Harder Brings Fight Directly to VA Secretary: Demands Fix for 90-Day Wait Times at Stockton VA Clinic

At his recent packed town hall in Manteca, Rep. Harder heard from veterans about repeatedly canceled appointments and nearly 3-month wait times at the Stockton VA Clinic

The Stockton VA Clinic only has four full-time primary care physicians seeing patients – they are supposed to have eight

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Josh Harder (CA-9) demanded action from Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough in a new letter outlining the health care crisis at the Stockton VA Clinic. Veterans are dealing with nearly 90-day wait times for appointments and one veteran with diabetes had his leg amputated because he couldn’t see a doctor to get his medication. Rep. Harder’s letter also included copies of petitions from nearly 50 local veterans collected during his veterans’ health care town hall earlier this month at the Manteca VFW. 

For months, Rep. Harder has been demanding a plan from the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify a solution to the lack of doctors at the Stockton VA Clinic. He passed an amendment earlier this year requiring the VA to create a plan to address doctor shortages at VA clinics across the country, but no real progress has been made so far.

“This situation is hitting a breaking point. For months, San Joaquin County veterans have been struggling to see a doctor. Some have waited more than three months for an appointment at the Stockton VA Clinic only to have it canceled at the last minute,” said Rep. Harder. “It’s dangerous for their health, and shameful it’s gotten this bad. I know the Stockton VA clinicians and staff are doing everything they can with the resources they have been given, but it’s past time for the VA Secretary to step in.”

Read the letter Rep. Harder and attached petitions from San Joaquin County veterans HERE or below:

Dear Secretary McDonough,

I write today to express my concern and frustration regarding the primary care physician (PCP) shortage at the Stockton VA Clinic. I strongly urge you to prioritize filling the four vacant PCP positions immediately.

In May of this year, I was alerted to a fifty percent reduction in the number of primary care physicians seeing and treating patients at the Stockton VA Clinic For the last four months, my office has worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to find a solution to fill those staff openings, but no sizable progress has been made.

Earlier this month, I hosted a town hall in my District and made sure to include representatives from VA Northern California, so as to ensure our veterans had an opportunity to make their voices heard. Veterans who rely on the Stockton Clinic for their care have been forced to wait over 90 days for an appointment and when they are able to get an appointment, the clinic cancels said appointment at the last minute due to “limited capabilities”. The stories and cases that were shared during this town hall were heartbreaking, and it is highly concerning that this is the reality of health care for veterans in my community. Veterans shared their stories of having to forgo having their prescriptions refilled because they cannot get access to their providers to authorize a refill. This is unacceptable.

Attached to this letter are nearly 50 signed petitions from veterans who attended my town hall. They are pleading for your help to fix this crisis. The local VA staff at the clinic are doing everything they can to serve our veterans with the limited resources they have, but we need you to do more. We need additional resources at the Stockton VA Clinic. The brave men and women who fought for our freedom should not have to fight for the basic health care they deserve and was promised to them.

I urge you to prioritize filling these PCP vacancies immediately.

Sincerely,

Josh Harder
Member of Congress

###