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BAKERSFIELD VETERANS VOICE MANY FRUSTRATIONS --
Meeting with Congressman and VA administrators
gets testy.
Story here...
http://www.bakersfield
.com/102/story/225076.html
Story below:
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Veterans voice many frustrations
Meeting with McCarthy, VA administrators gets
testy
BY STEVEN MAYER, Californian staff writer
smayer@bakersfield.com
Scores of veterans and wives of veterans unloaded what appeared to be
years of frustration on a group of administrators who spoke in
Bakersfield Thursday evening.
"I'm surprised they had the (expletive) to come here tonight," said
Vietnam veteran Gordon "Bud" Karrer.
It did appear to take some serious intestinal fortitude as
administrators from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care
system, the VA's National Cemetery Administration and the organizer of
the conference, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, listened to a litany
of complaints and sad stories from military retirees and their families.
McCarthy had invited local veterans to the evening gathering as a way to
open up local dialogue and provide a place where those who served their
country in the military can ask questions and get answers on a wide
range of issues, from accessing veterans medical services to burial
rights at the national cemetery expected to open late next year.
He said he would like to use the information to craft legislation
designed to address problems veterans are facing.
The meeting, held in a sweltering, non-air-conditioned building, was
supposed to run from 6 to 7:30 p.m., but as people continued to pepper
the panel with questions and statements, the meeting ran nearly three
hours.
Early on, about 200 Kern County veterans and spouses listened politely
at the Norris Road veterans center as seven administrators from a
variety of veterans services explained what they do, the challenges they
face and the successes they see.
Then things got a little testy.
"I've seen my doctor cry in the examination room because of what she can
and cannot do," Karrer said. "We need a sufficient number of doctors to
serve veterans in Kern County."
Sarah Madden, wife of deceased veteran Claude Madden III, told McCarthy
and the administrators that her husband was given a medical test in
October 2005. He died Jan. 10, 2006.
"On April 10, three months from the day he died, I received the results
of his test from the VA," Madden said.
Most of the verbal ammunition was aimed toward Chuck Dorman, director of
the VA's Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, which includes Kern
County.
One problem, Dorman said, is the difficulty in recruiting medical
professionals to work for the VA in California.
"You name the profession; we have trouble hiring for it," he said.
"Trying to find people who want to live and work in Bakersfield is not
easy."
Not everyone slammed the VA.
"The VA is much better than private medical care," said Pat Pacana, wife
of Vietnam vet Frank Pacana.
"I think the local clinic has been doing a wonderful job."
Despite the short tempers and frustration, most seemed pleased to have
the opportunity to communicate with those who make decisions that affect
veterans.
And McCarthy saw that as a positive thing.
"We need to do this again next year," he said.
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Larry Scott --
