I-Team: Veterans' complaints show cracks in VA system
DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- As officials in Washington, DC continue calling for changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs, local veterans have their own stories to tell about how and where the VA could improve. For many, the I-Team is a good place to pour out their problems.
From calls to emails to tips that come in online, veterans reach out to the ABC11 I-Team far more often than we can investigate and report on. But collectively, their voices suggest there remain some real cracks in the system.
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One vet in Durham said he was "treated like dirt;" another in Fayetteville reported a "culture of neglect;" one told of a 17-month wait, another reported a wait of nearly two years; another described the "horrible things" he'd seen at the hospital in Fayetteville.
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The I-Team analyzed dozens of the most recent tips sent in and found a number of places of overlap where vets were
reporting the same problems.
In broad categories, we noticed vets complaining about poor treatment (we logged five complaints at the Fayetteville VA and 10 at the Durham VA) and poor management, either regarding the hospital directors or top staff (we found seven complaints in Fayetteville and two in Durham).
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Long wait-times, transportation and the Choice program were also frequently complained about.
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