Do you think Veterans are better cared for by Civilian providers at a VAMC rather than having military medical providers?

SSG Lloyd Becker BSBA-HCM, MBA — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 02:13:13 -0500

The purpose for this discussion is to talk about VAMCs being ran by civilian medical/non-medical personnel. Due to the problems of fellow veterans who were placed on the secret waiting lists to eventually die after they have received their appointment.

The full basis of this question impacts all veterans and how can these VAMCs be trusted to be above board. Should these VAMCs be staffed solely by active duty military personnel? Staffing with all active duty eliminates a number of problems, to include bonuses that are made by the Medical Center Director at the expense of the veteran.

Response by SSG Lloyd Becker BSBA-HCM, MBA made Jan 5 at 2015 12:56 PM

SSG Lloyd Becker BSBA-HCM, MBA — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:56:34 -0500

Let me further this discussion.

By transitioning the VAMCs to an all active duty controlled medical facility, this allows for a number of things. To begin with:

Military doctors understand, with a degree of certainty, know where the Service men and women come from and generally know what they are feeling. Nurses are RNs and LPNs. Nurses have specialties just like doctors and they are assigned appropriately.

With an all active duty staff, we have full accountability. Civilian personnel tend to pass of the blame to someone else and those who are accountable, are not being held to account.

While this increases the DOD budget, it also reduces the VA budget exponentially. A Captain may make $2500 in a month, does not match a civilian doctor making $4000 a month. The money is shifted from the VA to the DOD. The context of the VA is still there, because we have retirees and the service-connected disabled. The standard active duty patient care cannot work because the system is set up to categorize people as 1; 2; 3; 4. 1 meaning fully deployable and 4 meaning fully non-deployable.

We can save money and we can have accountability AND we will have doctors and nurses who understand where we come from and how we are feeling.

Any thoughts?

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 5 at 2015 1:05 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 13:05:40 -0500

Wow...

Okay...first impression; not a bad idea. Further thoughts - not doable with the current military funding/status. There are too few military doctors as it is currently. Additionally, what happens if we have a MAJOR deployment by military doctors, etc? Do we shut down VA clinics in the same manner some military clinics kick out retirees when a unit gets deployed overseas? Where is the continuity?

I see the military personnel as a additive but not as a replacement.

Response by LCpl Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2015 12:05 PM

LCpl Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 12:05:07 -0500

Yes i agree vets are serviced better with outside medical non va agencies. In fact VA had conducted investigation fy 13 to determine what type of low cost actions VA could implement to improve services. One of the recommadations is to fee base a numbers of VHA services to the public sector.