Dan Caldwell
Reno Gazette-Journal
March 23, 2016

“The VA failed us. That much is clear after nearly two years of shocking headlines — secret wait lists, months-long appointment times, veteran deaths. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs wants us to believe more money will finally help them deliver the health care Nevada’s veterans have earned. Yet the VA’s latest budget request of over $180 billionwon’t change much.

It’s clear we need far greater reforms. Ever-increasing budgets have done little to stem long wait times for care and benefits processing — the kind now seen in Reno, across Nevada and throughout the country.

After the scandal that erupted in 2014, one might have expected dramatic changes. Veterans were waiting too long for care and — worse yet — VA managers were manipulating data to protect their jobs and qualify for bonuses. Investigations into wrongdoing occurred across the country, including in Nevada.

Dozens of veterans likely died from neglect as a result of that scandal, leading to leadership changes at the VA Central Office in Washington. Yet in spite of all that, the latest data still show over one thousand appointments for care at Reno-area VA clinics have wait times longer than one month.

It’s even worse in other parts of the state. Over 15 percent of appointments made at the Las Vegas VA Medical Center currently have excessive wait times longer than one month. Over 1,000 appointments have wait times as long as four months.
Nevada Veterans submitting claims for VA disability benefits are also suffering from inefficiency at the VA. In fact, the Reno VA claims office was the slowest in the nation last year, averaging 425 days to process a disability claim. Delays at the Reno processing office got so bad that congressional leaders had to call for the executive in charge to step down. Veterans shouldn’t wait that long for the support they’ve earned.

Increasing the VA’s budget yet again will not fix this chronic failure. What the VA truly needs is an infusion of proactive, determined leadership at all levels. Too few within the department’s leadership have been willing to hold and enforce a higher standard.

We veterans rely on the VA when we need help. Now we need your help. Those who have been beating the drum for reform should continue doing so, and patriotic Americans eager to make a difference should join in.

Policymakers will also have a major role to play. VA administrators and members of Congress should follow the example of leaders like U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, who has provided veteran-focused oversight and policy recommendations during the VA’s time of crisis.

A one-star general who served with distinction during multiple deployments, Rep. Heck has advocated reforms that put veterans first. He warned that VA Secretary Shinseki’s resignation in 2014 would not truly address the VA’s overdeveloped bureaucracy — and he was right.

Rep. Heck has instead focused on reforming the VA from the top down. He supported the VA Accountability Act, which ensures the VA retains only the best, most professional employees and managers while holding those who are negligent or unethical to task. He has staunchly advocated giving veterans more access to health care choices — an important means of empowering veterans.

This proactive, reform-minded leadership is the kind the VA desperately needs. The department must be willing to take a hard look at itself and fix what’s broken. Fulfilling the nation’s promise to veterans is worth it.”