Posted on Jun 6, 2016
CSM Spp Ncoic
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MSgt Michael Smith
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Absolutely not! The DOD should be focused on military operations, not on providing care for Veterans. I do not want my health care or Veteran's benefits placed on a priority list under military operations. Have you seen how every year the DOD goes to Congress and tries to get permission to cut military benefits like medical care, raises, BAH, etc? How would you like the DOD to be able to have that sort of control over your Veteran's benefits? I don't think so. If it were not for Congress preventing the DOD from screwing military members, retirees would have no medical care, and new troops would have no pensions. the care of Vets should NEVER be secondary to the next fighter jet contract!
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PVT Amos A.
PVT Amos A.
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Agreed. If I understand it correctly, the VA budget has increased by 60 percent or more under Pres Obama. If we include the VA budget directly under DoD it would be dramatically decreased versus weapons programs etc.

I think it would be a terrible decision, and God bless the Army but I wouldn't want them in charge of veteran benefits knowing what I know-
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
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Unfortunately, the issue with shifting it back to military control is that the DoD doesn't care about anything except "Operations."

For the VA, Healthcare is "Operations." For the DoD, Healthcare is "Administrative BS that distracts from Operations." It might be "Necessary Admin BS, but it's still Admin."

Due to this philosophical outlook, the military will NEVER provide the level of care that is required.

There are two major roots to the issue with VA healthcare:

1) We don't actually maintain good records of injury while in service. This is NOT a knock on our Military Healthcare Administrators. This is a product of our people. They can't write down what they don't know about. No one on this site has a complete Medical Record, because----

2) We don't go to Medical unless forced or Getting out. This makes it insanely difficult to prove that Injuries, Conditions (et al) happened to us while we were in. The "Change your socks, Drink more water, Have some Motrin" mindset (false as it is) has permeated the Force to the point where we actively don't seek preventable or preemptive care.

How can we expect the VA to "fix" things that are "undocumented" when they have their hands tied Legislatively. They have to play by the rules of the bureaucracy.
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1stSgt Sergeant Major/First Sergeant
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I do not believe so. They are a separate entity and congress needs to adequately fund our VA system.
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CSM Spp Ncoic
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I agree with the funding but I was look at the aspect of making the transition process easier, Leadership issues would fall by the wayside overhead would be cheaper facilities are in place already.
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1stSgt Sergeant Major/First Sergeant
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CSM (Join to see) - I can see that, but I think the transition process should have sufficient checks to ensure insure fraud. I have heard of Marines who were claiming the PTSD card who never deployed and my former daughter in law was rated at 90% and she spent her entire enlistment, except boot camp and her last 2 months either pregnant or post partum. Except for boot camp, MCT and her admin school, she never went to the field. Once she was out she was joking about how there was nothing wrong with here, but she would never have to work again fir the rest of her life. It makes me sick. And yes, I reported it and was told there is nothing I can do.
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CSM Spp Ncoic
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yes the fraud issue is going to be huge I have seen instances as well with the PTSD fro personnel that haven't deployed and excuses ranged from depression because they could not deploy to it was hard while everyone was gone and they had to take up the slack. There does need to be a crack down on fraud cases but I don't think it will ever happen. While most need it some really do abuse it.
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