Veterans coming back from active duty after serving their country are faced with the challenge of accessing affordable quality healthcare. The lack of adequate provision of healthcare benefits for these soldiers continues to be one of the biggest challenges that subsequent governments have tried to address. One government agency that is charged with the responsibility of cushioning veterans is the United States Department of veteran affairs (VA). The VA is a cabinet-level government agency that provides benefits to ensure all military veterans and their families live a dignified life after sacrificing serving their country. Going through the different articles, it is clear that the VA is currently, and has previously been grappling with discharging its mandate either because of lack of adequate funding or lack of proper strategies. From the articles, it is reported that about 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are currently seeking compensation service-related injuries ( Marchione, 2018 ). This is beside the number that is seeking government help in treating mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is also a result of the horrendous environment in war.
The VA is straining to provide veteran soldiers, sailors and airmen with proper healthcare benefits to cover their duty-related physical or mental injuries. Despite the unprecedented support for funding the VA, most veterans still find it difficult to access these benefits because of its scarcity (White House, 2014). However, my view is that VA is performing below par on its mandate because of poor funding and expenditure strategies. Therefore, it all boils down to budgeting. If I was in charge of the organization, I would ensure that I employ dynamic strategies that ensure veterans receive their healthcare benefits adequately. This dynamic strategy will include a combination of flexible budget and static budget.
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The fixed budgeting approach that is currently used by the VA awaits resources to be allocated by Congress before they are disbursed to various healthcare facilities. This is dangerous because the amounts provided by Congress are barely based on the current needs of the VA but based on the past needs. Therefore, for example, if the VA spent around USD 2 billion in the previous financial year, Congress would use this as the base figure for the subsequent year. This problematic because the needs of the VA are always fluctuating ( Golding,2011). Therefore , despite the fixed budget catering for the projected needs, casualties of war cannot be accurately predicted and hence the budget shortfalls become a constant , piling more pressure on the VA. However, the fixed budgeting approach should not be discarded. This is because it caters to the veterans who have already successfully enrolled in the system benefit from the fund. It should, therefore, be maintained to ensure that members do not lose their healthcare benefits in the middle of the cover. This budgeting approach can be used for specific expenditures that are predictable such as prescription drugs (Health Affairs, 2017). However, additionally, as stated, the VA should also have another option of static budgeting.
Static budgeting should be implemented to cater strictly to new cases that are seeking healthcare. Static budgeting uses the actuarial risk of estimating future performance. For example, if it has been determined that about 45% of veterans from the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars are seeking healthcare benefits, the number can be projected using all troops that are deployed globally to predict the required amount to fund their healthcare when they leave active duty. This budgeting approach will eliminate the need for veteran waiting in line to receive vital healthcare services for physical and mental health treatment. Therefore, if placed in such a position, I will implement this integrated approach to fixed budgeting and static budgeting.
References
Golding, H. L. (2011, July ). Potential costs of health care for veterans of recent and ongoing US military operations. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE (US CONGRESS) WASHINGTON DC.
Health Affairs. (2017). Veterans Health Administration. Health Affairs . Retrieved 13 February 2018, from https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hpb20171008.000174/full/
Marchione, M. (2012). AP IMPACT: Almost half of new vets seek disability. The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved from http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/world/54192254-68/veterans-claims-percent-disability.html.csp
White House. (2014). FACT SHEET: President Obama Announces New Executive Actions to Fulfill our Promises to Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families . Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/26/fact-sheet-president-obama-announces-new-executive-actions-fulfill-our-p
