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Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 22, 2014
Joseph VanFonda (SgtMaj Ret.), the CEO of Disabled Veterans National Foundation (http://www.dvnf.org), a nonprofit veterans service organization that provides critically needed support to disabled and at-risk veterans who leave the military wounded—physically or psychologically—after defending our safety and our freedom, offered his thoughts on the recent issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs, calling for increased accountability.
In a blog post, VanFonda highlighted the troubling stories of secret wait lists in VA hospitals around the country. The Phoenix VA’s problematic management brought forth dozens of other whistleblowers claiming negligence and misconduct at other VA hospitals, including the Albuquerque VA.
Among other claims of patients having to wait months for routine procedures, a former psychiatrist at the Huntington VA Medical Center in West Virginia came forth, stating that she informed administrators that many patients needed more intensive care than they were receiving. Upon her calls for enhanced care, she said that two of her patients actually committed suicide.
“While everyone claims increased funding is the answer to what ails the VA, I am not sure that a bigger budget will necessarily fix the underlying issues,” VanFonda said. “The VA has been overburdened for years, but the real issue is a systematic failure to put proper procedures in place to meet the needs of veterans and prevent these types of abuses in the first place.
“Understanding that the demand on the VA has grown exponentially in recent years, this department needs a serious makeover. For the sake of our veterans who depend on the VA to offer the proper care they deserve, a better system must be implemented so that individual hospitals don’t feel the pressure to wait-list veterans in need of care.”
DVNF is echoing the calls for more accountability in the VA, recognizing that while the department is overstretched, our veterans deserve a system that ensures their sacrifices are not repaid with negligence.
About DVNF:
The Disabled Veterans National Foundation exists to provide critically needed support to disabled and at-risk veterans who leave the military wounded—physically or psychologically—after defending our safety and our freedom.
We achieve this mission by:
- Providing personalized counseling to assist veterans in navigating the complex process of seeking benefits that they are entitled to as a result of their military service.
- Offering direct financial support to veterans and other veteran organizations to address the issues that align with the DVNF mission.
- Providing supplemental assistance through the Wellness & Morale program and Empowerment Webinars.
- Serving as a thought leader on critical policy issues within the veteran community.
For more, go to http://www.dvnf.org.