Speaking before the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs
By Robert L. Thomas Jr.
Each March, Paralyzed Veterans of America’s (PVA) national president is afforded an opportunity to speak before a joint session of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs.
The national president’s testimony is an invaluable opportunity to speak directly with congressional leaders and instill in them the importance of veterans’ health care, benefits, civil rights and caregiver support.
Current PVA National President Robert L. Thomas Jr., provided his testimony at the March 4 hearing. It’s the tradition of PN to publish the president’s oral testimony from this hearing. The following is Thomas’ oral testimony.
“Chairman [Jerry] Moran, Chairman [Mike] Bost and members of the committees, thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the tens of thousands of veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders [SCI/D].
“Today, I want to focus on PVA’s top priority: preserving VA’s [Department of Veterans Affairs] specialty care system. Specifically, the VA’s preeminent system of care for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders. On more than one occasion, I have testified before these committees about our concerns that the SCI/D system of care is being slowly starved of staffing, infrastructure upgrades and funding needed to ensure its survival. Not for the sake of VA, but for the sake of the veterans it serves.
“My friend, Rick, a fellow PVA member, received care in the community for eight years for his SCI [spinal cord injury] until he was introduced to VA’s SCI/D system of care. Once under VA care, his health improved. He believes he would have died if he hadn’t begun to receive specialized health care from VA medical professionals who understand our injuries and illnesses.
“Despite best intentions, community health care providers aren’t as well-equipped to meet our complex needs. That’s why so many veterans, like myself, choose care provided by the VA. The entire model is designed with us in mind. That’s why thousands of PVA members and their families and supporters have signed a petition opposing any efforts to dismantle the VA’s SCI/D system of care and the lifesaving services it provides. We choose VA.
“Unfortunately, this system is facing challenges of epic proportions, and the consequences, if not addressed now, will prove devastating for veterans with specialized health care needs. For example, one of the 25 SCI/D centers can only use half its beds because staffing vacancies exceed 50 percent. The leadership there recently denied again the center’s request to backfill a resignation. As a result, overtime is increasing, and we expect additional resignations due to burnout and/or closure of additional SCI beds.
“Staffing shortages in the system aren’t new. The SCI/D system of care has been short hundreds of nurses for years, with total staffing vacancies hovering around 35 percent. The department has been concealing its vacancy problems through the use of overtime, which, if taken away, may reveal much more serious staffing issues. Without proper staffing, veterans may be forced to accept care in the community, even when it is not the quality or type of care they would receive at a VA facility, and most importantly, when it is not their decision to do so.
“In addition to staffing shortages, the system also continues to suffer from infrastructure deficiencies. The average age of an SCI/D center is nearly 40 years old. Consequently, we saw major incidents at several centers last year. For example, a plumbing system failure at one facility flooded half of the center. It took one month to repair the system, restore the impacted areas and move patients back into the SCI/D center.
“We call on Congress to invest the necessary funds to ensure sufficient specialty care staffing and address infrastructure deficiencies to meet the demand for care. For those of us with catastrophic injuries, VA is the cornerstone of our care. The cost of inaction is clear — the lives of veterans like Rick and myself, and thousands of others living with SCI/D, are at stake.
“In recent weeks, there have been many changes in federal government staffing and funding. While we understand and generally support the underlying desire for [VA] to streamline access to care and benefits, the arbitrary and haphazard way that these efforts are being approached is failing that mission and harming veterans.
“PVA members are concerned that VA-provided care won’t be available in the future and that the lifesaving research will be curtailed. Even though many clinical providers may be protected by staffing changes, not all are, including recreational therapists who help teach veterans with SCI/D how to reengage in the social part of community following a catastrophic disability. They are equally concerned about access to benefits like home modifications being delayed because of new staffing shortages.
“How can we expect physicians, nurses, claims raters, vocational rehab counselors and other staff to be focused on their mission to care for the veterans while the specter of losing their jobs hangs over their heads [or] they carry the workload of multiple positions? They can’t. As the body charged with VA oversight, I urge you to act before veterans are harmed any further.
“I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.” n
