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The News Observer
Veterans across Fannin County, and in surrounding counties, depend on the Fannin County chapter of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) to get them to and from their appointments at the Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Atlanta; however, an issue the chapter is currently facing with their vans has prevented them from providing the necessary service to area veterans.
While the chapter’s van service had been paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March of last year, chapter leadership expected to be able to continue the needed service when other chapters began making transports again earlier this year. Instead, they found they were unable to restart because the new van they had ordered was being held by the VA hospital.
“We ordered a new van in November of 2019,” DAV Van Coordinator Joe Brandon said. “It takes them a while to deliver. The van was not delivered from the dealer in Kentucky to the VA hospital in Atlanta until October of 2020. The VA hospital in Atlanta then takes the van and puts a first-aid kit, a fire extinguisher, the license plates on it, and then gives us a credit card for gas and oil. That should not take more than about 30 days to do it, but it takes them anywhere from three to four months to get that done. So, our van came in last October down there, and it’s been down there ever since, and they won’t release it to us.”
Around December of last year, the chapter, and other chapters in the state, were also asked to turn over their older vans to isolate them until the end of the pandemic.
Brandon explained that the chapter opted to keep their old van at that time, not to drive it, but so they could sell it and put the profit towards the purchase of their next van as they do every five years or so.
“We didn’t send our van down there, because one time once before they took it and kept it, and we almost had to fight tooth and nail to get it back, so we learned from experience,” he said.
When they refused to send the van, the hospital system said they would need to come and inspect the van before issuing them a title to sell it, and they sent two staff members to inspect the van the first Saturday of April.
“I’ve been involved with buying four new vans and getting rid of four vans,” Brandon said. “That’s the first time they’ve ever required an inspection, but we got that done. Then, they said they’re supposed to send that to Washington D.C. This whole thing has been very politicized.”
They were told that the VA hospital was not seeing patients; however, DAV member Paul Hunter has made several trips taking himself and others to the hospital and has noted a full waiting room each time.
“We feel like they’re discriminating against us geographically,” Brandon said. “That they’re taking care of the veterans from the five metropolitan counties, but the veterans from Northeast, Northwest and Northcentral Georgia are being left out. This is not just our van we’re talking about. These are those vans that were pulled in that need to be put back on the road.”
They’ve also been told that all of the drivers need to be re-certified and that they will receive help in doing so, but Brandon said it has been continually “put off.”
Brandon expressed concern for the veterans who are struggling to get to the VA hospital without the van because many cannot drive through Atlanta traffic or do not meet the disability qualification to receive mileage reimbursement, but are unable to afford the trips.
Brandon reached out to Congressman Andrew Clyde to get help with the release of the new van and the receipt of the title for the old van.
After Clyde reached out on Brandon’s behalf, he sent Brandon a letter from Ann R. Brown, director of the Atlanta VA Health Care System, that said, “Mr. Brandon was informed the Atlanta VA Health Care System (AVAHCHS) will release the new van to DAV Chapter 28 when it is determined safe to transport Veterans to and from their medical appointment in the new 12 passenger van and we will contact him to schedule a date and time to determine if the old van is unacceptable for use, no longer needed for the facility Volunteer Transportation Network (VTN) and/or returned to the Department of Georgia DAV. The DAV will request the Certificate of Origination upon receipt of the van.”
Brandon said, “It’s been a month since they inspected it, and they’ve done nothing.”
While providing transport to veterans is the chapter’s main goal, they also want to protect the investment the community has made to buy the vans.
“That’s where our money goes, to buy that van,” Hunter said. “In a small community like us, it’s hard to raise. It takes us years to raise that. … They’re discriminating against us up here, and our veterans can’t get to the doctor.”