WAR AND THE VA

Vanity | 11/11/2014 | Dick Bachert

[Dick Bachert]

Robert McDonald, the new head of the VA, has announced his proposed changes/improvements to the current VA system.

I've been in the VA system for a number of years here in Atlanta where there have been reports of poor care. I must say that, without exception, I have experienced very good and courteous care in the Atlanta facilities.

The bulk of the problems appear to be in other facilities and, to his credit, McDonald – a West Point graduate and airborne vet himself – has dug down into the situation and concluded that his list of those who need to be held responsible (and fired after the mandated investigation and appeal to release a federal union employee) number over 1,000. When asked how many NEW people the system will require to properly and promptly meet future needs, he responded that the number of medical and other support personnel could top 28,000!

If that number IS anywhere near accurate, the cost of that new staffing level portends a number of changes in OTHER areas of our culture. IF the Congress and the new administration does the right thing and funds McDonald's recommendations, that cost will – one would hope – cause the politicians to make absolutely certain that a war is ONLY in defense of our VITAL NATIONAL INTERESTS, take a second look at how we wage those contests AND ONLY GREEN LIGHT THOSE ACTIONS THE PEOPLES' REPRESENTATIVES HAVE APPROVED IN RECORDED VOTES! As has too often been the case in the past, they SHOULD, indeed MUST, evaluate ways to keep most of our folks directly out of the meat grinder so as to minimize to the extent possible the numbers of injured requiring VA care.

Although it will still almost certainly be necessary for our folks to go in on the ground to “kick the door down” and eliminate the last of the enemy forces, I'm suggesting that our future combat situations should be preceded by massive – and I do mean MASSIVE – air strikes (far more massive than Obama's typically limp wristed effort against ISIS) to soften and shape the battlefield. Killing as many of the “bad guys” and breaking most of their “stuff” with manned and unmanned (drone) air power will be the goal.

This strategy poses an important question for the enemy: How many of YOUR civilians (ostensibly “innocents”) do they want to lose to the inevitable collateral damage?

It also poses a question for the civilian populations of those would-be enemies as they consider the ramifications of failing to control/eliminate those among them who would lead them into a new, destructive and DEADLY war. 

If the German and Japanese people had been asked that question in 1945, I'm sure I know how they would have responded.

I'll cut this off now but to better explain the thrust of this message, please refer to the 7 ½ minute video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyEtw8lBtI

[Dick Bachert]

Let’s try THIS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyEtw8lBtI

[Mariner]

I don't think $3-$4bil in annual salary costs will change ANYTHING about our culture or willingness to wage war.

Side Note: My father got the finest medical care I ever witnessed at the VA Hospital in Seattle before he died of Pancreatic Cancer.

His attending physician was a Teaching Professor at UW and world-renowned oncologist.

My father saw him every day for at least 20mins. He also performed two surgeries.

[Dick Bachert]

Mariner, I hope you’re wrong about the first part re. the dough.

As for the second comments, sorry you lost your dad. Lost mine in 1977 at age 59 after the IRS made his life miserable over a minor estate matter. But that’s another story.

Just lost a beloved 61 year old brother-in-law to pancreatic cancer. Not a nice way to go but I can’t come up with too many good ones.

And, while I may have been lucky here in Atlanta, I suspect the main reason some VA facilities provide better care than others has to do with their proximity to high quality TEACHING hospitals. Nearly ALL the specialists here come from Emory, much in the news lately re. ebola!

Be well and safe as we slide further down obozo’s drain.

[Hulka]

“to make absolutely certain that a war is ONLY in defense of our VITAL NATIONAL INTERESTS, “

Indeed. . .http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj01/spr01/vorspr01.html

[SkyPilot]

Tell this author to try the Philadelphia VA system and see how “friendly and caring” it is.

[straps]

Who in there right mind goes to the VA when once you hit 65 and get and pay for Medicare you also have TFL which is the opening to any hospital and MD you have the choice of the best anywhere and you fool around with third class care is unbelievable.....Just ask the Indians about how well they are treated, as for the VA great if you have a war related injury terrible for anything else except the source for free dressings etc....sorry I gave them every opportunity to kill me they did not so know having been blessed with the best RN from the USAF who knows a lot more than me I live on and on and on......

[PAR35]

Seems a bit wrong to fire folks when you acknowledge that it will take an average of 28 people to replace each person fired if you want improvement in quality.

[ExNewsExSpook]

Here’s my question: how many of those who are getting the axe will, in fact, be allowed to retire? It’s the oldest trick in the civil service system.

