Special to the NEWS
Texas Medical Association (TMA) physicians are stepping up to care for U.S. veterans awaiting health care in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system.
A recent audit of the VA system found “systemic problems” resulting in nearly 60,000 veterans waiting for health care appointments and a widespread effort to make wait times appear shorter than they are. TMA this week invited private physicians across Texas to enroll in a TMA registry if they are willing to see veterans in their offices.
TMA will share the registry with community groups that work with Texas veterans and with medical directors of VA facilities in Texas.
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1 comments
My father was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in late April. Dealing with the VA Harlingen facility has been a nightmare in getting my father the necessary treatment. I have waited to speak to people and to attend appointments at the VA which have included a wait time of 3 to 5 hours with no results.
The facility is unable to provide the needed treatment, yet we must hand deliver orders from outside doctors to the VA for vouchers which take about two weeks if these forms have not been misplaced or mysteriously filed in the Land of Oz.
We have the phone numbers to various members at the VA Harlingen facility,but that has not helped.
My father is not the only one who is treated with disregard. I have yet to see any veteran requesting medical attention be treated with the respect and urgency required.
My father does not have the luxury of time to jump all the hoops and climb the ladders of the VA red-tape.
As a sidebar, the VA knew something was not right with my father since early-April as far as we can tell. They had him scheduled for testing in late May and appointments with their specialists in late May.At that pace my father might not be here today.
I am glad my father decided not to wait and went in to the emergency room at Valley Baptist.He has been going to all his appointments at the VA for years, yet he already had Stage 4 cancer. What kind of medical attention is this? In my book it is mal-practice.
God Help All The Veterans Because the VA Is Not .