Tag: Veterans Health Administration

President Donald Trump is firing Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and replacing him with the White House doctor Ronny Jackson. (March 28) AP With 9 million veterans receiving healthcare from the Veterans Health Administration, and 1,200 hospitals and clinic providing those services, it is not surprising that so much media attention has been given to the quality if care provided. Unfortunately, I have seen very few favorable stories and a substantial amount of criticism — and certainly a mountain of evidence of questionable performance. On Wednesday, President Trump fired David Shulkin as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs and replaced him with Dr. Ronny Jackson, Trump's personal physician. Perhaps it is time for veterans who have been using the VA health care system to speak up about our experiences. I have been using the VA health care system for more than 30 years. If there seems to be a problem or serious concern, I have the option of using the VA specialist or seeking help outside the system. Recently, through the new low-vision clinic, I have been provided several innovative tools that have been extremely helpful to help these aging eyes. Over the past several decades, I have found the VA psychologists to be very helpful in my efforts to age gracefully. I hope we can improve the VA health care system without more political involvement, and without privatizing the system.