March 26, 2026

Subject: Petition for Urgent Reform and Accountability within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Dear Senators and Congressmen,

We, the undersigned veterans, family members, and supporters, are writing to demand immediate and meaningful reform within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Across the country, veterans are encountering systemic failures that delay care, create unnecessary hardship, and undermine the promises made to those who served.

As more veterans transition out of military service, they are being placed into a VA system that is critically understaffed and overburdened. Routine medical appointments are scheduled months in advance, forcing veterans to wait for care they urgently need. In many cases, VA personnel are failing to properly submit referrals for community care or even contact veterans to determine their eligibility or preferences. Consults initiated by primary care providers often go uncoordinated, leaving veterans to navigate the system themselves—making calls, following up, and effectively doing the job of the VA just to receive basic care.

This is unacceptable. Veterans should not have to fight the very system designed to support them.

Additionally, administrative delays are severely impacting veterans’ families. The process of adding dependents is taking far too long, delaying access to critical healthcare coverage under CHAMPVA. Even after dependents are approved, prolonged delays in CHAMPVA enrollment are leaving spouses and children without healthcare, causing financial strain, frustration, and a loss of trust in the system.

Public statements from VA leadership, including the “One VA” initiative, have not translated into meaningful improvements at the ground level. The disconnect between leadership messaging and the reality veterans experience daily reflects a serious lack of accountability and urgency.

We respectfully demand the following actions:

-Immediate reduction in VA healthcare appointment wait times
-Increased staffing levels and improved workforce accountability
-Timely and accurate processing of community care referrals
-Proactive communication with veterans regarding scheduling and care options
-Streamlined and expedited processing for adding dependents and compensation claims
-Significant reduction in CHAMPVA enrollment delays for families

Veterans honored their commitment to serve this nation. It is now the responsibility of the VA—and our nation’s leadership—to honor its commitment in return.

This petition represents the voices of those who have served and sacrificed. We call on the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as elected officials, to take immediate and decisive action to correct these failures.

We respectfully request a public response to national concerns outlining what actions our leadership will take to address these failures within the VA and to advocate for timely solutions for veterans and their families.

Very Respectfully,

On behalf of concerned veterans and their families,

Joshua Hendricks

Former FMF (Fleet Marine Force)  Hospital Corpsman 

Operation Iraqi Freedom / Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran