 When it comes to Veterans' health care reform, it's hard to separate the noise from the truth. So DAV is setting the record straight. Some politicians, political and veterans groups have suggested VA should focus only on treating service-related illnesses and combat injuries. So why is this such a bad idea, and how could it possibly hurt veterans? The best healthcare is holistic, preventative, and treats the whole veteran, not one illness at one clinic, another condition at another clinic, in piecemeal fashion. For example, a private sector physician might not know to ask the burn pit exposure history for a post-911 veteran seeking routine care for symptoms like liver problems, high blood pressure or insomnia, even though that veteran is currently being treated at VA for bronchitis linked to that exposure. This leads to fractured health care, less coordination of care, potential over-treatment or under-treatment of symptoms, and ultimately, poorer health care outcomes for veterans. So what's a better solution? The answer isn't to reduce the number of patients in the VA health care system or limit treatment to specific conditions, but rather to assess services and needs in each community to ensure that VA resources match the services needed. Don't get lost in the noise. Learn more and get involved in the effort to reform veterans' health care at dav.org slash setting the record straight.