Dennis Magnasco called the VA clinic in Bedford, Massachusetts for two days and tried to get an appointment. However, he was unsuccessful. He contacted his boss, Rep. Seth Moulton, and they came up with a great idea. A camera was set up, and Dennis called the clinic again. The video lasted five minutes. It shows the man being forced to go through several automated messages. He is never able to get to speak to an actual person.
The video has been posted on Facebook, and it has been viewed over 2.1 million times. Seth Moulton was the one who posted the video. He is also a veteran, and he posted the video to bring light to the problems veterans are facing. A few days after the video was posted, the VA clinic fixed the phone system. Dennis was finally able to schedule an appointment.
Rep. Moulton has proposed a bill to run a pilot program that allows veterans to use an app to schedule and cancel an appointment. He already has 19 co-sponsors, which includes both democrats and republicans. Moulton stated that he and his co-sponsors plan to spend $623 million on this app.
The VA’s technology has made things difficult for veterans for many years. Thousands of veterans who were supposed to get health care were denied healthcare coverage because of a computer glitch. A leaked document showed that 30 percent of the 847,000 veterans who had pending applications had died. Another report showed that many veterans who called the suicide hotline were sent to voice mail, and their calls were never returned.
Moulton stated that the VA is constantly making excuses, and none of the excuses make any sense. He reached out to a representative for the VA, but she declined to comment.
Why We Need the Faster Care for Veterans Act
Watch as Dennis, Army veteran and one of the District Representatives on my staff, tries to schedule his doctor's appointment at the VA. This is unacceptable. Our returning service men and women deserve better. I'm committed to doing everything I can to improve this flawed system and introduced the bipartisan Faster Care for Veterans Act to bring veteran health care into the 21st century. #fastercareforvets
Posted by Congressman Seth Moulton on Wednesday, February 10, 2016