USA Today has some explaining to do!

USA Today has some explaining to do!

"Veterans sacrificed enough: USA TODAY investigations of VA health care help our heroes"

That was their headline, but if they are referring to reports like this, they need to explain what the rest of the story was and why they did not report it!

"In Phoenix, reporter Dennis Wagner's coverage of the VA crisis led to nationwide investigations and major changes in veterans' health care, as well as in the administration's accountability and transparency. Internal VA investigations verified that patients were dying while awaiting care and documented widespread mismanagement and reprisals against whistleblowers."

"The VA secretary was forced out. Congress approved a $15 billion emergency fund and launched the Veterans Choice program giving VA patients a private-care option."

Reporters keep doing that! Patting themselves on the back for only telling part of a story the rest of us live with...and if you read Wounded Times, read all the time too.

Here are some other headlines on this topic.

Veterans call program to get health care with civilian doctors 'a disaster,' broken

Veterans from around the state expressed frustration over the Veterans Choice program, meant to increase access to health care, during a listening session in Helena on Monday night.

Independent Record reported that on 10/24/2017 and veterans added that the VA had gone downhill over the last 8 years.

The Cherokee Tribune had a report in May of 2018 that 1.3 million veterans had been overcharged and were getting reimbursements.

And in June WHIO 7 News reported this mess.

A key program being expanded by the Trump administration to give veterans greater access to private doctors has failed to provide care within 30 days as promised due to faulty data and poor record-keeping that could take years to remedy, according to a government investigation released Monday. The Government Accountability Office, Congress’ auditing arm, found veterans often had to wait between 51 and 64 days for appointments with private doctors under the Veterans Choice program. It cited a lengthy scheduling process that took as long as 70 days.

Read more of this type of pat on the back while the rest of us are scratching our heads instead of pulling our hair out!

"New VA leadership carried out what has been described as the most comprehensive overhaul in agency history."

Treating veterans like the rest of us in never right. Sending veterans into the same system members of Congress have been complaining about, is even worse. When reporters get a pat of the back for not telling the whole story, that is the worst!
Military.com had this in June.

The GAO said veterans could wait up to 70 days for private-care appointments under the Choice program because of poor communication between the VA and its facilities and "an insufficient number, mix, or geographic distribution of community providers."

As for the Whistleblowers protection, you can look that up yourself since that has also been going on for a very long time. Yep~Congress yet again.