Posted on Sep 15, 2015
Remember Ben Carson's comment on closing the VA? Would you believe he just doubled down?
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"Carson: Shutter VA healthcare system"
Think it is a re-post?
This is from Mr. Carson's Monday comment!
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GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said on Monday that military veteran care requires such a drastic overhaul, he’ll end the Veterans Health Administration if he wins the White House.
“When it comes to veterans’ care, Americans are rightfully outraged, and can no longer be content with business as usual,” Carson wrote in a USA Today op-ed.
“The VA is like the federal version of the Department of Motor Vehicles: inefficient, incompetent and infuriating,” he said. “Except the VA is much worse: at least the DMV’s long wait times do not kill its applicants.”
Carson said his background as a neurosurgeon makes him skeptical that Veteran Affairs can rehabilitate its ailing healthcare system.
“These failures cannot stand,” Carson added. “At a minimum, the Veterans Health Administration should be eliminated to forge a 21st Century veterans health care solution.”
Carson said he is outraged by the agency’s delays, corruption and poor service for former military personnel.
“The astonishing findings of public and private audits have turned out to be much worse than anyone suspected,” Carson wrote.
“Decades of effort and billions of taxpayer dollars have been thrown at ‘fixing’ the VA, and the results have been abysmal,” he said. “The backlog of veterans waiting for treatment or even disability classification is stupendous, and drives them to frustration and even desperation.”
Carson argued on Monday that the VA must increase its speed and efficiency in dealing with veterans’ medical needs.
It must also improve its programs for helping veterans re-enter civilian life, he said.
Carson’s remarks come amid surging enthusiasm for the retired doctor across multiple national polls.
He currently ranks second in the race for next year’s GOP presidential nomination with 16.8 percent, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of samplings.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/253615-carson-shutter-va-healthcare-system
Think it is a re-post?
This is from Mr. Carson's Monday comment!
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GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said on Monday that military veteran care requires such a drastic overhaul, he’ll end the Veterans Health Administration if he wins the White House.
“When it comes to veterans’ care, Americans are rightfully outraged, and can no longer be content with business as usual,” Carson wrote in a USA Today op-ed.
“The VA is like the federal version of the Department of Motor Vehicles: inefficient, incompetent and infuriating,” he said. “Except the VA is much worse: at least the DMV’s long wait times do not kill its applicants.”
Carson said his background as a neurosurgeon makes him skeptical that Veteran Affairs can rehabilitate its ailing healthcare system.
“These failures cannot stand,” Carson added. “At a minimum, the Veterans Health Administration should be eliminated to forge a 21st Century veterans health care solution.”
Carson said he is outraged by the agency’s delays, corruption and poor service for former military personnel.
“The astonishing findings of public and private audits have turned out to be much worse than anyone suspected,” Carson wrote.
“Decades of effort and billions of taxpayer dollars have been thrown at ‘fixing’ the VA, and the results have been abysmal,” he said. “The backlog of veterans waiting for treatment or even disability classification is stupendous, and drives them to frustration and even desperation.”
Carson argued on Monday that the VA must increase its speed and efficiency in dealing with veterans’ medical needs.
It must also improve its programs for helping veterans re-enter civilian life, he said.
Carson’s remarks come amid surging enthusiasm for the retired doctor across multiple national polls.
He currently ranks second in the race for next year’s GOP presidential nomination with 16.8 percent, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of samplings.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/253615-carson-shutter-va-healthcare-system
Election 2016
Republicans
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 24
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To be fair, he is not saying "Don't take care of Veterans" he is saying "This organization is incapable of taking care of Veterans, we need a better solution."
I've alluded to to that with my rants on the Dept of Veterans Affairs.
I have not once seen him say Veterans should not be taken care of. I have not seen any candidate say that. What I have seen is debate on HOW it should be accomplished. Some say "fix" the system. Some say "revamp" the system. He is saying "scrap" the system, and put it back on the originating organization. Honestly that approach has some merit.
I've alluded to to that with my rants on the Dept of Veterans Affairs.
I have not once seen him say Veterans should not be taken care of. I have not seen any candidate say that. What I have seen is debate on HOW it should be accomplished. Some say "fix" the system. Some say "revamp" the system. He is saying "scrap" the system, and put it back on the originating organization. Honestly that approach has some merit.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
GySgt Michael Lange Resubmitting a claim is the very first step in the process in that very L>O>N>G process of judicial appeal.
You can stand by that anecdotal evidence all day long. Fraud still only makes up 5%~ of issues. It's not "high" by any stretch of the imagination. However 883 day wait times for the appeal process are. 6-12 wait times for claim review are, only to be initially denied because you feel 1 in 20 "could be" fraudulent.
You want to assume guilt rather than innocence, of people who have already served our nation. That's how I read your statements.
You can stand by that anecdotal evidence all day long. Fraud still only makes up 5%~ of issues. It's not "high" by any stretch of the imagination. However 883 day wait times for the appeal process are. 6-12 wait times for claim review are, only to be initially denied because you feel 1 in 20 "could be" fraudulent.
You want to assume guilt rather than innocence, of people who have already served our nation. That's how I read your statements.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
GySgt Michael Lange "My guess is. A legitimate claim would probably only take 30 days."
