November 3, 2023

#VAFail: Veterans’ health care suffering because VA electronic health records system is a failure

The first electronic health records system came online in the 1960s. While the technology has improved over the last 60 years, electronic health records (EHRs) are not new.   Still, the Department of Veterans Affairs can’t seem to develop a system that works for veterans.   The VA has been using EHRs for more than 30 years,… Read more »

November 1, 2023

What is the Veterans Health Care Freedom Act, and how would it empower veterans to get the care they need?

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 »

October 27, 2023

#VAFail: VA is gaming the clock, lengthening veterans’ health care wait times in violation of the VA MISSION Act

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 »

October 23, 2023

Selnick: Veterans shouldn’t have their health care needs dictated to them by a self-serving VA

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 »

October 18, 2023

#VAFail: Pattern of abuse of Montana veterans shows VA reform long overdue

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 »

October 13, 2023

#VAFail: Florida Army veteran shares struggles with mental health care at the VA

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 »

October 6, 2023

#VAFail: VA claims staff quitting in droves. what does that mean for health care?

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 »