Veterans Accountability

A major scandal arose out of Phoenix, Arizona in 2014 that led to many investigations finding that as many as forty patients died while waiting for care at a local VA hospital. (O’Donnel) And since then, there have not been many signs of improvement, In Arizona as well as the rest of the United States United States, on the wait time scandal. Despite billions of dollars and many calls of reform, investigations still show that that some VA facilities still struggle with bettering the wait times for their patients, leading to more death and late diagnoses. Reports conclude that there are over 500,000 cases of extended wait times, including delays longer than 30 days and being put on a waiting list just for an available appointment.

During the botched 2010 roll out of the affordable care act, multiple veteran’s agencies marched on Washington with fears of how the Tax/Mandate would affect indigent veterans who could not afford the penalty and could not afford secondary insurance. In their hubris, these agents pushed an agenda that has greatly hurt the veteran population.

H.R. 1247/S.297, the Improving Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015 (would allow NP’s full practice authority within the VHA system)

The acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs (SECVA) is currently Peter O'Rourke. Mr. O'Rourke serves as the interim SECVA following the departure of David Shulkin in early 2018. David Shulkin left the VA amidst an ethics violation, which will be expanded upon in the Leadership Challenges and Issues section. The Veterans Benefits Administration and its subordinate offices provide benefits and associated services to veterans or their surviving family members (Veterans Affairs, 2018). The Veterans Health Administration and its subordinate offices provide health care for the nation's veterans (Veterans Affairs, 2018). The National Cemetary Administration and its subordinate offices provide burial and memorial benefits and cemetery management to the nation's veterans (Veterans Affairs, 2018). This paper will focus mainly on the VA secretary's office and the Veterans Health

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government-run military veteran benefit system that provides essential financial and medical assistance to veterans and their families that are located all over the world. (www.va.gov) As the country and the military’s needs change, the VA needs to continue to evolve and grow. With this thought in mind, it is necessary to understand how the department is coping with the many different challenges that they are currently facing to effectively address the current issues and policy pitfalls. The most critical issues presently facing the VA, is the concern over long increasing wait-times and backlogs for services, which have emerged since 9/11 and are primarily the result of the growing

This year has not been kind to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). News in April that several VA facilities were causing veterans to wait months for health care, and some VA officials forced employees to keep fake records to conceal the delays. Gregg Zoroya notes that there were also allegations that the deaths of 40 veterans were caused by the delays at the Phoenix VA hospital, although the VA contends that they were not “conclusively” linked. Nonetheless, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned less than a month later because of the scandal, and in July, the U.S. Senate appointed former Proctor & Gamble CEO Robert A. McDonald as the new secretary. Now that McDonald is in charge of the government’s second-largest agency, he faces significant challenges in righting the massive ship that is the VA—most important of which is the revitalization of the malfunctioning health care system. The issues with the health care system must be addressed in order for veterans to get the medical services they need. As a functional solution, the Department of Veterans Affairs should expand benefits to cover private health care.

In the United States, Veteran’s health care at an economical rate is a continuous debate. It is warranted that the health care should improve at a constant rate to uphold the health needs of veterans, new and old. Government has the veterans association (VA) and with all the help it has available for veterans there are still times when that care is not enough. There are so many individuals that are without health care because of one reason for another and it leaves many injured and hurt veterans without the care they need and deserve. Better access to health for veterans, men and women is important since many new problems such as PTSD have become better understood and need more focus and to be better

Tarnished by lack of efficiency, communication and a vision are inconsistent and divided. My findings of evidence paralleled with my literature reviews because this issue is starting to emerge as a imminent threat to the structural failures that the veterans rely on. The LACK of justice is the primary value my stance emphasizes. As citizens, we are expected to follow guidelines, laws, and abide by or pay the consequences. Both the DoD and the VA have violated all agreements and initiatives to collaborate to form a larger accessible health care system and have neglected to take initiative. Veterans risk their lives to support the prosperity and freedom of the United States, and in return they are marginalized in a sense that provisions within these complex bureaucracies make it difficult for them to be treated. The Old Public Administration has proven to be a detriment to the purpose of the departments and raises the question as to whether the veterans they neglect are really a concern at

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) was put under a microscope during the summer of 2014 after the public learned that dozens of veterans died while awaiting medical care in multiple veterans’ hospitals (Andrews, 2014a). After beginning an investigation, it was discovered that veterans were forced to wait exorbitant amounts of time in order to see doctors, specialists, have tests run, and receive other kinds of medical care (Andrews, 2014b). President Barack Obama and Congress took quick action to investigate the claims and provide new legislation to remedy the newfound, but long lasting problems.

