Ryan, veterans official offer vets tips on getting medical care

Staff report

WARREN

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and Herman K. Breuer, director of the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission, addressed issues that military veterans face when they seek medical care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday.

“This is a major issue for all of us,” Ryan said from the veterans service commission offices on North Park Avenue.

The congressman said an average of 22 military veterans commit suicide in the U.S. every day, and it’s difficult for veterans to get the kind of medical care they need in a timely manner.

The problem of attaining medical care is serious in the Mahoning Valley because the number of primary-care physicians at the VA outpatient clinics in Youngstown and Warren has dropped because of retirements and low pay for physicians at the facilities, Breuer said.

Ryan said he is working at the federal level to get more funding for the facilities, while Breuer says he wants veterans to know that there are patient advocates at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland who can help.

Breuer also wants veterans to know that the Veterans Choice card they received last year can help a veteran get a doctor’s appointment faster through normal channels.

If a veteran has been told by his or her local VA that he or she will need to wait more than 30 days for an appointment, that veteran can call 866-606-8198 and verify his or her eligibility for the program and then use non-VA doctors, Breuer said.