Bryan Clark, a public-affairs officer at the area Veterans Affairs, said that since President Trump implemented the Veteran Affairs Accountability Act in June 2017, not much changed in the Iowa City community.
Care for local veterans had always been good, Clark said.
“We have great patient satisfaction,” he said.
The bill that Trump signed into law improved protection to whistleblowers at the VA and federal government; it was a direct result of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s investigation, according to a press release from Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. Ernst’s office provided The Daily Iowan with a press release about the bill.
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“This legislation will work to safeguard those who report these wrongdoings while holding the offenders and retaliators accountable for their actions,” the release said.
In December 2017, Sens. Ernst and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent a letter to the U.S. VA, expressing concern about hiring practices at VA hospitals, which included the one in Iowa City.
“A neurosurgeon featured in the [USA Today] article had ‘a dozen malpractice claims and settlements in two states’ and had his license revoked in one state, yet he was hired to work at the Iowa City VA this April,” the letter read.
The DI reported in November 2016, an Iowa veteran took his own life after he was denied inpatient treatment at the local VA hospital.
Brandon Ketchum suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and his girlfriend said the VA did not adequately monitor his medication and he often endured long waiting times.
According to an accountability report from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2,817 people were removed from the VA because of accountability actions in the U.S. between Jan. 20, 2017, and Feb. 7.
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In that same time, 99 people were demoted, and 509 received long suspensions.
In a survey performed by the Veteran Affairs Department between December 2016 and May 2017, 95 percent of patients at the Iowa City VA reported that they were “always” or “usually” able to get appointments when needed for routine, primary care.
84 percent of patients at the local VA hospital reported that they were always or usually able to get an appointment for urgent, primary care.
Clark said the only big changes in the Iowa City facility after the Veteran Accountability Act was implemented were the increased protection for whistleblowers, the increase of some accountability for senior executive staff, the changes in some human-resource policies, and the change of some active discipline.
Clark said his VA facility serves eastern Iowa and western Illinois, and the Iowa City VA serves about one-third of that population. Clark described the Iowa City veterans community as a very dedicated and engaged group.
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He said VA personnel meet with patients regularly to see how they are doing and what they need.
“I do think the awareness around mental health has grown throughout the last several years,” Clark said.
Ernst contributed to a bipartisan bill that was introduced Feb. 8, titled “The Women Veterans Peer Counseling Enhancement Act.” The proposal would increase the number of peer counselors to help address mental-health needs among female veterans.
“According to a VA report, the risk of suicide among female veterans is more than twice as high as male civilians,” Ernst said in a press release.
Clark said that the Iowa City VA welcomes all legislation.