VA has been hosting public virtual listening sessions across the country since March 2021 to hear from Veterans about their care.
It’s part of an effort to design a health care system of the future and grow services for Veterans in a way that reinforces VA’s role as a leader in the U.S. health care system.
Over the last three months, VA has heard from Veterans, caregivers, and other stakeholders about ways Veterans envision the future of VA and ways to improve VA health care.
Veterans spoke about their experiences at VA medical centers, customer service, and accessing care through VA’s Community Care Network.
We are listening, and this feedback is critical as we plan for the future.
Additional listening sessions through the week of June 14
VA is extending listening sessions through the week of June 14, 2021, to include evening sessions in each time zone. We understand that many Veterans work during the day or have other commitments which may have prevented some from attending their local session.
We have received constructive feedback and insights from the listening sessions. These additional listening sessions will allow us to hear from as many Veterans as possible.
These listening sessions represent an exciting opportunity for Veterans to help VA reimagine how VA delivers care in an equitable, high quality, Veteran-centered manner and develop a plan for investing in VA’s aging infrastructure.
Recommendations to the President and Congress
The feedback will be used to develop the recommendations VA submits to the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission in January 2022. The AIR Commission will also conduct public hearings as part of their review of VA’s recommendations before submitting its recommendations to the President and Congress for review and approval in 2023.
If you have not yet had an opportunity to attend a virtual listening session, we want to hear from you!
Registration info
Additional information, including session dates, times, and registration information, is available at https://www.va.gov/HEALTHPOLICYPLANNING/listening.asp.
VHA’s Chief Strategy Office contributed this post.
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my mobility scooter I got from the VA several years ago broke down on the 19th of April this year. Since then, the VA has made all kinds of excuses and has even sent out someone to try to repair my scooter. The person they sent out did not even know how to remove a tire on the scooter to work on it. They also now have me attending a mobility clinic (another delay tactic). I had plans for this summer that I can not break and am going to lose several hundred dollars because the VA is dragging there heals on this. I even got a call from who claims to be a manager of the Iowa city VA purchasing dept. claiming this should have been handled and done with in less than 2 weeks yet here it is 2 months and still nothing done. Veterans
I am a female veteran, I recieve health care thro little rock ark va health care at McMullen and fort roots, I DUE not understand what changed or why but it scares me on so many levals, WHAT HAPPEN THE ETHICS IN OUR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, WHAT HAPPEN TO CAREING AND COMPANSION? I MATTER, MY LIFE MATTERS, NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO JUDGE OR PROFILE ANOTHER HUMAN BEING ESPICAILY OUR MEDICAL STAFF AND DOCTORS AND NURSES. YOU TOOK AN OATH WHEN YOU BECAME A DOCTOR AND ETHICS WAS PART OF IT. WHEN I AM A PATIENT IN A VA HOSPITOL AND SCARED TH VERY LAST THING I NEED IS THE STAFF AT THE NURSES STATION WHICH WAS RIGHT OUT SIDE MY DOOR, LAIGHING JOKEING, ” NOT ANSWEREING CALL LIGHTS” AND AFTER 2HRS SOMEONE RESPONDS TO YOUR CALL WITH WHATS THE PROABLEM!! AND WHEN YOU VOICE YOUR FRUSTRATION OVER NOT GETTING ANY HELP UNDRESSING OR GOING TO BATH ROOM BECAUSE YOU HAVE LITTLE TO NO USE IN YOUR ARMS AND HANDS THEY LABEL YOU A DIFFUCULT PATIENT WHO REFUSED A BATH. THAYS WHAT WAS NOTED IN MY MEDICAL RECORD. THAT I READ MYSELF. THIS IS SO ETHICALY WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS AND WHEN I TRY TO GET IT ADDRESSED NOTHING HAPPENS. THIS IS THE ONLY HEALTH CARE I HAVE. AND IT SCARES ME TO DEATH.
To VHA
1.Be a US citizen to be in Veterans Affairs Administration.
2. Send VA news to officers and enlisted (non-coms).
3. List records available along the way and for the future and where to view them. Such as Leave, marks, inoculations, dental, and transfers. This should reduce error opportunities.
