Del. James Moylan is seeking the relocation of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ regional office in Manila to Guam, citing Guam’s strategic location for the U.S. military, the approaching expiration of the authority to maintain the Philippine office, the administration’s “America First” initiative, and the potential to better serve the needs of veterans across the Asia-Pacific region.
Moylan wrote an April 29 letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins, urging him to use his authority to relocate the regional office to Guam.
Guam, he said, could accommodate the 176 VA personnel currently working in Manila.
“Guam has always been ready to answer the call of duty,” he wrote. “Along with the Government of Guam, we are prepared to provide the necessary resources to ensure the successful relocation of the regional office. I urge you to make this a reality for my fellow veterans.”
Guam’s nonvoting delegate to Congress also said the relocation would significantly improve the efficiency of claims processing for veterans across the Pacific region, including those living in the Philippines, Japan and the Freely Associated States, FAS.
FAS includes Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia’s Pohnpei, Yap, Chuuk and Kosrae.
“This move will provide immediate and substantive relief, dismantling longstanding barriers to essential VA services and ensuring that our veterans receive the support they rightfully deserve,” Moylan wrote in his one-page letter.
A May 2024 report from the investigative arm of Congress confirmed what many in the region have known all along — that care for military veterans is inadequate and that the veteran population estimates are low for Guam, other territories, and the FAS.
“The significant and persistent challenges that veterans in Guam, the CNMI and the Freely Associated States encounter in accessing VA health care — brought to light by the May 2024 Government Accountability Office report — reinforce the urgent need to relocate the regional office to better serve these populations,” Moylan added.
(5) comments
As a veteran who has been involved with the Guam VA for a couple of years before retirement.. I found out that although there are some good people who worked with the VA Guam when I was there, but for the most part, some of the people at the VBA just are there to draw a paycheck.. I found it faster on processing claims in the Philippines than it is here on Guam where 90% of the locally processed claims are denied by the regional rating office ( which is located in Hawaii) no matter how much medical evidence you put in to accompany your claim..
So this "suggested relocation of the Manila VA office" to Guam is about as smart as a burnt out bulb.. Why cut off the veterans who decided to live out of the country and have to coordinate with Guam VA for necessary medical treatment.. Philippines has the FMP program to supplement the veterans clinic there and it is faster to get treatment locally than it is to rely on community care here on guam with the constant lack of specialist and providers who will take veterans
Moylan is all in on fascist "America First" agenda.
Once again Moylan is deflecting from the concerns and hard questions veterans of Guam have been asking him ever since he was elected. I'm sure moving the PI veteran office to Guam is something he could easily sell to his MAGA overlords who would see it as cutting costs that take away from our veterans. Delegate Moylan, your island and it's people need you more than ever...you and all of our elected officials are failing.
Guams greed and failures does not constitute relocating a va successful office in the Philippines to guam.
why there are several thousand Vets living in the Philippines, they need their service there as we need it here. Like asking the vets in Guam to go to Hawaii
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