{"id":60937,"date":"2020-09-02T16:09:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-02T16:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/09\/02\/va-secretary-attacks-reports-of-slowdowns-in-mailed-prescriptions-as-conspiracy-theories\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:31:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:31:36","slug":"va-secretary-attacks-reports-of-slowdowns-in-mailed-prescriptions-as-conspiracy-theories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/09\/02\/va-secretary-attacks-reports-of-slowdowns-in-mailed-prescriptions-as-conspiracy-theories\/","title":{"rendered":"VA secretary attacks reports of slowdowns in mailed prescriptions as \u2018conspiracy theories\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie is dismissing reports of significant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/08\/21\/postmaster-pledges-veterans-prescriptions-wont-be-hurt-by-mail-service-changes\/\" target=_blank>delays in veterans mailed prescriptions<\/a> as \u201cconspiracy theories\u201d being used to \u201cscore political points against the Trump administration,\u201d and warning that the narrative could discourage some individuals from using the U.S. postal service for critical medications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing to see how comfortable some are with presenting misinformation to advance a political agenda, even when that information has the potential to cause harm to those who served this country,\u201d Wilkie wrote in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/op-eds\/ignore-the-conspiracy-theories-veterans-can-trust-va-prescription-drug-delivery-through-the-mail\" target=_blank>op-ed published in the Washington Examiner <\/a>on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans should never be given reason to doubt a system that continues to work for them at a high level, year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilkie\u2019s comments come amid growing concerns from both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill about issues with postal service operations, including reports from veterans service organizations of slowdowns in medication delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last last month, Disabled American Veterans reported \u201can increasing number of credible reports\u201d of problematic slowdowns in veterans receiving mailed prescriptions. Democratic leaders of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform said they have received numerous letters from veterans complaining about delayed deliveries creating health problems, with little explanation for the reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/08\/21\/postmaster-pledges-veterans-prescriptions-wont-be-hurt-by-mail-service-changes\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635561496751253297-fed-usps-gallery-5jpg_b75ef0.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Postmaster pledges veterans\u2019 prescriptions won\u2019t be hurt by mail service changes<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The USPS leader acknowledged mail slowdowns in recent months but blamed them on service challenges, not deliberate obstruction.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy asking USPS to prioritize timely delivery of veterans\u2019 mail-order medications amid planned agency reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVA has informed me that over the past year, its outpatient prescriptions delivered by USPS have experienced delays of nearly 25 percent, with average delivery time rising from 2.3 days in June 2019, to 2.86 days,\u201d Moran wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged postal operations as it has so many aspects of our society. In light of the difficult environment, I urge you to remain mindful that ongoing management and operational reforms do not negatively impact important functions which VA and our veterans rely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic lawmakers have accused the White House of altering postal operations in an effort to disrupt mail-in voting this fall, inadvertently also hurting veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA mail-order pharmacies handle roughly 150 million outpatient prescriptions each year, with USPS handling about 86 percent of that work. That number has increased slightly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, after many VA medical sites with pharmacies shut down for non-emergency services in an effort to slow the spread of that illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his editorial, Wilkie noted that the slowdown to just under three days for delivery still remains faster than the department\u2019s self-mandated target of three-to-five days for medication mailings.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/08\/18\/post-office-officials-backtrack-on-service-changes-that-delayed-veterans-prescriptions\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20230785752468.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Post office officials backtrack on service changes that delayed veterans\u2019 prescriptions<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Federal officials had said veterans mailed medications had been slowed by 25 percent or more in recent months.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s only natural that some isolated problems will occur, given the volume of prescriptions we send in the mail,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBut when we see delays, we don\u2019t sit back and accept them \u2014 we find solutions. VA staff continuously monitor our delivery times, and we shift to commercial carriers if USPS is experiencing problems in certain regions of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The secretary acknowledged that the department has switched to private-sector delivery services for some areas in recent months, including Michigan, New York, New Jersey and Arizona. But he insisted there is \u201cno data\u201d backing up signs of widespread problems with veterans medication deliveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis utterly untrue premise doesn\u2019t square with the fact that the vast majority of veterans are happy with VA\u2019s prescription program,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic lawmakers have promised additional oversight on the issue in coming months to ensure that mailed ballots and medications continue to be delivered in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While acknowledging some slowdowns, Robert Wilkie said reports of widespread problems are potentially harmful for veterans using the service to get their medications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":46132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,89,16,26,65,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3328],"class_list":["post-60937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4D32IH3T6VAUZE2UM5HWXBQC2E","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/09\/02\/va-secretary-attacks-reports-of-slowdowns-in-mailed-prescriptions-as-conspiracy-theories\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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