Posted on Sep 10, 2016
The presidential campaign's veterans policy deficit | MilitaryTimes
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Editor's note: The following is an opinion piece. The writer is not employed by Military Times and the views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff.
These days presidential candidates are expected to articulate detailed policy proposals for nearly every major sector of the political sphere before they are deemed qualified for election. That is, except for a national policy on veterans care and benefits.
The budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs is second only to the Pentagon’s within the annual federal budget, yet VA policy often falls to the wayside for political campaigns. Candidate pages on veterans issues are often lumped together with platitudes about supporting the military, a related but very different topic and policy area, but that’s if candidates mention VA policy at all.
Policy pages that do exist for veterans issues more often than not amount to a rhetorical pat on the head and assurances that politicians care. But such a pathetic effort to articulate how a candidate would provide for the nation’s protectors and efficiently allocate such enormous sums of taxpayer money constitute political malpractice.
Vets are used to being taken for granted, but that doesn’t make it right. As service members, their pay is consistently low, they are often used as political pawns, they are sometimes carelessly deployed as political tools, and when they are broken they are written off and transferred to the VA, with much frustration and hassle.
As veterans they then must deal with a hardened medical and benefits bureaucracy that looks out for itself as much as it does its patients and beneficiaries. They are praised twice a year and in between they are too often treated as victims, wrongly evaluated for employment opportunities, and even judged among one another as forever occupying the same social station in life that they were in when they left the military at a much younger age.
So it is no surprise to the military and veterans community that during every election cycle, candidates for the House, Senate and presidency take them and their votes for granted. But it should come as a surprise for everyone else that such an enormous public responsibility is seen by politicians as a problem that they can smile, wave and throw money at and then call it a day.
The VA is an enormous operation and decisions about the VA budget and policy not only impacts veterans in the VA’s care, but also the amount of tax that individuals and businesses must pay and the share of the pie that is available for every other federal department, agency and program.
Each year the VA estimates the amount it will need to treat wounded veterans two fiscal years out, as well as the extra money it will need to supplement care in the coming fiscal year. However, veteran advocacy organizations also develop independent estimates of the resources that the VA will need to meet its obligations, and those estimates consistently suggest that the VA’s administration-approved projections are underestimated.
The VA, of course, has access to more data to make projections, but advocacy groups factor in data that the VA does not, such as reports from members about actual wait times for appointments that may differ from the VA’s official statistics. Will politicians once in office simply rubber stamp the neatly packaged VA budget and accompanying justifications and give the VA what it asks for every year? Or will they take a closer look at the department’s budget request, question assumptions, seek independent validation, and make an independent judgment about an appropriate VA budget?
Everyone in VA policy circles knows that the department has political and administrative constraints that prevent it from always requesting accurate levels of funding, especially as part of supplemental budget requests. But there are also major efficiencies to be had within the VA’s budget. Are we to believe that the line item request for medical equipment and supplies is accurate when we know that the VA does not consolidate its medical equipment and supply purchasing in order to take advantage of economies of scale like it does with pharmaceutical purchases?
What about the VA policy of spending millions of dollars on artwork? Should that be continued? If the department is otherwise fully funded, perhaps that taxpayer money could be better spent by another agency or program, or not spent at all. Or if there is a funding shortage in other areas of the VA's budget, such as in outside care or facility construction, maybe it would be a better investment in those areas.
The VA also presents a unique opportunity for life-improving and life-saving research for all Americans. As the nation's largest integrated health care system with records and data spanning decades of patients' lives, maybe candidates interested in improving global health and quality of life would rather allocate more resources to VA research programs than to other research institutes funded by federal dollars.
Another policy choice that must be made relates to cutting VA education benefits because of the need to reallocate money for other new programs that advocates widely agree need to be instituted, such as adding caregiver support for pre-9/11 generation veterans. Which category of benefits is it more or less fair to cut, and by how much? The budget constraints that are forcing this choice are arbitrary, and this is an issue that sharply divides the VA policy community.
And then there's the huge issue of personnel accountability within the VA's massive bureaucracy. Should those convicted of fraud or armed robbery continue to be employed by the VA? What about a VA employee who takes a patient to buy drugs or kills a patient while on duty?
Should VA bureaucrats who create secret appointment wait lists to hide their failure to meet wait time standards -- and cause the unnecessary deaths of sick veterans in the process -- be given one or two years of paid leave and a performance bonus?
These may seem like surreal hypotheticals, but they are real cases caused by national policy decisions regarding the VA. Where do candidates stand on these questions and hundreds more? And more importantly, do they understand or even know about these issues?
