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Ceryna Baens
Mr. Davis
Government 4
25 October 2015
Veterans Affairs
America is a country whose foundation is built upon the sacrifices of war veterans who
have single-handedly raised this country out of its own disparity on multiple occasions. Their
utmost bravery and commitment to liberty and justice for all is worthy of the republics undying
gratitude, but what has been done, as a society, to repay the favor? In August of 2014, President
Barack Obama attended the American Legion convention in Charlotte, North Carolina to speak
about Veterans Affairs. He stated, Everybody can do something All of us, as one American
team. That's how we will truly honor our veterans. (At A Glance). Although the Department
of Veterans Affairs duty is to provide health care services and other benefit programs, they are
not living up to their full potential, causing former men and women in uniform to not have access
to pertinent resources (Sanders). The Veteran Health and Safety Act of 2015 should become a
law because veterans affected by mental disorders such as PTSD will receive more assistance,
preventing homelessness and it will ensure that health care for veterans will be broadened and all
VA funded clinics will follow proper protocol and training.
Many veterans are unable to find work because of their unstable mental condition,
resulting in them becoming homeless. On a single night in January of 2014, there were
approximately 49,933 homeless Veterans in the United States-- a number significantly smaller
than in years past but still notable (Veteran Homelessness). On the streets, thousands tirelessly
relive the war over and over in the minds. A vast majority of veterans, especially those who
served in the Vietnam War, suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, a mental

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condition triggered by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event (Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder). Unfortunately, this condition is incurable and treatment can only help subdue the
symptoms. Because of this, overcoming PTSD is a lifetime journey. As described in the memoir,
Born on the Fourth of July, the agony and suffering, the sleepless nights, anxiety attacks, and
awful bouts of insomnia, loneliness, alienation, anger, and rage, will last for decades, if not their
whole lives. (Kovic 11). Those afflicted often seek comfort in drugs and alcohol to numb
themselves from reality. 76 percent of all veterans suffer from substances abuse and mental
health issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Employment Guide 3). However, only 22
percent of veterans receive mental health care and less than 13.1 percent use VA health care
(Nelson). This small percentage is attributable to the Veteran Health Associations long wait
times. The VHA does not have a reliable and accurate method of determining whether they are
providing patients timely access to mental health care services (Nelson). Rather than utilizing
VA health care, the unattractive system discourages them from seeking help, leading them to
their own demise. Another party specifically affected by inadequate health services for veterans
are women.
Health care for veterans does not account for the whole population of veterans, especially
for women. Barriers stand between the male and female veterans, causing them to underutilize
health services provided to them by the Veterans Health Administration. According to the US
Government Accountability Office, in the fiscal year of 2007, only fifteen percent of women
used the VAs health care services. It is believed that this is attributable to clinics lack of
accommodation to female veterans and their needs. Under the current existing law, the VA is not
required to provide child care services or operate child care facilities for patients (Nelson,
Starkebaum, and Reiber 54). Mothers unable to receive care for their children likely would

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choose to prioritize their own childrens health before their own. Also, 36 percent of female
veterans ages 18 to 24 said that their needs were unmet or delayed at the VA clinics. 63 percent
of women veterans ranging from ages 18 to 24 said that they were unable to afford health care
(Nelson). This exclusivity has prompted many female veterans to believe that the VAs health
care plans are not gender sensitive. It is easy to assume that VA clinics cater to only the
predominantly male population of veterans, but the inadequate performances of VA supervisors
and employees, cause one to question: who are the US Department of Veterans Affairs even
catering to?
VA funded medical offices fail to provide the proper care to veterans who need it due to
corrupt supervisors and improperly trained employees. Approximately 1,000 veterans have died
because of the clinics failure to schedule routine screenings (Pearson). However, the schedulers
at these clinics at not at fault for this preventable disaster. In 76 percent of VA parent facilities,
one or more respondents said that they were told by a supervisor to change the date the veterans
desired to be seen by their doctors to a later date in their documentation. In 24 locations,
respondents were forced to change the desired dates of veterans appointments or they would be
written up for failing to follow instructions. In fact, in two locations, multiple respondents
were punished for not complying with their supervisors orders or expressing their concerns
about changing the date (Access Audit). Oliver Mitchell, was a former VA employee at a Los
Angeles based center and Marine who spoke up and reported such an incident at his place of
employment. He was fired from his job after filing an allegation that his supervisor told him to
be apart of a systematic scheme to purge veteran medical consults and manipulate patient wait
times (Mitchell). This proves that veterans are not only ones suffering but the employees
oppressed by tyrant, manipulative supervisors. Additionally, more than 1,800 veteran patients of