When examining how specifically the system has been failing over the years, one simply only has to note the number of veterans actually receiving care. For example, several records show that many veterans were being subjected to waits exceeding the thirty day maximum described by the VA policy (Williams). These long waits would mean the difference between recovery and agony and even life and death for some cases. The problem with these extended wait times has actually become so bad that in May of 2011, a federal appeals court ruled that the VA had actually violated the rights of veterans by subjecting them to long waits when dealing with mental disorders (“Preface”). Other occurrences showed that the program’s handling of the mental impacts of war were often insufficient and not preemptive or proactive enough. For instance, the VA has had a tumultuous history of dealing with mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with veterans throughout the years. One commonly noted instance was the 2013 report indicating that only 53 percent of veterans with a primary diagnosis of PTSD received the minimum care plan (Associated Press). Even as these illnesses have been more closely studied, many veterans continue to experience improper forms of

Prior to this assignment student veterans were a portion of the student population that I had no prior experience or knowledge of interacting with outside the scope of my history of higher education course reviewing the components of the GI Bill. The assignment allowed me to get an in depth historical analysis of the GI Bill and how it effected student equity in higher education from its establishment. I have come to understand the services students veterans possess but as well as some of the limitations they face being advocates for themselves in order to receive their benefits. In revolving around the topic of student equity, my team’s research found a wealth of knowledge from higher education scholars who see the need of the GI Bill in further providing student equity to student veterans. Scholars saw the important qualities that the GI Bill possess and advocated for further services in assisting student veterans and their families in not only understanding their medical benefits but also create a supportive community on campus. The overall goal of researching the GI Bill and by doing so includes student veterans is that the bill provides equitable support to returning students that have served, support for dependents of those who serve(d), and the growing student population student veterans are becoming through the new GI Bill.

The issue is veterans are waiting much too long to be cared for in hospitals that were created to care for them. According to Modern Health (2016), the reason there are so many delays in providing health care for veterans is the paperwork involved in claims from providers is slow to be filed and reimbursement is even slower. “GAO [Government Accountability Office] reports from 2014 and 2015 found community providers waiting months or even years to receive payments from the VHA [Veterans Health Administration]” (Muchmore, 2016). If providers have to wait so long to receive payment, they would probably rather take their skills elsewhere; where payment is timely.

With the world's largest volunteer fighting force in its service, America has long been a nation that kneels in bowed reverence to the service of our military men and women. National monuments stand as enduring testaments to the sacrifices made by ordinary citizens when political action dictates that war must be waged, and holidays commemorate the fallen who laid their lives down in defense of their homeland. Nonetheless, the storm clouds of crisis have begun to gather as the nation winds down its operations in two disparate fields of battle, with a decade of continuous warfare finally ending in Iraq and de-escalation occurring rapidly in Afghanistan. The devastating effects of a prolonged economic recession have crippled many segments of the federal government, but the crucial programs and departments associated with providing healthcare services to active military members and veterans have become severely overburdened by the extraordinary influx of soldiers returning from the Middle East as casualties of war. From amputees coping with the loss of one or more limb after an improvised explosive device attack, to veterans of so-called "stop-loss" deployment schedules who suffer from the invisible wounds of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the thousands of soldiers with injuries and illnesses attributed to their service, America has positioned itself precariously on the precipice of domestic disaster the likes of which have

One review, by the inspector general for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said a veteran with heart trouble died last year while waiting for cardiology tests that could have saved him. Investigators also found that on a given day, 1,100 veterans in Phoenix have a longer-than-30-day

The men and women who have served our country are integral in our mission to build better businesses, and as our clients prosper, so do they. But this opportunity is not common to some of their peers, which is why we commit a share of our profits to organizations that help veterans who need support, transition from military service to a happy and stable civilian life.