Based on the flimsy campaign copy and overtures in speeches we see from all presidential and most congressional candidates so far, the answer to the last two questions is a resounding no.
Alexander Nicholson is a political and legislative strategist based in Washington, D.C. He was previously legislative director at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and has worked on national veterans and defense policy issues for more than 10 years.
Alexander Nicholson is a political and legislative strategist based in Washington, D.C. He was previously legislative director at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and has worked on national veterans and defense policy issues for more than 10 years.
These days presidential candidates are expected to articulate detailed policy proposals for nearly every major sector of the political sphere before they are deemed qualified for election. That is, except for a national policy on veterans care and benefits.
The budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs is second only to the Pentagon’s within the annual federal budget, yet VA policy often falls to the wayside for political campaigns. Candidate pages on veterans issues are often lumped together with platitudes about supporting the military, a related but very different topic and policy area, but that’s if candidates mention VA policy at all.
Policy pages that do exist for veterans issues more often than not amount to a rhetorical pat on the head and assurances that politicians care. But such a pathetic effort to articulate how a candidate would provide for the nation’s protectors and efficiently allocate such enormous sums of taxpayer money constitute political malpractice.
Vets are used to being taken for granted, but that doesn’t make it right. As service members, their pay is consistently low, they are often used as political pawns, they are sometimes carelessly deployed as political tools, and when they are broken they are written off and transferred to the VA, with much frustration and hassle.
As veterans they then must deal with a hardened medical and benefits bureaucracy that looks out for itself as much as it does its patients and beneficiaries. They are praised twice a year and in between they are too often treated as victims, wrongly evaluated for employment opportunities, and even judged among one another as forever occupying the same social station in life that they were in when they left the military at a much younger age.
So it is no surprise to the military and veterans community that during every election cycle, candidates for the House, Senate and presidency take them and their votes for granted. But it should come as a surprise for everyone else that such an enormous public responsibility is seen by politicians as a problem that they can smile, wave and throw money at and then call it a day.
The VA is an enormous operation and decisions about the VA budget and policy not only impacts veterans in the VA’s care, but also the amount of tax that individuals and businesses must pay and the share of the pie that is available for every other federal department, agency and program.
Each year the VA estimates the amount it will need to treat wounded veterans two fiscal years out, as well as the extra money it will need to supplement care in the coming fiscal year. However, veteran advocacy organizations also develop independent estimates of the resources that the VA will need to meet its obligations, and those estimates consistently suggest that the VA’s administration-approved projections are underestimated.
The VA, of course, has access to more data to make projections, but advocacy groups factor in data that the VA does not, such as reports from members about actual wait times for appointments that may differ from the VA’s official statistics. Will politicians once in office simply rubber stamp the neatly packaged VA budget and accompanying justifications and give the VA what it asks for every year? Or will they take a closer look at the department’s budget request, question assumptions, seek independent validation, and make an independent judgment about an appropriate VA budget?
Everyone in VA policy circles knows that the department has political and administrative constraints that prevent it from always requesting accurate levels of funding, especially as part of supplemental budget requests. But there are also major efficiencies to be had within the VA’s budget. Are we to believe that the line item request for medical equipment and supplies is accurate when we know that the VA does not consolidate its medical equipment and supply purchasing in order to take advantage of economies of scale like it does with pharmaceutical purchases?
What about the VA policy of spending millions of dollars on artwork? Should that be continued? If the department is otherwise fully funded, perhaps that taxpayer money could be better spent by another agency or program, or not spent at all. Or if there is a funding shortage in other areas of the VA's budget, such as in outside care or facility construction, maybe it would be a better investment in those areas.
The VA also presents a unique opportunity for life-improving and life-saving research for all Americans. As the nation's largest integrated health care system with records and data spanning decades of patients' lives, maybe candidates interested in improving global health and quality of life would rather allocate more resources to VA research programs than to other research institutes funded by federal dollars.
Another policy choice that must be made relates to cutting VA education benefits because of the need to reallocate money for other new programs that advocates widely agree need to be instituted, such as adding caregiver support for pre-9/11 generation veterans. Which category of benefits is it more or less fair to cut, and by how much? The budget constraints that are forcing this choice are arbitrary, and this is an issue that sharply divides the VA policy community.
And then there's the huge issue of personnel accountability within the VA's massive bureaucracy. Should those convicted of fraud or armed robbery continue to be employed by the VA? What about a VA employee who takes a patient to buy drugs or kills a patient while on duty?
