I have a pair of rusty hedge clippers I'll donate to the cause!
There is absolutely no excuse what so ever for any of this crap that is going on.
There is absolutely no excuse what so ever for any of this crap that is going on.
Words of wisdom right there. I agree.
Condolences, My brother suffered for years while trying to gather the info and proof you spoke of. His widow got the first and only "agent Orange" check about a month or so after he passed.
Fraud is a crime, pretty sure there should be a paper trail showing which individuals caused fraud to be committed in those records. Good thing we don't insist some be held accountable like we do others, wouldn't want their "mistakes" to damage their careers/lives.
Sorry Dennis, but that just isn't true. The VA patient load has done nothing but increase since 2000...by nearly a million patients in Priority Group 1 alone, and by significant numbers in nearly every other category as well (see below).
The disturbing thing, for me, in the numbers is the fact that the number of patients in the non-service connected categories outnumber the patients in the first three, service connected priority groups by almost a 1 million patients (even if you consider a percentage of those non-service connected folks should be considered service connected, like agent orange, 1 million is still a big disparity).
We often rant about entitlements around here. Veterans entitlements are a third rail, even for us self-decribed conservatives. I said it earlier, but I'll repeat it and put my flame suit on. Wearing a uniform at some point in your life does not, and should not, entitle you to lifetime on demand medical treatment for every sniffle and cough you ever come down with for the rest of your life.
When we have a million more veterans being treated for non-service connected ailments than bonafide service connected veterans, we have an entitlement and spending problem that is diverting a finite amount of resources from those who are intended to be the primary beneficiary of services.
None of that excuses the fraud and the myriad of other problems the VA has in it's system. I believe that the VA contributed to the death of my father as well, but the debate/discussion needs to be fact based and start with a defined mission.
I read all this about the VA and it makes me sick, but I have had a good experience with the Okc-Va in 2001, 5 by-pass open heart. a few stints, but have not had much dealings since .
The general ward can't say much good about them though
Just my 2 cents
Would like to see some belly chains and orange jump suits pretty soon
The general ward can't say much good about them though
Just my 2 cents
Would like to see some belly chains and orange jump suits pretty soon
Flawed veteran’s disability system finally exposed
Numerous investigations by the Government Accounting Office revealed that hundreds of thousands of veterans receive disability compensation for conditions neither caused nor aggravated by military service. These include off-duty sports and auto accidents, arthritis, inherited illnesses and ailments aggravated by years of poor health habits and risky behavior...
http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/06/29/flawed-veterans-disability-system-finally-exposed-78825
That sure adds to the problem as well. Folks getting paid disability for things like sleep apnea etc...put a drain on the system for sure.
IMHO, there needs to be a complete overhaul of the disability system along with a narrowing of the scope of who gets treated at VA hospitals but, like I said, it's a third rail that not many people want to touch.
I hate to say this...but the VA Hospital employees, are all either undereducated in their particular field, or just plain lazy! Not directly speaking about the doctors, but more about the rest of staff. It boggled my mind when I stepped foot into a couple and saw how things were being ran.
The Korean war vets are in their 80's mostly and reaching the last few years of their lives and the last few years are the ones that strain a healthcare system the most.
The Vietnam war vets are mostly in their 60's so they are beginning to experience more serious healthcare issues as well.
The exploitation of the disability system is an outright scandal.
Like many non military people I was mostly unaware of the magnitude of the problem until recently when my employer hired a supervisor who was classified 100% disabled out of the AF and yet working 40+ hours per week
In a full time job.
None of that is to say the VA system isn't in need of total reorganization and the staff who falsified documents to get their performance bonuses need to be prosecuted as the crooks they are.
The Vietnam war vets are mostly in their 60's so they are beginning to experience more serious healthcare issues as well.
The exploitation of the disability system is an outright scandal.
Like many non military people I was mostly unaware of the magnitude of the problem until recently when my employer hired a supervisor who was classified 100% disabled out of the AF and yet working 40+ hours per week
In a full time job.
None of that is to say the VA system isn't in need of total reorganization and the staff who falsified documents to get their performance bonuses need to be prosecuted as the crooks they are.
