All over the country, veterans who use the Department of Veterans Affairs for their health care are facing long wait times, mismanaged cases, and obstacles to receiving needed care. While the VA MISSION Act expanded community care options to many veterans, the VA has skirted the law to keep veterans out of the community and in… Read more »
The clock starts when play begins. Imagine watching your favorite college sports team and an official forgets to press “go” on the game clock. There would be chaos. There would be outrage. The official might be fired (for good reason). After years of complaints about veterans’ health care wait times, it appears officials at some… Read more »
I recently read an opinion piece in Task & Purpose on the “grim dangers” of allowing veterans the choice to access community care through their VA benefits. The piece paints a startling, albeit inaccurate, picture of what would potentially happen to veterans if choice legislation were passed. It’s chock full of half-truths, misleading statistics, and… Read more »
On a per capita basis, Montana has the third-largest veteran population of any U.S. state. At least 10% of residents, about 90,000 people, served in the military. In a state as vast as Big Sky Country, quality care is not always easily accessible, especially for those stuck using only the VA. Montana veterans need health… Read more »
For many veterans, deployment doesn’t end when they come back home. The brutal memories from service haunt many veterans, leaving them isolated and confused. Access to quality mental health care is critical for veterans’ transition to civilian life. Sadly, Army veteran Brian Fay, a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, struggled when he got home… Read more »
We talk a lot about the Department of Veterans Affairs failing veterans on the health care side of VA, but there are also failures on the benefits side. The VA was already overwhelmed with a backlog of disability benefits claims before last year when the PACT Act, extending new presumptive benefits to millions of veterans… Read more »
Once again, waiting for Republican presidential candidates to talk about their plans for reforming veterans health care is like waiting for an appointment at the VA – it’s taking way too long. We were hopeful that after the first debate, where we heard nothing but lip service toward veterans, candidates would hear the millions around… Read more »
