Q&A: Cathy McMorris Rodgers talks about the VA debacle
By Thomas P. Skeen
Union-Bulletin
Friday, June 6, 2014

The resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki may have solved a political problem for President Obama and satisfied members of Congress who in a bipartisan voice called for the retired Army general’s ouster.

But the practical problems that set off the latest VA scandal — excessively long waits for veterans needing medical care — remain.

In fiscal year 2013, the total veteran population was 21,882,153 men and women — nearly a tenth of the nation’s population, according to VA data. They include the diminishing ranks of veterans from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars, and the rising number of those who since 2001 served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The VA’s total expenditures last year was nearly $143 billion, about $55 billion of which was spent on medical care. More than 5.6 million veterans in 2013 were what the VA terms as “unique patients,” those who receive care at a VA facility.

In fiscal 2002, the first full year of the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. veteran population stood at 25,490,093, with 4.5 million of them receiving care at VA facilities as unique patients. The VA total expense was $54.5 billion, with $23 billion spent on medical care.

The snap shot: Over a little more than a decade, the total veteran population has declined 14 percent while the number receiving medical care at VA facilities has risen 24 percent; total VA expenses have risen 162 percent; and VA medical expenses have increased 139 percent.

And untold thousands of veterans who are not being served with the timely medical care they expected when they joined the military.

Last week, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was in Walla Walla to meet with people in various veteran groups to hear their concerns and get their insight, as well as offer an update from her perspective in Congress. Topics discussed included better treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, as well as frustrations with appointment and treatment delays.

Afterward, she responded to the following emailed questions from the Union-Bulletin:

Q: What does the current VA debacle mean for vets who use the Walla Walla facility?

A: This is an opportunity for Walla Walla veterans to voice their concerns regarding their own experiences within the VA system. After meeting with numerous veterans and veterans service groups, it is clear there are opportunities for drastic improvements to fix the systemic, cultural problems at the VA. As we learn more in the coming weeks about the issues at the VA, our veterans must speak out and engage in the debate because I want to hear their frustrations along with their ideas for solutions. While the scandal at the VA is a national disgrace right now, my hope is that in the end, after investigations are completed and real changes to modernize the VA are enacted, our veterans in Walla Walla and across Eastern Washington will receive the best possible care from a 21st century agency that puts their needs first.

Q: What personally do you plan to do to address the overall issue of veteran medical and psychological care? Do you have any alternative solutions to getting things on track more quickly?

A: Secretary Shinseki’s resignation does not address the fundamental problem at the VA, which is the absolute failure to meet the needs of our veterans. In the short term, we need to give the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the authority to remove or demote senior officials who are underperforming, which is why I co-sponsored the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act (H.R. 4031) that overwhelmingly passed the House with bipartisan support. The Senate has yet to take it up, although I am hopeful when they return to Washington next week they will reconsider.

We also must quickly address the veterans who are waiting for care. All veterans on waiting lists should have access to care outside of the VA without waiting for a bureaucrat to approve their request. No veteran should be left in limbo or feel like a burden to the agency whose very existence is rooted in ensuring their health and well-being. I support efforts in the House that would give any veteran unable to obtain an appointment within 30 days the option to receive care outside of the VA system.

While all these are both critical in the short term, they do not replace long-term solutions to modernize this outdated agency and bring it into the 21st century. With almost a third of today’s veterans returning home from war with a service-related disability, and often times it is PTSD or traumatic brain injury, the VA needs to make treatment for these diagnoses a priority. We must modernize the VA to meet the needs of today’s service members, because these American heroes protected our country, and we must stop at no length to ensure they receive the care they deserve and earned.

Q: Are you willing to fund any measure that increases the number of doctors, nurses and mental health providers at VA medical centers in an effort to reduce appointment wait times?

A: In the past 14 years, VA medical care spending has increased significantly, yet the system is still failing veterans. Ultimately, we need to do whatever it takes, pending results of current investigations, to make certain veterans receive the care owed to them — even if it means shaking up the current bureaucratic fiefdom in Washington, D.C., and rethinking the entire system. But right now, our community has a strong network of health care providers outside of the VA system, and instead of leaving veterans with long wait times, it makes sense to make use of these existing resources. That’s why I support legislation that would enable veterans waiting over 30 days for an appointment at a VA facility to seek care from a health provider outside of the VA. I hope the President will support this legislation to offer an immediate, effective alternative.

Q: Is the VA really the best value for the taxpayers and vets to ensure that veterans receive the post-military care they were promised when they enlisted?

A: We need to conduct a thorough investigation to learn just how deeply rooted are the systemic and cultural problems at the VA to determine what types of transformations need to take place at the VA to ensure it meets its mandate of service and care for our nation’s veterans.

Q: Why not do away with VA medical centers and privatize care?

A: Ultimately the VA does play an important role as it uniquely focuses on problems veterans face. However, when the system is completely failing like it is today, we must identify solutions to fundamentally transform the VA system and bring it into the 21st century. Veterans deserve unique attention, and we need a culture at the VA that is welcoming — one that says ‘We are here to help you’ — not one that leaves American heroes feeling like a burden.