New Orleans Veterans Medical Center

09/26/2025

The Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System would like to welcome you to our Hispanic Heritage Month Observance.

09/19/2025

08/29/2025

From Paul Lawrence, VA Deputy Secretary

On the Road: New Orleans, LA

I spent time in New Orleans last week meeting with and VA staff.

At the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) National Conference, I listened as Vietnam Veterans shared their stories, their concerns, and their hopes for how VA can continue to meet their needs.

I also said the words too many of them waited far too long to hear: Welcome home.

I was honored to meet with Gold Star Children, who lost loved ones, generally fathers, in service during Vietnam.

Their courage and sacrifice remind us of the solemn responsibility VA carries to uphold the trust of Veterans and their families.

While in New Orleans, I also visited the VA Medical Center and met with clinicians and leaders to discuss the EHRM program and how it will help deliver better, safer, and more coordinated care for Veterans.

08/20/2025

Thank you, Senator (Dr.) Bill Cassidy, for chairing a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Field Hearing in New Orleans, LA last week. The standing-room-only hearing’s title was “Breaking Barriers: Improving Mental Health Care in Louisiana.” A key point of discussion was how can Veterans access services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

To access Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services, veterans can visit the VA.gov website, use the VA: Health and Benefits mobile app, or contact their local VA medical center. Many services, like managing health appointments, refilling prescriptions, and messaging with providers, are available online through VA.gov.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

1. Online Access via VA.gov:
• Sign in:
o You'll need a Login.gov or ID.me account to access many online services. If you don't have one, you can create one.
• Manage health care:
o Use the My HealtheVet portal on VA.gov to manage appointments, message your providers, order prescription refills, and access medical records.
• Find forms:
o VA.gov offers access to a wide range of forms for various benefits and services.
• Access other services:
o You can also find information and access other services like education benefits, compensation and pension information, and more.

2. Contacting Your Local VA Medical Center:
• For registration, appointments, and specific services not available online, contact your local VA medical center directly.
• You can find contact information for your local facility on VA.gov or by using the search function on the Access to Care site.

3. Mobile App:
• The VA: Health and Benefits mobile app provides access to many of the same features as VA.gov, including health care management and messaging with providers.

4. Other Resources:
• Veterans Crisis Line:
o If you are a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, you can call 988 then press 1, text 838255, or use the online chat feature.
• Military OneSource:
o For resources for service members and transitioning service members, visit the Department of Defense's Military OneSource website.

08/14/2025

Veterans,

Making a travel claim has become easier and more convenient for you by using the VA Mobile App.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that eligible Veterans can now submit and track “mileage-only” travel claims directly from a smartphone or mobile device via the VA Health and Benefits mobile app at https://shorturl.at/ibvlg. The app, which has more than three million downloads, automatically identifies when a Veteran’s appointment may be eligible for mileage reimbursement and displays a prompt on the home screen. Submissions require just a few taps to confirm details.

Areas accessible by you on the app:

• Refill and track VA prescriptions.
• Review appointments.
• Review claims and appeals status.
• Submit evidence for claims and appeals.
• Review VA payment and direct deposit information.
• Locate the closest VA facilities.
• Access the Veterans Crisis Line.
• Show proof of Veteran status.

Veterans who meet certain criteria, such as having a service-connected disability rating of 30% or higher, are eligible for health care travel reimbursement if they traveled in their own vehicle from their home address to their VA medical appointment. You can copy and paste this URL https://shorturl.at/RcHYv to check your eligibility.

- a promise made, a promise kept.

08/12/2025

Veterans,

The Honorable Paul Lawrence, Deputy Secretary of the VA, visited SLVHCS Aug. 7th and 8th. The first event was during the evening of the 7th where Dep. Sec. Lawrence conducted a roundtable discussion with Veteran Service Organizations to put his finger on the pulse of what Veterans need at the facility. VSO representatives were:

• Mr. Dustin Guy, Chief of Staff, Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs
• Commander Bobby Laverne, 2nd District, Louisiana Veteran Foreign Wars (VFW), Department
• Commander Oliver Moore, American Legion Department of Louisiana
• Commander Gabriela Swanson, NOLA VFW Post 8973
• Mr. Jon Ore, NOLA VFW Service Officer
• Mr. Chris Cox, NOLA VFW Chaplain
• Dr. Johnette Hansley, VBA MOPH Representative
• Mr. Matt Voss, Marine Corps League Detachment 1027 Commandant
• Mr. Byron Comeaux, American Legion Alternate National Executive Committee
• Commander Richard Mecom, American Legion Post 16
• Dr. Kathleen Causey, 3rd Vice NOLA Chapter, National Association of Black Military Veterans and Disabled American Veterans
• Mr. Larry Jones, Catholic War Veterans
• Rev. Julius Lee, Gulf Coast Chapter, Paralyzed Veterans of America

Some of the issues discussed were:

• EHRM implementation and how it will improve care delivery.

• The importance of the Women Veteran Health Clinic.

• Fully developed claims and how it helps Veterans receive benefits faster.

• And reducing wait times for medical appointments.

The following day he had an executive briefing with our leadership and a tour of our pharmacy. The secretary mentioned how impressed he was by the commitment to Veteran care and patient safety that our teams demonstrate every day.

He also mentioned:

• How the pharmacy team proudly shared that they complete prescriptions in 15 minutes -half the national standard of 30 minutes.

• How this visit also gave him the chance to talk about the upcoming Federal EHRM system with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and frontline staff.

• How we [SLVHCS] are already looking ahead to the Federal EHRM deployment planned for a few years from now.

Later, he spoke at the Vietnam Veterans of America Convention and visited the Bastion Brain Trauma Health & Partnership Center.

It was a great visit, we got to hear straight from leadership what is on the horizon for the VA and we had an opportunity to let him know what we need here to reach that horizon.

- a promise made, a promise kept.

07/31/2025

Veterans,

I’m pleased to share with you that yesterday our Polytrauma Amputee team joined some of our Veterans for a tour of the National World War II Museum.

The Polytrauma Amputee team and our Veterans had the opportunity to recognize the sacrifices and lasting legacies of the WW II generation. We shared a great experience, and it reinforced our team’s commitment to VA’s I CARE Core Values and serving our Veterans.

The WW II Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today.

- a promise made, a promise kept.