Tester: Don’t Put Veterans on Hold

As Calls Flood White House’s Veteran Hotline, Senator Demands VA Respond to Veterans

(Big Sandy, Mont.) – After the implementation of a new White House veterans’ hotline, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is calling on VA Secretary David Shulkin to ensure the VA is quickly responding to the high volume of veterans who are lodging complaints or seeking answers.

Despite the VA’s existing options for receiving complaints, President Donald Trump established an additional veterans’ hotline that has registered over 21,000 calls since its creation in June.

Tester noted that the White House is frequently routing these calls back to local VA offices, which are often understaffed and do not have the ability to address the additional casework in a timely manner.

“We need to set up a call center system that meets the expectations of veterans and their loved ones,” wrote Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, in a letter to Shulkin. “I share the desire for this hotline to be productive and effective, but I am concerned that the influx of calls will exceed the VA’s capacity to serve our veterans, and veterans deserve better.”

There are numerous VA call center numbers available to veterans who have questions about health care, benefits and other issues. That’s why Tester is calling on the VA to ensure that all complaints are prioritized and tracked to make sure they are promptly and thoroughly addressed.

Tester’s letter to Shulkin is online HERE.

Toll free numbers to contact the VA about health care, benefits and other issues is online HERE.