Abolishing VA Hospitals

As a disabled veteran of World War II who has on occasion had to go to the Long Beach VA or the Loma Linda VA hospitals for tests and treatments, I agree with Greenberg on one side and disagree with him on the other. On medical services he is 100% correct. The lack of competent doctors is one of the main problems. It’s rare if you are having monthly treatments or tests that you get the same doctor twice in a row. You are ordered to a clinic and it’s like taking a number at a busy bakery to be waited on.

When they call you, they put you in a room and you wait. Soon a doctor appears; you haven’t seen him before. First question: What’s the problem? The doctor who saw you last time is not on duty: It’s his day off so you have wasted another day. Now I’m not just talking about once but it happens so often, you get mad and it appears that’s exactly what the clinic staff wants. I was 60% disabled during World War II.

Now the other half where I disagree--I’m covered and they have to treat me but where do those veterans go to get treatment (no matter how bad and you’re right it’s bad) who have no medical insurance? On my last visit, I counted 12 veterans in the clinic. I asked all the same question: Are you service-connected? Four stated yes. Of the seven who were non-service-connected, four were unemployed and had no insurance; three others stated they just lost their jobs and the company insurance no longer covered them; the other guy told me to mind my own business which was his right. Where do these seven veterans go when they have medical problems? At least now it’s some place to go for some veterans.

ELROY BARTH

Anaheim