cheeses and ciders. In 1944 those peaceful surroundings were marred by one of the bloodiest battles of modern history. At great cost, we won the day. Allied forces would go on to liberate France and go from camp to camp freeing Jews who had been imprisoned. The cause was noble, and the victory was meaningful. Yet, let us take a moment to give thanks and to pay our respects to the many good service members who were lost that day. All of us who made it home should carry in our hearts the memories of those who paid the ultimate price for freedom and liberty.

Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) Program

VA understands how stressful it can be to face the possibility of foreclosure, and we are committed to doing everything possible to help Veterans and their families stay in their homes. That’s why, on May 29, 2024, VA strongly encouraged mortgage servicers to implement a targeted foreclosure moratorium of VA-guaranteed home loans through December 31, 2024. This new targeted moratorium will give Veterans and their families more time to explore all home retention options. When a Veteran experiences financial hardship, VA has several options to help Veterans stay in their homes. VA’s home retention options include: 
• Forbearance Agreements 
• Repayment Plans 
• Loan Modifications 

• Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase VASP is expected to assist approximately over 40,000 Veterans, specifically assisting Veterans most at risk of foreclosure, offering a crucial safety net.

GI Bill Account Consolidation

As part of our Digital GI Bill Modernization initiative, which started on April 20th, VA will no longer send Veterans’ or family members’ benefits payments to more than one bank account. We’re making this change to help protect Vets and families from fraud and ensure that we’re able to pay Veterans on time, every time, without error. This will require all Veterans and beneficiaries who receive GI Bill payments and other benefit payments across multiple banking accounts to select one account. 

Currently, there remain approximately 9,800 Post-9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries who did not consolidate their bank accounts by April 20th. Although the deadline has passed, VA continues to encourage and remind beneficiaries they can always change their VA direct deposit information or see where these monies will be deposited by logging into VA.gov. 

Those with questions concerning VA education benefits payments should contact us online at ask.va.gov or call our Education Call Center at 888-442-4551. On May 24, 2024, VA notified impacted beneficiaries and other partners that payments will continue to be made to the account originally associated with their VA education benefit until July 1, 2024. Importantly—no Veteran will miss a benefits payment of any type, even if they do not switch their accounts by the deadline. VA will consolidate them on their behalf, electing their non-education benefit pay account as their primary bank account.

Thoughts from Chaplain Jewel Davis 

Life is happening. The busyness of trying to keep up and stay afloat in a world of global, national, local, and personal current events, or should I say, concurrent events, not only demands, but also spotlights astounding dexterity, focus, and the ability to multitask.

Many of us may be pursuing professional endeavors and advanced academics while maintaining a household; we may be partnering in relationships, raising a family, caring for loved ones, or going solo. We may be carving out time for leisure or recreational activities, adventures, or even planning for that long-awaited vacation. Additionally, we may be engaging in other self-defined practices that promote personal enrichment. 

Nonetheless, life is happening all at once and we’re trying to balance our personalized current events that don’t quite make the headlines. For Veterans and service members reintegrating into civilian life, current events for them may essentially be the challenges of juggling transition and adjustments. As they adapt to new environments, Veterans are also re-adapting to their lifestyles, their family systems, social systems, and routines. They’re leveraging transferrable skills to enter civilian workforces where they possibly hope to establish rapport and develop new work relationships. They may be working within their communities to build up their social networks or have perhaps returned to school to receive to additional training and education. Some Veterans, however, may be doing all this and more, while confronting medical crises that have created distinct challenges and unique ways of being. Yet, Veterans’ persistent evolution highlights their skillfulness in multitasking steadily revolving and competing events of transition, adaptability, and transformation.

As we, civilian and Veteran VAPIHCS employees are doing our best to manage our own current events, and as we care for military personnel who also have competing priorities in their transition and adjustments to civilian life, may we celebrate our productivity and progress, but also be intentional about self-care, pause and rest. May we factor in time for refresh and renewal, for recharge and rejuvenation. Because life is certainly happening and requires vigor and vitality to keep up and maintain stamina.

Thank you for caring for our Veterans.  Please remember to also take care of yourselves and each other.

Blessings and Mahalo.

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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