Charito Ward

7125 Arrington Street

Suffolk, VA. 23435
Cell: (757)692-0067 email: charito.7997@gmail.com

The Honorable Terry McAuliffe

Common Ground for Virginia
P.O. BOX 1475
Richmond, VA. 23218
RE: Ensuring Fair Access to Veterans Healthcare Act Bill # 3978

Dear Governor McAuliffe:

I would like for you to pursue the Ensuring Fair Access to Veterans Healthcare Act H.R. 3978 to advance
progress through all of the necessary committees to ensure it becomes a law. I am writing as a constituent to
encourage your support for Ensuring Fair Access to Veterans Healthcare Act currently on hold at the
Subcommittee on Health where is has been with no action since November 6, 2015. This is an important
appropriation to the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health and Human Services as well as the
Department of Veterans Healthcare Administration because it will allow for our Veterans who have served our
country to obtain the care they not only deserve, but need, keeping Abraham Lincolns promise he had given to
the veterans in 1865. This bill will allow for the American Veterans to be seen in a timely manner, by
implementing this bill it will decrease emergency room visits, facilitate care in a timely manner, and decrease
healthcare costs by reducing preventable diseases patients develop caused by inaction or delay in care and
avoidable hospitalization costing the government money to treat patients due to lack of healthcare except for
what they receive through the VA.

I am a Registered Nurse that works in the Operating Room who is also a veteran. I currently work at the VA
Medical Center in Hampton Virginia. I want to share with you my observations since starting my employment
at the VA. Currently the VA is doing the best they can to provide care to patients, what we are dealing with is
an overwhelming amount of veterans with limited staff. The prime clinics where patients see their primary care
provider are constantly packed from the time the clinic opens to past closing time. Surgeons are booked solid
three months ahead for patient evaluations and post-operative follow ups; they are now overbooking the
surgeons so they can see the amount of patients that need care. CNN via social media and television have
addressed consequences that veterans pay because of delayed health care.

Ensuring Fair Access to Veterans Healthcare Act will allow for the VA to hire more healthcare professionals to
alleviate the backlog of patients needing to be seen, and if a veteran needs immediate care this bill will allow
for them to facilitate access to healthcare and qualify for healthcare elsewhere to affiliating hospitals and
physicians. The fact that the Act has had no action or advancement since November 2015 is reinstating the
problem that we currently have at the VA. The inaction of the Subcommittee on Health is adding to the delay
of healthcare to the veterans.

I ask for you to use your position to influence advancement in the Ensuring Fair Access to Veterans Healthcare
Act to a law. This Act will make a large difference to the lives of our American Veterans and your constituents
you serve.

I would also appreciate it if you would inform me of the action to take on this matter. Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

Charito Ward
 References:

Bronstien, S., Black, N., Griffin, D., & Investigations, C. (2014, January 30). Veterans
dying because of healthcare delays. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/health/veterans-dying-health-care-delays/index.html

D. (n.d.). Origin of the VA Motto. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from

http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/vamotto.pdf

Ensuring Fair Access ti Veterans Healthcare Act, H.R. H.R. 3978, 114th Cong. (2015).