Letter: VA woes won't change until fun..

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It has taken a long time for public awareness of the problem VA is having meeting veterans' medical needs. Back in 1963 I was fresh out of the Navy. Soon after I developed a toothache and having no resources, I went to the VA. They could have taken care of it, but the wait time would be six months. Because of the pain I couldn't wait.

Now all veterans are not equal. There is a hierarchy or ranking. Those that serve during times of conflict rank higher. Serve in a war zone, up you go. Wounded in combat, higher still. I can only hope one's standing in this hierarchy isn't used to determine the order of medical care. I served four years between wars.

Having said that, it is obvious the real problem at the VA is simply the demand for services far exceeds the resources. No matter how many administrators quit or get fired, there won't be much change until the VA can get a bigger budget.

Phil Vigil

West Valley City

Letter: VA woes won't change until funding grows