VA mess

[fatcpa]

Somebody should be castrated for this!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/28/politics/phoenix-va-hospital/index.html

 

[Old Fart]

Agree.
Seem to remember another thread on this recently. I just can't find much forgiveness for someone doing this to a Vet.

 

[Johnny]

Agreed.

If this were Oklahoma I would say they were too busy worrying about the front yard remodel to deal with meaningless work related stuff.

http://www.newson6.com/story/256299...-center-official-guilty-of-accepting-gratuity

 

[tRidiot]

I can't even begin to explain how terrible the VA system is from an administrative standpoint... I always dread dealing with the VA because of all the places I can attempt to transfer someone, they are hands'-down the worst. But you HAVE to at least attempt to get someone transferred there, or the VA will deny coverage if they go somewhere else (no matter the emergent medical necessity - i.e., a gunshot wound, an acute heart attack, etc.). Gotta give the VA the chance to say no, which they do in 80-90% of the cases I've dealt with... and it takes them 1-2 hours or longer to come to that conclusion. I have zero doubt in my mind that many patients have died simply because they're sitting around waiting on the VA.


Yeah... that "socialized medicine experiment" is workin' out real great for our vets, ain't it?

 

[uncle money bags]

If you mean castration preceding a hanging, then im with you.

 

[SMS]

Honestly, I haven't taken the time to really dig into this story. All I've seen is the sensational headlines and gnashing of teeth. What I do know is that the VA has several "priority groups" when it comes to delivering treatment. Within those priority groups are several sub-groups.

Has anyone read anything as to what priority group the affected vets fell under? In this day and age, with over a decade's worth of wounded, service-connected, vets lining up for treatment, I'm not shocked that some other vets might have been refused, or experienced delayed treatment.

Priority Group 1
•Veterans with VA Service-connected disabilities rated 50% or more.
•Veterans assigned a total disability rating for compensation based on unemployability.

Priority Group 2
•Veterans with VA Service-connected disabilities rated 30% or 40%.

Priority Group 3
•Veterans who are former POWs.
•Veterans awarded the Purple Heart Medal.
•Veterans awarded the Medal of Honor.
•Veterans whose discharge was for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
•Veterans with VA Service-connected disabilities rated 10% or 20%.
•Veterans awarded special eligibility classification under Title 38, U.S.C., § 1151, “benefits for individuals disabled by treatment or vocational rehabilitation.”

Priority Group 4
•Veterans receiving increased compensation or pension based on their need for regular Aid and Attendance or by reason of being permanently Housebound.
•Veterans determined by VA to be catastrophically disabled.

Priority Group 5
•Nonservice-connected Veterans and noncompensable Service-connected Veterans rated 0%, whose annual income and/or net worth are not greater than the VA financial thresholds.
•Veterans receiving VA Pension benefits.
•Veterans eligible for Medicaid benefits.

Priority Group 6
•Compensable 0% Service-connected Veterans.
•Veterans exposed to ionizing radiation during atmospheric testing or during the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
•Project 112/SHAD participants.
•Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975.
•Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations from August 2, 1990, through November 11, 1998.
•Veterans who served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998, as follows:
•Veterans discharged from active duty on or after January 28, 2003, for five years post discharge

Priority Group 7
•Veterans with incomes below the geographic means test (GMT) income thresholds and who agree to pay the applicable copayment.

Priority Group 8
•Veterans with gross household incomes above the VA national income threshold and the geographically-adjusted income threshold for their resident location and who agrees to pay copays
Veterans eligibility for enrollment: Noncompensable 0% service-connected and:

•Subpriority a: Enrolled as of January 16, 2003, and who have remained enrolled since that date and/ or placed in this subpriority due to changed eligibility status.
•Subpriority b: Enrolled on or after June 15, 2009 whose income exceeds the current VA National Income Thresholds or VA National Geographic Income Thresholds by 10% or less
Veterans eligible for enrollment: Nonservice-connected and:

•Subpriority c: Enrolled as January 16, 2003, and who remained enrolled since that date and/ or placed in this subpriority due to changed eligibility status
•Subpriority d: Enrolled on or after June 15, 2009 whose income exceeds the current VA National Income Thresholds or VA National Geographic Income Thresholds by 10% or less

Veterans not eligible for enrollment: Veterans not meeting the criteria above:

•Subpriority e: Noncompensable 0% service-connected
•Subpriority g: Nonservice-connected

 

[Old Fart]

If noted posting is correct there's a pretty good reason why so many delays. 8 priority groups and then 6 sub-priorities. There's like 3 or 4 hours delay just wading thru all that.

 

[fatcpa]

The problem that's stands out in this instance is not how a veteran seeking medical assistance fit in the VA hierarchy of service, but the fact that records were manipulated in such a way as to give the appearance that the VA hospital was meeting it's goals regarding providing timely patient services. In other words, outright fraud! This is fact, not conjecture.

 

[SMS]

The problem that's stands out in this instance is not how a veteran seeking medical assistance fit in the VA hierarchy of service, but the fact that records were manipulated in such a way as to give the appearance that the VA hospital was meeting it's goals regarding providing timely patient services. In other words, outright fraud! This is fact, not conjecture.

You are correct...but the narrative is becoming more about the wait times than about the fraud to cover it up. Just today on the drive home from work, Hannity was raging on the radio about a veteran having to wait 14 days for an appointment; "14 DAYS!!! THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS!!!" he exclaimed. Given the resources at the VA's disposal and the sheer number of service connected veterans out there (Priority 1, 2, and 3), a 14 day wait for a Priority 8 non-service connected veteran to receive an appointment is nothing close to an outrage. Having worn a uniform at some time in your life does not entitle you to permanent, near instant health care, for everything that ails you. That is why I would like to see what priority groups some of these affected veterans were in and what medical conditions they were seeking treatment for.

Yup, people should hang for the fraud but the layer of the onion must be peeled away to separate the wait times themselves from the fraud surrounding them. People with other agendas, who up until now never gave a damn about the VA, are using the wait times as ammunition to attack Obama and Obamacare and I think it detracts from the actual issue/problems within a bloated bureaucracy that is more concerned with numbers on a spreadsheet than providing care to wounded veterans.

The senior managers within that bureaucracy who created a system where it was better to lie about wait times than be honest about them should be strung from the flag poles of the VA centers they worked at.

 

[fatcpa]

No argument from me there.