VA call center overwhelmed as veterans try to get vaccinated
VA officials say veterans of all ages are calling and preventing senior veterans from getting through, though officials say they don t need appointment if eligible. Author: Vanessa Croix Updated: 6:49 PM CST January 13, 2021
SAN ANTONIO This weekend will be the second Saturday the South Texas Veterans Health Care System is holding a vaccination clinic for senior veterans.
Veterans Affairs officials said the call center and appointment line is overwhelmed with calls, and recently sent out a statement apologizing for the busy signal callers are receiving.
Christophe R. Sandles, the VA Medical Center Director and CEO, said veterans of all ages are calling, tying up the lines, and as a result preventing senior veterans from getting through.
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DHS will start the COVID-19 vaccines in eight locations, but officials hope to expand the offering nationwide.
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The Homeland Security Department has begun vaccinating its employees against COVID-19, joining five other federal agencies that have received distributions for internal use.
DHS has partnered with the Veterans Affairs Department to get the shots into employees arms, so far setting up vaccination sites at eight VA facilities. The two departments reached an agreement to use DHS’ vaccine allotment provided through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but with VA staff administering the actual shots.
VA has already received its own distribution of nearly 940,000 vaccine doses and has initiated inoculations for more than 250,000. It has so far used about one-in-four of the vaccines it has received, lagging behind the one-in-three used by the nation as a whole. A VA spokesman said it has used 340,000
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Veterans can show up or call ahead at (210) 949-9702 to schedule an appointment. Long wait times are expected at each facility. Proper identification is required in order to verify enrollment and schedule both doses (approximately 21 days apart). Veterans can find more information and sign up to receive updates on VA’s .
TPR’s Carson Frame spoke with Christopher Sandles, CEO and medical center director for the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, about vaccine distribution plans. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
CF: So far, South Texas VA has received several thousand doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Can you provide a breakdown of where those are going?
Veterans that are 75-years-old or older in San Antonio are eligible to be next in line to receive their <a href="https://www.ksat.com/topic/Coronavirus/" target= blank>COVID-19 </a>vaccine from the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.