In The News

"To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan."

– President Abraham Lincoln


The ongoing investigations into the nationwide scandal with the Department of Veterans Affairs was a central topic during a roundtable discussion between Second District Congressman Brad Wenstrup and several Highland County veterans, Thursday, July 3 at the Hi-TEC Center in Hillsboro.

The Highland County Veterans Service Commission hosted the hourlong meeting with the congressman. Approximately 50 veterans attended.

Wenstrup discussed problems with the VA, proposed action by members of Congress and recent changes made by the Obama administration, including the appointment of Robert McDonald, a former CEO of Procter and Gamble, to head the VA.

A May report from the VA’s independent inspector general noted that many of the department’s medical centers had falsified records to hide the amount of time veterans had to wait for medical appointments. The report described the crisis a “systemic problem nationwide.”

"Our highest priority right now is to get patients into care," Wenstrup said. "This problems with the waiting list – we can't have that."

Wenstrup also told veterans he had met repeatedly with Eric Shinseki, the former secretary of Veterans Affairs.

"We found lots of good caregiving in the VA, if you can get in to see a doctor," Wenstrup said.

"Veterans have become liabilities within the VA hospital system instead of assets. In the private sector, doctors look at patients as the assets that they are. We've got to change this culture within the VA."

Veterans caseworker Teresa Lewis also spoke to veterans about how to streamline the process and to bring concerns to their congressman.

Veterans expressed concern over the lack of record sharing and record keeping by the VA and the Department of Defense. Many said there were instances of records not being available from one agency to the other. In addition, there were issues between Medicare and VA healthcare.

"Your records should be available to all medical providers," Wenstrup said. "The system is so behind the times with paper records and not electronic records. That has to change. Bob McDonald has a mountain to climb, and he knows it, after 13 years of war. Congress is working on a bipartisan solution."

Local veteran Gerold Wilkin told the congressman, "You aren't given information in many cases because there is no information. You guys are working in the blind. People have died of cancer who haven't even been diagnosed with cancer. They want to give you a pill and send you out the door."

Wenstrup said a congressional committee is looking into the high doctor turnover and a lack of continuum of care.

"The short-term fix is to get people into care, whether through the VA or private practice," Wenstrup said. "Your own personal doctor should be allowed to be a provider."

Wenstrup also referenced Congressman Dr. Phil Roe of Tennessee, who serves on the Veterans’ Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee and the Subcommittee on Health.

"(We see) a culture that makes the patient a liability instead of an asset. The patient puts food on the table for our family. We understand that. They (VA doctors) don't even know what they don't know, if that makes sense."

Wenstrup said he is working on a bipartisan committee to examine the VA procedures with four congressional doctors. In fact, he said, the committee had scheduled its first meeting just three days before the initial VA scandal at the Phoenix hospital broke.

"We know in private practice there is an incentive to produce," Wenstrup said. "There is no incentive to produce at the VA. This is a great opportunity to make a difference. Unfortunately, it's at the expense of many veterans."

Veterans thanked the congressman for attending the roundtable discussion.

"That means a lot to all of us," one disabled veteran told Rep. Wenstrup. "'Dignity and respect,' that's all us veterans need from the VA."

Note: Congressman Brad Wenstrup is a doctor and has served in the U.S. Army Reserve since 1998, currently holding the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 2005-06, he served a tour in Iraq as a combat surgeon and was awarded a Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service.

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