JOURNALISM AND COMMENTARY
A Reflection on VA Privatization from the Front Lines
A story on VA Privatization by James Martin, AFGE, National Representative, National VA Council (NVAC).
Another False Koch-Backed Fantasy
Darin Selnick, a long-time advisor for the Koch-funded Concerned Veterans for America and former Trump veterans’ affairs official, is a tireless foe of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). He’s an equally avid proponent of VA privatization.
VHPI Leads on Suicide Prevention Testimony
VHPI Senior Policy Analyst Dr. Russell Lemle organized a multi-organizational effort to provide written testimony on how to stem the veterans suicide crisis.
VA Research Verges on Breakdown
Over the past 75 years, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developed one of the most sophisticated and powerful research enterprises in the United States. Conducting research that benefits veterans is, in fact, one of the four missions of the VA.
How to save money at VA without sacrificing our veterans
By Suzanne Gordon, Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute Published at The Hill On Aug. 10, President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, legislation which, through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), provides new and expanded health care and benefits to veterans who suffer from dozens of serious illnesses due to a variety of toxic exposures while serving in the military.
Congress and the VA MISSION Act
By: Suzanne Gordon and Jasper Craven, in The American Prospect • VHPI Policy Analysts dig into the supposed death of the Asset and Infrastructure Review commission, and report on a percolating effort to institute similarly misguided and dangerous closures.
Survey: Severe Short Staffing in Veteran HealthCare Facilities
Fifty percent of survey respondents report that beds, units, and programs at veteran hospitals have been closed due to staffing and budget shortages
Inside a Terrible House Hearing
The July 14th House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on the private care program established through the VA MISSION Act was an occasion for more shots across the bow aimed at dismantling the VA.
A Veterans' Health Commission Dies an Early Death
By: Suzanne Gordon, in The Washington Monthly • VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon writes a postmortem on the AIR commission, and sketches out the next steps for keeping the VA's infrastructure protected for generations to come.
The Future of Veterans' Healthcare Hangs in the Balance
By: Suzanne Gordon, in Beyond Chron • VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon plumbs VA data to understand how a proposed infrastructure plan could hobble VA care in California.
How Private-Sector Care Can Harm Veterans
By: Suzanne Gordon, in The American Prospec • VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon examines the shocking case of a veteran placed into private sector pyschiatric care.
A Government Watchdog Raises Urgent Concerns Over AIR Assessments
Those concerned about the merit of VA Secretary Denis McDonough’s recently released recommendations for facility closures, renovations, and realignments should give a close reading to an overlooked Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released in February.
The VA Is Stacking the Deck Against Vets
By: Suzanne Gordon, in The Washington Monthly • VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon unearths a series of fatal flaws inside a soon-to-meet infrastructure commission tasked with building the department's footprint for the future.
Inside The AIR Commission's Perilous Work
On March 14, VA Secretary Denis McDonough released recommendations mandated by the VA MISSION Act Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) process. Weeks earlier, VHPI had obtained the internal market assessments that informed McDonough’s decisions.
Biden's VA Secretary Proposes Shutting Down Dozens of Facilities
By: Suzanne Gordon, in The American Prospect • VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon reports on drastic new recommendations to shutter VA medical centers in rural and urban areas and eliminate much inpatient care elsewhere, including needed inpatient psychiatric beds.
The VA Needs More Funding, Not More Privatization
By: Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early, in Jacobin • VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early interrogate President Joe Biden's broken promises to veterans through the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission. The two clearly show that the commission's work is in direct opposition to Biden's pledge to 'Build Back Better."