Would you be against the VA being run by a civilian contractor in place of the government?

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 13:25:23 -0400

Do you ever wonder if the service would be better if the VA Health Administration was run by a civilian organization vs the government. The VA Health Administration is a good example why a single payer systems would not work for America as a whole. It is very worrisome to many veterans that the VA may never be fixed. Could this be the answer?

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Jul 11 at 2014 1:56 PM

MSG Wade Huffman — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 13:56:08 -0400

If you are referring to the ENTIRE VA system, I would say no. If you are referring to the VHA (Veterans Health Administration) I believe it would be better. Large private hospital corporations have existed for years and run effectively and efficiently.
I don't believe that privatizing the VBA (Veterans Benefits Administration) would be an effective solution simply because an equivalent private industry does not exist. The closest thing would be workers comp which is more government than private and has it's own share of problems.
The third part the VA system is the NCA (National Cemetery Administration) and I don't see a need to privatize that at this point either.

Response by 1SG Mike Case made Jul 11 at 2014 5:00 PM

1SG Mike Case — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 17:00:34 -0400

I think the VA needs to hire veterans at the levels that deals with the veterans making the claims. They understand the frustration of the Soldiers who are there to file and understand the sacrifice the other veteran has made. Some civilian sitting there doesn't care nor understand what the veteran has gone through. A veteran sitting across the desk I think would be a good first step.

Response by Sgt Spencer Sikder made Jun 9 at 2015 3:17 PM

Sgt Spencer Sikder — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 15:17:54 -0400

Reportedly a young Navy Seal opine this topic recently, http://hamptonroads.com/2015/06/redman-veterans-cant-wait-any-longer

Unfortunately, the government tried converting a government program to civilian control, just like the Postal Reorganization Act of 1972. And we all know how well that experiment worked.

As stated by George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Redman: Veterans can't wait any longer

A strike team was dispatched to the Hampton Veterans Affairs medical center earlier this month. It wasn't your typical strike team, however. They weren't sent in to eliminate a high-priority threat or secure a tactically important area. Instead, they were sent to correct the hospital's failings.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 2 at 2017 3:58 AM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 03:58:11 -0400

No I don't believe that being run by the private sector is going to help. They can help run things but overs as a whole it needs to remain a government run organization or at least led where they can over see the contractors that provide medical services and make it annual bidding so that way the VA is getting bang for the buck.