By: Eric K. Shinseki May 22, 2014
Fellow Veterans and Family Members,
After 38 years in The Army, I am now honored and privileged to serve as your Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA). VA remains committed to providing the high quality benefits you have earned and deserve.
Allegations of VA employees’ misconduct have surfaced over the last several weeks, beginning with scheduling delays at the Phoenix VA Health Care System. As I testified before Congress on May 15, I take any allegations about patient safety or employee misconduct very seriously. The reports of Veterans’ negative experiences while seeking VA care are of great personal concern to me. I fully agree with President Obama’s statement on May 21, 2014: “If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful . . . .”
In response to these allegations at the Phoenix VA Medical Center and a number of other facilities, the VA Office of Inspector General is conducting a comprehensive, independent review. In addition to the IG’s independent review, I ordered the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to conduct a nationwide audit of all other major VA healthcare facilities to ensure understanding of, and compliance with, our appointment policy. That audit is being conducted now by more than two hundred senior VHA staff. All teams are independent of the facilities they are visiting. You and your families deserve to have full faith in your VA, and we intend to earn it every day.
As President Obama made clear to the American people May 21, 2014, “Every single day, there are people working in the VA who do outstanding work and put everything they’ve got into making sure that our Veterans get the care, benefits, and services that they need.” I echo that praise and commend the hard work and dedication of the vast majority of our VA employees, many of whom are Veterans themselves. Every year, dedicated employees are prepared to provide care for over 8.9 million Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare. Every day, VHA conducts approximately 236,000 outpatient healthcare appointments—about 85 million last year.
Since 2009, we have enrolled two million more Veterans in high-quality VA healthcare, reduced Veterans’ homelessness by 24 percent, and provided Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits to more than one million student Veterans and eligible family members. We have opened up new presumptives for Veterans to receive long overdue care for exposure to Agent Orange, for combat-related PTS-D, and for Gulf War illnesses. And, we have decreased the disability claims backlog by over 50 percent in the last 14 months. We will meet our goal of eliminating the claims backlog in 2015.
Every VA medical facility is accredited by The Joint Commission, an independent, non-profit organization that ensures the quality of U.S. healthcare through intensive evaluation of more than 20,000 healthcare organizations. In 2012, The Joint Commission, recognized 19 VA hospitals as top performers, and that number increased to 32 in 2013.
Since 2004, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey has consistently shown that, on average, Veterans who use VA healthcare award our hospitals and clinics a higher customer satisfaction score than patients give private sector hospitals. When asked if they would use a VA medical center the next time they need inpatient or outpatient care, 96 percent and 95 percent of Veterans, respectively, indicated they would. Veterans across the Nation are receiving quality care from VA. We must encourage other Veterans to seek it.
Notwithstanding these accomplishments, VA will do even better. If any allegations under review are substantiated, we will act.
As we approach our observance of Memorial Day and its special significance to our Nation, VA is re-doubling its efforts, with integrity and compassion, to earn your trust.
As President Obama said, Veterans have “done their duty, and they ask nothing more than that this country does ours—that we uphold our sacred trust to all who have served.”
And, we will.
Here we go again, Shinseki, states” 94 and 95 %” blah, blah. How does he know this but not know of the scheduling problems, cost over runs and delays in capital construction, over use of psych. meds. etc.?
Tell me this Mr. Secretary, if health care in the VA system is soooo good, what are the reasons there is no accountability in the Medicare hospital comparison reviews?
I am not laying blame, that will help little. I ask leadership to focus on remedies: therein lies the rub, do you even know how to?
A general wrote last week. The system is past repair; let the veteran seek help elsewhere, send the bill to the VA and pay it. Maybe turn all VA hospitals into private enterprise, sell them?
Here is a question worth considering: If this is health care for veterans, government style; what will Obama care look like down the road?
Not bitter, just saying. Of course I could be wrong.
Another question. Why a General who has no health care experience, running the VA? All management is not the same.
In the TO&E where are the oversight Sgt Majors located? Are there any?
Who steers the ship, so to speak, while the Admiral plays golf?
If as Dillinger wants to do; cut off the head ( fire Shinseki ) what then?
Thank you Sec. Hagel for your clear thinking comments today.
Not bitter, just saying. Of course I could be wrong.
a concerned citizen
Secretary Shinseki.
I know you are working very hard for veterans like me. Because of your work my case got heard. I am still fighting my case. Keep up the good work.