Some veterans give the El Paso VA Health Care System credit for saving their lives. Others say they are fighting another type of war as they try to get needed health care.

Because the El Paso VA recently ranked last in the nation - based on internal data measuring access, clinical care and patient satisfaction - Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, traveled to El Paso about a week ago and threatened to hold a congressional hearing if the facility didn't adopt a more service-oriented approach to its clientele.

Veterans interviewed by the El Paso Times had a range of experiences.

"I'd probably be dead right now if it weren't for them," said Roger Brown, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam.

Urged by a friend to attend an Agent Orange screening, Brown underwent X-rays that showed spots on his lungs.

Since the VA didn't have a lung specialist available, he said he was urged to find someone in civilian practice, which he did. And when VA found out he was unable to pay his medical bills, it stepped in and helped financially, he said.

But Charles Matley had the opposite experience, which some say is more typical.

Matley, an Army and Marine veteran wounded in Vietnam when his helicopter was shot down, suffers from constant back pain and other ailments, and went to the El Paso VA to see about an increase in his disability status. He works nights for a security company in Las Cruces and it was noted in his file that he needed afternoon appointments, he said.

Instead, the VA gave him a morning appointment and when he went in to ask for a change, he was denied. He persisted, he said, in a calm and courteous manner, but the official called security guards to remove him. The official, he said, insisted that the appointment must be done within a certain time period.

"It's like walking into hell," Matley said, adding that he eventually received a new appointment. "They ought to just have a sign on the door that says, 'Denied.' It would save you the trouble."

El Paso VA director Bruce E. Stewart said in an interview that he wasn't satisfied with the level of customer service, but added that there have been recent improvements. He also said that, in some cases, El Paso VA responses to the survey may have given a wrong impression.

Although he agrees that the El Paso VA has some significant problems, John McKinney, an El Paso veterans advocate, said that the survey doesn't reflect the whole reality. He said the survey is based on a patient satisfaction survey, and that people with problems - real or perceived - are more likely to respond than people who received good service.

And, Stewart said, in the clinical quality scores, the El Paso VA is "still better than the private sector. That puts it a little bit in perspective."

Nonetheless, a list of complaints submitted to the office of Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, were broad reaching, involving patient care, outreach, technology, medical equipment and supplies, and staff morale. Reyes asked Filner to meet with El Paso VA staff and is working on scheduling a followup meeting in early May.

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake expressing her concern about the situation. Peake, Reyes and Hutchison are planning to visit the El Paso VA in mid-May.

"I am very concerned about the veterans in El Paso experiencing unusually long waiting times for appointments, particularly specialty appointments, and having limited access to health care," Hutchison wrote.

In a response sent the following day, Peake wrote that late last year, as the survey data became available, the El Paso VA brought in a consulting team to help primary care staff become more responsive to veterans' needs, which he said already has improved service. He added that VA's National Center for Organizational Development will visit the facility in the next few weeks to conduct a weeklong review with the goal of improving employee morale and performance.

On Thursday, Reyes spoke with Peake to confirm his visit and to continue a dialogue he started shortly after the secretary was confirmed.

"Because of all the money we provided VA, money is no longer the issue," Reyes said Friday of a record budget allocation that was $3.7 billion above President Bush's requested budget. "We need to focus on the culture (nationally) and on El Paso."

In particular, Reyes is adamant that the El Paso VA find a way to operate an after-hours, walk-in clinic for veterans who work and can't leave their jobs during the day. El Paso VA officials said they did not offer the walk-in service because it would require that all the other departments remain open, which would not be cost effective.

Chris Roberts may be reached at chrisr@elpasotimes.com; 546-6136.