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    Copied below is a letter to the editor submitted to the Delaware State News. You can post your opinions by clicking on "Reply."

    I would like to reply to Mr. Joseph Slavish’s most-recent letter to the Delaware State News. [“Regular and the health care the Veterans Hospital gives,” Oct. 16] As a registered nurse who has retired from the VA, as well as being a disabled American veteran, I am deeply insulted by his obviously biased diatribe. I would like to state that I am not a spokesperson for the VA and that all comments are my own.
    Mr. Slavish, you demean and vilify all of the employees by your comments! As a professional registered nurse, who worked diligently to provide the best care possible for our American veterans, I take your comments personally. It is obvious that you have absolutely no working knowledge of what actually occurs in the VA hospital. We who worked there, and those currently employed there, did not scrimp on medications or care! I challenge you to prove that statement! And we did return phone calls! Maybe not immediately, as you wished, but on a timely basis, between dealing with our scheduled patients, along with the ones who cam in as walk-ins, needing care. A roster of calls is maintained, documenting the date, time, phone number, name, last 4 digits of the caller’s Social Security number and the reason for the call. These are prioritized and calls made accordingly. But you didn’t know that when you made your statements, now, did you?
    As a disabled veteran, I did use the VA for various problems, as do many other disabled veterans. I had an operation, non-service-connected, which was done at the VA with utmost professionalism! I had the same surgery locally and had complications that required my seeking care at Johns Hopkins, so, I can truthfully state that the VA gave me optimal care. Again, your ignorance is evident. My father, also a disabled veteran, was treated at Wilmington for several different ailments, one being skin cancer. He was referred by the Dermatology Department to Thomas Jefferson Hospital, in Philadelphia. His care was excellent! I wish he were here today because he would be willing to have a “discussion” with you, but he passed away two years ago.
Are you aware that the VA was the front-runner in computerized medical records? Nope, you just belittled us! And are you aware that a VA nurse started Bar Code Medical Administration? Again, you showed your ignorance by your many comments. As for your comments about the employees getting care elsewhere, I would like to say this: veteran employees can and do get care at the VA. Non-veterans seek care with their private providers. A non-veteran who develops an illness while on the job can, and many do, seek care through the Employee Health Department; once treated, they then are to follow with their private provider. The VA is for veterans.
    As for compensation, that is the Regional Office side of the equation, where documentation is vital, along with getting a Medical Power of Attorney to represent you. Each is critical for any veteran seeking to establish a claim. As a strong patient advocate, I assisted numerous veterans from Vietnam to Desert Storm, helping guide them to the proper individual in the Regional Office. I am PROUD of my efforts, and those of my fellow VA employees, as we helped so many American veterans receive quality care! What once was a horrible system in the 1960s-1970s has become an excellent one, one that has been in the news for the outstanding programs rendered. Yes, the VA is not perfect, as there are problems that exist, but the VA has been working to correct those problems. Unfortunately, you aren’t aware of the efforts being made to help America’s veterans receive their earned care. The “Delaware Legionnaire” for September has a number of these programs on page 7; read it, and then, prepare to apologize to the dedicated staff of the VA!
    Clyde Bragg
    Viola