Few good choices: Granite State veterans often forced pick between long drives, longer waits
His wife,
It was a routine procedure that
Weeks later, the Wheelers found themselves at wits' end.
Other times, the calls would come late, or not at all. Rarely did the same person call twice, a circumstance that meant she would have to explain her situation from the beginning each time. And the need to wait for calls caused problems for
Exasperated,
Then, on
"I laid into them," Bob, himself a veteran, said. "I told them if she doesn't have an appointment by Friday, you'll be hearing from our congresswoman's office."
Twenty minutes later, the Wheelers said,
It's a frustrating experience that still lingers in Carole's mind. "It took us forever," she said. "We were so -- so flustered."
But it's a situation the Wheelers have faced before. In
Within a day, the
"I said, 'Forget it,' " he recalled. " 'I couldn't wait for you people.' "
It wasn't supposed to be this way. Created in 2014 through the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, the Veterans Choice program was meant to be an innovative fix for a health care problem that had snowballed into a scandal. After a searing
Negligent practices and similar deaths at other hospitals -- as well as general concern surrounding an overcrowded national system near the close of two wars -- soon came to light through media reports. The grim findings cast controversy over the Obama administration and spurred the president and
What emerged was the Veterans Choice program: a new system that would allow veterans who had waited more than 30 days to be served at their
Supporters touted the program as a robust and cost-effective means to increase care options quickly. In
But critics, including some officials in the
Since the program's implementation, the criticism has not slowed. Stories of delays and bureaucratic difficulties encountered by veterans attempting to access the program have been in news reports across the country. An
Responding to a Sentinel query,
"We have made improvements, but we recognize there is more to do," she said, adding that the provider is working with
Meanwhile,
The federal department has also put out a request for proposals for additional health care providers to attempt to streamline the way the program is administered.
In statements following the Congressional extension,
Sen.
"For far too long
"I've heard from many
Back in
"I like the
Speaking about the program,
A good place to start, he said, would be to pick up the phone on time.
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