Posted on Apr 19, 2016
MAJ David Vermillion
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Would it be better to have all veterans choose their own provider?
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Responses: 94
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SSgt Don Vineyard
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While I would like to see Veterans be able to receive medical treatment from public/private facilities, there are specific things (Agent Orange, etc.) that require military records to determine exposure and/or specific details.
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GySgt Keith Brownmiller
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Absolutely not! The VAMC health care system is uniquely designed to address the unique medical issues that Veterans face.
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CMSgt Blake Malpass
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The VA system (Admin) is so eaten up with fraud that it needs to be torn down and rebuilt. But, if we open veterans up to selected their own care providers, the insurance needs to be accepted by more providers than Tricare Prime is now. It is so hard to find a provider close to where we are moving soon that it concerns me greatly.
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I feel for physical needs the VA should let us see private Doctors.. for many reasons.. primarily due to the intentional lack of timely care VA has provided not to mention the burden of driving over 40 miles to some VA clinics and gross negligence of care .. However I believe psychological care should be maintained by VA because they have been dealing with vet issues more than most private psychs and have ppl who specialize in treating Vets with various disorders... even though the suicide rate is absurdly high.. We cannot solely blame the VA for this..
PVT Greg Davis
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Keep the VA system and hospitals. Overall, you'll get excellent medical treatment; in many cases better than in private sector hospitals and practicioners ( now overburdened with government overhead they're being driven to mediocrity. Most of the medical personnel I've encountered sre competent and anxious to do a good job and deliver excellent care. Admin folks need some work and counseling in customer service.

That said, it's time for an overhaul of the VA system administrators.
For a start, I'd fire the top third outright and have them face immediate prosecution for fraud. These sleazy folks have been ripping off the system for all it's worth for years, padding their paychecks with bonuses and expense reports which are downright criminal. The current trend seems to be to turn away needy Vets and intimidate, confuse, and frustrate them to prevent them from applying for benefits. With older Vets, and those suffering severely from Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome, and hazardous waste disposal fumes in Afghanistan and Iraq, the process is clearly to deny treatment until the Vet either gives up, or dies (problem solved!)

And then we have the fraudulent construction contracts which take money from care budgets to build eye candy projects of little value. If you want to be appalled, look at the Emergency Department in the VA hospital in our nation's capital! It compares favorably with the worst I've seen in underdeveloped countries. It comes complete with a Triage screener who looks, sounds, and acts like Idi Amin -- and is equally incompetent -- and is protected by uniformed thugs in security uniforms.

Congress could fix it all by setting up a competent IG staff and system that reports to Congress with powers of prosecution, and you'd be surprised at how quickly the system shapes up.

Take a look at who youre voting for as our next President.
Figure out which one has a track record of actuallu doing what he/she has promised for our troops/Vets and vote accordingly.
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MSgt Daniel Harrison
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First of all, every military vet has a right not to use the VA Hospitals if they choose to. You're not obligated to use a VA Hospital. Secondly, if the government closes down all the VA Hospitals they should increase the retirement pay to help Vets pay for health insurance.
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CPL Joshua Wood
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It would be a huge win to give veterans a real choice. Anyone with a basic understanding of economics would conclude that free market healthcare would be best. If you get crappy service at a private hospital you can go somewhere else. The fact that I have to drive 3 hours away for the closest VA is crazy .. The choice program is a joke... I have to scream and go through hell to utilize it and I still receive bills.
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SPC Louis Gillespie
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Let's be frank about this topic of discussion. Is the VA Medical Care Perfect? Not by any stretch of the imagination. Has it saved lives? You best believe that it has, does it require changes, updates and the removal of All the absolute disgusting garbage in management and so called medical professionals. Hell Yes, the sooner the better. Many management and medical staff line their pockets and cost the lives of our Brothers and Sisters in Arms. I for one have experienced and seen some of the good they have done like saving the lives of several of my Veteran friends and I have chosen to have my medical treatments and care with the VA because I earned it and that was part of the agreement by me signing that blank check to the government. To answer this question, YES is my answer ! In some cases if the care cannot be obtained at the local VA facility then the Veteran should be able to seek treatment elsewhere without all the read tape and BS from the politicians who are clueless and have No Medical background. I believe obtaining a voucher of some sort and submitting it to the VA to have the medical provider compensated could be accomplished just as the insurance companies do every single day !
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SGT Jason Mouret
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Let me start by saying I love my VA . But today I stayed on the phone for 12 minutes before anyone ever picked up. Then on hold another 3 minutes. Finally after a total of 27 minutes I had an appointment scheduled. I don't know of any civilian doctor ever having a 27 minutes to schedule an appointment. Now this is the same way appointments actually go as well. Your appointment time is at 1015 you won't be seen until 1200. Great Doctors but not being properly managed. Unions have no place in health care.
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MSgt Herbert Shaw
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I think the Veterans would greatly benefit from being able to get timely medical care from civilian providers. As usual, everything the government tries to run, they do it poorly. I think the military hospitals and clinics would do a much better job providing healthcare to our vets as an alternative to civilian providers.
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SPC Robert Pressley
SPC Robert Pressley
9 y
i think veterans choice would show more vets prefer private care,,va is a scam..the very least health care made to look like the best,,,fancy buildings and marble bathrooms dont make a hospital...
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