WASHINGTON, D.C. — Robert Wilkie, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, did not mince words at a House hearing on Thursday.

“We are fighting a war that very few people in America would’ve predicted just a few months ago,” he said.

Of the nation’s 9.2 million veterans in the VA system, Wilkie said 11,500 have tested positive for the coronavirus, and over 1,200 have died, including 31 VA staffers.

The latest data from Ohio’s five VA medical centers reports over 400 confirmed cases and at least 36 deaths.

While Wilkie claimed the VA is stocked with at least two weeks worth of personal protective equipment, Ohio lawmakers told me that’s not the case in at least one facility.

“I have a VA hospital in Chillicothe in my district, and they’ve had some issues with personal protective equipment,” Representative Steve Stivers (R, 15th Congressional District) said in an interview over Skype earlier this week.

Stivers, who is a member of the Ohio Army National Guard, added that he’s “heard from some veterans that they haven’t had access to coronavirus testing the way they would like, so we got a little more work to do there.”

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who sits on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, echoed Stivers.

“I spoke with the director of the Chillicothe VA just an hour ago,” Brown said in a video conference interview on Thursday. “They’re not particularly overwhelmed, but they know they need more help from Washington, and we’ve got to get them that help.”

Rep. Tim Ryan (D, 13th Congressional District) serves on the House subcommittee that held Thursday’s hearing.

He asked about the many older veterans who have lost access to their local VA because offices have been closed, and they may not be able to access or feel comfortable using technology.

“What is the process you guys are going to put in place to reengage a lot of these vets who — we may not be connected with them right now?” Ryan asked the officials testifying.

The undersecretary for benefits said a three-step process will be followed to start working with the least at-risk veterans and then progress.

“We’re working closely with the states and counties as they reopen, because, as you know, they can serve veterans too,” Dr. Paul Lawrence said.

Lawrence also mentioned the phone number 1-800-827-1000, which veterans staying home could call if they need help accessing their benefits or other services.

Wilkie said he was encouraged by the increased use of telehealth services during the pandemic. He said the VA went from conducting around 40,000 tele-mental health visits per month to, now, over 900,000 per month.

The consensus from Ohio lawmakers is the VA is doing the best it can in a tough situation, as Rep. Bill Johnson (R, 6th Congressional District) told me.

“You have your typical, ‘Hey, I’ve been waiting forever for my disability claim appeal’ and those kinds of things, but I haven’t heard any real serious problems with the VA in my district,” Johnson, who is an Air Force veteran, said in an interview on Thursday.

Ryan mentioned during the hearing that “America Works” in Youngstown has made an agreement with the VA to 3D print some PPE.

Ryan told Wilkie he hopes a formalized plan can be worked out as soon as possible, before a second wave of the virus hits.