Tomah VAMCs pros, cons shared at town hall meeting
Former Tomah Mayor John Rusch, left, discusses his VA experiences during a town hall meeting at Post 201 in Tomah, Wisc. (Photo by Ben Brewer) Legion

Tomah VAMCs pros, cons shared at town hall meeting

Earlier this year, the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wisconsin faced allegations that its staff overprescribed opioids and other painkillers, and that those employees who attempted to bring those facts to light faced retaliation.

Staff was removed from the facility, and earlier this month VA announced a 30-day plan to improve the facility’s procedures and work environment.

In an American Legion town hall meeting at Post 201 in Tomah on June 22, Legion representatives gave the floor to local veterans to talk about their experiences at Tomah VAMC. And, as has been the case at many previous Legion town hall meetings, veterans expressed both concerns and praise for the facility and its staff.

Lance Mattson, who said he is 100-percent service connected, said that his psychiatrist at Tomah was removed from that position. “My concerns are that the same problems the VA had before the removal (of my doctor) have multiplied,” he said. “One of the issues … is the timely care of veterans. When you go see your provider and you have an injury and cannot see one of their doctors within 30 days, they send you to a Veterans Choice program. That program takes longer than 30 days to get you in to see a private doctor. There’s a lot of red tape involved.”

Mattson, who said he deals with post-traumatic stress disorder, said that since his doctor was removed in December, “I haven’t had a primary psychiatrist since. I’ve been shuffled around between a number of them that want to change my treatment program. I have a doctor that is in charge of pain management – they cut me off of narcotics – and offers alternatives, but the VA won’t pay for chiropractic care outside of VA, or massage or physical therapy. I’m a big fan of not taking narcotics. Massage therapy and chiropractic care relieves my pain. I wish I would have done it 10 years ago. Now I’m paying for it out of pocket, $50 dollars a week.”

Wisconsin National Executive Committeeman Steve Krueger questioned why a VA Inspector General report on Tomah was “administratively closed” and suggested that issues remain with VA – though not at the local level. “I don’t think (the problem) is in Tomah,” Krueger said. “I think we’ve got a problem up above, and I don’t think that’s being addressed at all.”

Criticism for the way Tomah VAMC communicates with the veteran community also came up, but Post 201 Commander Todd Steffel – who also works at the medical center – said the VA staff wasn’t entirely at fault for that.

“The VA is doing the best it can, but they’re not going to go out door to door (to reach people),” Steffel said. “Use your local Legion posts. Use us. If I can’t answer a question, I’ve got state people I can call. There has to be some responsibility on the veterans to get that info.”

Mark Lesko, Wisconsin’s Seventh District Commander, a retired combat veteran who is 100-percent service connected, praised the Tomah facility. “That VA up there, I love it,” he said. “It has done one heck of a good job. When I started to have problems … I mentioned it to (my provider). I got done with my appointment, went out, got in the car … and was driving. (Ten minutes later), I got a call from the psych department: ‘We think we need to see you.’ I went up and saw them. They said, ‘You’ve got PTSD.’

Tomah has put me back together and has made me feel whole.”

Lesko also praised the facility’s hospice unit and the way it treated a fellow veteran battling cancer. “There is no way in heck I can criticize any of the nursing staff,” Lesko said. “They cared about that man … about the whole individual, both medically and spiritually.”

In addition to state, district and local Legionnaires, the town hall meeting was attended by VA staff – including John Rohrer, who was named interim director at Tomah in March for 120 days and could be in the position until a permanent director is hired. Staff representing U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson also came to the meeting.

In conjunction with the town hall meeting, the Legion is conducting a Veterans Benefits Center at Post 201, 800 Wisconsin Ave., this week. The center is open until 8 p.m. today, and from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Roscoe Butler, deputy director of the Legion’s Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division, said the purpose of the town hall meeting is to hear first-hand from veterans in the area. Butler and other Legion reps are taking those concerns into a meeting with Tomah VAMC leadership today.

“After we have our town hall meetings, we want to make sure that veterans are getting cared for,” Butler said. “If they have health-care issues, if they have benefits claims issues, we have trained staff that will be available the next three days to assist veterans. We’ve seen very positive results.”