Should VA bureaucrats who create secret appointment wait lists to hide their failure to meet wait time standards -- and cause the unnecessary deaths of sick veterans in the process -- be given one or two years of paid leave and a performance bonus?
These may seem like surreal hypotheticals, but they are real cases caused by national policy decisions regarding the VA. Where do candidates stand on these questions and hundreds more? And more importantly, do they understand or even know about these issues?
Based on the flimsy campaign copy and overtures in speeches we see from all presidential and most congressional candidates so far, the answer to the last two questions is a resounding no.
Alexander Nicholson is a political and legislative strategist based in Washington, D.C. He was previously legislative director at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and has worked on national veterans and defense policy issues for more than 10 years.
Alexander Nicholson is a political and legislative strategist based in Washington, D.C. He was previously legislative director at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and has worked on national veterans and defense policy issues for more than 10 years.
The presidential campaign's veterans policy deficit | MilitaryTimes
Posted from militarytimes.comPosted in these groups: 
Office of the President (POTUS)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Office of the President (POTUS) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
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Posted >1 y ago
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In politics many have myopic focus on particular issues SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL. Alexander Nicholson is clearly focused on the Department of Veterans Affairs which makes sense since he was previously legislative director at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
I strongly disagree with ... statement "These days presidential candidates are expected to articulate detailed policy proposals for nearly every major sector of the political sphere before they are deemed qualified for election. That is, except for a national policy on veterans care and benefits."
I know Donald Trump has issued a high level veterans administration reforms plan wit goals months ago. Here is the plan from https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/veterans-administration-reforms
"The current state of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is absolutely unacceptable. Over 300,000 veterans died waiting for care. Corruption and incompetence were excused. Politicians in Washington have done too little too slowly to fix it. This situation can never happen again, and when Donald J. Trump is president, it will be fixed – fast.
The guiding principle of the Trump plan is ensuring veterans have convenient access to the best quality care. To further this principle, the Trump plan will decrease wait times, improve healthcare outcomes, and facilitate a seamless transition from service into civilian life.
The Trump Plan Will:
1. Ensure our veterans get the care they need wherever and whenever they need it. No more long drives. No more waiting for backlogs. No more excessive red tape. Just the care and support they earned with their service to our country.
2. Support the whole veteran, not just their physical health care, but also by addressing their invisible wounds, investing in our service members’ post-active duty success, transforming the VA to meet the needs of 21st century service members, and better meeting the needs of our female veterans.
3. Make the VA great again by firing the corrupt and incompetent VA executives who let our veterans down, by modernizing the VA, and by empowering the doctors and nurses to ensure our veterans receive the best care available in a timely manner.
The Trump Plan Gives Veterans The Freedom To Choose And Forces The VA To Compete For Their Dollars
Politicians in Washington have tried to fix the VA by holding hearings and blindly throwing money at the problem. None of it has worked. In fact, wait times were 50% higher this summer than they were a year ago. That’s because the VA lacks the right leadership and management. It’s time we stop trusting Washington politicians to fix the problems and empower our veterans to vote with their feet.
Under a Trump Administration, all veterans eligible for VA health care can bring their veteran’s ID card to any doctor or care facility that accepts Medicare to get the care they need immediately. Our veterans have earned the freedom to choose better or more convenient care from the doctor and facility of their choice. The power to choose will stop the wait time backlogs and force the VA to improve and compete if the department wants to keep receiving veterans’ healthcare dollars. The VA will become more responsive to veterans, develop more efficient systems, and improve the quality of care because it will have no other choice.
The Trump Plan Treats The Whole Veteran
We must care for the whole veteran, not just their physical health. We must recognize that today’s veterans have very different needs than those of the Greatest Generation.
The Trump Plan Will:
1. Increase funding for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and suicide prevention services to address our veterans’ invisible wounds. Service members are five times more likely to develop depression than civilians. They are almost fifteen times more likely to develop PTSD than civilians. This funding will help provide more and better counseling and care. More funding will also support research on best practices and state of the art treatments to keep our veterans alive, healthy and whole. With these steps, the Trump plan will help the veteran community put the unnecessary stigma surrounding mental health behind them and instead encourage acceptance and treatment in our greater society.
2. Increase funding for job training and placement services (including incentives for companies hiring veterans), educational support and business loans. All Americans agree that we must do everything we can to help put our service men and women on a path to success as they leave active duty by collaborating with the many successful non-profit organizations that are already helping. Service members have learned valuable skills in the military but many need help understanding how to apply those skills in civilian life. Others know how to apply those skills but need help connecting with good jobs to support their families. Still others have an entrepreneurial spirit and are ready to start creating jobs and growing the economy. The Trump plan will strengthen existing programs or replace them with more effective ones to address these needs and to get our veterans working.
