At the Portland VA yesterday…

So my husband had a root canal scheduled yesterday at the Portland VA Hospital. He’s a disabled VietNam vet and the VA takes care of him. I know all the problems that exist with the Veteran’s Administration, particularly now, but in my husband’s case, his care has been pretty good. We left before we were supposed to one time, and the eye doctor he was seeing actually called us while we were driving down I5 (we were taking our youngest son at OSU out to lunch). Although we really felt foolish, we didn’t go back that day. But the doctor was concerned, so he called. I thought that was really nice of him. Now there’s an eye clinic in Bend so we don’t have to drive all the way to Portland for that. We only do it for the dentist. But that wasn’t always the case. In the beginning, he had to go there for everything. Then, the VA decided that they would pay private doctors over in our area to treat disabled vets. That worked okay, but the payment was less than doctors typically charged and not all would take a vet as a patient. Then a miracle happened! The VA opened a clinic in Bend.

Awesome! Except it doesn’t have dental yet. But we’re hopeful. And recently, they moved to a larger space which is really nice. The staff is really great and I know Jerry appreciates everything they do for him there.

So back to the Portland VA Hospital. It has become such a welcoming place. I have to say that years ago, like in the 80’s, I didn’t have that feeling. I think it was last year or so that we walked in the front door and were greeted by some delightful nursing students who asked if Jerry had had his flu shot yet. He said no, and they took him over to the flu shot table and he got his flu shot. Everyone in the lobby was in such a great mood. People were visiting with one another, smiling and laughing. It was wonderful there that day.

But then, other than parking, we usually have a positive experience at the VA hospital. The food in the hospital cafeteria is basically okay, because after all it is cafeteria food. The hospital staff treat everyone with respect and dignity. The dental folks are awesome. The eye doctors he has seen there are also great. 

But I do know “nightmare” and “VA” go hand in hand. It took years for us to have medical insurance for me and the boys – not because it wasn’t available, but because no one at the time could figure out which section we belonged in. Finally a very nice woman in Salem took care of everything and we finally had insurance. But we didn’t when my youngest was born and since both boys were C-sections, we had to pay out of pocket for him. We sold the truck to pay off the last $400 we owed on our beloved child. Of course, had we had insurance then, we’d probably still have that damn truck. It was an International. I hated it. So there’s that. 

The VA has a backlog that is ridiculous and destructive. And shameful (thank you, Bush administration). It’s taking far too long to get benefits established and care given. Every time I hear about a veteran not getting the care that he or she deserves and needs, I know that it’s happening because our government has made that choice. I’ve seen the VA work the way it’s supposed to work. These people work hard and care about the veterans they serve. Given the opportunity, they would gladly meet and/or exceed the needs of our veterans. But they can’t do it without funding.

Our government has some interesting priorities. They take us into war on a lie. They don’t give our troops the equipment or body armor that they need to stay safe. In a cavalier fashion, they take away our civil rights in order that our “freedom” is preserved. That’s hilarious. And then they don’t take proper care of our veterans when they return home. And this time, we didn’t even have a draft. These people defended our country without being forced to do so. Our first priority should be their care. They risked everything. Everything. 

And to our government: please don’t go to war again. You clearly don’t understand your responsibility for those who do your bidding. And I’ll just bet that when you finally do, we’ll never go to war again. And pull your collective heads out of your collective asses and fix the backlog. Don’t leave these people hanging while you try to repeal Obamacare one more time. Or whatever it is you idiots do to not earn your paychecks.