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It is time to shut down the VA?
RP Members what do you think? There are some points that the author makes that really hit home with me. Just looking for your feedback on this one!
LET ME CLARIFY THAT I'M NOT PERSONALLY RECOMMENDING THIS COURSE OF ACTION - THIS IS AN ARTICLE ONLY TO CREATE DISCUSSION, IDEAS, AND RESPONSES.
http://nypost.com/2015/09/24/a-permanent-solution-to-the-va-problem/
There is only one guaranteed way to get fired from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Falsifying records won’t do it. Prescribing obsolete drugs won’t do it. Cutting all manner of corners on health and safety is, at worst, going to get you a reprimand. No, the only sure-fire way to get canned at the VA is to report any of these matters to authorities who might do something about it.
That, at least, is what the US Office of Special Counsel recently reported to the president of the United States. The Special Counsel’s Office is the agency to which government whistleblowers go to report wrongdoing.
“Our concern is really about the pattern that we’re seeing, where whistleblowers who disclose wrongdoing are facing trumped-up punishment, but the employees who put veterans’ health at risk are going unpunished,” Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner recently told National Public Radio.
Now, obviously, this shouldn’t happen. Everyone, except perhaps the managers at the VA, probably agrees with that. So by all means, let’s have some reforms and further protections for whistleblowers.
But that’s not a real solution. The real fix is to get rid of the VA entirely.
RP Members what do you think? There are some points that the author makes that really hit home with me. Just looking for your feedback on this one!
LET ME CLARIFY THAT I'M NOT PERSONALLY RECOMMENDING THIS COURSE OF ACTION - THIS IS AN ARTICLE ONLY TO CREATE DISCUSSION, IDEAS, AND RESPONSES.
http://nypost.com/2015/09/24/a-permanent-solution-to-the-va-problem/
There is only one guaranteed way to get fired from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Falsifying records won’t do it. Prescribing obsolete drugs won’t do it. Cutting all manner of corners on health and safety is, at worst, going to get you a reprimand. No, the only sure-fire way to get canned at the VA is to report any of these matters to authorities who might do something about it.
That, at least, is what the US Office of Special Counsel recently reported to the president of the United States. The Special Counsel’s Office is the agency to which government whistleblowers go to report wrongdoing.
“Our concern is really about the pattern that we’re seeing, where whistleblowers who disclose wrongdoing are facing trumped-up punishment, but the employees who put veterans’ health at risk are going unpunished,” Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner recently told National Public Radio.
Now, obviously, this shouldn’t happen. Everyone, except perhaps the managers at the VA, probably agrees with that. So by all means, let’s have some reforms and further protections for whistleblowers.
But that’s not a real solution. The real fix is to get rid of the VA entirely.
Posted in these groups: 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
What Would You Do
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) What Would You Do
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 51
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A medical card good in any civilian or military facility should be enough to serve the need and would avoid the corruption.
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TSgt Erica Claus-numsali
I think the VA clinics should stay open because not all clinics are corrupt. The one in Fargo, ND is wonderful. In fact, there are other VA clinics far and wide having that clinic help process the claims that they are so far behind on.
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Capt Seid Waddell
TSgt Erica Claus-numsali, everyone I know personally has good things to say about their VA experience. It is not the first line medical providers that are the problem; it is the entrenched bureaucracy that is causing the problems.
If veterans had a card that could be used at the health facility of their choice there would not be the lines that many experience today.
If veterans had a card that could be used at the health facility of their choice there would not be the lines that many experience today.
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TSgt Erica Claus-numsali
That is so true. I wish we could go to our preferred physicians, without being enrolled in Tricare standard (I am enrolled in prime) because I have to wait at least TWO WEEKS to be seen for something minor.
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Jonah Golldberg's thesis is a laughable proposition, but not surprising considering his anti-government libertarian views. Remember, unlike most veterans Golberg comes from a family of considerable wealth and never passes an opportunity to declare how much better we would all be if there was little to no government involvement in anything. Well, sure, the rich would all be better off: they don't need Social Security, disability, Medicare, or any of the other social safety nets that require taxpayer support. The rich can pay whatever the market demands for housing, food, healthcare, transportation, and entertainment and still have plenty left over to invest, speculate, save, buy a boat, and leave a huge pile of cash to their children who will begin their life far ahead of most other American kids. But of course he might have to give up the boat and his fourth BMW if we ask him to pay extra taxes, and that is simply unacceptable to him.
