Written by Tim Malloy
The long-awaited White House/VA Veterans’ Complaint Hotline has officially gone live.
When Donald Trump was in the midst of his presidential campaign, he promised America’s veterans that he would create a 24 hour help hotline, answered by a real person, to take down any complaint a veteran would have about their experience with the VA.
Veterans Affairs Secretary, David Shulkin, said the “soft-launch” will work towards a full operation by August.
Mr. Shulkin explained to reporters that by August 15, there will be full-time “live-answer agents” available to veteran callers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The agents will be on hand to process questions and redirect callers to appropriate parties.
Calls to the hotline will, of course, remain confidential. But callers may be asked to provide personal information depending on their type of case. VA department officials explained that the hotline will be used to improve the care for all veterans and their families across the board.
There may also be a “guest” hotline operator from time to time.
While on the campaign trail, President Trump described his future hotline as a way for veterans to have direct contact with their Commander in Chief. But he also suggested that he may just answer the phone himself occasionally. “This could keep me very busy at night, folks,” he told a crowd at a July 26th, 2016 rally. “This will take the place of Twitter.”
It remains to be seen whether the President will pick up the headset and log off of social media, but the prospect of an improved, reliable resource for distressed veterans is certainly a welcome development.
The White House/VA Veterans’ Complaint Hotline can be reached at 855-948-2311.
