California vets air concerns at Legion town hall

Christopher Li is frustrated that he had to turn to a private physician to get his lung infection treated, even though he is an enrolled Department of Veterans Affairs patient.“I couldn’t get them to take me seriously,” Li said during an American Legion Town Hall meeting at Post 496 in Long Beach, Calif., Monday evening. “I had to go to get Obamacare to get medication for my lungs.” He said he had to go elsewhere for care after he was sent home from a VA emergency room, even though he was coughing up blood.

Another veteran who attended the meeting wants help adding dependents to his coverage and with an appeal over his VA claim decision. Yet another Los Angeles-area veteran attending the event ran into a dead end when he went to VA for help with his service-connected hearing loss; the Air Force veteran, who served from 1966 to 1971, was particularly disappointed in a VA hearing test administered by a private contractor who was less than respectful. “As I was leaving, she said, ‘You can’t fool me.’ I just don’t know what to do. I felt like the people I went to for the hearing test get paid for the number (of veterans) they denied.”

When the Air Force veteran called VA to check on his claim, which was rejected, “a very nice young man suggested I come to the American Legion,” he said.

This week, The American Legion has come to him and hundreds of other southern California veterans.

And The American Legion stands ready to help, says Verna Jones, executive director of the organization's Washington headquarters. “Veterans need to get care from the system they fought for,” Jones said during the gathering. “And, as we know, they need to get it in a timely fashion.”

Local, state and national officers from The American Legion were on hand at the town hall meeting to hear concerns from veterans across south-central California. They were joined by the director of the Long Beach VA Medical Center and the director of VA’s Los Angeles Regional Office, along with other VA staff.

“I need to find out what veterans of California really want,” said Hugh Crooks Jr., an American Legion National Executive Committeeman who attended. “I need to know what they think the problems are.”

The town hall continues an ongoing effort by The American Legion to work with VA to improve “the quality of life for veterans,” said Ralph Bozella, chairman of Legion’s Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission, at the opening of the event. “VA can’t do it alone. The veterans service organizations can’t do it alone.”

Events such as these have been conducted since June by The American Legion, but they are now going by a new name - Veterans Benefits Centers. Earlier gatherings and one-on-one assistance efforts were called Veterans Crisis Command Centers.

“We believe the crisis is over,” Bozella said, referring to the litany of problems that came to light in Phoenix, Philadelphia, Atlanta and other VA medical centers throughout the country, generally involving delayed appointments amid allegations of falsified records to cover up performance breakdowns. “We believe there is opportunity to move forward.”

Michael Fisher, director of the Long Beach VA Medical Center, echoed Bozella’s comments. “It was a crisis,” Fisher said. “Hopefully we’re learning from that. I’m confident the next year will show tons of improvement.”

That should include simplifying the claims process, said Larry Van Kuran, adjutant of American Legion Post 826 in Woodland Hills, Calif. A service officer he knows spent hours studying VA claims to figure out the particular phrasing needed to get the agency to correctly adjudicate a claim. “I understand the process, but VA needs to fix that,” Van Kuran said.The Legion has held over a dozen town halls across the country to hear veterans’ concerns. Each has been followed by outreach events, also hosted by the Legion, to help veterans gain access to VA health care and resolve issues with claims.

Since June, the Legion has helped about 3,000 veterans through the events. Also, nearly $1 million in retroactive VA benefits have been awarded on the spot. “While we are in California, we want to do the same thing,” Jones said. “Let us help you through the claims process.”

The town hall marks the beginning of four days of Legion outreach to Los Angeles and Long Beach area veterans. A Veterans Benefits Center at Post 496, 5938 E. Parkcrest Street, in Long Beach continues until 6 p.m. today (Tuesday). From 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, the center will be at 725 S. Hindry Ave. in Inglewood, Calif. Legion service officers, members of Legion’s national staff, VA representatives and volunteers from other organizations will be on hand to help veterans schedule VA appointments, file benefits claims, enroll in VA health care and assist with grief counseling, among other issues.