He says instead of fixing the problems uncovered by the special counsel investigating the VA, we should abolish it. Really? Tell me, who investigates your local clinic or hospital's wrongdoing? They are sometimes guilty of malfeasance or malpractice that negatively affects their patients lives. If you or your family member are a patient there who has been harmed, who do you turn to for help? A lawyer? Who's going to pay for that? Will your local politician answer your call to investigate them? Maybe, but I doubt we will ever read about your case in the newspaper, and real changes will likely only be forced on them if you are awarded a large settlement that gets their attention. In contrast, the VA (just like the rest of the government) always seems to be in hot water. Why? Because they are a public agency subject to public scrutiny and disclosure. There are investigations, Inspectors General, and public committees that expose the problems, a news media that highlights them and makes everyone angry, and (in theory) politicians who respond with corrective legislation. This is an imperfect and frustrating system, but anyone who thinks that the private healthcare system is any better in terms of holding wrongdoing accountable should have to prove it, and Goldberg certainly doesn't in in his article.
Goldberg goes on to suggest the government pay veterans to get healthcare privately. This is such an obvious bait and switch: just look at what DoD did with TRICARE, promising free healthcare for life to retirees, then adding co-pays, raising deductibles, and now charging annual fees. Any good libertarian knows that dangling the cash carrot is better than guaranteeing service, because people like cash and the accountants can always find ways to reduce the future payouts by changing the math, just like they have changed the way Cost-of-Living increases for active duty, retirees, and Social Security recipients are calculated over the years as the natural course of inflation eats-up the value of each dollar.
While Goldberg makes great points about accountability for ineffectiveness at the VA, it might be important to remember that while we all "hate" bureaucracy, it bears reminding that bureaucracies exist to serve an important purpose: namely, longevity and existence over the long haul. The reason for all the rules, regulations, procedures, and controls is to make sure the institutions survive over time and continue to deliver service in the future. Bureaucracy is almost synonymous with institution. Businesses, on the other hand, must be efficient and flexible, taking risks to stay competitive and stay profitable. Because of this businesses often fail, even big ones. Institutions may be less efficient and even sometimes wasteful, but they are more stable, and that's important for a well-functioning society seeking to create some predictability for its future.
Goldberg suggests moving VA services to state control. In some ways this could have benefits from local accountability, but let's face it: decentralizing the VA would lose any economies of scale that they already get, like negotiating cheap prescription drug and medical equipment deals. When the VA seeks a contract, vendors pay attention. I wonder if Goldberg thinks that each National Guard should negotiate their own weapon contracts too. What a mess that would be! It seems like more efficiency could be gained by bringing VA healthcare and military healthcare closer together rather than fracturing the system further.
Goldberg ends his article with a rant about the EPA and complaints about government accountability in general, but provides no alternative method for how privatizing veteran health care would make it more accountable. I assume he would say the free market is accountable to customer choice, and that is true in general over the long term, as long as the playing field is level (a function the government has to referee). Unfortunately, the only thing certain is that the free market best serves those who can pay the most, which includes the rich like Goldberg and excludes most veterans. Abolishing the VA (and most other government functions) is a libertarian dream that simply leaves veterans with no guarantees, no advocate, and less power than they have already.
He says instead of fixing the problems uncovered by the special counsel investigating the VA, we should abolish it. Really? Tell me, who investigates your local clinic or hospital's wrongdoing? They are sometimes guilty of malfeasance or malpractice that negatively affects their patients lives. If you or your family member are a patient there who has been harmed, who do you turn to for help? A lawyer? Who's going to pay for that? Will your local politician answer your call to investigate them? Maybe, but I doubt we will ever read about your case in the newspaper, and real changes will likely only be forced on them if you are awarded a large settlement that gets their attention. In contrast, the VA (just like the rest of the government) always seems to be in hot water. Why? Because they are a public agency subject to public scrutiny and disclosure. There are investigations, Inspectors General, and public committees that expose the problems, a news media that highlights them and makes everyone angry, and (in theory) politicians who respond with corrective legislation. This is an imperfect and frustrating system, but anyone who thinks that the private healthcare system is any better in terms of holding wrongdoing accountable should have to prove it, and Goldberg certainly doesn't in in his article.
Goldberg goes on to suggest the government pay veterans to get healthcare privately. This is such an obvious bait and switch: just look at what DoD did with TRICARE, promising free healthcare for life to retirees, then adding co-pays, raising deductibles, and now charging annual fees. Any good libertarian knows that dangling the cash carrot is better than guaranteeing service, because people like cash and the accountants can always find ways to reduce the future payouts by changing the math, just like they have changed the way Cost-of-Living increases for active duty, retirees, and Social Security recipients are calculated over the years as the natural course of inflation eats-up the value of each dollar.
