Privatizing the VA

#Middlebury #VeteransPost

To hear David Shulkin tell it, he was bounced from his position as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs because he was anti-privatization, pressured by those (who were unnamed) who want to privatize the VA’s medical services. Now he’s used the media to defend himself, not mentioning his ill-advised European trip on the government dime.

The truth is, others are very much against privatizing the VA. Sen. Jon Tester (D), the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, is against privatization. The American Legion is against it, as is the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

We need to keep the VA, with the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) on the side, if that’s what we want. A version of Choice care actually started in 1945 under the name Hometown Program. (Look for VHA DIRECTIVE 1601. The current version is 1700.)

If all our care, or even most of it, is farmed out to the civilian world, what does the VA become? There will be less money for innovations; facilities will close, leaving fewer options for those who still want VA care; less veteran-centered research will be done; and the civilian care will be provided by those who don’t understand the specialized help many veterans need.

To make VCP better, do away with the 40-mile distance requirement. If the VA can’t get us in for appointments in a reasonable amount of time (30 days at this point), we’ll go to wherever we can be treated quickest.

Spend the money needed to fix up VA facilities. Too many are old, with vintage surgical wings and aging roofs.

Start firing those who are only marking time in their government jobs, collecting a paycheck without putting veterans first. That includes those who manage the money and don’t recognize the waste.

At this point, it looks like a political football. Call your senators and speak up.

(c) 2018 King Features Synd. Inc.