In the classroom and across the country, veterans face lost promises

By J.W. Dennison

When people enlist in the military to serve our country, they are promised several things. One of those promises that many see as undelivered is healthcare through Veterans Affairs, better known as the VA.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), which assesses government agencies' efficiency, has added veterans' health care, the acquisition management area, and disability exams to their list of high-risk activities due to unwieldy, highly decentralized organizations. 

This has had consequences for veterans across a large spectrum of experiences, including those who were exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, nuclear radiation from weapons testing and clean-up, and burn pits from deployments in the Middle East.

Dr. Brian Bradshaw, an associate professor of information systems at Muskingum University, served in the U.S. Army for 22 years and has several medical conditions due to his service.

Associated Professor of Information Systems, Brian Bradshaw
/ Photo from Muskingum University’s Website

Bradshaw has been exposed to sarin and cyclosarin gas as well as burn pits in Iraq.

“Everything was progressive. You know, it started out the first time it just felt like I had a cold. You know your body was achy, and your nose was runny and everything,” Bradshaw said. “Then that cold didn’t want to go away. Some of the symptoms like that went away, and this was like over years. I couldn’t run like I could. My lungs would just burn; I couldn’t do anything with that.”

Not only did Bradshaw have to go to his own primary care provider (PCP) at his own personal costs for the diagnosis, but the VA denied his application for benefits twice. That process cost Bradshaw four years of compensation and additional healthcare coverage. That medical coverage, even once approved, was difficult to utilize.

“It’s tough because the way the VA does a lot of their things now is that you go in and see your PCP provider and that PCP provider sends you out into the community to get help, and you have to watch because there’s an expiration date on how long it’s good for you to see that particular doctor. Or that doctor says, hey, I want to run a particular test...and the VA turns around and says ‘No you didn’t get that approved,’” Bradshaw said.

This problem obviously isn’t just contained to Iraq and the burn pits or sarin and cyclosarin. It’s also affected people like Keith Kiefer from Zimmerman, Minnesota, who was exposed to nuclear radiation.

Kiefer was part of a radiological cleanup project in Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean after 43 nuclear weapons tests made the area uninhabitable. The goal was to scrape up the contaminated topsoil, dump it into a nearby crater, and cover the soil with 18 inches of concrete.

Kiefer and the other servicemen on that mission were never given personal protective equipment (PPE) of any kind to protect them from the radiation. This has earned him the title of an Atomic Veteran, along with a long list of medical complications.

“I was young, young and naive at that time and...trusted...that the government would not...intentionally put me in harm's...way without proper protection,” Kiefer said.

Kiefer is sterile and has multiple autoimmune diseases, three forms of cataracts, and thyroid problems—to name a few of the conditions he deals with.

As an atomic veteran and as the national commander for the National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV), Kiefer has a lot of experience with the VA on the medical side and on the disability side.

“Medical care wise, in general, I've had decent to excellent care; they've come close to killing me three times,” Kiefer said.

When it comes to the administrative side of the VA, they have denied his claims that these are connected to his service, which means he pays for the care he receives from the VA.

“...which is contrary to what the recruiting officer told me, recruiting officers are going...‘you'll get education, you'll get the GI bill for...additional education and medical care, medical care the rest of your life, to the VA,’” Kiefer said.

The structure of the VA is also complicated for those working within the VA trying to help veterans, like Jane Boggs, a registered nurse in surgical service.

“There's a lot more channels you have to go through when you work for the government than you do in the private sector,” Boggs said. “...it'd be nice if it could streamline...it in some way to make it a little easier for change and for things to get done.”

Muskingum University chaplain and director of Veteran Services on campus, Derek Washington shares his insights to why the system seems to make nobody happy:

“I think often in the ever-going discussions between different political parties as to what aid should be offered or not, that systems are often created that are bastardized that make it challenging to get the resources that people finally agree to,” Wadlington said.

The GAO, since 2000, has made over 1,500 recommendations to improve in all the areas discussed, with 220 of those items still unaddressed.

“I believe, absolutely, that folks who commit themselves to serving in the military to defend our country, need to be supported and that it is absurd to me that we pay them poorly and give them poor benefits after they are literally putting their lives on the line,”Wadlington said.

The head of the GAO, U.S. Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro, has said during his testimony to Congress that GAO is dedicated to helping the VA continue to make improvements and make up for these shortcomings.

One of the things that many veterans believe could help bring quicker improvements to the system is by having better-informed government officials. Often, they are better informed when the situation is close to home.

“...legislative people learn, either they have somebody in the family, or they have personal connection, or they have a constituent that has been affected by that,” Kiefer said. “They often then become educated about it and become...empathetic to the to the situation and understand that this was part of the cost of National Defense...”

Government officials aren’t the only ones who benefit from personally knowing a veteran to better understand what they go through. Along with Dr. Bradshaw, there are 13 veterans who attend Muskingum University which means this affects fellow students, teachers and staff which has an impact on Muskingum University.