All this Army vet wanted was to make a doctor’s appointment at his local VA hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts. Instead, he helped jumpstart a movement to improve healthcare accessibility for military veterans.
Dennis Magnasco made headlines in 2011 for saving the life of a young boy while stationed in Afghanistan. Now he is a district representative and veterans liaison for Rep. Seth Moulton, who himself is a Marine who served four tours in Iraq. When Magnasco had no luck reaching an actual employee of his VA clinic, he and Moulton set up a camera to record the Army vet’s second attempt.
The video clocks in at 1:28, but it actually represents nearly five minutes of frustration. Magnasco is prompted by an automated recording to enter several numbers so he can be connected to the right line, but he is recycled back to the beginning of the message chain. No matter what options he chooses, he is stuck listening to the same robotic voice, over and over. Not once was Magnasco prompted to just cut to the chase and speak to a human being.
Moulton, who also receives medical care from the VA, posted the video on his Facebook page. As of this post, it has accumulated 950,000 views and 24,400 shares.
The response to the video was swift. First, the VA clinic Magnasco was trying to call fixed its messaging system and secured him an appointment. Second, Moulton received bipartisan support from several lawmakers who want to fix this problem on a national scale.
Moulton introduced the Faster Care for Veterans Act to help make VA healthcare more accessible. The bill would allow veterans to use an app to schedule and cancel medical appointments. This technology is already widely used by private medical facilities. Since the video went viral, Moulton’s bill has gained a total of 19 sponsors.