Editorial: Repaying the debt (Brattleboro Reformer)

December 5, 2008

Our nation has long guaranteed universal health care for our veterans.

That's why it's good news that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will open a new health clinic in Brattleboro. It will provide area veterans with greater access to primary health care without making them travel to the VA hospital in White River Junction.

"If men and women put their lives on the line in defense of this nation, promises made to them must be kept," Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders said in his announcement Tuesday about the clinic.

The VA, the agency in charge of delivering on that promise, runs a health care system hailed as among the best in the world. A recent study by the Rand Corporation, a leading think tank with close ties to the Pentagon, found that "VA patients were more likely to receive recommended care" and "received consistently better care across the board, including screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow up" than that delivered by other health care providers.

But over the years, that system has been chipped away. Funding for military and VA hospitals has been shortchanged for years under the Bush administration, which means veterans face long waits for care alongside a backlog of about 400,000 of their fellow veterans. The average waiting time, according to government data compiled by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, is about six months.

The number of veterans in need of care is almost overwhelming. Of the 1.6 million U.S. soldiers who have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, 18-20 percent -- or around 300,000 -- suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or major depression, according to another Rand study done earlier this year. Another 320,000 veterans likely suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI), a type of physical brain damage often caused by explosions from roadside bombs. But the VA says about only about 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have received health care from the VA system -- about 120,000 for mental injuries -- about half of the Rand estimates.

This group joins the 24 million veterans of military service in America. We have more new veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who need care. The generation who fought in World War II and the Korean War are in their late 70s and early 80s now, the age when one fights a constant battle with all sorts of health problems. The Vietnam veterans are in their late 50s and early 60s, and are dealing with a growing number of health issues. And the men and women who fought in the Persian Gulf War are in their 30s and 40s and will need care for another four or five decades.

The health needs of all these men and women are many, and it's time to deliver on the promise of good health care for every veteran.

Sanders has pushed hard for the creation of community VA clinics, which provide access for veterans to primary care physicians, laboratory tests, medications, mental health services and preventative services such as flu shots. It is part of a national effort to move the VA from a hospital bed-based system to a more efficient health care system focused on primary care.

It will take some time for the VA to find a suitable location in Brattleboro for the clinic and to assemble a team of VA-trained staffers to run it. Whenever the clinic opens its doors, it can't be too soon. Too many local veterans have had to make that long drive to White River Junction, or had to find a way to get there if they are old or too infirm to drive. Bringing routine care closer to the veterans of Windham County and southwestern New Hampshire will be a significant improvement.

We hope this is a sign of a renewed commitment to the men and women who served their country. We hope the Obama administration recognizes the importance of increased funding for the VA to hire more health care personnel and open more clinics and hospitals around the country. This is how our nation can begin repay the considerable debt it owes its veterans.