Substantial reform needed to fix VA medical system, provide better veteran care
Speaking to a Veterans of Foreign Wars conference last month, President Barack Obama touted the progress being made at the Department of Veterans Affairs to alleviate lengthy wait times for those seeking health care at a VA facility.
But he expressed dissatisfaction that the problem had not yet been resolved, that veterans were still waiting too long to see a health professional and that more should be done to care for those who serve in the nation's defense.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine left a recent visit to the Hampton VA Medical Center expressing similar sentiments about the progress being made locally. The facility, which just months ago ranked among the worst in the country for wait times, has made dramatic improvements. But there is much left to do.
It is outrageous that veterans were languishing, even dying, while waiting to receive care in a system designed specifically to serve them and cater to their needs. Those who serve in the armed forces deserve far better than they were getting, and it is reassuring to see action taken on their behalf.
However, the changes instituted in the wake of that scandal did not go far enough. They do not address the fundamental problem of overreach in the DNA of the VA, and we hope Congress and the president seek more comprehensive reform in order to address it.
The health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs is handling a greater volume of patients than ever before.
Enrollment has risen to more than 8.5 million, swollen by the hundreds of thousands of men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Obama administration also belatedly opened the doors to more veterans from other wars, including those who suffered the effects of Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam.
Last year, it was revealed that an overstretched VA was failing short in its mission to provide care to these veterans. There were lengthy waits for general care appointments and long delays for specialty treatments. These varied by facility and need, but it was discovered that some VA employees falsified records in order to conceal such woeful performance.
At the Hampton VA Medical Center, which serves more than 40,000 veterans throughout the region, wait times were among the worst in the nation. In April, the facility had the fourth-highest percentage of patients waiting more than 30 days to see a doctor. That's abysmal.
As is always the case in Washington, outrage was expressed and pledges to help were made. The secretary of Veterans Affairs was replaced and the new head, Robert McDonald, worked with the White House and Congress to implement a plan to alleviate strain on the system.
That meant giving the VA more money to hire doctors and expanding a program to let veterans who lived far from VA centers see private doctors for routine care, thus reducing demand. It's a plan that has seemed to work, with wait times down across the board.
However, the permanent solution to the VA mess will require a little more creative thinking.
Why are veterans with routine medical needs being sent to VA hospitals? Would it not be more cost effective for the government to subsidize routing health care through our existing civilian health system? That's better than paying government doctors, who are too few in number, and would allow the VA to concentrate on specialized maladies related to serving in our nation's wars, including the physical and mental trauma some veterans endure.
That is where the VA's understanding of veterans' needs can do the most good. A more focused approach should enable it to better serve the unique needs of the men and women who bravely served our country.
In February, the Concerned Veterans of America released a study proposing this and other innovative ideas to fix the VA medical system. That report deserved better than the tepid reception it received in Washington, and we would hope that lawmakers give it due consideration as it points a promising way forward. Alas, politicians seem reluctant to tinker with the status quo and with entrenched bureaucracies.
We owe our veterans a serious consideration of options to ensure the VA can provide excellent care to the veterans of our armed forces for decades to come.
