NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Thanks to the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act or the PACT Act being signed into law in 2022, more Kansans than ever are able to access their Veterans benefits.
"Over a two-year period, we've seen a 33% increase VA-wide in the number of Veterans who have enrolled for VA health care," said spokesperson Jeff Herndon with the Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita. "We had over 700,000 enroll over the last two years. Locally, we've had 2,600 enroll, and it would normally take us about three and a half, almost twice as long, about three and a half years to achieve that. So Secretary McDonough early on speculated that this may be the largest expansion ever of Veterans benefits, and I think the numbers are showing that indeed it has been."
Veterans are using that care a lot.
"In FY23, we completed over 400,000 outpatient visits," Herndon said. "That's not just in the VA hospital, but also when we're coordinating visits out in the community as well, but over 400,000. We serve about 30,000 veterans a year, so that's absolutely incredible. That's 13, 14 visits per year per veteran on average."
Also available to serve Veterans are Community Based Outpatient Clinics, like the one in Hutchinson at 1625 East 30th Ave.
"Our CBOCs are fully capable of handling the increased enrollment that we've experienced," Herndon said. "We have not had any delays in care there as well, and if a veteran is out in a rural area, they don't have to come to Wichita for specialty care. If there's a provider in their area and we can get them connected through our community care service, we do that."
If you have questions about VA health care, the staff at the Hutchinson CBOC would be happy to help you. Just walk in to the clinic with your DD-214 and they'll get you taken care of.