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Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin says his department is seeking to close perhaps more than 1,100 VA facilities nationwide as it develops plans to allow more veterans to receive medical care in the private sector.
At a House hearing Wednesday, Shulkin said the VA had identified more than 430 vacant buildings and 735 that he described as underutilized, costing the federal government $25 million a year. He said the VA would work with Congress in prioritizing buildings for closure and was considering whether to follow a process the Pentagon had used in recent decades to decide which of its underused military bases to shutter, known as Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC.
"Whether BRAC is a model that we should take a look, we're beginning that discussion with members of Congress," Shulkin told a House appropriations subcommittee. "We want to stop supporting our use of maintenance of buildings we don't need, and we want to reinvest that in buildings we know have capital needs."
In an internal agency document obtained by The Associated Press, the VA pointed to aging buildings it was reviewing for possible closure that would cost millions of dollars to replace. It noted that about 57 percent of all VA facilities were more than 50 years old. Of the 431 VA buildings it said were vacant, most were built 90 or more years ago, according to agency data. The VA document did not specify the locations.
While President Donald Trump's budget blueprint calls for a 6 percent increase in VA funding, Shulkin has made clear the government's second-largest agency with nearly 370,000 employees will have to operate more efficiently and that budget increases should not be considered a given in future years. The department recently announced hiring restrictions on roughly 4,000 positions despite the lifting of the federal hiring freeze and also left open the possibility of "near-term" and "long-term workforce reductions." Shulkin is also putting together a broader proposal by fall to expand the VA's Choice program of private-sector care.
The Pentagon's BRAC process often stirred controversy in the past as members of Congress expressed concern about the negative economic impact of shuttering military bases and vigorously opposed closures in their districts.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., a vice chair of the appropriations panel, told Shulkin that Congress was looking forward to working with the VA "constructively" on the issue in part by determining how excess VA buildings could be put to good community use, such as for fire-fighting, security or landscape maintenance.
"Don't ever use the term BRAC because it brings up a lot of bad memories," Fortenberry cautioned. "You automatically set yourself up for a lot of controversy."
In effort to curb further missteps by the department, Mr. Trump recently signed an executive order to establish an Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection within the VA.
"The Office will help the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to discipline or terminate VA managers or employees who fail to carry out their duties in helping our veterans. The Office will also identify barriers to the Secretary's authority to put the well-being of our veterans first," the order says.
The VA has been treading carefully three years after the wait time scandal that plagued the department nationwide.
Shulkin told CBS News back in April that there's a "bipartisan" commitment to fixing the VA under Mr. Trump
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... Veterans here in Eugene, OR are fortunate to have a new VA facility and it seems to be employing new folks, as each time I go there, more people are in the building.. I am grateful of its proximity too, as it used to be an hour and a half drive for me to reach the VA Hospital in Roseburg, now it's about a ten minute drive.
..Thanks for passing on info Paul...
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I foresee some really big problems coming with the new system of allowing vets to use outside providers. Probably not right away though. There are more and more providers everyday refusing to take you as a new patient if you are on Medicare or Tricare. Doctors are being low balled on what the government will pay for service and also, it is taking forever for these two programs to pay up when billed. This is what I have been told many times when I have sought after any new doctor/specialist and they tell me they don't take Medicare/Tricare and I ask why. It's got to be better than just using the VA though.
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I would agree...as more get caught in the budget shuffle of medicare / medical sending vets into that arena isn't real comforting. There is a need for vets that live in rural areas, long travel times to a facility. However VA $$ to continue the VA system are being spent with private physicians, hospitals etc. I have found VA services in my location to be very good, sorry to hear that your experiences have proved otherwise. As the vet population continues to shrink there will be those wanting to shut down the VA for budget purposes...and it's probably coming at us pretty quick...
Enjoy the day
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Paul - glad to see you are still on the green side of the grass and contributing to the discussion regarding VA care. I have retired from the House Vets Committee but I am still keeping track of what goes on from a distance.
Here's the problem(s) with VA as I see it. First, VA's hospitals average about 50 years old and the estimate to replace those facilities is $40 - $60 BILLION. And that does not take into account VA's horrible track record in controlling the cost of building new hospitals (see the last 4 major projects:Orlando, New Orleans, Denver, and the to-be-started Louisville which has already increased by millions without the first shovel of dirt being dug). So that is $40 - $60 BILLION that will not pay for one episode of care for a vet.
It probably makes sense to keep the big city units going because they have sufficient caseloads to make paying the operating costs efficient. Unfortunately, that is not the case with many of the smaller units. For example, my oldest son works for Soldier On, a provider of services to homeless vets that is HQ'd in some old buildings at the Northampton, MA VAMC. Opened in 1924, the hospital is a dump, been there seen it. Just down the street is a relatively new community hospital which could easily accommodate the vet community and could plus its staff up with the VA care providers.
Second, the scandals continue at far too many facilities. Third, Since WWII, with a possible exception of a short time when the "Born on the 4th of July" movie hit the streets, VA has been treated by Administrations and Congress with kid gloves and as a result, the department's culture became one of arrogance and "you can't touch us, we'll out wait you". When I first worked for the Committee in 1995, I and another new staffer started asking VA questions and the head of the VA Benefits Administration held a meeting of senior staff and called me and the other guy "pot stirring motherfuckers". I did not mind the name calling but it exemplified VA's attitude towards the Hill. They actually thought we had no business trying to find out what was going on at VA and that was just a small sample. We have had staff members locked in hospital rooms to prevent them from conducting oversight inspections, memos to hospital staff directing them to not speak to Hill staff, it just went on and on during my 15 years on the Committee and continues.
Third, VA continues to squander its budget on things like custom artwork for its buildings. It also cannot manage its workforce efficiently - it takes months to hire medical staff and as a result, loses many who would like to treat vets to the private sector. There are also innumerable instances of senior staff treating their subordinates like dirt and the turn over rates in some hospitals is huge. Then there are the many cases of falsifying data to the HQ and as a result, to Congress - which continue to today.
The way the whole issue of "privatization" is discussed misses the point which is who should pay for vet care? The answer of course in the govt and regardless of whether that care is provided in a VA facility built in 1924 or a private 10 year old private hospital like the wonderful Anne Arundel Medical Center here in Annapolis where I get my care, Uncle Sugar pays the bill. In the end, isn't quality care paid for by the govt what vet care is really about?
Anyway, I hope this finds you well.
Mike
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CDR Brinck, I want to thank you again for what you did for me after my Heart Failure when you were on the HILL, Hooked me up with the VA in San Diego, Because of you they Picked me up took me to the VA Admin building a Supervisor met me in the parking lot, escorted me in sat me at a desk while everyone else sat in a room waiting to be called from a list, The Senior Supervisor came in and introduced herself and related that i had been Red Lined by You and that i was to have immediate and special handling , i was there for only a short period of time signed 3 documents they had waiting for me , They obtained by Record from the Civilian Hospital i went to for my Heart, and requisitioned my Military Record reflecting my combat record, and 9 days later i was 100 percent Permanent Combat Disabled, and another 9 days later i was given another 70 percent for PTSD which also carried more benefits from the State , My Daughter is now going to Nursing school from the benefits rcvd And she thanks you also, and this all came about when you saw my post on the Seawolf Forum, Again Thank you SUPER SEAWOLF
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great way to start the day...a great story, with a happy ending..
"fair winds and following seas" master chief
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Master Chief - Glad I could be of some small assistance. Your story is a good example of how good VA can be when they really try. Best to you and your future nurse!
Mike
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Locked
