VA Health Care Petition

[Gimpy]

Below is a copy of the "petition" regarding VA Health Care that we can hopefully come to a consenus with.

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VETERANS HEALTH CARE PETITION


"The road to disaster is paved with the stones of good intentions"


In October of 1996, Congress passed Public Law 104-262, The Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 which paved the way for the creation of a comprehensive Medical Benefits Package available to all eligible, enrolled military veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs was required by law to establish an enrollment system for health-care services to be in place by October 1, 1998. Eligible, enrolled veterans were placed in one of seven different "priority" groups specified by Congress.

Now comes the DISASTER.....

Based on the "priority" the veterans are assigned, the number of other veterans requesting to be enrolled, AND the FUNDS AVAILABLE for VA health care, the VA will determine HOW MANY VETERANS can be served.

"Priority" ratings for "grouped" veterans go from "priority ONE" (service connected, disabled veterans with a rating of 50% disabled or greater) downward through "priority SEVEN" (those with incomes over $24,000 who DO NOT have service connected disabilities).

Since this "open enrollment" began in 1998, there has been a significant increase in the number of "Priority 7" veterans using the VA for their health care needs. Each year subsequent to 1998 the reports of increasingly long waiting lists for initial medical services, AND appointments for medical care for ALREADY enrolled veterans have become outrageously lengthy and at time nearly impossible to schedule once these "new" enrollees are "in the system". There are more and more reports of service connected, severely disabled veterans having to wait for health care as well as specialized medical services for as much as 12 to 13 MONTHS and LONGER!

It is OUTRAGEOUS that VA hospital directors, already struggling to meet demands, are now being FORCED to make further cuts. These new mandates coupled with an already inadequate budget will result in RATIONED health care and CLOSED enrollment. Not to mention the increased amount of frustration and possible health consequences suffered by combat wounded and service connected, severely disabled veterans!

The VA spent $21 billion in fiscal year 2001 to treat 3.8 million veterans---most of whom had service connected disabilities (or low incomes). But, the VA's method of distributing funds for health care to all it's health care networks (VERA), Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation system, has drawn criticism from the Congressional watchdog agency, the General Accounting Office, because they (VA) have NOT been counting the "Priority 7" veterans in calculating patient workload. The GAO found that this excluded about one-fifth of the VA's total workload in determining each networks allocation! VA management incompetence at it's finest!

On the surface, it would appear that the new "Priority 7" veterans now entering the VA system would utilize the services available to them and help maintain the continuing growth of health care programs and services. Sadly however, that does NOT appear to be the case. The fact of the matter is that the majority of these "Priority 7" veterans who have entered the system over the past few years are primarily seeking prescription drug benefits ($7 dollar co-pay) and very limited primary care. This SHOULD hopefully send a message to the VA management to re-examine what actions to pursue to maintain the INTEGRITY of the VA's PRIMARY MISSION----"To care for him who has borne the battle, his widow and his children"!

The veterans of this country are demanding that the Congress, the White house and the leadership within the Department of Veterans Affairs take the necessary actions to safeguard the primary capability within the Veterans Health Administration to provide the complete program of health care services to support the specialized needs of combat wounded and service connected, disabled veterans-----FIRST! Then, the large number of "new" users coming into the system.

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