The Hub
By Rush Holt
One of the most positive developments in public debate since the Vietnam War has been the American public's ability to separate the war from the warrior. Despite dissatisfaction and anger that many Americans have regarding the war in Iraq, we honor service members, particularly those injured in combat. However, over the past two weeks, we have learned that the federal government is failing in its most basic duty to support those who have put their lives on the line for us.
I have personally witnessed the first-class inpatient medical care that physicians and nurses at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other facilities provide our wounded soldiers. Caregivers provide a range of emergency care, rehabilitative services and combat medical readiness.
The problems that most soldiers have encountered come when patients move from intensive and acute inpatient care to transitional or outpatient care, where challenges are multifold. The infested and rotting quarters in which soldiers have been housed are not the full problem - they are a symptom of a larger issue.
For decades, our veterans' healthcare system has been focused on serving veterans of previous wars, with heavy (and appropriate) emphasis on treating the obvious wounds of war - the loss of limbs, vision and mobility. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, veterans had to fight to get conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder recognized and treated. Only now are we beginning to recognize and act to close the gaps we have in providing comprehensive services to address the physical and mental health of those soldiers returning home today with service-connected injuries or conditions.
In the case of Walter Reed's outpatient care, wounded soldiers and their families had to deal with more than dirty and decrepit rooms. They had to grapple with a faceless and indifferent bureaucracy, missed medical appointments and a systemic predisposition toward early discharge of patients rather than assurance of the soldier's total health. The outpatient system has not kept pace with the number of wounded soldiers needing treatment.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that disability claims filed by veterans are up by 38 percent since 2000 as a result of ongoing military operations. Just this week, the GAO reports that the backlog of disability claims increased to over four months in 2006. Appeals resolutions average 657 days to complete, and challenges remain in improving the accuracy and consistency of decisions. The VA region headquartered in Newark falls short of the national average on almost every measure of efficiency, timeliness and satisfaction.
Significant advances in science, medicine, and battlefield technology have enabled many soldiers whose injuries would have been fatal in previous conflicts, to survive and to be transported home. But just as these life-saving technologies have advanced, the administration of veterans' outpatient health facilities and disability benefits must be updated to meet the demands of the ever-increasing number of wounded veterans created by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The nature of the injuries both physical and psychological also means that families need our assistance for the former soldiers to recover a normal life.
The scandal that continues to unfold with regard to our care for veterans is a tragedy, but it also presents Congress and the Administration with an opportunity to transform the way that the federal government cares for our veterans. The only solution is to fully fund veterans health care by allocating whatever resources are necessary to pay for the true costs of war - the after-conflict care that our veterans need and have earned. The time for rhetoric is passed. The time for action is now.
Rep. Rush Holt
12th Congressional District
New Jersey