July 8, 2014

Las Vegas, NV- Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s First District sent a letter to the Acting Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson urging him to act quickly to improve the quality of healthcare that female veterans receive through the VA.  She was joined by fifty Members of Congress. 

“Female veterans, like all veterans, deserve access to quality healthcare,” said Congresswoman Titus. “Unfortunately, recent reports have highlighted chronic problems that are compromising this care, including a lack of women’s health providers, problems with the coordination of care, and inappropriate treatment.  I am pleased to be joined by fifty Members of Congress as we urge the VA to take immediate action to address these serious concerns. I will work with the new Secretary of the VA, once confirmed, to make sure this issue continues to be a priority.” 

The full text of the letter can be found here: 

July 2, 2014

Dear Acting Secretary Gibson,

We are greatly disturbed by recent reports highlighting problems with the Veterans Health Administration’s capacity to provide quality healthcare to female veterans.  

Last year, the VA served 390,000 female veterans. This is more than double the number served in 2000, and the population is expected to grow.  The VA has invested $1.3 billion to improve access to care for these veterans, but there is still much to be done.

Nearly one in four VA hospitals does not have a fulltime gynecologist on staff.  In addition, approximately 15 percent of community-based clinics in rural areas do not even have a designated women’s health provider despite the VA’s stated goal to have such a provider in every VA healthcare facility.  Female veterans are also more likely than their male counterparts to be referred to private care outside of the VA even if the only private care option is miles away. 

Even more troubling are reports about the quality of care that female veterans receive when they are able to access care within the VA.  A study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh found that one out of every two female veterans received a prescription for medication from a VA healthcare provider that could cause birth defects despite the fact that many are of child-bearing age and the majority are not on contraception.  

Furthermore, the VA OIG has found that 60 percent of female veterans at community clinics did not receive the results of their normal breast cancer screening within the required two weeks, and even more disturbingly, 45 percent of those results never made it into the VA’s electronic health records.

These statistics are simply unacceptable.  They indicate that the issues of access to quality care and proper coordination of care are an even greater problem for our female veterans than their male counterparts. 

It is our understanding that the VA has been working for several years to address these access and quality concerns for female veterans, but the problem has clearly not yet been solved.  When can women expect to receive adequate care in the VA system? More specifically, what is the timeline for ensuring that every VA healthcare facility has a designated women’s health provider?  What is the VA doing to improve medical provider training to ensure that they are taking into account women’s health concerns such as medication that could cause birth defects?  

There are currently more than 2.2 million female veterans, a figure that the VA expects to rise in the next few years. It is critical that the VA take immediate action to address these issues and ensure that female veterans have access to quality care within the VA healthcare system.  As members of the House of Representatives, we are committed to helping every veteran receive the care that he or she has earned and stand ready to assist you in achieving this goal.  

Sincerely,  

Dina Titus
Member of Congress