Legion town hall set for Los Angeles

The American Legion will hold a town hall meeting in Los Angeles on March 23 for local veterans, in response to reports of serious delays in scheduling medical appointments at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

Verna Jones, the Legion’s executive director in Washington, and her team of experts will conduct the meeting and also visit two VA facilities: the West Los Angeles Medical Center and the Los Angeles Regional Benefit Office.

“We want to find out why our veterans are experiencing such long delays in getting their medical care,” Jones said. “It is especially troubling to hear about this nearly a year after the VA wait-time scandal in Phoenix was first reported, and seven months after President Obama signed the VA reform law.”

Jones said the Legion will evaluate the quality of health care at the hospital and disability claims processing at the regional office. “We will hear from veterans at the town hall meeting, carry their concerns to VA leadership, and make recommendations for improvement. America’s veterans should not have to wait months or years for proper medical care, or to receive benefits they have already earned.”

The meeting will be at American Legion Post 43 on 2035 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood, starting at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 23. It is open to the public and veterans experiencing serious wait-times for their VA medical appointments are strongly encouraged to attend.