Helm to McDonald: A strong VA is 'essential'
American Legion National Commander Michael D. Helm met with Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on Sept. 29 at VA’s Central Office in Washington, D.C.
Helm and McDonald started their conversation by reminiscing about an Army's 82nd Airborne Division, a unit they both served with.
“Then we moved on to the issue of VA accountability, and the Secretary was certainly ready for us,” Helm said. “He had a thick bunch of papers that documented actions being taken against VA employees across the whole United States, and there were a lot of names on those papers.”
McDonald brought up a recent letter sent by Helm to President Obama, urging action to be taken against VA wrongdoers who falsified or manipulated appointment wait lists for VA medical care.
“McDonald explained the steps he has to take in order to follow the legal process before a VA employee can be fired,” Helm said. “I’m now hopeful that steps are being taken to address accountability concerns.”
The main topic, Helm said, was how The American Legion and VA can work together on improving veterans’ access to health care. He gave McDonald a summary of work done by the Legion’s Veterans Crisis Command Centers, which have helped more than 3,000 veterans and family members since June.
The American Legion, Helm told McDonald, "is turning the corner from crisis mode in helping veterans get VA health care, to a larger outreach effort to the veterans community. We want to move forward and stand with the VA to get veterans the timely health care they need.
"We see the VA as essential in guaranteeing the quality of health care in this country that we know our veterans have earned. That's why it is so important for The American Legion to maintain this critical relationship with the department."
McDonald was especially interested in work The American Legion has done related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Legion created a permanent committee to research best practices for the treatment of those conditions and sponsored its first symposium on TBI and PTSD in Washington last spring. “He wants to see our reports and have a summit on TBI and PTSD,” Helm said.
Helm will be at The American Legion’s town hall meeting for veterans tonight 7 p.m. at the Washington DC VA Medical Center at 50 Irving St. NW. The event will give local veterans a chance to discuss the quality of health care they are receiving from VA. The Legion is also conducting its first Veterans Outreach Center at the medical center, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. Hours of operation for the center are noon to 8 p.m. on Sept. 30 and 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Oct. 1-2.