JOURNALISM AND COMMENTARY
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."
A VA Critic Becomes Virginia’s New Veterans Affairs Chief
By: Suzanne Gordon, in The Washington Monthly • VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon examines the work and writing of Daniel Gade, a powerful veterans' official with a deep disdain for the veterans' safety net.
Veterans Lack Quality Information for Community Care
By: Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analyst, in The Federal Practitioner • VHPI Policy Analyst Russell Lemle interrogates the many issues veterans face when seeking high-quality care in the private sector.
Trump’s VA Legacy: Human Capital Mismanagement
By: Suzanne Gordon, Senior Policy Analyst, in The American Prospect • VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon investigates a dysfunctional Trump-era reform that's making it impossible to hire key VA staff amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
VHPI’s New Year’s Resolutions
In the spirit of the New Year, the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute offers a clear and simple set of policy resolutions to Congress, the Biden Administration and Veterans Affairs (VA) leadership.
It's Clearer Than Ever VHA Must Remain the Primary Provider of Veteran Care
By: Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analysts, in The Hill • VHPI Policy Analysts Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle push for fundamental reforms of the VA's highly flawed quality and access standards for private care.
A Retired VA Clinician Raises Concerns over VA Outsourcing
As a former VA psychiatrist who conducted a significant amount of psychotherapy in my practice, I am very concerned about the current lack of adequate standards for mental health providers participating in the department's Community Care program.
A Major Newspaper Gets It Wrong
Last week, USAToday ran a feature by reporter Jill Castellano that spotlighted issues around the VA MISSION Act, which is supposed to assure that veterans have easier access to care – outside the VA when clinically necessary.
Broken Promises: Veterans Healthcare is Being Replaced by the Private Sector
By: Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analysts, in The Hill • VHPI Policy Analysts Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle dig into and analyze concerning new data around the proliferation of private care appointments for VA patients.
A Fresh Look at Veterans, Toxic Exposures, and Access to VA Care and Benefits
On October 1, VA Secretary Denis McDonough was interviewed by Jon Stewart, who had just launched his Apple TV show, “The Problem with Jon Stewart.”
Sanders’ Dental Dilemma
Senator Bernie Sanders recently introduced two pieces of overlapping legislation that would positively boost the federal safety net for American veterans in need of dental work.