Over the coming weeks leading to DAV's 2015 National Convention in Denver, Colorado, we will be alerting you, other DAV supporters, and convention delegates to the critical issues and emerging threats facing VA health care in the aftermath of the 2014-2015 access-to-care crisis and how DAV believes the system can be reformed to better serve the health care needs of the men and women for whom this system was designed. This alert is the first of those messages. Please send any feedback via email to
legislativepublic@davmail.org .
Millions of veterans need and rely on the VA for health care and DAV intends to ensure that those veterans continue to have access to high quality, timely health care when and where they need it. We are convinced that VA is the best health care system to treat the unique needs of wounded, injured and ill veterans for a number of reasons. First, VA is structured to treat the whole veteran - that means both their basic primary care, as well as their specialized and service connected conditions. Quality health care must focus on the entire patient, not just certain injuries or illnesses. VA specializes in holistic and preventative care which is more likely to lead to better health outcomes for veterans. VA offers a veteran-centric culture and has developed expertise treating veterans of all generations, particularly for war-related injuries, such as those resulting from exposure to military toxic and environmental hazards. VA has a national, integrated network of health care and benefits that also provides comprehensive and interrelated transition and readjustment services to help veterans throughout their post military lives.
While there are still areas where it can and must improve, VA health care has been consistently judged to be among the best health care systems in the world when measured by objective standards for quality and safety. VA offers numerous specialized programs to treat the physical and mental health challenges of veterans that simply don't exist in general health care, or are very rare and scarce. All DAV members served during wartime, and most are enrolled in VA care because of VA's expertise in treating their wounds, illnesses and injuries.
VA has a track record of providing direct health care to veterans (as well as world class biomedical research programs and graduate medical education for future doctors), but VA has too often been hampered due chronic underfunding of its health care program. DAV and our Independent Budget partners have documented these funding shortfalls annually for more than a decade, a fact that was independently identified as far back as 2003 in an authoritative report of The Presidential Task Force on Improving the Delivery of Health Care to Our Nation's Veterans. And as both the Report and DAV predicted, chronic underfunding leads to a lack of access and waiting lists for veterans, which is exactly what occurred last year.
In response to the problems uncovered last year, Congress and the Administration have made changes to a wide variety of VA policies, programs and activities, including the creation of a temporary, 3-year "choice" program to increase non-VA care options. While these changes are designed to help VA address the access crisis in the short term, it is imperative that we start to focus on about how best to reform VA for the long term. Our goal must be to ensure that wounded, injured and ill veterans have timely access to high-quality health care, which we believe requires a strong and robust VA at its core.
Some groups and even some Members of Congress are calling for the "choice" program to be made permanent and expanded to all veterans. Others have called for VA to greatly shrink or restrict its direct health care mission to combat-related injuries. There is even a proposal to convert VA to an insurance program forcing veterans to receive their care in the private sector.
As Congress and others start to consider these proposals, it is essential that we begin by focusing on what is best for the veterans. "Choice" may be a great sound bite, but it is not a solution that will adequately meet the needs of our nation's wounded, ill and injured veterans. Rather than simply giving veterans a card to find care in the private sector on their own, our goal must be to reform VA so that it can remain the best, most accessible choice for veterans, delivering high-quality, high-value health care.
VA is already the world leader treating PTSD, spinal cord injury, blindness, amputation and other wartime injuries. VA is a proven leader in preventative care for veterans. VA clinicians spend more time with their patients, ensuring they treat the whole veteran. Independent studies show that VA screens for service-related conditions that are often overlooked by or irrelevant to private sector providers.
This is not to say that we are satisfied with state of VA health care today. Too much of what has been uncovered in the VA health care system is inexcusable and needs reform today. No veteran should have to wait too long or travel too far to get health care. But rather than privatize, downsize or eliminate VA altogether, we believe that veterans need a stronger, healthier VA to ensure they get the care they have earned.
Next week DAV will share its plan to reform the VA health care system to ensure all enrolled veterans, especially those wounded, injured or made ill as a result of military service receive timely, high-quality health care services that meet their unique needs. We welcome your ideas, suggestions and comments which can be sent to:
legislativepublic@davmail.org.
Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/2NWR9PzPDyAIx6K1xlmtcQ
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