While Goldberg makes great points about accountability for ineffectiveness at the VA, it might be important to remember that while we all "hate" bureaucracy, it bears reminding that bureaucracies exist to serve an important purpose: namely, longevity and existence over the long haul. The reason for all the rules, regulations, procedures, and controls is to make sure the institutions survive over time and continue to deliver service in the future. Bureaucracy is almost synonymous with institution. Businesses, on the other hand, must be efficient and flexible, taking risks to stay competitive and stay profitable. Because of this businesses often fail, even big ones. Institutions may be less efficient and even sometimes wasteful, but they are more stable, and that's important for a well-functioning society seeking to create some predictability for its future.
Goldberg suggests moving VA services to state control. In some ways this could have benefits from local accountability, but let's face it: decentralizing the VA would lose any economies of scale that they already get, like negotiating cheap prescription drug and medical equipment deals. When the VA seeks a contract, vendors pay attention. I wonder if Goldberg thinks that each National Guard should negotiate their own weapon contracts too. What a mess that would be! It seems like more efficiency could be gained by bringing VA healthcare and military healthcare closer together rather than fracturing the system further.
Goldberg ends his article with a rant about the EPA and complaints about government accountability in general, but provides no alternative method for how privatizing veteran health care would make it more accountable. I assume he would say the free market is accountable to customer choice, and that is true in general over the long term, as long as the playing field is level (a function the government has to referee). Unfortunately, the only thing certain is that the free market best serves those who can pay the most, which includes the rich like Goldberg and excludes most veterans. Abolishing the VA (and most other government functions) is a libertarian dream that simply leaves veterans with no guarantees, no advocate, and less power than they have already.
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YES!!! The disabled Vets deserve better. Put them under Tricare [or another insurance coverage] and set up 100% coverage for them. Most of their care can be handled locally. Should special care be needed, the Vet can be referred to a specialist. Travel cost and lodging, if required, would be included in the coverage for them. It has to be cheaper than the present system and provide better care.
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MSgt Robert Gazy
Cheaper almost never means better. I have TRICARE and VA. I use VA for everything. TRICARE has been slowly gutted over the past decade with rising costs, more difficult referral processes, and fewer choices. VA for me has been efficient and effective, although I have complaints as well.
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No system is perfect. The VA management system does need tweaking to make for a better operation. You run into "Rules" like having to justify continuing care with a community provider you were already seeing. This happened to me when I was finally ready to talk about my sexual assault to the one provider I trusted the male social worker said I had to talk to him first before he could forward my consult for continuing care. That triggered anxiety and several weeks of nightmares. Their rules can be quite harmful to veterans.
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I believe shutting down the VA medical care portion is the right thing to do and to privatize it. I see my doctor who is a civilian and my specialists are civilian. When I needed care from the VA it was going to take months to get it if I got it at all. They providers at the VA clinics will tell you their hands are when it comes to medical care. I think the VA as a whole should stay, the compensation, the burial, the education benefits, home loans etc but I think it would be better for veterans to have private and continuous health care with a provider that understands them versus a cookie cutter approach to medicine.
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MSgt Robert Gazy
Sorry this happened to you. I hear stories like this all the time, but I have never had to wait for a specialist in over 10 years with VA healthcare in two different regions (North and South). I wonder if these are isolated incidents or happened long ago?
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Read through the article. The presenter meanders a bit. For one thing, it is a fallacy that Federal employees can't be fired, it, just like even in today's commercial world, the supervisor has to have records of the employee's less than satisfactory performance, counselling records, etc. I have worked on both sides of the fence and HR is the same when it comes to firing an employee. On the other hand, there are ways to eliminate employees from and organization without "firing" them.
It appears, many complaints I read about the VA is its inability to meet the demands of the Veterans for medical treatment and disability compensation. The quality of medical care appears to be regional. Some VA hospitals do a more than satisfactory job, while others fall down on the job. Vets, could also be confused by which Vet. hospitals are run by the Feds and which are run by the States and therefore, maybe criticizing the wrong institution.
In any case, what is the solution...privatizing the hospitals?...and records processing?...reduce misuse of Vet resources? However, can't identify or solve the problem here. Keep on the VA and Congressional Reps to fix the problems.
It appears, many complaints I read about the VA is its inability to meet the demands of the Veterans for medical treatment and disability compensation. The quality of medical care appears to be regional. Some VA hospitals do a more than satisfactory job, while others fall down on the job. Vets, could also be confused by which Vet. hospitals are run by the Feds and which are run by the States and therefore, maybe criticizing the wrong institution.
In any case, what is the solution...privatizing the hospitals?...and records processing?...reduce misuse of Vet resources? However, can't identify or solve the problem here. Keep on the VA and Congressional Reps to fix the problems.
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The Veteran's Administration is showing the same symptoms that the entire Federal Government is flaunting to the entire world. Graft, payola, corruption, and an in your face attitude illustrating that "they" know the citizens either can't, or won't do anything about it. "We, The People" have lost control of the government we created. Not entirely dissimilar to the story of Frankenstein's Monster.
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