Page 16 - Flathead Beacon // 6.11.14

16 | JUNE 11, 2014 COVER FLATHEADBEACON.COM

Allen Erickson, founder of Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Caring for Our Veterans

As scandal rocks the nation’s Department of Veterans Afairs,

locals continue to work toward solutions at the ground level

BEy MOLLY PRIDDY of the Beacon era, and is also a veteran of trying to nav- VA inspector general shined a light on These 18 veterans were among 1,700
igate the country’s Veterans Afairs sys- the broad and deeply rooted problems veterans identiied in a report as being
VERGREEN – At the Veter-
tem. Now almost 75 years old, Erickson with long wait times, delays in patient “at risk of being lost or forgotten.”
ans Food Pantry, the shelves is ighting lymphoma, which he believes care and manipulation of waiting lists In Montana, VA director Christine
sag under the weight of canned was caused by his exposure to Agent Or- throughout the entire VA health care Gregory announced she would retire at

goods, and the back room has a
ange while stationed in Guam.
system, which serves about 6.5 million the end of June, having spent 16 months
mountain of donated clothes waiting to He’s been dealing with the VA for 34 veterans annually.
on the job. So far, Veterans Afairs Mon-
be sorted.
years, trying to get them to acknowledge In May, Richard Griin, the agency’s tana Health Care System oicials have
It looks like a lot, both the amount of responsibility for his illness.
acting inspector general, informed the remained quiet about the timing of her
food and clothes, but founder Allen Er- “The issue is, you gave me this dis- U.S. Senate that his investigation found departure.
ickson knows it’s unwise to assume it ease, and you say you didn’t, and I proved 17 veterans had died while on the wait- But according to an audit released by
will last.
you did and you won’t do anything to ing list in Phoenix, and the average wait the VA on June 9, the average time a vet-

“We’ll go through it all,” he said, correct yourself,” Erickson said. “They time for these veterans to get care was eran in Montana waits for his or her irst
walking among the shelves.
don’t come right out and call you a liar. 115 days.
appointment with a primary care physi-
The food pantry and clothing thrift It’s very frustrating. There are times The scandal resulting from the in- cian is 48 days, more than three times
store serve the struggling veteran pop- when I’ve been so sick that I can’t even spector general’s investigation brought the 14-day goal.
ulation in the Flathead; it’s a place they move because they used that garbage.”
about the resignation of VA Secretary The same audit showed more than
can come and recharge, feel safe and en- Eric Shinseki on May 30, and on June 57,000 veterans across the country have “And I’m not the only one,” he added.
gage with others who understand what 6, the Associated Press reported that been waiting for up to three months for T
they’ve been through.
an additional 18 veterans whose names their irst visit with a doctor.
he country’s Department of Vet-

Erickson is a veteran himself, having were kept of an oicial electronic VA ap- As the national scandal continues to erans Afairs system is in deep
served in the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam
pointment list have died.
unfold, Montana’s congressional delega-
turmoil. A recent report from the