Arizona Sen. John McCain vowed to continue efforts to improve veterans’ care, as well as promoted a new option for veterans seeking care, at a town hall meeting in Phoenix on Thursday afternoon.
“I promise you, I will do everything in my power to fix [veterans’ care],” McCain said.
The small auditorium in Burton Barr Central Library was primarily filled with veterans, many of who have had similar experiences with the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services.
The veterans recounted their experiences of waiting months for appointments, trying to obtain medical care and interacting with the bureaucratic hiccups of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Amid the discussion over the VA’s shortcomings, McCain promoted the new Veterans Choice Cards.
By being eligible and registering for a Choice Card, veterans can receive health services from doctors who do not work for the VA. This allows veterans to receive health care in a more timely manner and without having to travel long distances to seek medical care.
“I believe that this Choice Card is really the most important element, in any respects, to give our veterans a card,” McCain said, “so that if that veteran wants to go to the VA where they can get the best possible care for a traumatic brain injury, for PTSD, for a number of other combat-related and military-related needs, that veteran should be able to go to the provider of his or her choice.”
The card’s rollout has not been without issues.
Sean Markis, a combat veteran who served in Iraq, is unable to qualify for a Choice Card in Phoenix. Despite serving in the military, his eligibility for access to medical care outside of the options provided by the VA has been denied because of the time he served.
“Why would there be a limit on what veterans can and can’t get a Choice Card?” he asked.
McCain met the young veteran’s concern with a promise to “fix it,” but said the main problem is the slowness associated with the system.
“It’s the bureaucratic dragons (that are) really bogging down the system,” Rep. Sonny Borrelli, R – Lake Havasu City, said.
“The bureaucratic agencies, they put up too many rules and roadblocks … where it just seems that the bureaucracy is just protecting the bureaucracy with archaic rules and making it difficult,” he said.
Other individuals who spoke shared their personal struggles with the VA as well.
A man diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer asked McCain how to get an earlier appointment with a VA oncologist. More than one veteran with chronic pain spoke on the difficulties of receiving narcotic painkillers or holistic alternatives to alleviate pain. A double-amputee said he is in need of a new motorized chair in order to get from place to place.
McCain said that listening to stories like these was necessary to implement meaningful solutions.
“The best way that we can find out where we’ve come and where we need to go is to directly interact with our veterans,” McCain said.
Contact the reporter at sydney.maki@asu.edu.
