Keith Self, VA Secretary Face Veterans’ Questions on Care, Claims and New Collin County Clinic

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

Congressman Keith Self and U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins took questions from North Texas veterans during a telephone town hall focused largely on access to healthcare, VA claims, mental health services and problems veterans are encountering with the system.

Collins said the VA is working to shorten claims processing times, make appointments easier to schedule and expand options for veterans who receive care outside VA facilities.

“The VA that I walked into last February is not the same VA today,” Collins said.

Self, who serves on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, repeatedly encouraged veterans with individual cases to contact his district office for help dealing with the VA.

“If you or your family ever need help navigating any federal agency — whether it’s VA, Social Security, IRS or any other federal department — my office is here to help,” Self said.

Veterans ask about delays getting care

One McKinney veteran asked Collins about long waits for appointments through the VA’s community care system. Collins said the department is moving toward letting veterans schedule more appointments themselves.

“Our goal in over the next year is to make sure that you can actually schedule your appointment right then,” Collins said.

Another caller said he had received a VA claim denial that day without an explanation and asked why the appeals process takes so long. Collins said appeals that reach the Board of Veterans’ Appeals remain a problem.

“The board does take a much longer time,” Collins said, adding that the VA is looking at changes to how those cases are handled.

Questions about transportation and home healthcare also came up, with Collins pointing veterans to existing VA programs and local resources.

Collins: Veterans in crisis should seek help immediately

Asked about mental health services, Collins said the VA is expanding counseling and telehealth and urged veterans in crisis to seek help immediately.

“You will be seen immediately,” Collins said. “There is no wait time for that.”

Self later pointed veterans to the Veterans Crisis Line at 988 and urged them to check on fellow veterans.

“Figure out your buddies and make buddy calls,” Self said. “Just call them up and say, ‘How you doing?’ It helps.”

Self wants larger VA clinic farther north in Collin County

Asked about plans for a VA clinic in McKinney or the Prosper-Celina area, Self said funding has been allocated for a roughly 94,000-square-foot facility to replace the Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic in Plano.

The unresolved issue, he said, is where to build it.

“We need this to go further north in Collin County to plan for the growth because we’re growing tremendously,” Self said.

Self said the House and Senate have not agreed on a location and he does not expect the issue to be resolved during the current Congress.

“The only question between the House and the Senate is the location,” Self said.

Collins addresses veterans’ gun rights

Collins said veterans should be able to seek help from the VA without fearing the loss of their Second Amendment rights.

“Veterans ought to be able to come to the VA, get the help they need … without worrying about a fiduciary or anything else taking away one of their constitutional rights,” Collins said.

He also said he believes the country has enough gun laws and should focus on enforcing those already in place.

Questions turn from veterans to Self’s political agenda

After Collins left, questions shifted to issues Self has pushed in Congress, including restrictions on automated license plate readers, the SAVE America Act, repealing the 17th Amendment and his opposition to The Meadows development.

On automated license plate readers, Self promoted his PRIVACY Act, which he said would require federal agencies to obtain a warrant before accessing databases created by systems such as Flock cameras.

“Your Fourth Amendment rights to privacy under the U.S. Constitution are absolute,” Self said.

Self also blamed the Senate — and specifically Senate Majority Leader John Thune — for the SAVE America Act not becoming law.

“There is tremendous pressure across America on the senators,” Self said. “And yet the leader Thune, in the Senate, refuses to bring it up.”

Asked why he supports repealing the 17th Amendment, Self called it “probably the worst amendment” currently in the Constitution and argued that allowing state legislatures to select senators would restore power to the states.

On The Meadows development tied to the East Plano Islamic Center, Self discussed his Sharia Free America Caucus before saying the project remains delayed.

“My reading of the situation right now is it’s not absolutely stopped, but it is delayed for the time being,” Self said.

Throughout the town hall, callers submitted questions through an operator rather than asking Self or Collins directly. Questions that made it on the air were read by the moderator. None of those questions challenged Self’s positions or included follow-ups to his answers.