"VA Has Lost Trust of Veterans, American People" and so has Congress

Reporters seem to think that veterans blame the VA but the truth is, most veterans blame Congress. After all, it is the job of our politicians to take care of all veterans and make sure they are getting what they need. When a veteran is having trouble getting a claim approved or is not getting the care they need from the VA, they call their Senators and Representatives offices. No member of congress can pretend to be shocked by anything that went on.

Then there is the issue of decades of promises from congress to fix the problems veterans face. Veterans know none of this is new and the blame falls on congress but reporters don't seem to understand that.

Acting Secretary: VA Has Lost Trust of Veterans, American People
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By MATTHEW DALY
Published: Wednesday, July 16, 2014

WASHINGTON
The Department of Veterans Affairs has lost the trust of veterans and the American people as a result of widespread treatment delays for people seeking health care and falsified records to cover up those delays, the agency's top official said Wednesday.

Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said the VA has created an environment where workers are afraid to raise concerns or offer suggestions for fear of retaliation and has failed to hold employees accountable for wrongdoing or negligence.

The agency also has devoted too many resources to meeting performance metrics — such as prompt scheduling of patient appointments — that were subject to manipulation and may not accurately reflect quality of care, Gibson said.

"As a consequence of all these failures, the trust that is the foundation of all we do — the trust of the veterans we serve and the trust of the American people and their elected representatives —has eroded," Gibson told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

Illustrating the depths of the agency's woes, the VA's Office of Inspector General said Wednesday it is investigating possible wrongdoing at 87 VA medical facilities nationwide, up from 69 last month.
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Reporters cover whistleblowers but no one in congress has blown the whistle on themselves. Reporters cover wasted funds but no one has been interested on what congress has wasted for decades funding programs that don't work. When the rate of military and veterans suicides go up, veterans getting arrested, ending up homeless and jobless after so much has been done to address the problems they face, someone is making money off their suffering and frankly, veterans want accountability. They are tired of headlines being repeated over and over again when nothing gets fixed.

They lost trust a long time ago but no matter how much they have suffered for their service, they would do it all over again.