Dear Madame/Mr. President:

Our entire lives we witness our friends, family members, co workers, and those we may not know, fight for our country in ways we can’t imagine. Recently, I have begun to notice our troops fighting and the circumstances our doctors and nurses take encounter. Currently, there are approximately 23 million American military veterans battling for our country. Our constitution states that we should honor those who served our country, including those who make the ultimate sacrifice. Our veterans volunteered to get drafted into our military system. Whether a veteran was recently injured during battle, or she/he were just injured in a car accident, both deserve the same care. This is why I highly encourage you to consider how we treat our veterans after they take their own lives into the battle field.

Nearly one-third of veterans have mental or physical health care conditions after returning home from the war. As seen from the VA, veterans are back listed due to the lack of care one gives to them. As Vietnam veteran, George Purifoy, shares his story from experience with the VA, he talks about the agonizing pain and how the VA did nothing to help. In the end he lost his entire nose due to no actual diagnosis. There continues to be thousands of stories of uncared veterans that embrace the struggles the VA lacks in helping our troops.

Solutions to fixing the 9.1 million veterans who are enrolled in the VA, will take full focus of our medical and political systems. Just this year in April, the Care Veterans Deserve Act addressed a major complaint by today’s veterans of never-ending wait-times for appointments. For example, the bill requires the VA to extend pharmacy hours to nights and weekends, and open VA hospitals to volunteer community providers interested in seeing veterans during their off-hours. The bill also enables veterans to visit walk-in clinics without needing to undergo preauthorization from the VA or provide copayment. Most importantly, the bill makes the pilot Veterans Choice Card program enacted by the 2014 VA reform legislation universal and permanent so that all eligible veterans have the flexibility to see the doctor of their choice without having to worry about wait-time and distance restrictions. I believe we need to pass yet another bill enforcing that veterans have been cared for within a certain time and if you are unable to care for them, then send them to someone who is to help in the actual moment. Unfortunately, our veterans lack the care they need most, which even leads to death because doctors are unable to diagnosis them quickly enough to ensure the correct treatment route is taken, as well as knowing what is actually wrong with a veteran is life saving too. Treatment and hiring more doctors is our best solution in striving to make sure our veterans are getting the correct care. The stories we hear are unbearable and hurt the hearts of those around us

Veteran lives matter. The motivation we have to work towards changing the way we treat them, is a liveable moment anyone would want to cherish. Don’t let them suffer the pain any longer. Step in and keep in mind they are human beings like you and me. I hope you highly think of the issue at hand and please make an effort to change.

Sincerely,

Anngelica