Joseph Zambon
Sunday night (8/25/24), Rep. Nicholas Langworthy sent out his weekly constituent email, sharing his take on the week’s critical issues. In this week’s message, he took aim at the Buffalo Veterans Administration Hospital, claiming they “may have mishandled critical oncology referrals.” The situation is serious enough that the medical director and chief of staff have been reassigned, and the VA Inspector General is now investigating the allegations.
However, Langworthy, seemingly anticipating the obvious question, stated, “Let me be clear: this is not a budget issue. Year after year, Congress has delivered record-breaking investments in the VA system to ensure our veterans receive the care they deserve.“
While we can all appreciate the congressman’s attempt at clarity, numerous more credible sources have cast doubt on his claim that “this is not a budget issue.”
The Federal News Network reported, “The Department of Veterans Affairs is telling lawmakers it’s looking at a nearly $15 billion shortfall between now and the end of the next fiscal year.”
Military.com reports, “The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to be nearly $15 billion short of what it needs to pay for benefits and health care this year and next.. compensation and pension payments to over 7 million veterans and survivors and readjustment benefit payments to over 500,000 individuals that are scheduled to be delivered on October 1, 2024, are at risk...”
From Military News, “VA Plans to Cut 10,000 Jobs This Year on Medical Side of the House”
(Bolding added by me)
"A disaster waiting to happen": Nurses at Buffalo VA Medical Center Voice Concerns Over Staffing Shortage
Closer to home, nurses at the Buffalo VA issued alarming warnings about staffing levels just last week. According to these frontline professionals,”On any given day in the ICU, it’s a disaster waiting to happen,” and “When you have fewer nurses and more patients…it’s a simple equation; there’s going to be negative consequences.”
Pension payments and benefit payments at risk!! “Disaster waiting to happen!!” “Negative consequences!!” “Cut 10,000 Jobs!!”
Does this sound like a fully funded healthcare system? It sure sounds like a budget issue to me.
Langworthy and his colleagues may tout their record-breaking funding for the VA, but if appropriations haven’t kept pace with inflation or the rising costs of healthcare services, these so-called “record-breaking investments” don’t amount to much.
In our system of government, the House of Representatives holds the purse strings. The Constitution is clear: “All bills appropriating money shall originate in the House of Representatives.” The Republican Party controls the House, and Langworthy (R-NY23) sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Yet, the Republican-controlled House and its Oversight Committee are failing to do their job when it comes to the Veterans Administration. The problems plaguing the VA, exemplified by the issues at the Buffalo VA, didn’t just materialize out of thin air.
Instead of wasting time on hearings aimed at impeaching President Biden just so former President Trump can claim, “He was impeached too!” during his presidential campaign, or pushing through meaningless “messaging” bills with no chance of becoming law, Langworthy and the Oversight Committee should focus on their actual responsibilities. They should be providing real oversight.
Now, unbelievably, VA payments to 7.5 million veterans and survivors are at risk in just 35 days. These are people who earned their benefits through service to our country. The idea that veterans and their survivors might not receive their benefits on time because of Congress’s inaction is deplorable.
Our veterans deserve better, much better.
As a veteran myself and as someone who served as a consultant periodontist at the VA hospital in Batavia for many years, I’ve seen firsthand the sacrifices our veterans have made. I treated veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Their stories are often heartbreaking—one veteran had been a prisoner of war forced to work in a coal mine, while another was a triple amputee.
I acknowledge Rep. Langworthy’s concern about the oncology referrals at the Buffalo VA, but this issue is merely a symptom of a much larger problem that he appears more than willing to overlook.
Langworthy wrote, “Chairman Bost [House Committee on Veterans Affairs] and I will continue to press for answers and hold those responsible accountable.” Perhaps they should start by looking in the mirror.