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Jennifer Lee
Burchett
Honors Government
2 November 2015
Veterans Health
The most that a person can do for his or her country is to fight against another human
being or even give a life. Bravery, loyalty, and dedication is embodied in this soldier. The least
that a government can do to acknowledge this person is provide the means for a healthy life after
service or combat. Yet, the United States Veterans Affairs department has not been able to do so.
The Veterans Affairs hospitals have not reformed to nor accommodated the increasing number
of veterans needing health care. Wait times have become exceedingly long, which has been
attributed to a myriad of reasons. Also, the recent scandals concerning the VA include the lack of
treatment for mental health patients and the rates of suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, and
depression. The Veterans Mental Health Act of 2015 should be passed because of its benefits for
veterans waiting for medical attention, doctors needing debt clemency and employment, and
research in mental disorders.
Veterans that are waiting for medical attention need to be given a speedy process to
health care. However in 2014, a scandal at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Hospital exposed the
truth of the VA system that was not exclusive to that year nor Pheonix. The staff at Veterans
Affairs hospitals are required to keep track of the number of days that a patient has been waiting,
because there is a limit that is enforced. However, though that limit is enforced, the number of
days waited can be adjusted to avoid such enforcement. In order to avoid backlash from the
administration, the staff at Phoenix reset the the number of days, numbers averaging 115

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(General), and such delaying of medical attention resulted in at least forty deaths that were later
found to have been preventable. This is just one example of such delays at the VA hospitals. This
outlines that the government has failed to completely reform to the almost million applications
and accommodate to the surging numbers of veterans needing care. The government has
attempted to abate the problem by allowing veterans to receive care from non-VA facilities in
cases of delays or unavailable facilities within the patients home. Those facilities, or consults,
have been faced with the same issue of delays. In 2014, the United States Government
Accountability Office investigated the VA consults and reported that, veterans did not receive
care within 90 days for 122 of the 150 consults we examined (81 percent)" (GAO). This
highlights that this problem of delays is widespread throughout the entire system. The causes of
these problems were cited by the report as, increased demand for services, patient no-shows,
and cancelled appointments(GAO). So, the Veterans Mental Health Act of 2015 will allow
veterans to seek care outside of VA facilities if care is not received within 14 days. To ensure that
the consults are acting accordingly to VA policies of wait times, the Department of Defense will
regularly regulate and supervise the care given to veterans, more rigorously than has been
previously done. The cause of short wait times must also be addressed, as the problem will not
disappear without looking at the roots.
Although the 2014 U.S. Government Accountability Office cited demand for services as
the reason for inability to meet enforced wait times, the problems reach far beyond that. First, the
number of people permitted to use VA facilities, including military spouses, has increased by
78% "(CRS) according to the Congressional Research Service. But while there are many more
patients, doctors employed by the VA are consistently paid less, and since there are less doctors
willing to be paid less, the VA doctors are required to care for that many more patients, about

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1,200 each"(New York). The Veterans Mental Health Act of 2015 has proposed a solution to this
problem. First, the government shall provide salary raises to medical professionals because most
candidates for a job will choose the higher-paying job instead of the lower-paying one. This bill
will target the largest staffing shortages: Medical Officer, Nurse, Physician Assistant, Physical
Therapist, and Psychologist(OIG).The Department of Defense will regulate the exact number
by which to raise the salary. Second, most doctors carry $140,000 of student loan debt right out
of college(Doctor), some even more. but the government gives only up to $120,000 of
compensation for doctors with debts. This bill proposes compensation to veterans of up to
$200,000 to provide an incentive for medical professionals, according to each persons situation.
Though these solutions do not target every single problem with the staffing shortages, it will be a
stepping stone for future amendments of larger benefits and for mental health improvements.
Mental health disorders are prevalent in veterans after service and can be terrifying and
extremely debilitating, as much as a physical injury can harm the body. The number of veterans
returning from war with mental disorders from combat, sexual assault, or other trauma, are
increasing. 31% of veterans from Vietnam, 10% of Gulf War veterans, and 11% of Afghanistan
and 20% of Iraq veterans have PTSD, from combat, sexual assault, and other causes (Feature)
and that number is only going to increase. Many of the treatments, however, that are utilized by
the VA to help these veterans are not backed by rigorous research, with scant evidence of their
effectiveness(Time). Additionally, there is a pressure the doctors to purposely
misdiagnose(Hearing), since providing care for PTSD costs more money. Misdiagnosis and
ineffective treatment is not only detrimental to the veterans, but also financially for the
population of people with anxiety disorders, as the cost of making mistakes is large compared to
the cost-effectiveness of providing the correct treatments and diagnoses. This means that the

