Proposed budget cuts are disrespectful of veterans

The work of serving veterans’ health is challenging and underappreciated. While studying nursing, I greatly admired one of my Stony Brook University professors, Mary Anne Dumas, who served in the Navy and worked as a nurse practitioner one day a week at the Northport VA to honor those who served and inspired generations of nurses to do the same. After graduation, I volunteered in the Veterans and Servicemembers Rights Clinic at Touro Law Center, helping veterans regain lost medical benefits. But now, even these minimal obligations to those who fought for our country are under attack.

The handling of federal agencies is a statement of priorities, and care for our veterans hangs in the balance. Already, 2,400 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs have been cut nationwide. Other proposed cuts target PACT Act benefits, which aid veterans harmed by burn pits and toxic substances, and will lengthen already dismal wait times to see doctors.

Together, Nassau and Suffolk counties have 95,712 veterans, according to the 2023 Department of VA Statistics.

With biostatistician Scott Jones, we used National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics data to examine veterans care in New York’s 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th congressional districts, which include Nassau, Suffolk and parts of Queens, and the facilities used by Long Island veterans. We assessed current wait times as of early March for people making appointments at our veterans’ clinics for primary care and mental health.

Wait times varied widely across clinics. The longest wait time for a new patient’s primary care appointment was at Patchogue — almost 46 days — and the longest wait time for a new mental health appointment was 36 days at the East Meadow Clinic. Though established patient appointments for both physical and mental health were shorter, this is too long for someone sick, in pain, or having mental issues. More cuts will make these waits even longer.

The people who work at the VA, many of them veterans themselves, were never there for the money (they are paid little) nor for an opulent work environment (clinics are in disrepair). They simply want to serve those who served our country. Cutting support staff, reducing registration access, or restricting budgets is not reducing bloat or saving money; it’s disrespectful and does not honor our obligation to our veterans.

To be sure, the system could be more efficient. But to achieve that, we would need to hire and support more staff, upgrade electronic systems and equipment, and restore and refresh facilities. As care shifts into the community, stable housing for veterans could improve health and reduce homelessness.

Cutting resources will only harm our system and the veterans it serves. Better care can and should be available to those who served our country. Budget cuts are not the proper path.

This guest essay reflects the views of Elizabeth Cohn, who works at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.