June 6 will be the third anniversary of the bipartisan VA MISSION Act, which created the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) process, designed to establish a commission to determine the status and needs of Department of Veterans Affairs’ infrastructure.     But before the AIR Commission can even get off the ground, the Biden administration is proposing $18 billion in... Read more »

The post CVA urges administration to forgo infrastructure spending, get AIR Commission off the ground appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

Jimmie T. Smith is a partially disabled U.S. Army veteran who is happy with the care he gets from the Veterans Affairs health care system. But, as he writes in a new op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times, as a onetime chairman of the state House Veterans and Military Affairs Subcommittee and as Florida coalitions... Read more »

The post Holding policymakers accountable for veterans’ health care delays appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

Joshua Stanwitz, a coalitions director with Concerned Veterans for America in Arizona, was just starting his journey with the VA health care system when news of the Phoenix VA wait list scandal broke seven years ago.   The Arizona Republic, the state’s largest newspaper, found out that the local VA hospital had been maintaining two sets of wait lists – an official electronic list... Read more »

The post VA appointment problems hark back to Phoenix scandal appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

This weekend marks seven years since the Phoenix VA scandal came to light. In 2014, news broke revealing veterans were being kept on secret appointment wait lists at VA medical facilities in order to manipulate and hide actual wait times.  In the years that followed, accountability and access reforms have improved conditions for veterans using the VA... Read more »

The post Seven years after Phoenix scandal, VA is failing veterans by not fully implementing the MISSION Act appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs was turned on its head. Suddenly, millions of medical appointments were canceled, both at VA facilities and in community care programs. Non-urgent care has yet to get back to normal. A year later, America’s veterans have felt the effects of COVID-19 and canceled... Read more »

The post By the numbers: the impact of canceled appointments at the VA appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

Seven years ago, the Phoenix VA Medical Center wait-time scandal exploded, revealing a mismanaged system that was denying timely care to veterans and, in some cases, leaving them to die. If the Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t act soon to get a handle on the lack of access to community care, the tragedy could happen again,... Read more »

The post Is another VA wait-time scandal coming? appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

Concerned Veterans for America has released its 2021 policy agenda , and our grassroots army is hard at work sharing our solutions to the nation’s greatest challenges. This year’s agenda is packed full of ideas for continuing to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs and ensuring veterans receive the care they were promised. We’ve been... Read more »

The post What’s next for VA reform? Policy Director Juliana Heerschap details what’s on the horizon for veterans’ health care. appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

When Concerned Veterans for America’s 2020 policy agenda was released, we couldn’t have imagined a global pandemic would shortly follow. Still, we were able to make great strides in the effort to end our nation’s endless wars and protect veterans’ health care options, even with all the challenges of the past year. We found many... Read more »

The post CVA’s 2021 policy priorities: the mission remains appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

To say that 2020 was a different kind of year would be an understatement. We faced unprecedented challenges as a nation. But it has been encouraging to see Americans watch out for each other while adapting to difficult circumstances. Despite these challenges, the men and women who make up the ranks of Concerned Veterans for... Read more »

The post What CVA accomplished in 2020 appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

Over the years, the Department of Veterans Affairs and its predecessors have had to adapt to an ever-changing population of veterans. The next four will be no different. As the VA, Congress, and veterans’ advocates seek to improve and innovate, they should keep in mind what General Omar Bradley said when modernizing the post-World War... Read more »

The post Three principles that should guide VA reform over the next four years appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.