80-thousand veterans receive some or all of their medical care at Lexington’s Veterans Affairs Hospital. Many also receive retirement or disability pay. Those services and compensation could be disrupted if the federal government defaults on its debt, which could happen as soon as next week. Nicole Horseman, a former Seabee who served in Iraq, said she worries about the vets who depend on such things to get by.
“For some of those families, that's their only income. And if you don't receive it, for whatever reason, then how do you make your mortgage? How do you feed your children? How do you put gas in your car and get groceries?
If the federal government defaults, Lexington’s VA Hospital could feel the effects. That would be bad for people like Horseman, who gets medical care there. Horseman and others who receive retirement or disability pay could see those checks stop, at least for a while. She said Congress and the White House need to stop the “hurry up and wait” approach.
“I think they need to change where they are most efficient and effective. Because ‘hurry up and wait’ does not work for the American people.”
Horseman is active with VFW Post 680 in Lexington. She said her fellow members are beginning to talk about how they’d deal with a federal default.
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