Too many bureaucracies affect quality care of Florida veterans

Veterans Affairs Director Doug Collins is in tears. And I’m everything for that.

Earlier this month, Collins joined City Hall with Senator Ashley Moody at Tampa’s American Legion Post 138. He shared why and how he wanted to adopt a new approach to providing care to warriors in our country.

“If you need 10 sheets of paper to get someone’s health care, I’d like to know how you can do that with five sheets of paper,” Collins said.

Recently, he stated a key point about how the VA has been on the Government Accountability Office’s High Risk List since 2015. It is no secret that VA has a long-standing struggle to provide high quality and efficient care to warriors in our country. Unfortunately, this is a persistent issue despite many reform efforts.

As a veteran and someone who has dedicated almost half of my life to fighting for fellow service members, we must face this issue with both urgency and clarity. The ongoing presence of VAs on the high-risk list is not merely a bureaucratic issue. It reflects the true human outcomes that veterans face when they seek the care and services they have gained through service to our country.

GAOs designate agencies as “high risk” because they are vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement, and their operations are often plagued by efficiency or failure to meet their goals. The VA has seen a share of these challenges over the years, from the 2014 scandal over the VA hospital’s secret waitlist to widespread concerns about the quality of care and delays in service.

But let me be clear. This is not just bureaucratic inefficiency. It’s about the veterans themselves – men and women who serve our country and now face a health system that is often annoyed rather than helping them. Within the VA there are incredibly dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to provide the best possible care, but the systems they run often work against them. Red tape, outdated procedures, fragmented infrastructure will hinder those who really want to help them do their job efficiently.

Veterans are often stuck in a labyrinth of paperwork, waiting lists and impersonal processes fighting for their care amid unnecessary delays and confusion. It’s not that people within the VA aren’t doing their best. However, the system is broken and it can no longer be ignored.

Collins’ recent statements highlight the necessary and undeniable truth that the status quo cannot continue. For too long, if all that was needed was comprehensive and bold reform, we have tried to fix fragments. Our country’s heroes can no longer afford to wait. While many dedicated staff within the VA make tireless efforts to support veterans, systematic flaws within the organization undermine their efforts and prevent meaningful improvements.

Reforms need to address both administrative challenges and fundamental culture within the VA. First of all, agents must embrace new approaches to technology and data management. The VA’s electronic health record system has problems that lead to delays and poor coordination of care. Modernizing these systems is not merely a matter of efficiency, it is a matter of life and death for many veterans.

Furthermore, leadership at all levels of the VA must undergo cultural change. Departments must prioritize veteran-centric approaches that focus on aggressive care as well as reactive treatment. Veterans don’t need to navigate the maze of bureaucracy to receive benefits and health care. They should feel empowered by a system that understands their needs and provides coordinated and caring support.

Americans owe large amounts of debt to our veterans. They take their lives to protect our freedom, and in return they should have access to the absolute best health care system, the system that works for them, rather than against them. However, many of our veterans continue to face delays in lack of care, inadequate mental health services, and treatment continuity. These are issues that affect not only physical health, but also mental and emotional well-being.

Looking back at the ongoing rankings of the Government Accountability Office VA as high risk, we say, “Do more veterans have to defeat the crack before we act?”

Reforming the VA is not a small task. It requires bold leadership, a commitment to systemic change and, most importantly, devotion to the happiness of those who have served our country. Collins’ perception of the challenges facing the VA is a step in the right direction, but it must involve meaningful action. This means promoting more resources, better leadership and enhanced training for VA staff. It also means that the VA will be accountable for the outcome, ensuring that anything that spends a dollar will lead to better care for veterans.

The VA has some of the most dedicated and caring people I have worked with, but the system itself requires an overhaul. Red tape must be cut, and bureaucracy should be streamlined, shifting the focus to creating smoother, faster, and more effective experiences for veterans who need care.

Veterans who rely on this system deserve more than a slow, fragmented process.

Damon Friedman is an ambassador to the Florida Veterans Foundation, a nonprofit organization of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. He is also the chairman of the Veterans Service Alliance and founder of the SOF Mission.