There's the medical staff, sequestered behind the solid brick wall of support staff. This second group's job is to do everything they can to keep vets from seeing the medical staff. At my VA, if you call for an appointment, you have to leave a message, which will never be returned. Ever. So I drive the 10 miles to get in line to make the appointment, and then get treated like it's a huge problem for them personally. Never a smile or a look in the eye, and I get an appointment for two months in the future at a time of day for their convienance (at which time I can expect to sit & wait 3 hours). It's hell getting over that wall, but once you see the medical staff, they're perfectly fine & seemingly unaware of what goes on outside their locked doors, at that brick wall protecting them from us, the vets.

My sister said she had nothing but high praise for the VA system here. Got him in when scheduled, staff remembered him each and every time and brought him his favorites during chemotherapy, etc.

I told her she ought to write an op/ed about her/their experiences with the VA system. She loved it, even when she drove him to Ft. Worth every three weeks to a special treatment facility for Agent Orange vets.

I was impressed by how clean the facility was when b-i-l in hospice care at the VA. A friend passed away about 6 years ago at the same facility and it was awful!

I don't know - I don't dispute these stories, but when the VA system works, the people it helps love it.

Just look at who the authors are:
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) and Sen. David Vitter (R-La.)
More Republican shit stirring to try and privatize the VA.

I've been using the VA for just 5 years now and I never have problems
getting appointments or follow-up care. They have saved my life twice.

I spend a lot of time at the VA. I recently started an outpatient treatment program called PRRC and on a given weekday I have between 2 and 4 mental health appointments. Some are therapy groups, some are classes addressing various therapies. I have at least two one-on-one appointments with a psychiatrist in a week. The quality of care I get is phenomenal - and it's not just my opinion. The same 10 - 15 vets show up to nearly every one of the groups. That is a testament to me of what vets think of my local program. If we didn't like it we'd stop going in a heartbeat. Doctors, nurses, janitors, and support staff of all sorts are generally more than helpful and legitimately helpful to me. I believe that they really do give a damn.