Singh

Mahadeo Singh

Professor Lucia

English 21002

19 May 2017

The Veteran Affairs: An Unpredictable Governmental Agency

The Department of Veteran Affairs or for short the VA, an uncontrollable perplexing

agency that seems to fail time after time. You would think the VA would be the most prestigious

governmental agency out of them all, and it was, just not anymore. Dont get me wrong the VA is

one of a kind that is there to provide for Veterans, who fight for our country. Without them, we

probably wouldnt even be here today and I wouldnt be able to inform you of this heated topic

that has taken the forefront in our current president Donald J. Trumps campaign. Overtime the

VA began to expand to include 150 hospitals, 800 community-based outpatient clinics, 126

nursing home care units and 35 domiciliaries (Patersen), there has been some injustice and

justice that have been both criticized and praised by many regarding their treatment of veterans

and their establishment and success of their programs. You may ask, why the VA and why it is

important to you and us. To that I must say, look around you. We live in a city where a number of

homeless people are on the rise. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that 39,471 veterans are

homeless on any given night. They further state that about 1.4 million other veterans are

considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty and lack of support networks with the VA

(NCHV). Have you ever looked at them, listened to them on the subway, or read their signs?

Personally, Ive seen our Veterans in need of money and food all the time, just going to school. It

is something that not only deeply affects me personally, but it also affects my community. I
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always thought veterans are treated and respected with conditional love and care provided by the

VA, but as I have discovered that is not the case. This has urged me to delve further into the VA

System, specifically the treatment of Veterans and a solution to fix the crumbling system. The VA

system is failing, which takes a toll on the way Veterans are treated and causes a loss of lives and

the only way to fix it is to come to a conclusion that will fix the system entirely.

The Veterans Health Administration Scandal of 2014 was highly talked about by the

media that shined the light on the VA and its flaws to the public. It was discovered that the staff

kept deceased veterans on waiting lists, thus delaying the process for people who are alive. By

including deceased veterans on the waiting lists and not removing them, it delayed the process of

veterans who are in dire need of help. The elaborate scheme designed by Veterans Affairs

managers in Phoenix who were trying to hide that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans were forced to

wait month to see a doctor (Bronstein). It is important to note that many veterans die due to

waiting for help, some of whom are on the waiting lists and could not get help just in time. There

have been at least 40 U.S. veterans that have died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix

Veterans Affairs Health Care System (Bronstein).

As a result of the scandal, former President Barack Obama tasked Congress with putting

together a committee called Commission on Care, to investigate the Department of Veteran

Affairs. An article Billions spent to fix VA didnt solve problems, made some issues worse, by

Curt Devine and Drew Griffin, who work for CNN Investigations, thoroughly analyzed various

reports issued by congress including the Commission on Care report regarding the issues and

problems that derive from the operations of the VA. The Commission on Care report concluded

in their detailed report that there are many profound deficiencies and require urgent reform

(Devine). Devine and Griffin concluded that the report said the system was flawed, insufficient
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staffing, inadequate facilities, antiquated IT system and inefficient use of employees. Although

the 300-page report by Commission on Care will take a time to digest with the government, the

document shows that there needs to be a dramatic change. The report does clarify one-way

veterans are treated. They must live more than 30 miles to receive money from the VA to pay

expenses. I understand that places such as a city will have access to VA hospitals, but not

everywhere is like New York City. You must look at the bigger picture. Some Veterans might live

in places that are not accessible to the nearest VA hospital or clinic center and are not allowed to

get help because they live 25 miles away.

The treatment of veterans in the VA system is none like any other if you take into

consideration the specific techniques they use to actually treat veterans. Karen McVeigh, a writer

for The Guardian wrote a report titled, US military veterans face inadequate care after returning

from war, that establishes a unique point of view from a different angle that showcases the

treatment of veterans. About half of the 2.2 million troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan

report facing difficulties upon returning home, mostly due to the failure of care from the US

department of Defense and Veteran Affairs. The tools utilized to treat Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder (PTSD) has no scientific method base. Therefore, the VA is not adequately treating

veterans with PTSD. McVeigh included that they are currently several agencies that are actively

trying to address the support of needs of current and former service members and their families.

