Solo

His attorney pretty much losing the case for him because the attorney is inexperienced.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6651099112084686325&q=ftca+veteran&hl=en&scisbd=2&as_sdt=6,34
This isn't the 1990's anymore. The VA made the news for settling too many claims, so they are not settling unless you prove your case. If you don't know how to file your SF-95 then you are screwed. Even an attorney can mess up.
You have 6 months to file a lawsuit after it is denied by the VA. You use up 3 months and the US attorney uses up 2 months and the judge uses over 1 month for the order, then you are out of time to file another claim if it gets dismissed without prejudice. It is a very slow process in court, so you only have one shot to get it right the first time.
To keep your claim alive, the judge has to allow you to amend your complaint. Getting your case dismissed with or without prejudice means it is all over for you.

I believe in privatization too. I don't think there are many vets that want the VA healthcare. It would be nice to go where you want and somewhere blocks away from your home. The minimum 50 miles is a long distance to drive.
If we had private insurance through the VA, then we wouldn't need to purchase Medicare Part B. I have a Medicare Advantage Plan because I don't want to pay the penalty for not having medical insurance. Medicare doesn't accept VA healthcare as insurance coverage.