President Obama Can't Duck Need for Real, Long-Term VA Reform January 9, 2015 | Cory Fritz | View Online President Obama's campaign-style stop at a Phoenix high school yesterday afternoon concluded "with a celebration" of the economy, according to the Washington Post.  Then the president and his crew loaded into the motorcade and left the same way they came, "driving past the VA hospital without stopping." For those who may be wondering, yes, this is the same scandal-plagued VA hospital that rocked the nation and led to the uncovering of secret wait lists, gross mismanagement, improper care and even deaths at clinics nationwide.  Veterans were understandably angered by the snub, and media took note as Speaker Boehner and Republicans renewed calls for President Obama to offer a long-term vision for VA reform.    "Speaker John A. Boehner said the president was bragging about an 'economy that we all know could be doing better.' And he criticized the president for not visiting the Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix… "'The system is still broken, and needs to be fundamentally transformed in a way that puts the needs of veterans before the needs of the bureaucracy,' Mr. Boehner said. 'We call on the president to offer a long-term vision for reforming the systemic problems at the V.A. We've yet to see it.'" New York Times Some may say the White House should get a pass on yesterday's trip. We certainly get that scheduling can be tricky. But this wasn't the only sign this week to suggest that fundamental VA reform isn't on the president's radar. In an email today ahead of the State of the Union address, the White House asked the American people to offer comments on 16 priorities for the president's final two years, but VA reform didn't make the list.  It should have. In July, the House passed bipartisan legislation – which President Obama went on to sign – to provide the VA with additional resources and the authority to hold senior officials accountable. But as Speaker Boehner made clear at the time, "this agreement is just the start." The fact is, the VA is still failing too many veterans. USA TODAY recently reported "more than 600,000 veterans – 10 percent of all the Veterans Affairs patients – continue to wait a month or more for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics." H.R. 3230 requires a top-to-bottom audit of the VA by private sector experts, and initial findings are expected later this year.  Now is the time for President Obama to begin laying out a long-term vision to fix the VA and transform it into a 21st century agency that improves quality and access, and puts patients  – not bureaucracy – first.    America's veterans are waiting.

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