Last year, Americans were shocked to learn about the widespread systematic failures of the VA, with many veterans being forced to wait months to see health care providers. One VA center in Phoenix, Arizona, was so criminally mismanaged that at least 40 veterans died as a result. Soon after, a nationwide audit was released that revealed North Carolina VA facilities had some of the worst wait times in the nation.
Unfortunately, one year later, many of the same institutional problems plaguing the VA system persist. A recent Associated Press investigation found that North Carolina facilities continue to suffer from unacceptable wait times.
As a representative of North Carolina’s nearly 800,000 veterans and a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, one of my top priorities is ensuring that we honor our commitment to the brave men and women who have served our nation.
Earlier this month, I embarked on a fact-finding mission, visiting VA Medical Centers in Fayetteville, Durham, and Salisbury to meet with facility leaders and veterans to receive firsthand updates on wait times and other challenges facing our state’s VA centers.
I know from my years of consulting businesses in the private sector that one of the keys to managing complex and bureaucratic organizations is to constantly apply new ideas and practices to help them remain viable in the midst of emerging challenges.
After visiting North Carolina’s VA medical centers and reviewing the compelling testimony and research of Duke Hospital’s Office of Veterans Affairs, I sent the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert McDonald, a series of recommendations to apply best business practices to the VA system in order to help ensure that our veterans have access to timely and quality care.
Some of my recommendations to Secretary McDonald include:
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