Thousands of veterans who lost their jobs, paid medical bills and dealt with other hardships as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will be eligible for financial assistance and other benefits under the country’s $1.9 trillion federal relief package.
The American Rescue Plan, an economic relief package President Joe Biden signed into law in March, allocates money for direct payments to individuals, aid to state and local governments, and a range of other efforts to help those who have suffered from the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19.
About $17 billion of those funds is earmarked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide economic relief and health care services to veterans.
“Like other hardworking Americans, veterans have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic,” said VA San Diego Director Robert M. Smith. “Countless veterans have lost jobs, closed businesses, homeschooled children and faced uncertain prospects while our nation has grappled with this health crisis.”
San Diego’s veteran population is estimated at nearly 260,000. The VA San Diego Healthcare System serves about 84,500 veterans in San Diego and Imperial counties.
Standing outside the VA hospital in La Jolla on Wednesday alongside Mayor Todd Gloria, Rep. Mike Levin and veterans advocates, Smith said the American Rescue Plan allows the VA to continue caring for those who served the nation and to help them recover from the pandemic.
As of Wednesday morning, the hospital has zero patients with COVID-19, and 60 percent of the veterans the VA serves have been vaccinated, Smith said.
Levin said that although it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel, many are still struggling.
“We’ve got to do everything possible to help our veterans in need,” Levin said. “No veteran should be without a place to live, a good job or enough to eat.”
The American Rescue Plan sets aside about $14.5 billion for COVID-19 related health care for veterans, such as suicide prevention, women’s health services, telehealth expansion and medical facility improvements.
That money also will be used to provide resources for veterans receiving housing support — about 940 veterans in San Diego are homeless, according to the 2020 annual count by San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless.
Akilah Templeton, president and CEO of Veterans Village of San Diego, said the bill makes it possible for veterans to hold onto their homes and get their lives back on track.
“We don’t want to see people barely scraping by; we need to move people and families and our veterans beyond the at-risk category,” said Templeton.
The relief package allows up to $4 billion in spending for the Veterans Community Care Program, which allows veterans to seek health care through a community provider.
It allocates $1 billion to forgive the debt of veterans or reimburse veterans who made copayments or other cost-sharing payments for VA health care and prescriptions from April 6, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
It includes $386 million for the COVID-19 Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program. The program provides up to 12 months of training and employment assistance for unemployed veterans and sets aside a housing allowance for those who enroll, Levin said.
Levin said veterans’ unemployment rate nationwide grew from a record low of 3 percent before the pandemic to 11 percent during the pandemic. Now it’s about 5 percent, he said.
“We have a way to get our veterans back to full employment,” he said.
The program is currently accepting applications. Veterans can apply online at www.va.gov.
Also in the American Rescue Act is $750 million for construction grants and payments to State Veterans Homes, about $80 million for a Department of Veterans Affairs employee leave fund for paid leave related to COVID-19, and $372 million for efforts to reduce the backlog of benefits claims, resolve VA appeals and modernize VA systems.