Matthew Nelson
AT&T has entered into an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer free video conferencing services to veterans to help them connect with their health care providers through smartphones, computers or tablets.
VA Video Connect users who are subscribed to AT&T’s cellular network will not incur any data charges as part of the agreement, the department said Monday.
The partnership is a part of the Anywhere to Anywhere program, a VA initiative that aims to enable health care providers to deliver care through telehealth technology across state lines.
"VA and AT&T are working together to ensure health care continues to be accessible and convenient for Veterans regardless of where they live," said Robert Wilkie, the VA secretary and a 2019 Wash100 winner.
Aside from AT&T, the department also partnered with TracFone, T-Mobile and Verizon for the free video conferencing effort.
VA noted that veterans booked over 3.8M video telehealth appointments in fiscal year 2020, which marks an increase of over 1,200 percent from FY 2019's figures.