However, due to the complexity of the large population and its requirements, it is impossible to

address all. She also includes the IOM report, an independent nonprofit organization for the

National Academy of Science who concluded that the DOD and the VA need to address the

adequacy of properly treating veterans. Furthermore, McVeigh adds, 22 veterans take their lives

a day because they had no help, due to the long waiting lists, which is horrifying.
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The main objective of the VA is to provide for veterans and make the transition to life

within society a breeze. According to an article by Gawker, Hamilton Nolan wrote a piece titled

We Want Veterans to Share True Stories of the VA, that explains a veterans personal

experience with the VA. This veteran, who remains anonymous served five years as a US Navy

Seal, specifically as an intelligence official. His experience on a day to day basis was at base

working. Although he went on the field rarely, the base was always hit by car bombs and suicide

bombers multiple times. According to him, the explosions were so large that it bounced me out

of bed (Nolan). After he returned from deployment, he was drinking heavily, eating garbage

and put on weight (Nolan). He even failed a PT test for the first time. According to this veteran,

he states that I was clearly depressed, but most of my friends were as well, so they didn't notice.

My supervisors should have (Nolan). Later, he rotated to a new command in Bahrain. The

weather there damaged his lungs and began to act up. Prior to his lung damage, years before the

Navy misdiagnosed pneumonia as a pulled back muscle and my lung collapsed, causing me to

get a chest tube (Nolan). He confessed that he wanted to kill himself because he was overweight

and depressed to his chief. The chief solution was to put him in a weight loss class. Nevertheless,

he got an honorable discharge and had to wait 10 months in San Diego just to be discharged. He

said all he had to show up to command in the morning to show them that he was alive, and he

would show up drunk and the supervisors did not do anything. He still told his supervisors that

he wanted to kill himself, but they didnt do anything. Presently, he is married and living back

home and doing better. He says that he is lucky to have strong parents and a wife to help deal

with his depression because he is still waiting for a VA doctor to examine him and approve his

disability. He states, I probably need therapy and medication, but The VA would rather kill

myself so they dont have to give me medical care (Nolan). Gawker also published other stories
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with veterans experience of the VA, some of whom were also not so nice. A woman went to the

local VA health center and she told them about her drinking and depression and they just

prescribed her a pill. A year later, after returning from combat zone, she went back and got a

diagnosis. They gave her different pills and gave her a caseworker for therapy. A month later her

caseworker got reassigned. Eight months later, she has yet to receive a therapy group assignment

and a disability claim. However, according to other veteran stories, they claim that it is what they

signed up before and to stop complaining (Nolan).

Some might say the VA is not to be blamed for the failure of care and treatment of

veterans, in fact, Harlan Krumholz, a contributor to Forbes and former VA employee, wrote an

article 3 Things To Know Before You Judge VA Health System, that showcases the inevitable

problems the VA and its systems face day to day. In the article, Krumholz basically points out the

conflicts that arise in the VA and reiterates that these problems stemmed due to various issues

that the VA could not help. He goes on to say that in 2000, the VA and its healthcare system was

better at giving patients the best treatment than any other non-VA private sector. Over the years,

problems began to arise due to the patients. The wait times increased dramatically due to the lack

of doctor appointments. Some patients even have their own preference, which results in a longer

wait time.