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the St. Louis VA Medical Center may have been exposed to HIV and Hepatitis as a result of
unsanitary dental equipment (VA Accountability Watch). It is both contradictory and
unfortunate that patients who visit these clinics in order to be healthy, end up leaving in worse
condition than the one in which they arrived. If VA clinic employees were better trained, they
would be able to properly sanitize equipment and clean their work areas in order to prevent the
spread of such illnesses. Improper or insufficient training of both supervisors and employees has
also led patients to be victims of identity theft. Files containing names, social security numbers,
and birthdates of 26.5 millions were stolen from the home of a VA employee (Pearson). He did
not have authority to take the files home. If he had followed proper protocol or if a supervisor
had monitored his activity, this disaster could have been avoided.
Some people may argue that the bettering of the VA office is a futile cause as it has
needed improvement since its establishment in 1930 (Pearson). For the past eighty-five years,
many people have called out the government in hopes of bringing change to the corrupt
healthcare system--Ron Kovic being one of them. Kovic, a Vietnam War veteran, wrote about
these deficits in his novel, Born on the Fourth of July. He says, I saw firsthand what our
governments terrible policy had wrought. I endured; I survived and understood I became a
messenger (Kovic 11). In 1974, he participated in a 19 day hunger strike in protest of the
VAs corrupt health care system where he witnessed fellow Vietnam vets rot. He and his fellow
veterans perseverance eventually led to the then VA Director Donald Johnsons resignation. I
more recent years, various acts bills have been passed by Congress in order to inform the VAs
conditions. Most recently, the Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 was
implemented, in hopes of improving scheduling systems at VA offices, hiring more employees,
improvement of access to care for Non-VA providers, educational opportunities, job

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opportunities, administration matters, and medical facility leases (Sanders). Progress is being
made to expel these issues, despite the lengthy time and the size of the strides taken to make a
difference. Indubitably, together with the Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014,
the Veteran Health and Safety Act could help bring this quest to a close.
Although reform within the VA may seem fruitless, it is important to remain adamant and
dedicated to this pursuit on the behalf of all veterans. More health benefits for women, additional
mental health services, and proper training of VA are necessary requests that must be fulfilled.
With the Veteran Health and Safety Act of 2015, supervisors and staff of all VA clinics would
have to go under mandatory training about proper scheduling procedures and office etiquette. All
those suspected of malpractice will be dismissed and a representative with the proper credentials
will take their position. A representative from the ombudsman agency of the VA will be sent to
any location suspected of not meeting mandatory health code requirements. In addition, more
health care services will be provided for women and homeless veterans so that they may be able
to receive the assistance they need. Passing the Veteran Health and Safety Act of 2015 would
ultimately better the Department of Veterans Affairs and the lives of all veterans. As Ron Kovic
once said, we must change course as the American public is the last hope for those who forever
instill hope in us--the veterans of the United States of America (Kovic 110).

Works Cited
WEB
"At A Glance." White House. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/veterans>.
"Employment Guide." Homeless Veteran Employment: pag. 3. DOL. US Department of Labor

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Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/hvrp/EmploymentAssistanceGuide.pdf>
Mitchell, Oliver. "JUSTICE FOR OLIVER B. MITCHELL III." MoveOn Petitions. Web. 01
Nov. 2015. <http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/justice-for-va-whistleblower>.
Nelson, Karin M., Gordon A. Starkebaum, and Gayle E. Reiber. "Veterans Using and
Uninsured Veterans Not Using Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care." Public Health
Reports. Association of Schools of Public Health, Jan. 2007. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1802114/>.
Nelson, Karin M. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21989618>.
Pearson, Michael. "The VA's History." CNN. Cable News Network, 30 May 2014. Web. 17 Sept
2015.
<http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/23/politics/va-scandals-timeline/>
Sanders, Bernard. "113th Congress." Congress. N.p., 9 June 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
<https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/2450>.
"Sign Up for Committee Updates." VA Accountability Watch. House Committee on VA,
Web. 26 Oct. 2015. <https://veterans.house.gov/accountability>.

"Veteran Homelessness." Veterans Affairs. USDOVA. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.

<http://www.va.gov/opa/issues/Homelessness.asp>
BOOKS
Kovic, Ron. Born on the Fourth of July. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976. Print.
"VA Has Taken Steps to Make Services Available to Women Veterans." Report to
Congressional Congress (2010): I-59. Print.
<http://www.gao.gov/assets/310/302507.pdf>

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