With Congress set to vote on an emergency funding bill for Veterans Affairs to plug a $2.6 billion shortfall, the system continues to let down veterans who are having to wait, on average, 115 days just for an appointment.
President Obama said back in July that the VA budget historically “has been short-changed” but shows no sign of bucking that trend with his latest proposals. The proposed solution to the VA’s budget shortfall, to be voted on Wednesday, consists of taking money out of Obama’s flagship Choice program to fund the deficit in other areas. The Choice program was part of the overhaul to the VA approved by Congress last year, and allows veterans to get medical care from local doctors paid for by the VA. Uptake to Choice has been poor, according to the VA, who now want to use the money to plug the shortfall they say could see them forced to close hospitals.
With all this politicking, it’s easy to lose sight of the veterans who are suffering thanks to the program’s shortcomings. A recent story of a vet and single father who was denied treatment for Stage 4 throat cancer due to a bureaucratic error caused outcry, while other veterans continue to struggle with long wait times and poor coverage in rural areas. The government has retaliated by criticising the VA’s money management, while the VA itself says the $2.6 billion shortfall for this year shows that it is overstretched. According to the agency, it is dealing with a surge of 2.7 million extra veterans seeking aid after the Iraq war.
If Congress votes to allow the VA to use Choice program money to plug its shortfall, it will be a short-term answer to a problem that clearly needs a more permanent solution. Please Like and Share if you think our heroic veterans deserve much, much better from the U.S. government.
