Verizon has announced plans to offer its customers who are Veterans unlimited access to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) VA Video Connect telehealth app. Veterans will be able to access the application anywhere across Verizon’s nationwide 4G LTE network, without charge.
“We’re proud to deepen our support of veterans,” says Mike Maiorana senior vice president, public sector, Verizon. “Regardless of whether they live in city centers or rural areas, veterans should be able to access the VA’s telehealth resources. As the provider of the nation’s largest 4G LTE network, with more than 450,000 square miles of coverage over the next competitor, Verizon is uniquely positioned to offer Veterans a high quality and reliable video experience.”
VA Video Connect uses smartphone or tablet cameras to let veterans talk and interact with their VA care team over a live, encrypted video stream. Accessing VA Video Connect is easy; for iOS devices, VA Video Connect is available at the Apple App Store. For all other devices, a telehealth session launches automatically after a Veteran user selects an emailed session.
VA secretary Robert Wilkie adds, “Availability to the VA’s telehealth app for streaming live video sessions between patients and health care providers is just another testament to our shared journey to fully integrated, seamless access to health care for our veterans, no matter where they live.”
In an appearance before Congress in late March, Wilkie asked for more than $1 billion in funding to increase veterans’ access to care via telehealth and mobile health tools.
