VFW National Veterans Service Director Ryan M. Gallucci met with President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, VA Secretary David Shulkin and senior administration staff at the White House today to share the concerns of America’s largest and oldest major war veterans organization.
Gallucci discussed what the VFW sees as the future for veterans’ health care, to include consolidation of VA’s community care programs. Gallucci focused on the VFW’s recent “Our Care 2017” report, which shows that many veterans choose to utilize their earned VA health care benefits even when they have other options in the community. However, Gallucci recognized that today VA has far too many purchased care programs, which are confusing to veterans, only exacerbating health care access issues.
The VFW is calling for a single, easily-understandable community care program so that veterans can access their earned health care benefits where and when they need them, serving as a complement to the VA health care system.
Gallucci also echoed VFW Commander-in-Chief Brian Duffy’s support for the president’s proposal to reverse the impact of sequestration on the Department of Defense in the FY 2018 budget – one of the VFW’s top legislative priorities since the arbitrary budget policy took effect in 2011. Gallucci also expressed the need to expedite claim decisions and to ensure veterans who suffer from toxic wounds receive the care and benefits they deserve.
The VFW views this as the start of a positive dialogue to ensure that the Trump administration lives up to its promises to provide for our service members, veterans, and their families.