Editor:

While I expected bad news from the VA’s recently released audit, I am shocked by the performance of our Virginia hospitals. In Hampton Roads, the wait for an initial primary care visit is nearly 58 days, and the situation is even worse in our capital. New patients at the Richmond veterans hospital must wait 73 days to see a primary care physician.

The resignation of Secretary Shinseki is only the beginning of reform at the VA, and I’m glad that our Congressman [Randy] Forbes is working to provide better care for our veterans in both the short and the long term. Currently, he is supporting legislation that will offer private medical care to many veterans who are stuck on VA waiting lists across the country. Veterans who have been unable to make an appointment within the VA’s goal time or live more than forty miles from a VA hospital will be eligible for private medical care.

Congressman Forbes also has backed legislation that will permit the new VA secretary to remove Senior Executive Service officials for unsatisfactory job performance. This reform will ensure that our VA employees conform to the high standard of service that our veterans deserve.

We owe a great debt to our veterans. They deserve the care that the VA’s inefficiency has cost them, but they also deserve a VA system that will meet their healthcare needs when the scandal becomes yesterday’s news.

Tina Scott
Courtland