Assignment #7- Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

1.The Opportunity: Improving post-service health care for veterans in the US.

2. Who?  Veterans in the US
    What? They are not receiving the health services that they need and deserve
    Why? A ton of red tape exists for veterans to be treated and facilities are constantly fighting        
              outside issues such as funding cuts and staffing issues.

3. Many veterans suffer from the poor health services they receive after separating from the military. This has been an ongoing issue, and there has not been much improvement on the conditions. These people served our country and deserve to get the continued health care that they rightfully deserve. This has been a known issue among veterans in all parts of the country. The boundaries of the need include everything from primary care to specialty services. The problem exists among most veterans, usually those with the more complex issues. VA funding is always getting cut, which forces financial burden on the facilities. These burdens cause facilities to be short staffed and undermanned, causing customer service to be unpleasant. Also, this makes patients have to wait longer for their care or medications that they depend on. There is much room for improvement in the VA system as a whole.

4. After interviewing 5 veterans with different medical needs, I learned some things that have strengthened my view on the opportunity. In consideration for their personal lives, I am not going to include their specific medical conditions. However, one person that I interviewed who had the most severe medical condition, mentioned that he waited upwards of 2 months to see his specialty care doctor. My roommate, who depends on the VA for mostly primary care, shared her experience with something as simple as picking up medications. She arrived at the VA at 8 am, hopeful that she would be the first in line to get her prescription and get home. The front desk did not begin checking people in until around 9 am, due to the fact that they had to inventory everything before filling prescriptions. She then waited another hour to get her medication. It took 2 hours to get something that could have taken 10 minutes, had the VA facility been managed better. Small instances like that cause veterans to be unhappy with their care. Also, all 5 veterans that I interviewed mentioned the very poor customer service they have received, across 3 different VA facilities in the Northern Florida area. Examples of the poor customer service are rude receptionists and inconsiderate nurses. Another veteran mentioned a problem with the doctors that are hired at VA facilities. He had been misdiagnosed several times and tried many different medications and remedies, with no results on the actual issue. He also had several appointments cancelled on him by the doctor, after waiting weeks for a follow up. Many of these issues range from minor to severe but the overall discontent with Veterans Affairs was evident.

Conclusion: Veterans should not have to worry about the quality of health services that they receive after dedicating so much of their lives to the military. As an active duty service member, I do not have an issue with the services I receive. I believe that shouldn't change just because a member retires. Health care is arguably the most important factor in our lives as we age. The VA should not cut corners when people need their services the most.