INDIANAPOLIS — During a recent visit to the Roudebush VA Medical Center, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins emphasized the necessity for administrative changes to improve care for veterans. Notably, Collins assured attendees that these changes will not involve laying off doctors or nurses.
Since assuming office, Collins has been touring VA hospitals nationwide. He stated that he has observed various administrative inefficiencies that need to be addressed.
"When you are looking at a situation as large as we are, we have duplicate HR systems, we have duplicate payroll systems, we have duplicate contracting systems, none of which affect the actual care that we have that we cannot do without,” Collins said. “So we are looking at those kinds of things.”
Two Indiana veterans shared their experiences with the current VA system.
Dougan Julian, a Marine Corps veteran, highlighted challenges he faced when seeking urgent care for an eye injury. His nearest VA medical center is approximately an hour away, prompting him to rely on community care when he couldn't get to the VA.
Community care allows veterans to use their VA benefits at a local healthcare facility. However, he encountered issues when trying to fill his prescription at a local pharmacy. Because he couldn't get his prescription filled locally, his daughter drove him to the nearest VA. When this happened, he reached out to his local congressman, who helped him get answers.
“I ended up hearing from the head of VA Northern Healthcare in Indiana, and he was like ‘no, there is a program for that; there are just these two forms you need to fill out,’” Julian explained. “I promptly explained to him that I had four different people of varying degrees of authority in the VA tell me that that does not exist.”
Julian noted that such frustrating interactions are common. He expressed concern over the lack of cohesion within the VA system.
"Ever since I got out of the military, it’s been dealing with systems that don’t talk to each other within the VA,” he said. “I have had to submit information on my dependents three different times. My address has been correct in one system and not in another.”
Lisa Wilken, another veteran and advocate for veterans’ rights, echoed Julian’s sentiment. She welcomed Collins's visit, the first by a VA secretary to Indiana to her knowledge, noting that it was a sign of recognition for the state's more than 400,000 veterans. However, she indicated that significant changes are necessary.
"When a veteran updates their information at a healthcare appointment, that should translate and update their benefits administration, so we need the right hand to talk to the left hand,” Wilken said.
Collins indicated that improving communication within the VA is one of his priorities, especially as the administration aims to enhance government efficiency. He also addressed concerns regarding potential workforce cuts.
"I am the one who is overseeing the look at our workforce to make sure that we are going to do exactly what I say that we are going to do,” Collins said. “I just tell them out there you can trust me and I appreciate that, but verify me. I am never going to back away from that, and Congress understands that. The president said, 'Take care of our veterans,' and we are going to continue to do that."
Wilken stressed that while she supports streamlining processes, these changes mustn't increase wait times for care. Additionally, she highlighted the need for protections against companies that charge vulnerable veterans for assistance with disability benefits.
“The penalties for charging a veteran for helping them file their disability compensation or charging them erroneous fees for other services were removed from the federal code,” Wilken said. “We need that put back in the federal code so that we don’t have unscrupulous businesses taking advantage of disabled veterans and their families as they work the federal system to get the benefits that their veteran or their family has earned.”
Collins was accompanied on his tour by Governor Mike Braun, Congressman Jefferson Shreve and Congresswoman Victoria Spartz. Regarding future updates to the Roudebush VA Medical Center, Collins expressed hopes of getting it on the list for renovations, citing that the VA's construction budget hinges on Congressional approval.
