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I am a 100 percent, totally and permanently disabled veteran, and I have been in the VA health care system for over a decade. I receive all of my health care through the VA and the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP). Currently, 40 percent of veterans receive care through the VCCP, and the Veterans Health Administration allocates $27 billion to the program. In my experience, this has resulted in resources being compromised for such facilities as Maine’s Togus VA Health Care System.
Wages paid to providers and staff are not competitive with the private sector. The outcome is a dwindling of staff to support their mission. In some instances, the dedicated providers who have remained at Togus are not able to purchase the necessary equipment they need. Although they bring appropriate levels of training and experience to their work, the budgets they function under are inadequate to purchase these tools. Again, this affects their ability to provide necessary services.
VA healthcare provides services to a unique population. They understand the veteran culture they serve, and they are better able to empathize and understand the people who rely on them for care. If our government and our citizens truly mean, “Thank you for your service,” the priority needs to be to invest the necessary funds to support this essential service.
Dana Williams
Belfast
