VA report fails to build confidence (Editorial in my own local newspaper, Fort Collins CO)

Note: I reprint this newspaper's editorial because it is about my local VA clinic, in which I,too, was unable to get timely appointments for a series of orthopedic and oncology issues, and instead sought surgeries elsewhere. It has always been on my mind how much VA has saved by not providing my three hip replacements, six neck and back surgeries, two shoulder surgeries, cancer surgery with subsequent radiation and chemo, It has also been on my mind how financially destructive it would have been on the family if I'd not had other insurance options – I would probably have not sought care for several issues. Are today's veterans forced to those hard choices?
The general public may not know that in many situations, a disabled vet isn't permitted VA medical care and other benefits until VA finishes evaluation his/her claim. That can take years, especially if the claim is first denied and forced into a three to five year appeals delay.That's a long wait when one already has cancer or other issues for which care is sought.
                  If you can get an appointment. I couldn't.

EDITORIAL BOARD
APRIL 24, 2016:


New reports published earlier this month show the Fort Collins Veterans Affairs office blamed its scheduling problems on a single manager in the business office who is no longer with the clinic.

Roughly two years ago, the Coloradoan reported the VA office falsified wait times for local veterans seeking medical care.

Fast forward to earlier this month, and spokesperson Samuel House said, "All appropriate action was taken against the employees."

The Editorial Board struggles with this determination for a number of reasons.

First, we know this problem is widespread. A VA inspector general’s report found it was possible that more than 300,000 veterans nationwide died before their applications, which precede appointments, were processed.

Are we to believe that persistent problems across the country, resulting in an unquantifiable number of delays for care, were isolated to a single person in the Fort Collins office?

In May 2014, the Coloradoan reported staff in Fort Collins was manipulating logs to make it look like they were following the VA’s policy of granting appointments within 14 days of the veterans’ desired dates.

Back in March 2013, the Fort Collins clinic “was having problems with scheduling, employee morale and professionalism, and lack of teamwork between the (medical support assistants)," the report from the federal Office of the Medical Inspector stated. To address those issues, employees were transferred between Cheyenne and Fort Collins, according to the OMI report. The transfers to Fort Collins reported that scheduling in Fort Collins was "fixed" by having staff change appointment dates to be within two weeks of the desired appointment date, an agency goal.

In the report released earlier this month, the employee who was let go defended her actions, saying "this had no effect on the veterans because they received the same appointment they otherwise would have received. When asked if she thought this was “gaming” the system she replied, 'yes.'"

Amazing Day at Cheyenne VA Regional Center

Friday I visited the Cheyenne, Wyoming VA Regional Center. The hospital was simply superb...an eighteen-bed facility, and smiles everywhere with terrific care as I went to Pharmacy, Occupational Medicine, the Lab, Benefits, Dental, the Exchange, the coffee shop, Travel. The terrific care even extended to the VA police who came to the rescue with a jump start once we discovered our headlights had been left on (oops!) for ten hours! 

Less satisfactory was the time with Benefits. I was there to learn more about the VA's position vis-a-vis Agent Orange exposure and claims denials that our C-123 veterans experience.

The benefits lady tried to be as helpful as possible, and was as patient with my inquiries as could be expected. No complaints at all there! What proved disappointing, however, were the amazing answers I got to my inquiries about why the claims are denied.

She pulled up quotes from denied claims, and read to me from them, "Regulations do not permit..." and the rest of the boilerplate language provided by Veterans Health Administration for Compensation and Pension to insert in the denials.

I asked, "But what are those regulations?" She pointed to the parts she'd just read back to me and said, "Right there. It says there are regulations, so there are." She continued her explanation, "Except for Vietnam, and some troops along the DMZ in Korea, and some veterans who served in Thailand, no other Agent Orange claims are permitted." She was kind, but seemed to be challenging, "What part of this denial can't you read? It says right there in the denial 'regulations do not permit,' so, somewhere and somehow, they do not permit. And that's that."


She couldn't find any regulation (because there isn't any) and she wouldn't even look at the Federal Register p. 21355 dated 8 May 2001. Concluding our visit, she repeated, "VA regulations clearly forbid C-123 Agent Orange claims and raters have to go by those regulations, not the Federal Register, or letters or doctors' opinions."


Do you get it? The claim denial SAID there were regulations, so that was her proof. Not the fact that VA has no such regulations, but that VHA said to tell the veteran "regulations do not permit." That sounds like adult talk for a kid's "Just because."