President Obama and allies like Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is the chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee battled for and obtained important increases for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ (VA) budget.
The number of veterans in need of care has increased rapidly during and after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Secretary of Veterans Shinseki, remarked that the VA cut its claims backlog nearly in half.
Since 2009, we have enrolled two million more Veterans in high-quality VA healthcare, reduced Veterans’ homelessness by 24 percent and provided Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits to more than one million student Veterans and eligible family members. We have opened up new presumptives for Veterans to receive long overdue care for exposure to Agent Orange, for combat-related PTS-D, and for Gulf War illnesses. And, we have decreased the disability claims backlog by over 50% in the last 14 months. We will meet our goal of eliminating the claims backlog in 2015.
Senate Democrats are planning legislation for making it less difficult for the VA to fire or demote senior executives. Senate Leader Harry Reid said the Senate will take up Sanders’ measure right away. The veterans’ committee plans to hold a hearing on the proposal early in June.Sen. Sanders remains uneasy that future presidents could install political appointees at the VA.
Reports of veterans dying as they waited for medical services began appearing more than six months ago. Secret lists were maintained at some clinics in order to hide the extensive delays from VA authorities. So far the number of deaths is still in question. The first investigation into 17 Phoenix deaths indicated none were the result of delays all care should have access, especially after serving their country.
President Obama responded to the issue with outrage.
We’ve got to do better. When I hear allegations of misconduct…I will not stand for it. None of us should. If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful and I will not tolerate it – period.
Conservatives, most who never served in war, use the story to prove big government bureaucracies are predisposed to fail, and Obama has failed in his attempt to build the, “21st Century V.A. as promised during his candidacy. The procedure for moving veterans into the VA system and getting them treated by professionals has been plagued by problems for decades, back to John Kennedy’s presidency. Clearly the Obama Administration hasn’t solved them, but it has made major improvements for the VA and other veterans’ services.
One major issue is the VA is inundated with wounded soldier as the surges in war increase the need. Federal lawmakers changed eligibility guidelines so that all veterans have access to medical service at government-run veterans’ clinic, not just those with low incomes or disabilities related to service. This flooded the system.
In 2001 the General Accounting Office (GAO) warned that medical services wait times at VA clinics were not only acute but dangerous. Since then the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have resulted in a new generation of veterans. The medical advances in battlefield treatment allow soldiers to survive injuries where they would have previously died.
But that means the U.S. has an entirely new generation of veterans who need better health care. Improved medical services mean that more soldiers return with wounds and disabilities, both physical and mental. Sure the number of veterans has declined, since the World War II generation with 800 soldiers dying each month. But those in need of health care continue to increase, straining the system to the breaking point.
The very lawmakers who are most vocal right now seem to be ignorant of the concept that the VA services’ need is a direct result of the wars they clamored to support.
It is unconscionable for the men and women who defended our county to be delayed or denied medical care. Allegations of misconduct at VA hospitals must be investigated. Our veterans deserve better than being treated as pawns in an election year game – but apparently that is exactly what is happening.
Workers at VA hospitals allegedly manipulated data and/or created secret waiting lists that hid the delays. Worse, people have actually died or were seriously harmed waiting for appointments.
Surveys also show that veterans give VA hospitals and clinics a higher customer satisfaction rate than patients give private-sector hospitals
Our VA system, serving nearly 6.5 million veterans annually is a better performer than the other health care systems by nearly every metric. Dr. Robert Petzel resigned just one date after the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs committee hearing. Sen. Sanders issued a statement about Dr. Pretzel.
Yesterday, we heard from every major veterans’ organization that the quality of health care at the VA is extremely good. I thank Dr. Pretzel for helping to make that happen and for his years of service to veterans. Unfortunately, we also heard that there are serious problems regarding waiting times for access to VA health care, and that issue must be addressed immediately.
We can only hope.
DANIEL 8:
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
REVELATION 20:
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
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