Quality Health Care For Our Veterans

Floor Speech

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I certainly don't intend to take that much time, but in a few short minutes, we are going to break for the July Fourth recess, and I just wanted to come forward on behalf of the veterans of the United States and make the commitment to them that the House and the Senate are going to continue to work to resolve the issues that we have heard so much about.

I would like to share, if I could, before we go, two stories from veterans of their wait times and neglect that my office has worked to try to help resolve.

I am hopeful, when we come back, we are able to get to a resolution for these
men and women who fought for and died for this country, so that we can have that July Fourth Independence Day.

The following stories come from my district. They are stories that we have worked on in our office. They haven't made national headlines, but they are very similar to others that have made national headlines.

The first is of the gentleman, Mr. Michael Whitley, from Ocilla. He was a 100 percent service-connected disabled veteran with cancer. He was unable to receive that cancer treatment at the VA medical center where he received his primary care, so he had to travel about three-and-a-half hours to a different facility, even though there was an outstanding cancer treatment facility just 30 minutes away from his home.

As his condition worsened and as it became more difficult for him to travel, Mr. Whitley's primary care facility promised to approve fee-based treatment, which would be closer to home. Unfortunately, Mr. Whitley died before this care that was closer to home was approved.

The second story comes from a 12-page letter--a very heart-wrenching letter--of a 3-year-long case that our office has been working on to resolve. It is of Mr. Willis McCarty, from Moultrie, Georgia.

He visited his VA primary care provider in February of 2009 for an aortic abdominal aneurysm. His doctor found that the aneurysm measured 7.8 centimeters, requiring immediate surgery. To quote Mr. McCarty, ``He told me I was a walking time bomb and that I needed immediate surgery.''

Mr. McCarty was referred for a surgery consultation at another VA facility, and he went to the appointment under the impression that he would be admitted for that surgery.

The vascular surgeon, instead, sent him home and rescheduled the surgery for a later date. Mr. McCarty writes that the doctor said, ``We do not see any immediate danger. We think your doctor overreacted, and we are going to send you home for 10 days.''

Upon returning home, the aneurysm ruptured. Mr. McCarty was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, where he remained hospitalized for 2 months due to complications.

To quote Mr. McCarty, ``Before they took me into surgery, they had to use the paddles on me two times. My heart stopped for over 2 minutes. While in surgery, a ventilator was placed down into my lungs to breathe for me. I was in surgery for 6 hours. After the surgery was completed and I was rolled into the ICU, the surgeon told the nurses, `This is a miracle boy, and I want to keep it that way.' I was in ICU for about 3 weeks with the ventilator in my lungs the entire time. While in ICU, one of my lungs collapsed, and I developed pneumonia. I was going through hell and didn't even know I was in this world. I was in the hospital about 6 weeks.''

After his stay, Mr. McCarty received a phone call from the chief of staff at the hospital and from a VA representative, apologizing and admitting guilt on behalf of the VA, assuring him his expenses would be paid and that ``the doctor should have never sent me back home.''

They advised him to file a tort claim, and they even mailed him the forms to use in filing the claim.

Mr. McCarty writes, ``Just the hospital bill was about $125,000. That is not including the bill from the two surgeons, pathology, x-ray, et cetera.''

Mr. McCarty has been paying these bills out of pocket, monthly, since 2009, for 5 years. The VA continues to deny his claims, and to this date, the VA has paid nothing. They also continue to deny Mr. McCarty's disability claims, and Mr. McCarty's appeal process will likely take another 3 years. Mr. McCarty is 77.

In his letter, Mr. McCarty writes, ``I feel like the VA is giving me the runaround,'' and ``I served my country. I've done my duty and was proud and honored to do it.''

In return for Mr. McCarty's 8 years of service, he has spent 5 years dealing with this medical trauma and now expects to spend another 3 years in appeals. Every month, he pays the surgeons and the hospital for a surgery and complications that the VA is responsible for.

Mr. Speaker, most of the time, when we are working with these veterans, they ask us to fix this for one simple reason: fix it so the next soldier doesn't have to go through this--not for me--but so that the next soldier doesn't have to go through this.

We need to resolve these issues for our veterans, and we need to resolve them now. They deserve better.

I want to thank our House VA Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Jeff Miller, as well as the Democrats and the Republicans on that committee, for the work they have done and are doing to make that system better.

Before we break for the July Fourth Independence Day holiday, I want to make the commitment on behalf of my colleagues in the House of Representatives that, while we will be gone from Washington for a week, we will continue to work on these issues in order to help resolve them for our veterans.

I wish each and every one of you a happy Independence Day. Whether you fly the flag in your yard or wear the patch on your shoulder or just keep it in your heart, thank you, and God bless America.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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