Posted on 05/28/2014 10:07:54 PM PDT by Nachum
Sparks flew during a rare late-night hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, as visibly upset Republicans raked VA officials over the coals while the ink was still wet on a scathing inspector general report condemning the agency's deadly failures.
The report found that in Phoenix, Arizona alone, 1,700 U.S. military veterans were denied medical care and others waited an average of 115 days to be seen by a doctor – and that officials covered up the lapses by manipulating wait-lists and other official records.
Tennessee Republican Rep. Phil Roe, a physician and veteran of the Army Medical Corps, summed up the mood on Capitol Hill when he addressed Dr. Thomas Lynch, the VA's assistant deputy undersecretary for health.
Noting that the three officials at the witness table are well-paid but presided over a system that ignored the needs of cash-strapped veterans who are locked into the VA health system, he leveled a sledgehammer at Lynch
'What I don't understand is, as a veteran – as a doctor, as a practitioner – I don't understand how you can stand at a mirror and look at yourself in the mirror, and shave in the morning, and not throw up,' he said, 'knowing that you've got people out there ... how in the world?'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
This is an atrocity. And sadly an example of the scumbag’s Utopian vision he and the Progressive asshats jacked on the Country.
God Bless America’s Veterans.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with you. Not one person that matters will ever be held accountable for any scandal, not now, not ever. There may be an underling or two, here and there, who will be thrown under the bus, but the ring leaders will walk. I wish it was different, but it is not.
I'm going 80%-15%-5%.
Oh look, Fleet Street is covering news that is truthful about Obama...while NYC and LA suck up to him.
It is murder.
OK’ed by the EXEMPT, hated Congress
which is more busy with its brothels and arming al Qaeda.
I understand bonuses were based on short waiting times.
I also understand the VA can pay for Dr. visits and treatments out of the system which they have not been doing. Does anyone know if the amount of “out of system cost” is also a metric for the bonuses or is it just a case of not doing it because it would make the waiting list number look bogus??
Ping.
I have been a witness to VA maladministration for forty years. (I have received direct and indirect funding as medical school faculty for some of those years).
What’s wrong with the VA is what’s wrong with socialism. All comments below do not apply to the wonderful and unique specialists in physical rehab, especially prosthetics, who are world class.
Among doctors, who do you think seeks out a 9-5 job from which you can’t be fired? Who do you think wants to work in a bureaucracy where a “superior” who has earned his position by seniority or by connections can tell you what to do? Who do you think wants a limit in the number of cases he can do, or the number of patients he can see?
And once you create an organization staffed by people like that, how do you think an organization like that reacts to fact-finding?
It is a serious error to understand this as an Obama problem. It is a bipartisan, 40+ year scandal and disgrace.
My local Obama Orifice and Outlet, the Albany Times Union, dedicated 271-+ words, AP report, related to the 1700 veterans at risk in Vet Admin hospitals. Would have thought they would have done more because we have a VA Hospital in Albany.
Incidentally, they used 2100 words noting Maya Angelou passing away, front page, pictures, local color .... done by their “best” writer.
Wonder if Obama will be invited to the funeral, that would really be news./sarc
Incidentally the AP report had nothing like the Mails report:
“Noting that the three officials at the witness table are well-paid but presided over a system that ignored the needs of cash-strapped veterans who are locked into the VA health system, he leveled a sledgehammer at Lynch.”
‘What I don’t understand is, as a veteran – as a doctor, as a practitioner – I don’t understand how you can stand at a mirror and look at yourself in the mirror, and shave in the morning, and not throw up,’ he said, ‘knowing that you’ve got people out there ... how in the world?’
Don’t get distracted. This dog-and-pony show is a magician’s curtain hiding the next
evil plot by elprissydentay and his evil minions.
I’m not saying that the VA scandal is unimportant. It is a huge, horrendous blot on the
presidency of this narcissistic fop. While he is trying to smoke-and-mirrors us, we must
keep hawk eyes on what else the administration is doing while we try to fix the VA.
“The past five years, the VA has actually reported a surplus of funds they were unable to spend for at least five years.-—was any of this due to the republicans blocking ?”
I am not a budget expert but I don’t know by what mechanism any sort of “repub blocking” could do this once funds have been allocated to the VA and placed in their hands. I suppose it is possible that the funds were supposed to be for “office furniture” vs “medical care” but my understanding is they were VA funds and thus past any form of Congressional bickering or bargaining.
“I keep hearing this IS a republican failure that they are holding up the funding??”......
When the VA already has more money than they can spend, I would expect the answer to your question is evident.
Unfortunately I believe you are right. Like every other scandal it will disappear like a fart in the wind. These scumbags will walk out of office with nary a slap on the wrist.
Pathetic really.
The Veterans Administration (VA), mismanagement has been increasing yearly. Most of the problems started during the Lyndon Johnson administration and have continued to worsen through subsequent Government administrations.
Born on the Fourth of July (2/9) Movie CLIP - Treated Like a Human Being (1989) HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsRDr3miUyc
None of this in new. My dad testified in 1974 to congress on the problems in the VA at that time.
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