After the longest war in our country’s history, the United States is on the verge of ending its open involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.
As we wind down these wars, our nation owes a great debt to those who volunteered to serve. Our technology, politics, and culture look a lot different than they did 20 years ago, and our Veterans Affairs should look different too. Our country’s newer veterans need an adaptable, agile, and flexible VA to meet their needs.
However, the VA has shown it is neither adaptable nor flexible despite Congress approving new authorities and massive increases in funding. Our veterans can now return home to take a number and wait in an exhaustive line to ask for help, only to then be rewarded with a never-ending maze of VA bureaucracy.
In fact, Secretary Denis McDonough recently confirmed there is a backlog of nearly 20 million appointments. This is unacceptable at best and scandalous at its worst.
At Mission Roll Call, we have heard from many veterans about their experience of repeated postponements, appointment cancellations, and continuous phone calls to reschedule. Some have given up, which raises the frightening prospect that some veterans who need help the most may have fallen through the cracks at the VA over the past 18 months. And we have no idea who they are or how many.
As the pandemic raged throughout the U.S., the VA, understandably, limited in-person appointments, as did countless hospitals and medical facilities across the country. But while most hospitals adapted quickly to figure out ways to serve their patients, the VA continued to cancel or postpone appointments.
The worst part is that the VA has not been forthcoming with details or information regarding the extent of the problem. In March, we raised the issue in testimony before the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee, and in April, we sent McDonough a letter requesting more information on the issue. We still have not received a reply.
In the letter, we asked two simple questions: 1) How bad is the appointment backlog problem? and 2) How can we, as part of the veteran’s community, assist the VA in fixing it?
Perhaps even more disheartening is the recent news that the backlog, combined with the gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions, is resulting in dramatically increased demand on VA services at a time of full capacity, with limited ability for the VA to accommodate the increase. Even though the VA can refer to health providers in the veterans’ local communities under the MISSION Act, in many cases, they have consolidated programs to bring things back into the VA system.
In fairness to McDonough, this issue started well before his tenure began, and he inherited a significant backlog. But it is now up to him to help guide the VA through the cleanup.
The wars may be ending, but our obligation to our veterans remains. This backlog is unacceptable and demands answers and transparency. Our veterans need help, and the VA needs to use every tool at its disposal to address the issue.
Darrell Owens is the director of government relations for America’s Warrior Partnership and currently serves as an officer for the U.S. Army Reserve. Mission Roll Call is an initiative of America’s Warrior Partnership.
