Are we correctly funding VA health care?

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:19:40 -0400

A funding shift was approved at the last minute to avoid VA hospital shutdowns next month and September. The funds were actually already allocated to the VA through the Choice Card program, but fewer veterans used that program resulting in a mismatch of funds.

First of all, should it have been this hard to switch the funding? And second, is there a better way to do this?

http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/capitol-hill/2015/07/30/congress-oks-funding-shift--keep-va-hospitals-open/30888187/

Response by CPL(P) Bret Farritor made Jul 30 at 2015 5:22 PM

CPL(P) Bret Farritor — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:22:12 -0400

I am not sure if there is a character limit and yes, I am being facetious here but this is a nightmare topic.

It is nonsense that we have this discussion year in and out.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jul 30 at 2015 5:23 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:23:23 -0400

No LCDR Private RallyPoint Member
1st construction costs should be set aside for professional building design and construction companies under an impartial watchdog organization.
2nd Medical doctors, nurses, technicians need to have less bureaucratic oversight of their treatment recommendations, decisions and plans.
Biennial funding would be a start to improve funding, letting unused funds be used the following year would be another good idea. The "color of money" rules should be changed to allow funds for treatment of veterans to be moved from one of the programs to another without congressional approval but with IG oversight.
I used the Choice Card program this summer - it got off to a rough start but worked more smoothly after I assisted the doctors's office in their communications with VA Choice Program.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Jul 30 at 2015 5:37 PM

LTC Kevin B. — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:37:53 -0400

Congress puts fences on different sources of funding as a means of protecting the taxpayer dollars. They don't want the Executive Branch realigning funds at their discretion. For it to change, Congress will have to allow it to change. Given today's Congress, I won't hold my breath.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Jul 30 at 2015 5:40 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:40:22 -0400

Broken record of personal opinion follows:

It's not a funding issue. It's a capability issue. I don't believe the US Government is "capable" of Social Programs. The VA Health Care Program is a Social Program, by definition. We're asking an organization to do something that it is not able to do, and will never be able to do. Not without recreating it from the ground up.

To do that, we need go back to the "Military Medicine" model, which cannot work in a civilian environment.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Jul 30 at 2015 7:55 PM

LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 19:55:00 -0400

Is this the same as Gunny Ekblad's post?

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 30 at 2015 8:08 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 20:08:25 -0400

My opinion is if someone, I don't know who, could watch over the medications prescribed to veterans. I continued getting two meds my doctor had taken me off of. It took about three months for them to stop being delivered. I use My Healthy Vet for all my refills. I figured if this is happening to me it's happening to who knows how many more vets. Medicine is expensive as you know, so this could be one area where reckless spending could be controlled. Another area is travel pay. In Houston , if you live at least 35 miles from the VA, you get travel pay. I personally don't get it. I think it's robbing the system. The mileage should be extended to at least 50 miles. If I collected my travel pay, I get $21 minus taxes, which comes out to $10. I go to the VA a lot during the year. If I collected it, it would be over $1000 a year. There are many employees at my VA. I see a lot of them standing around, looking at their watch, waiting to get off. It doesn't seem to me there is anyone paying attention to the slackers.

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Jul 30 at 2015 8:43 PM

SSgt Terry P. — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 20:43:07 -0400

would it not be more cost effective and efficient if the VA hospitals were used for the critical and emergency cases and everyone else something similar to veterans choice?

Response by SPC Allison Joy Cumming made Jul 31 at 2015 1:02 PM

SPC Allison Joy Cumming — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 13:02:52 -0400

No, not at all. We may be forward funding much of VA, but the parts that we are not forward funded stop them in their tracks. From my understanding, IT, Staff development, and construction to name a few are not forward funded.

That makes about as much sense as giving a newborn money to go to pre school with no crib to sleep in..

Response by MSG Roger Stokes made Jul 31 at 2015 1:19 PM

MSG Roger Stokes — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 13:19:38 -0400

What's amazing is that the nation's system supporting the health of the men and women which keeps the country safe from terrorism and nation-state invaders.