Morgan Chalfant of the Washington Free Beacon documents disturbing developments for those who would like to see better health care for the nation’s military veterans.
An official at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital is helping the largest federal employee union oppose efforts to reform the agency’s network of hospitals.
The public affairs officer at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center in Wyoming has advertised a rally organized by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) next week to protest recommendations made by members of an independent commission that would overhaul VA healthcare, according to internal communications obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
“I wanted to make sure you were aware that the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is planning a ‘Keep the Promise to Veterans Rally’ outside the Cheyenne VA gates, on July 6 from 0700-0900 to protest the Commission on Care’s proposed recommendations,” Samuel House, public affairs officer at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center, wrote in a “message to Cheyenne VA partners” last Friday sent to an unknown email list.
AFGE has organized more than three-dozen rallies outside VA hospitals across the nation in recent weeks to protest efforts to “privatize” veterans’ healthcare. The union has taken issue with proposed recommendations from members of the Commission on Care, a 15-member independent panel convened to examine VA healthcare and propose ways to fix it. The commission was established by Congress through legislation enacted following the 2014 wait list scandal.
Advocates for reform at the VA pointed to the email as evidence that VA officials are advancing the interests of government unions while ignoring the needs of the nation’s veterans.
“It is no secret that the VA works hand-in-glove with government unions like AFGE,” Dan Caldwell, vice president for legislative and political action at Concerned Veterans for America, told the Free Beacon. “What is unfortunate, however, is the VA’s clear commitment to advancing unions’ interests even at the expense of veterans.”