The reality of the problem is that the VA of the VA system not only derive from internal

factors wheatear it had to do with employee and leadership in the VA but also external factors,

such as funding. In 2016, the House Appropriations Subcommittee cut $1.4 billion from the

former President Barack Obamas requested budget. With regards to funding, Reynaldo Leal

published a piece directly for the VA. In his factual piece, How $1.4 billion in budget cuts will

impact Veterans, Leal breaks down the budget cuts and what it means to the various programs
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and departments, into a simplistic manner. It is important to note that after the 2014 VA scandal,

the VA improved their wait times by nearly 97 percent. the cut in federal funding will result in

VA medical care to be cut by $690 million, meaning 70,000 fewer veterans will receive care if

needed (Leal). There will also be less staff and delays in medical research. That means there will

be fewer doctor appointments. The VA will also see a reduction of $582 million in cuts to the

projects the VA is currently working on, which means no more outpatient clinics, in states that

desperately need it (Leal). According to the Annual Budget Submission, Presidents Trump

requested budget for the VA includes $182.3 billion for the VA in 2017. This includes $78.7

billion in discretionary resources and $103.6 billion in mandatory funding. Our discretionary

budget request represents an increase of $3.6 billion, or 4.9 percent, over the 2016 enacted

level. Again, this is just the requested budget, which still hasnt been approved yet.

Many influential people including Mr. Alford, the co-founder, President/CEO, of the

National Black Chamber of Commerce, agree with the idea that governmental treatment of

American veterans is shameful. According to his article, Our Shameful Treatment of American

Veterans, Alford states, No matter how many news articles detailing the bevy of scandals;

Congressional hearings and Inspector General Reports, it just keeps getting worse. The VA

hospitals continue to lose veterans at a detrimental rate because of waiting and waiting for

assistance that never shows up at all. Even though it is clearly shown throughout the article that

Alford does not agree with the VA system and the treatment of Veterans, he offers a solution to

put them up for sale and privatize them to hospital corporations to make it profitable for

everyone. Moreover, another article published by the Chicago Tribune called Money wont fix

what ails the VA. Heres how to revive it, gives a couple of recommendations to revive the VA.

Written by the Editorial Board of the Chicago Tribune, they suggest three goals for Congress and
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the White House to commit to. The first goal is to, allow more veterans to seek medical care

with private doctors. The more flexibility in choosing providers, the better chance that veterans

will get the excellent care they deserve (Chicago Tribune). The second goal is to downsize the

rest of the system and only focus on special care for battle-related injuries that private doctors

cant perform. The last goal the editorial staff suggested is to fire workers who resist change or

dont perform (Chicago Tribune)

President Trumps requested budget will help the VA in terms of building more clinics,

but as I have discussed earlier in my research paper, majority of the problems linger from the

rules and the care a Veteran receives. There is no doubt about it, that the budget will indeed help

many veterans to be able to gain access to the VA. However, how the Veterans are being treated

and the rules that are set in place for them to get help, are the major problems that prevent many

from getting the care they deserve. The majority of people I mentioned before such as Mr.

Alford, the co-founder, President/CEO, of the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the

Editorial Board of the Chicago Tribune primarily focuses on the economic aspect of it. Mr.

Alford just focuses on putting the VA health clinics up for sale. The editorial board of the

Chicago Tribune focuses on downsizing to help only battle-related injuries, which means saving

money and using it wisely.

While these solutions can be a great financial accomplishment, it doesnt fix the problem

of helping the veterans get the help they need. It might help them gain access to care, but again

there are rules preventing them from getting care. Instead of focusing on the economics portion

of it, its time to focus on the rules that hinder veterans from getting the help when they need it.

As I have mentioned previously, a veteran must live more than 30 miles to receive financial

assistance from the VA. Now just think about, living in NYC it might seem easy to gain access to
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the local VA center, but I am not just talking about New York City. Not everywhere else in the

United States is like a city like ours. If some veterans live just a mile under the 30-mile

requirement, they cannot get financial help. This might just be a cause of homelessness among

veterans across the country. Many cant afford the necessities of life. If a veteran needs a home

health aide, they cannot get financial help from the VA if they dont live more than 30 miles. The

rule about veterans living more than 30 miles to receive financial help should be eradicated to

offer every veteran financial help. Just think about it, if every veteran receives some sort of

financial assistance, maybe there might be a decline in homelessness across the country. Thus,

saving each state money when it comes to helping to combat homelessness. If Presidents Trump

requested budget is approved, it should allow for more doctor appointment availability, not to

mention more clinics all over the country. Regarding the leadership in the VA system, the

officials should be replaced with more professional and antiquated personnel familiar with

Veterans. Furthermore, all doctor appointments and availability need to be available online.