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Veterans Mental Health Act of 2015s provisions of money for research will result in a positive
investment which will not only advance science and medicine, but help veterans and the
governments budget, the single issue for most opponents of this bill.
Opponents of the bill believe that increasing the accessibility to health care will increase
the already overflowing number of veterans and subsequently increase the wait times and
promote inappropriate behavior by professionals. However, the number of veterans should not be
a reason for the government to close off doors for soldiers. The VA should instead provide a
more accommodating system that can help all of those in need. Also, opposers argue that the bill
would cost too much and that every penny of those programs is added to the debt of the Unites
States of America(CSPAN - Jeff). The government is spending close to $610 billion for defense
programs(National), but cannot afford to spend a fraction of that budget for the health of veterans
at home. The government has a duty to serve veterans, and if they cannot completely protect
them on the battlefield, the nation must do all that is possible to prevent their nonviolent,
preventable deaths and health issues. Senator Bernie Sanders stated that if you think its too
expensive to take care of veterans, dont send them to war(C-SPAN - Senator). Some opponents
also believe that providing compensation for medical professionals will not ensure proper
behavior, judgement, and actions taken by these people. However, it is fallacious to state that
doctors will not treat patients accurately despite compensation. It is simply that doctors are
overworked (New York) and that giving the medical professionals less burdens regarding number
of patients within an allotted time will alleviate any issues.
With the Veterans Mental Health Act of 2015, veterans wait times will be shortened,
staffing shortages will be alleviated, and the study of mental health disorders will be greatly
expanded, for science and for victims. The veterans of the United States deserve the greatest

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compensation for their service to the country. But many people are still not receiving the care
they should be receiving, whether it be prompt care or mental health attention. These changes
will not occur without action by the government, so I urge Congress to make amends for
previous wrongdoings to our most loyal soldiers and provide a healthier, more secure future for
prospective service men and women.

Works Cited
Print
Health Care Benefits Overview: 2012. Washington, D.C.: Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Veterans
Health Administration, 2012. Print.
OIG Determination of Veterans Health Administrations Occupational Staffing Shortages. Rep.
no. 15-00430-103. N.p.: n.p., 2015. Print.
Web

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Bipartisan Veterans Suicide Prevention Act Passes House. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
<http://veterans.house.gov/press-release/bipartisan-veterans-suicide-prevention-act-passeshouse-0>.
"C-SPAN." Jeff Sessions Veterans Entitlement. C-Span. Washington D.C., The District of
Columbia, 11 June 2014. Television.
"C-SPAN."Senator Bernie Sanders on Veterans Affairs Bill. C-Span. Washington D.C., The
District of Columbia, 23 July 2014. Television.
"The Doctor Drain." The Doctor Drain RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
<http://doctordrain.journalism.cuny.edu/>.
"Ernst Introduces First Bill to Prioritize Veterans' Mental Health Care." Ernst Introduces First
Bill to Prioritize Veterans' Mental Health Care. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.ernst.senate.gov/content/ernst-introduces-first-bill-prioritize-veterans
%E2%80%99-mental-health-care>.
"Feature: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic / Neuroscience and PTSD
Treatments." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d.
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<https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter09/articles/winter09pg1014.html>.
General, Va Office Of Inspector. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General
Interim Report: Review of Patient Wait Times, Scheduling Practices, and Alleged Patient
Deaths at the Phoenix Health Care System; Rpt #14-02603-178 (n.d.): n. pag. VA Office of
the Inspector General, 28 May 2014. Web. <http://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-1402603-178.pdf>.

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Hearing Transcript on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Personality Disorders:
Challenges for the VA. House Committee of Veteran's Affairs, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
<https://veterans.house.gov/hearing-transcript/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-andpersonality-disorders-challenges-for-the>.
Hoff, Rani A., and Robert A. Rosenheck. "The Use of VA and Non-VA Mental Health Services
by Female Veterans." Medical Care 36.11 (1998): 1524-533. Web.
"NATIONAL DEFENSE BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR FY 2015." (2014): n. pag. Apr. 2014.
Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
Oppel, Richard A., and Abby Goodnough. "Doctor Shortage Is Cited in Delays at V.A.
Hospitals." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 May 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/us/doctor-shortages-cited-in-va-hospital-waits.html>
"Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan." Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan
(n.d.): n. pag. Iom.edu. Institute of Medicine of National Academies, Mar. 2013. Web.
Thompson, Mark. "Unlocking The Secrets Of PTSD." Time 185.12 (2015): 40. MAS Ultra School Edition. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. Retrieved from ccclib.org
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Congressional Research Service, 3 June 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
<https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43579.pdf>.
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Access Audit System-Wide Review of Access. By Philip (Ses) Matkovsky. Department of
Veteran's Affairs, May-June 2014. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.va.gov/health/docs/vaaccessauditfindingsreport.pdf>.

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U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs. "Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014."
Rethinking Rational Choice Theory (2011): n. pag. Web.
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The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 Highlights. The U.S. House of
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Watkins, Katherine E., Harold Alan Pincus, Brad Smith, Susan M. Paddock, Thomas E. Mannle,
Abigail Woodroffe, Jake Solomon, Melony E. Sorbero, Carrie M. Farmer, Kimberly A.
Hepner, David M. Adamson, Lanna Forrest, and Catherine Call. "Veterans Health
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