‘I am very thankful for the MISSION Act’: Veterans share stories and struggles with VA and community care

‘I am very thankful for the MISSION Act’: Veterans share stories and struggles with VA and community care

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been misrepresenting appointment wait times and blocking veterans’ access to needed health care.

Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request expose methods the VA is using to skirt requirements in the VA MISSION Act  to prevent veterans from using the community care option and keep them in the VA health care bureaucracy.

Veterans have confirmed manipulation and mismanagement are taking place in the stories they’ve shared through CVA’s  My VA Story.

My VA Story gives veterans a platform to tell us about their experiences with VA health care.  Many have shared specifically about canceled appointments, extended wait times, and the value of community care options.

Take a look at the stories we’ve heard from veterans.

Veterans are facing doctors that block them from community care and authorization processes that delay appointments.

Others might get access to community care, but the VA drags its feet on paying providers, leaving veterans with overdue bills.

Others staying in the VA system face extended wait times.  FOIA findings revealed methods the VA uses to manipulate data to give the appearance of shorter waits and to keep veterans away from community care.

For some, community care is more than just an option. For this veteran, the partnership between the VA and her community providers has made all the difference.

Read more veterans’ stories and submit your own at My VA Story.