MEMORIAL Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer for many of us in America. It is the time of the year when families start their summer travels, backyard barbecue cook-out, and many other fun adventures.
My interview with one Filipino veteran on Balitang America on May 26 (Memorial Day) reminded me of the reason for this holiday. It has really pierced my heart, realizing the urgency of their cause — time is running out!
The purpose of the interview was to get their reaction about the recent scandal, which rocked the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A Phoenix VA hospital made news, when 40 veterans reportedly died, while waiting to be treated there.
According to reports, many of these veterans were placed on a secret waiting list. Managers allegedly tried to hide up to 1,600 sick veterans, who were forced to wait months to see their doctors.
The VA supposedly provides Washington an official electronic list, showing its timely appointments. However, the list that the Obama administration reportedly receives is NOT real, accurate nor factual. The real list that’s hidden, allegedly shows wait times that could last even more than a year.
89-year-old Aquilino Delen, Filipino World War II veterans, and their advocates from the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) are calling on Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign, amid allegations that some VA hospitals maintained secret waiting lists to hide the number of patients, who were not able to see a doctor within a 14-day period.
“Shinseki’s incompetence and criminal neglect is symptomatic of the VA’s corrupt practices and neglect of all veterans. Instead of fulfilling his promise to get rid of 600,000 backlogs, now it is in the open that the VA delays treatment of veterans causing deaths and suffering to many,” JFAV said in statement.
JFAV Coordinator Ago Pedalizo told me on Balitang America that inefficiencies within the VA are nothing new, and have in fact caused many Filipino veterans years of suffering.
Pedalizo further claimed that the VA’s transgression goes beyond inefficiency and malpractice. The agency, he alleged, is guilty of discriminating against Filipino World War II veterans. They have not granted Filipino WWII vets the same benefits that their American counterparts are receiving.
“Ang masama dito ay hindi lamang yung mistreatment, kungdi ang hindi pantay na pagkilala, “Pegalizo said. “Kung ganito rin yung pagtingin nila sa mga Amerikanong beterano, okay lang. But to have another set of rules for the 41,000 [Filipino vets] apart from the mainstream Americans, doon tayo nagkakatalo.”
According to JFAV, “The VA’s criminal neglect and dismissal of the plight of 41,000 living Filipino veterans and even the denial of 25,000 lump sum claims and the 60,000 Filipino widows are violations of their rights as American veterans and survivors.”
Tatay Aquilino Delen said in the interview on Balitang America, “Napakalungkot po. Sapagkat ako po ay nagsilbi ng tapat sa America bilang beterano. pero hanggang ngayon ay hindi ako nabibigyan ng benefit[s]. Kahit maliit lang po iyung bibigay sa akin ay malaki na pong tulong iyon.”
Delen sent this appeal to Pres. Barack Obama, on behalf of the other Filipino veterans and their families: “Stop the injustices, Mr. President. We served and we need to be taken care of.”
Balitang America also reported about another kababayan, Meline Iglesias (who just recently retired from the VA). Iglesias hinted that a cover-up may have taken place.
Iglesias used to work at the front desk of Phoenix VA hospital. She claims that she had direct access to the scheduling system.
“When patients [came] up to me, when I used to work at the front desk and they need[ed] an appointment, I [gave] them the appointment that they need[ed]. If I [wasn’t able to’ do it on time, I would put them on a waiting list. If they need[ed] urgent care, then I would tell the nurse. The nurses are authorized to put them in urgent care,” she explained in the report.
Iglesias had reservations talking about the secret list, which supposedly proves long wait times at the VA, but shared that the list may not even be secret at all.
She told Balitang America: “If the waiting list itself gets full and if they want to add more patients to it, it’s possible that instead of putting them in the waiting list, they would put it in a paper waiting list which is not really a secret because all the other schedulers would have access to this paper waiting list.”
She alleged that the VA may have created the secret list to cover-up flaws in the official list.
Iglesias opined: “Unfortunately this is what the managers of division levels are looking at. When they get too many patients on this waiting list, we get a bad performance appraisal or some indicators that look bad for our Phoenix VA.”
Iglesias’ husband, Raymond is also a veteran and a retired maintenance employee at the VA. He thinks the VA’s way of treating patients is simply wrong.
Raymond told Balitang America: “I think the system is screwed up. For example, I cannot pick up a prescription unless I go talk to a pharmacist. I can’t schedule an appointment, unless I email them. How many patients, especially Vietnam vets, know how to get on a computer or even own a computer?”
The Iglesias couple lamented that VA hospitals have limited resources to accommodate the number of veterans who come in and need help.
Responding to this VA scandal, Pres. Obama said: “If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable. It is disgraceful. And I will not tolerate it.”
Pres. Obama’s comments came weeks after. “Our veterans deserve to know the facts. Their families deserve to know the facts. Once we know the facts, I assure you, if there is misconduct, it will be punished,” Obama added.
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
