VA care is good but needs reform

By Jamie Hazard

I would like to respond to the recent Speak Out debate about VA health care. My husband, Andrew, a Gulf War veteran, had been in the VA system since his discharge in 1993 and received treatment for brain cancer at VA facilities during the last three years of his life. A few observations:

First, I can sympathize with the frustrations of the Speak Out contributors, because Andy was tragically misdiagnosed by his clinic doctor and a radiologist for several years. But individual doctors in any institution can and do make mistakes. When he finally started receiving care at John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis, we found the staff to be competent, kind and caring, and he was highly satisfied with his level of care. Yes, many of his doctors had strong accents. But they spoke English well, and it is a fact of life today that you'll find foreign-born doctors in every hospital. The situation is not endemic only to the VA system.

Second, the main problem we saw in our time spent at VA hospitals was that they were understaffed and overburdened with high patient loads. We realized that there are currently soldiers coming back from two wars, along with aging Korean and Vietnam War populations and a dying World War II population. The system has not yet caught up with all these challenges. Andy's doctors frequently called us on weekends and in late evening because that was the only time they had, and we were grateful for it.

Third, the biggest problem we saw overall was that the VA system is embedded in its own bloated bureaucratic nightmare. Claims take months to process. There is a high burden on the veterans and survivors to provide evidence for their claims -- evidence that exists within the VA system and which is hard to access. Being tied to Title 38 of the U.S. Code, there is little flexibility in assessing individual cases. There is a lot of back-and-forth. There are a lot of contradictions.

Again, however, the individuals who work in the system, at all levels, seem to be doing their best and are surely as frustrated with it as the veterans. On several occasions, we had to enlist the help of our congresswoman. I am still struggling, with the help of a veterans service officer, to claim the survivor benefits my children and I are entitled to.

Do I think the system needs reform? Absolutely. Do I question whether my husband received the best care possible? Of course. But our experience was in part very positive, and we know that anyone in a tough medical situation is going to encounter problems, no matter who provides their care. I am confident that the individuals who worked with us were doing their best for us, and I realize that we were all trying to navigate the same sometimes impossible system.

Urge your representatives and senators to push for reform, and keep in mind that all institutions have their faults, but most of the people in them are trying their best to work for you.

Jamie Hazard is a Cape Girardeau resident.