You are out of your mind. You speak anecdotally about a process you obviously have no clue about. My first claim, which I had AMPLE & EXACTING documentation on took 8 months. 8 Months. Not 30 days.
So before you start spouting off BS timeframes which "you really don't know anything about" which that magic 30 day number you've spewed. By the way the VA tracks things in "less than 125 days" (Inventory) or "greater than 125 days" (Backlog). So here is some figures for the last few years.
http://vetclaimappeals.com/va-disability-claims-backlog/
You are out of your mind. You speak anecdotally about a process you obviously have no clue about. My first claim, which I had AMPLE & EXACTING documentation on took 8 months. 8 Months. Not 30 days.
So before you start spouting off BS timeframes which "you really don't know anything about" which that magic 30 day number you've spewed. By the way the VA tracks things in "less than 125 days" (Inventory) or "greater than 125 days" (Backlog). So here is some figures for the last few years.
http://vetclaimappeals.com/va-disability-claims-backlog/
VA Disability Claims Backlog - Vet Claim Appeals
Get a professional veterans advocate who will fight for your claim to be approved. Don't become another victim caught in the VA disability claims backlog.
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PO1 James Grady
He's absolutely right. I have been disabled since 1990. I am awed by the built-in latency at the VA. For one procedure I have a 5 min. consult in Dec. ...Just made the appointment 3 weeks ago. Then it will most likely take 2-3 months for the test. Then if some minor side thing should pop up, I will have to go through the entire process again....wtf??? It is a dystopian nightmare.
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LCDR (Join to see)
I'm really glad you posted this Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS because a lot of people only read the start of it and assume he is saying that. He's saying we can take care of Veterans better without a separate VA.
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I honestly think he has a good idea. Letting the DOD handle all that, the transfer of paperwork could make our lives easier, without so much redundancy and red tape.
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MAJ (Join to see)
I concur, so long as the budgets are not transferrable, VA has long been managed by the blind. DOD would be a much better advocate.
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SGM Steve Wettstein
SSG (Join to see) We just need to remember that it is a campaign promise and we all know how those go.
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SGT (Join to see)
GySgt Michael Lange, You're correct. If SSG (Join to see), thinks things are messed up now, he hasn't seen anything yet if the DOD took control. There miliions and millions of VA paperwork that the DOD would have to go through. No way this would work or help.
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I don't think it is fair to compare Ben to Obama on campaign promises. Obama is a professional politician. He has never had a real job. Carson has seen a need for something other than lip service for America and I think he really wants to make a change to the way the government does business.
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SGT James Hastings
I totally agree with what you say, Sgt Howell. I read Mr. Obama's story about his father and his life growing up and it sounded honest. Which is to say he never grew up in an American home. He grew up in Indonesia, going to a Musllim school under a false name supplied by his step-father so he could get an education. His grandparents were strong influences in his life and they were active and rich socialists in America. He worked maybe less than 2 years learning how to organize inner city black people in Chicago before becoming a Senator and then although he voted seldom during his tenure he suddenly became catapulted into the Presidency. Somewhere after graduating college he taught Constitutional law part time and then became a lawyer briefly so he has no real touch with the common people in the US. He doesn't share the common beliefs nor has he been exposed to poverty other than watching others as his white rich grandparents supported him through college. As a lawyer (he and his wife) they bought a very expensive home compared to their salaries, which were close to that of a Congress person as lawyers. Ben Carson pulled himself up, graduating college and then becoming a highly respected neurosurgeon, earning a very handsome earned income. He has grown up in America, with all of its class struggles and economic difficulties and overcame them on his own. But, that said, Jimmy Carter looked like a very good President but he never had any base of support from his party and so affected little legislative change during his time in office. I would hate to see Dr. Carson suffer the same because his ideals don't seem to mesh with mainstream America: they are higher.
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SGT James Hastings
I would agree that it would be unfair to compare the two men. One was born in Hawaii when it was a territory and grew up with a Muslim step-father in Indonesia. His main adult influence, other than his mother, seems to have been his white maternal grandfather who I've read is an active Socialist. So, not having any childhood suffering or problems and having rich white relatives that may have paid for his education at very good schools as well as relatively little low level work history before becoming a Senator where he wasn't very active and seldom voted but somehow was catapulted into the Presidency without much understanding or appreciation for how America has struggled over the centuries he was ill equipped to be a President. Dr. Carson, as far as I know grew up here, worked his way through school and became a highly respected neurosurgeon and has been an active paid public speaker on Americanism since retiring. I would vote for him but am also afraid that like Jimmy Carter who seemed like a nice man didn't have the support of his party and therefore made little impact on government and laws during his term in office. I would not wish that on Dr. Carson. If the party supports him and he is elected then possibly we can start enacting viable laws.
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SGT William Howell
SGT James Hastings That was a really good comparison to Jimmy Carter. I always thought Carter was a nice guy...terrible politician. I would like to believe that Dr. Carson is not that same type of man. I have been a fan of his for years and really think he is what we are needing in the White House. I would love to see someone with morals lead this country and get congress back on the right track to making the country grow without selling us out.
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