Give vets medical attention

The systematic delays found at Veterans Affairs health centers nationwide are an enormous issue. About 9 million veterans are enrolled patients with VA health centers. At a congressional hearing, the VA assistant undersecretary said many centers used technology from 1985 and that the scheduling system had “not changed in any appreciable manner since (1985).”

The technological deficiencies of this agency cannot go unnoticed. President George W. Bush promised to fix the system in 2007, and President Obama did the same in 2009. Yet, more investigations and research into the depth of the problem are a waste of valuable administrative resources.

The problem is bad – really bad – and it won’t get better until these veterans start receiving medical care. The backlog is huge. Numbers have been falsified. Officials at VA centers knew about false scheduling practices. We get it. Now, fix it.

Instead of pouring money into a more thorough investigation, fix the bigger issue: get these veterans medical attention. Whether through Congress or executive order, the money must go to the medical centers. The focus right now should not be the scandal, but the solution.

Worry about the depth of the corruption after our vets finally receive some medical attention.

Geoffrey Palachuk

Spokane Valley