VA says `no' to new patients

VFW Magazine, Sept, 2002

Due to a glut of patients and a shortage of funds, VA officials have ordered its hospitals and clinics to cease efforts to enroll new patients into its health care system.

"I am directing each network director to ensure that no marketing activities to enroll new veterans occur within your networks," according to a July 18 memo sent by VA undersecretary Laura Miller to Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) directors.

Also in the memo, health fairs, open houses or enrollment displays at veterans service organization meetings were deemed "inappropriate."

VA did, however, participate in a health fair at VFW's national convention last month after negotiations with VFW officials. Furthermore, the VA directive will not affect VFW's Together We Stand, a project in conjunction with Pfizer and VA that provides health fairs at VFW Posts.

"Health fairs are a form of preventive medicine," said Bill Bradshaw, VFW's director of National Veterans Service. "In the long run, they can keep more vets healthier and out of VNs health care system."

Bradshaw said VFW successfully negotiated VA's continuing participation in Together We Stand.

Since Congress passed a law in 1996 that offered VA health care to nearly all veterans, the number of veterans enrolled in its system has doubled to 6 million. According to Miller's memo, VA had 13.5% more patients in April 2002 than it did in April 2001. VA enrollment increased 15% from last year while costs increased 7.8%.

"The outcome is ... general waiting times that exceed VHA's [Veterans Health Administration] standard of 30 days," Miller wrote.

Bradshaw said that as of Aug. 1 more than 300,000 veterans were waiting for clinic appointments, with some waiting more than six months.