Myths and Disbeliefs About Veteran's Healthcare

Myths and Disbeliefs About Veteran's Healthcare

by Johnny Waltz, Iraq War Veterans Organization

On March 8, 2007, I was granted an interview with Joe Shapiro from National Public Radio. The focus of the interview was not only my problems with the Department of Veteran Affairs (see story) but also focusing on all of the issue facing our veterans and their healthcare. The most fruitful part of the interview was the meeting with Todd Sledge, Public Affairs Officer, Cincinnati VAMC.

Many of us know that a large part of the issues on at the VA is funding but it goes much deeper than that such as how the VA is administrated. It is no doubt a bureaucratic machine and I agree with Mr. Sledge it is also very intricate, complicated and intimidating to many veterans.

Just to get an appointment to see your primary care doctor for instance can end up being more challenging then need be. With the under funding it has left many clinics and hospitals short staffed. This has left our veterans waiting weeks and sometimes months waiting for an appointment. In turn, this leaves a real sour taste in some veteran's mouths and will actually turn them away from using the VA healthcare system…

This also adds to the myths and disbeliefs about the VA. According to Mr. Sledge, he feels that many veterans believe they do not qualify for VA healthcare and services either because they are not service connected, too high of income or not able to use their own insurance. There are some limits if your income is too high but you can use your own medical insurance provider when going to the VA. Another common disbelief is that the VA is the medical insurance provider and that is false. VA will provide you free medical care if you are deemed service connected.

That brings about another big challenge for our veterans and that is trying to file a claim through the VA. Right now, there is at least a six-month backlog and over 700,000 veterans waiting to file a claim. This red tape and the maze that you have to run through in order to get a claim approved can really affect a veteran negatively.

Mr. Sledge did bring up an interesting comment that really took me back. He stated that a big problem that VA employees have is they are confined to the walls inside of the wall and they do not have a good pulse on the veteran community. In Cincinnati, they have an outreach program which tries to get in contact with veterans in the community.

This type of service is not available through out the country, brings my plea for standardization of health care, and services in the VA. With a model of standardization of health care and services will give the same great services to all veterans from New York City to Los Angeles. A perfect example of this is that every county in Ohio has a veteran's commission that offers many veteran services like transportation. In Kentucky there are only two counties they offer this kind of veteran's commission. So, for me living only ten miles from the Cincinnati VAMC but I am across the river in Kentucky I cannot get transportation.

Overall, it was a very fruitful experience for me. One of the main points I really tried to drive through during both the interview and my meeting with Mr. Sledge is that my efforts are not only for me. This fight is for all veterans past, present and the many that will come in the future. Many veterans suffer in silence without ever getting the help they truly need and deserve.

Therefore, I would encourage you to establish a relationship your Patient Advocate, Public Affairs Officer and Hospital Director. If you or a vet you know ever run into a situation where you have exhausted all options NEVER GIVE UP! You can contact the Iraq War Veterans Organization and/or myself and we will do everything in our power to fight for you or a veteran you know.

In closing, I am now in direct contact with my Hospital Director and I am going to take part of a monthly executive committee meeting at the Cincinnati VAMC. This is where veteran organizations, key VA management and the Hospital Director meet to discuss issues affecting veterans in the Cincinnati area. My goal at the first meeting is to discuss the standardization issues and getting the state legislature in Kentucky to establish Veteran's Commission to provide superior services for all of our veterans in my state. Russell Terry told me, "Once someone does something good for you, you must pay it forward." Now it's my turn.

"Speak the miracle, not the saints."

Johnny W. Waltz
Director of Investigative Research and Publications
Iraq War Veterans Organization, Inc.
http://www.iraqwarveterans.org/