Remember the EPA guy who claimed he was part of a secret CIA counter-terrorism group that met every Friday at Langley? He used bald-faced lie as an excuse to four days a week—with pay—for years. Same guy used a phony “deployment to Afghanistan” to take a six-month break from work. He was eventually indicted on various federal fraud charges and is currently in prison. But, before his date in court, he was allowed to retire with a full pension.

Same thing with Lois Lerner. If the GOP wins the White House in 2016 (and the statute of limitations hasn’t expired), she’s a good bet for indictment and conviction. Meanwhile, Ms. Lerner has already retired from civil service and is living on an annual pension of $110,000 a year. If Hillary wins the White House, she’s home free.

Most of the criminals at the VA will skate out the door with their pensions—and some will go to work for contractors doing work for the government, before or after they go to jail—and that’s assuming they’re actually charged with a crime.

Getting “fired” in civil service is nothing compared to the private sector.

[Dick Bachert]

The 1,000 are those who either obstructed vets in getting the care they needed or falsified or manipulated records and/or waiting lists. Some of those violations are believed to be criminal and they may be charged accordingly.

In addition, SOME of that malfeasance involved failing to staff facilities with necessary MEDICAL personnel but, instead, putting cronies and other NON-MEDICAL folks in sinecures having little or nothing to do with rendering medical care. That is SOP in nearly every government bureaucracy EXCEPT in this instance, some of our vets DIED!

If McDonald is attempting to recruit 28,000 MEDICAL PEOPLE, it’s no wonder the non-medical bureaucrats were covering their asses by cooking the books as the system is impossibly UNDERSTAFFED now.

I’m beginning to believe that it might even be time to consider dismantling the VA system and have our vets on a voucher system to use the nearest suitable community hospital ONCE we rid ourselves of the Obamacare monstrosity now driving thousands of doctors OUT of medicine. And if it hasn’t yet settled in on non vets, that doctor squeeze WILL soon impact you if it hasn’t already.

Something to think about!

[SkyPilot]

Good for you....live on! I am waiting to see how long before ObamaCare spells the end of Tricare for Life, but we'll see.

Did you know that Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Col "Bud" Day was the single person responsible for Tricare for Life?

Air Force Col. Bud Day, Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 88

After the war and his release, Col. Day retired to the Florida Panhandle in 1977 and practiced law, becoming a crusader for health care benefits for veterans. He took his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 lawsuit that alleged the government reneged on its promise to provide free lifetime health care to hundreds of thousands of Korean War and World War II veterans. The high court declined to hear an appeal of the case brought on behalf of two Panhandle retirees, but the legal action was credited with prompting Congress to pass legislation in 2000 expanding the military’s TRICARE health insurance program to include veterans over age 65 who had served at least 20 years or were medically retired.

The VA has become a curse word because their care is so horrible.

Some cities and hospitals give better care. For instance, I have heard great things about the VA in Charlotte NC. They hire good people.

Come up to the Philadelphia VA. On staff are lazy, obese women who shred your records and won't lift a finger for you.

[rockinqsranch]

“..........I suspect the main reason some VA facilities provide better care than others has to do with their proximity to high quality TEACHING hospitals.....”

Concur. Experience allows me to state that.

[Hulka]

Long Beach VA hospital is a death trap. LA area has many teaching hospitals nearby and “they” bragged to me that they were a teaching hospital. . and preceded to provide dismissive, abusive, rude and unsanitary care that almost killed me. No hype, I posted my experience on FR a few years back.

[rockinqsranch]

Sorry for your bad experience. My father was very pleased with Long Beach VA when he had to have bone shards removed from his knee caused during one of three crashes during WWII. Apparently the field hospital hadn’t appropriately smoothed the jagged edges of the bone at the time of incident, and over the years the bone deteriorated, and began breaking up protruding through his knee. Long Beach fixed him up in the late 1950’s, and he survived to 2009 passing on at 87 He was tailgunner in Liberators in South Pacific.

My own experience was at Pettis VA at Loma Linda in which I received the best of care when I was blinded by cataracts back in 2001. My eyesight was restored to 20/20. I have nothing but good things to say about my VA experience, and truly am saddened to hear others having so much difficulty.

[Hulka]

Good you experienced excellent care, but keep in mind, the 1950’s Long Beach VA is quite different that the one today.

My experience (and pardon the editing errors):

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3036216/posts?page=42#42

[Hulka]

By the way, my official complaint against the Long Beach VA was forwarded by the Wash DC IG to to very hospital that provided abusive and rude/nasty ‘care.’ As you can easily imagine, they investigated themselves and of course they found my charges groundless.

[shotgun]

I too would like to see the voucher system in place. In my voucher program if a vet had insurance through an employer, the voucher would pick up the difference between insurance and treatment. If the vet had no insurance then it would be full coverage.

But I think it should be for the treatment of military related health problems.