4. Stay current on what’s new in careers in and out of service. Virtual chat sessions with IRIS.
5. VA administration employees do a month of boot camp at clinics to see what needs help.
6. Develop accurate rationalization of medical reports and what is service connected.
7. QTC, VES, and LHI strike me as a waste of tax payer money and a low blow to VA Doctors and staff. Community Care is very effective; but needs closer policy regards cost. Could easily replace QTC, LHI, & VES effectively.
8. With denials the VA adjudicators should sign their work; to drastically reduce inaccuracies. Ironic warranted appeal of DNS & glimpse of 30% rating but still 10% for tinnitus as before. How systemic is that problem? I was an ET2; what rating was that adjudicator without a name? Systemic swamp removal. Rid “scenarios” in appeals warranted with 0% (no rating change).
9. Reevaluate hearing aids and oxygen/CPAP advances. Oxygen tanks are tough for women.
10. Six Sigma reviews of all denials. Example 1. Speech discrimination vs. phase angle vs pure tone; Example 2. no dental health w/o 100% disability rating even when service war maneuvers and Loran ionized radiation exposure created and accelerate my teeth decay..
11. After suffering Tinnitus for 68 years; I believe VHA should take this malady head on with dedicated research.
12. Consider College aid to Vets at in state charges.
Thanks for your invite.
Sincerely:
Ronald G. Ehster ET2
I have been happy with the VA response to me.
When will the group therapy begin again?
I have PTSD and the various groups I have been part of have been a lifesaver for me.
I miss the groups very, very much.
The doctors and Mental Health specialists and EVERYONE including the clerks and admin people are all some of the most kind, and caring and compassionate people I have ever met.
I kept in touch with a number of the guys in the groups I have been part of and they all feel the same way.
It shouldn’t be hard to start group therapy again. We could all wear masks, like we are already doing when going on campus. We can easily arrange chairs in the room to have social distancing.
The Biloxi VA, and everyone connected to the Mental Health Center in bldg. 25
are ready to continue with the groups.
I hope and pray the VA take a long, good hard look at this and gives the ok.
Thank you.
How does the VA get by with misdiagnose of a condition and treats a vet for something other than what is really killing him this happened in Henderson NV VA clinic. Beyond any doubt and written proof that this happened the VA murder him as sure as you suck fresh air and no body is being held accountable .
I don’t know if there’s a system in place for Right To Die care, easing the transition and alleviating pain, but it seems to me that would be a good thing to have with an aging population.
The infrastructure at the San Francisco VA Medical Center CLC it’s probably the oldest in the nation they have the worst phones; even one of the middle-management personnel calls them “cheap phones” and my husband who has advanced multiple sclerosis thinks he’s going deaf. MS does some damage to the middle ear but not enough to make my husband think that there is something wrong with his ear. He has the worst time having to stretch the cord and hold the phone because he does not have the strength in his arms to do so and then he keeps hitting his head with the phone because of the spasticity in his hands so I called the patient experience specialist five days ago and she has not called me back which is the reason I prefer not to go to them. I have complained about this facility’s inferior quality of care for 10 years and only this time have they assigned liaison with whom I can communicate directly but she is so busy she doesn’t have a minute to spare. As a result I am thinking about writing the fifth complaint to the OIG to see where it goes. Please advise, thank you. -Irma Ramirez
Your IG complaint will just go to the already overworked patient advocate or one of the CLC leaders to respond. The fox is guarding the hen house so if you think there is ever an actual investigation— your wrong. Sincerely, a 35 year VA executive
I have been happy with the VA response to me. They have responded to almost all of my issues better than my outside doctor.
I joined the MOVE program and did have a thought. 3 of my Vietnam brothers who I met seemed interested in Move. If there was a way to approach groups of vets to join together it might be more fun and would generate competition. I belong to VVA 1028 in St Louis and we are beginning to meet again. Maybe a short video introducing MOVE and putting those interested together in the same class. Just a thought.
Thank You.
Bob Slama
Of course you have been responded to quickly, you are a male veteran.