Print
Comment
Rate
VA snubs Cochise County for veterans' care facility site
You would think that Cochise County, home of a very large Army base, would be a logical place to open a veterans care center. Especially when you consider the proximity to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the large number of retired military who call the county home. Many who were stationed here or in Tucson remember the area and when time to retire rolls around, they come back.
You would think that. But you would be wrong. The secretary of veterans' affairs recently decided the county was not a good place for a care center even though it had the heartfelt support of veterans groups and District 8 Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
But VA Chief Eric Shinseki said the VA has established criteria for new care centers that Cochise County does not meet. So the three new care centers to be opened in Arizona will go to Maricopa County and two other counties that - well what a surprise - don't meet the VA's own standards.
Those other two centers will go to Yuma County and Mohave County. But according to 2000 Census Bureau stats, only about 18,200 veterans reside in Yuma County. In Mohave County, the number is 25,500. The same Census Web site lists Cochise County's veterans at about 19,000.
"The VA decision is shortsighted and dismissive of the many veterans who live in rural Southeastern Arizona," Giffords said recently.
Trying to pick an arbitrary number to provide a service seems faulty on the face of it. And if you do have an arbitrary number of 50,000 veterans, on what basis do you decide to ignore your own standards?
With more than 3,140 counties in the U.S., perhaps the VA should look at congressional districts as a determining factor. In that case, about 90,000 veterans call Giffords' District 8 home. Counties are a misleading deciding factor if expanding to the congressional district nearly quintuples the number of veterans.
Perhaps the VA and Shinseki should get out of Washington and visit some of these areas. Setting an arbitrary number should not relieve them of the hard work of investigating actual need. That is especially true in rural areas like this where a trip to the nearest VA center in Tucson can mean two or three hours in the car.
Perhaps they should worry less about statistics and instead focus on how a community serves and respects its veterans.
You would think that. But you would be wrong. The secretary of veterans' affairs recently decided the county was not a good place for a care center even though it had the heartfelt support of veterans groups and District 8 Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
But VA Chief Eric Shinseki said the VA has established criteria for new care centers that Cochise County does not meet. So the three new care centers to be opened in Arizona will go to Maricopa County and two other counties that - well what a surprise - don't meet the VA's own standards.
Those other two centers will go to Yuma County and Mohave County. But according to 2000 Census Bureau stats, only about 18,200 veterans reside in Yuma County. In Mohave County, the number is 25,500. The same Census Web site lists Cochise County's veterans at about 19,000.
"The VA decision is shortsighted and dismissive of the many veterans who live in rural Southeastern Arizona," Giffords said recently.
Trying to pick an arbitrary number to provide a service seems faulty on the face of it. And if you do have an arbitrary number of 50,000 veterans, on what basis do you decide to ignore your own standards?
With more than 3,140 counties in the U.S., perhaps the VA should look at congressional districts as a determining factor. In that case, about 90,000 veterans call Giffords' District 8 home. Counties are a misleading deciding factor if expanding to the congressional district nearly quintuples the number of veterans.
Perhaps the VA and Shinseki should get out of Washington and visit some of these areas. Setting an arbitrary number should not relieve them of the hard work of investigating actual need. That is especially true in rural areas like this where a trip to the nearest VA center in Tucson can mean two or three hours in the car.
Perhaps they should worry less about statistics and instead focus on how a community serves and respects its veterans.
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of bensonnews-sun.com.
