How Will the VA Mission Act of 2018
Affect Veterans' Health Care?
By Mark Foreman
"Today, I am one of nine million veterans who depend on VA healthcare. I was severely wounded in Vietnam in 1968 and discharged from the Navy with a 100% disability rating.
It’s my belief that if veterans are being encouraged by the Veterans Community Healthcare Program to seek treatment from outside of VA hospitals that we will lose our high quality of health care."
Veterans’ Healthcare Verbatim
By Andy Berman
"It was a classic example of the advantages provided by the VA healthcare system over private medical care. The surgeon who performed the operation to remove the cancerous growth was not aware of the side effects of the newly released oral medication I was taking at the time to suppress the CLL ... his failure to know that my anti-leukemia pills should have been suspended for a week prior to the operation led to serious bleeding for weeks afterward. Had the operation been performed at the VA itself that complication surely would not have happened."
OpEd: Suicides in VA Parking Lots
By David Cooley
"I was in Vietnam for only 5 months more than 4 decades ago. But my time there left me haunted with a deep pain I still carry to this day.
When I read about the 19 veterans taking their lives in the parking lot of VAs my heart breaks. I know what good the VA can do. I too have wanted to take my life, but it was the VA that saved me and continues to help me carry on."
A Few Hours at the VA
By Denny Riley
"During those 15 minutes, I was able to watch this efficient and effective clinic in action. A steady stream of older vets came in, filled out the form, went to an alcove and were vaccinated. All of it moved along like a well-oiled machine.
When my time was up, I went to another station and made an appointment for my second shot. That's three appointments (plus one scheduled) in less than two hours!"
A Former Army Nurse's Impressions of VA Health Care
SOVA member Jamie York spoke with former U.S. Army nurse Donna Brown, 66, at the Chillicothe (Ohio) VAMC, which was one of the hospitals slated for closure under the now-disbanded AIR Commission.
Do you think you get the same level of care in the private sector?
I have been outsourced to the community and I received good care, but quite honestly I like the VA because I think there’s an understanding of veterans and what they’ve been through because of their military service. There’s a camaraderie, so yes, I have had good community care, but I have a preference for VA medical care.
In the full interview (which you can read here) Donna answers questions about her service, overall impression of the VA, her experience at the VA as a female veteran, recommending the VA to other female veterans, and more!
The Cost of Closing a VA Center
By Debbie S
"The treatment we get, it is good. The VA makes sure that Chuck gets his medication at no cost, which helps since we are on a limited income. The care he receives at the VA hospital is tailored to him, unlike a private doctor. However, if they close Chillicothe, and Chuck needs to go to the VA hospital for any test or treatment, he will have to travel to Dayton. If they close Chillicothe, a lot of the Veterans would be negatively impacted. Many are worried, since they live in the southern part of Ohio and traveling to Dayton would be a long drive, one that many can't afford. They do have shuttle buses, but if a Veteran takes it then they have to wait for all other patients who ride the bus to finish their appointments before they can get a ride back home. For many of them, that makes a long day."
Debbie lives in Ohio, (68), she is married to Chuck S (67), a Vietnam veteran who relies on the VA for all of his medical needs. Specifically Chillicothe.
Read Articles by Veterans
- Be wary: A privatized VA won't be a better VA by Dr. Stephen M. Feldman
- 'Community care efforts have fallen flat': An opinion on health care provided by the private sector and the VA by Danielle Corazza
- Letter to the editor, Minneapolis Star Tribune by Sheldon Ajax
- Privatization puts VA (and USPS) at serious risk by Herbert J. Hoffman, President VFP Chapter 63
- OpEd in the Albuquerque Journal by Robert Anderson