Since allowing doctor appointments to be made online, it will also show the waiting lists. This

will solve any issue regarding the waiting lists and doctor availability.

As I come to an end, I will leave you on one final note, Veterans are the reason why we

are here today. Look at it in a broader sense, if we didnt have people to fight in wars our country

probably wouldnt be what it is today. Veterans are the reason we can be able to go to school, get

an education, and have a family in a country filled with endless opportunity. Now that you have

an insight on the VA system and its flaws, its time to fix the crumbling system. Imagine yourself

as a Veteran, proud to serve your country, yet your country doesnt serve you. Many people tend

to look to fix the VA through a financial aspect, but what they dont cover is the rules within the
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VA, that prevents veterans from getting the help they most desperately need. Changing the

specific rules to include all veterans is a start to a new beginning.

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Works Cited

Administration, Veterans Health. Veterans Health Administration. Roots of VA Health Care

Started 150 Years Ago, The Department of Veteran Affairs,

www.va.gov/HEALTH/NewsFeatures/2015/March/Roots-of-VA-Health-Care-Started-

150-Years-Ago.asp. Accessed 17 May 2017.

Board, Editorial. Money Won't Fix What Ails the VA. Here's How to Revive

It. Chicagotribune.com, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sept. 2016,

www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-veterans-affairs-va-vha-health-

scandal-obama-edit-0905-jm-20160901-story.html. Accessed 30 Mar. 2017.

Bronstein, Scott, and Drew Griffin. A Fatal Wait: Veterans Languish and Die on a VA

Hospital's Secret List. CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Apr. 2014,

www.cnn.com/2014/04/23/health/veterans-dying-health-care-delays/. Accessed 17 May

2017.

Budget, Office of. Office of Budget. Annual Budget Submission - Office of Budget, 12 Sept.

2008, www.va.gov/budget/products.asp. Accessed 17 May 2017.

Devine, Curt, and Drew Griffin. Billions Spent to Fix VA Didn't Solve Problems. CNN, Cable

News Network, 8 July 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/politics/veterans-administration-

va/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2017.

FAQ About Homeless Veterans. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, National Coalition

for Homeless Veterans, nchv.org/index.php/news/media/background_and_statistics/.

Accessed 17 May 2017.

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Krumholz, Harlan. 3 Things To Know Before You Judge VA Health System. Forbes, Forbes

Magazine, 3 Aug. 2015, www.forbes.com/sites/harlankrumholz/2014/05/23/3-things-to-

know-before-you-rush-to-judgment-about-va-health-system/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2017.

Leal, Reynaldo. How $1.4 Billion in Budget Cuts Will Impact Veterans. VAntage Point, 21

Apr. 2015, www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/19356/how-1-4-billion-in-budget-cuts-will-

impact-veterans/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2017.

McVeigh, Karen. US Military Veterans Face Inadequate Care after Returning from War

Report. The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 26 Mar. 2013,

www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/26/us-veterans-inadequate-care-war. Accessed 25

Feb. 2017.

Nolan, Hamilton. We Want Veterans to Share True Stories of the VA. Gawker, Gawker, 13

Aug. 2013, gawker.com/we-want-veterans-to-share-true-stories-of-the-va-1124283440.

Accessed 17 May 2017.

RDowney. Our Shameful Treatment of American Veterans. Our Shameful Treatment of

American Veterans, www.nationalbcc.org/news/beyond-the-rhetoric/2469-our-shameful-

treatment-of-american-veterans. Accessed 25 Feb. 2017.