3. Transform the VA to meet the needs of 21st century service members. Today’s veterans have very different needs than those of the generations that came before them. The VA must adapt to meet the needs of this generation of younger, more diverse veterans. The Trump plan will expand VA services for female veterans and ensure the VA is providing the right support for this new generation of veterans.
4. Better support our women veterans. The fact that many VA hospitals don’t permanently staff OBGYN doctors shows an utter lack of respect for the growing number female veterans. Under the Trump plan, every VA hospital in the country will be fully equipped with OBGYN and other women’s health services. In addition, women veterans can always choose a different OBGYN in their community using their veteran’s ID card.
The Trump Plan Will Make The VA Great Again
The VA health care program is a disaster. Some candidates want to get rid of it, but our veterans need the VA to be there for them and their families. That’s why the Trump plan will:
1. Fire the corrupt and incompetent VA executives that let our veterans down. Under a Trump Administration, there will be no job security for VA executives that enabled or overlooked corruption and incompetence. They’re fired. New leadership will focus the VA staff on delivering timely, top quality care and other services to our nation’s veterans. Under a Trump Administration, exposing and addressing the VA’s inefficiencies and shortcomings will be rewarded, not punished.
2. End waste, fraud and abuse at the VA. The Trump plan will ensure the VA is spending its dollars wisely to provide the greatest impact for veterans and hold administrators accountable for irresponsible spending and abuse. The days of $6.3 million for statues and fountains at VA facilities and $300,000 for a manager to move 140 miles are over. The Trump plan will clean up the VA’s finances so the current VA budget provides more and better care than it does now.
3. Modernize the VA. A VA with 20th century technology cannot serve 21st century service members and their needs. The VA has been promising to modernize for years without real results. The Trump plan will make it happen by accelerating and expanding investments in state of the art technology to deliver best-in-class care quickly and effectively. All veterans should be able to conveniently schedule appointments, communicate with their doctors, and view accurate wait times with the push of a button.
4. Empower the caregivers to ensure our veterans receive quality care quickly. Caregivers should be able to easily streamline treatment plans across departments and utilize telehealth tools to better serve their patients. As we have seen from the private sector, the potential for new, innovative technology is endless. Abandoning the wasteful and archaic mindset of the public sector will give way to tremendously effective veteran healthcare.
5. Hire more veterans to care for veterans. The more veterans we have working at the VA, the better the VA will be. They understand the unique challenges facing their community. To increase the number of veterans hired by the VA, this plan will add an additional 5 points to the qualifying scores of veterans applying for VA jobs.
6. Embed satellite VA clinics in rural and other underserved areas. The Trump Administration will embed satellite VA clinics within hospitals and other care facilities in rural and other underserved areas. This step will ensure veterans have easy access to care and local hospitals and care facilities can handle the influx of patients without backlogs while tapping the specialized knowledge of VA health specialists."
COL Mikel J. BurroughsLTC Stephen C.LTC Thomas Tennant MAJ Ken LandgrenCapt Seid WaddellCW5 (Join to see) SMSgt Minister Gerald A. ThomasSGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT1stSgt Eugene HarlessSFC William FarrellSSG Leo Bell SSgt (Join to see) Sgt Joe LaBranche SGT (Join to see) SGT Forrest Stewart SrA Christopher Wright PO3 Steven Sherrill PO1 John Miller Kim Bolen RN CCM ACM
I strongly disagree with ... statement "These days presidential candidates are expected to articulate detailed policy proposals for nearly every major sector of the political sphere before they are deemed qualified for election. That is, except for a national policy on veterans care and benefits."
I know Donald Trump has issued a high level veterans administration reforms plan wit goals months ago. Here is the plan from https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/veterans-administration-reforms
"The current state of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is absolutely unacceptable. Over 300,000 veterans died waiting for care. Corruption and incompetence were excused. Politicians in Washington have done too little too slowly to fix it. This situation can never happen again, and when Donald J. Trump is president, it will be fixed – fast.
The guiding principle of the Trump plan is ensuring veterans have convenient access to the best quality care. To further this principle, the Trump plan will decrease wait times, improve healthcare outcomes, and facilitate a seamless transition from service into civilian life.
The Trump Plan Will:
1. Ensure our veterans get the care they need wherever and whenever they need it. No more long drives. No more waiting for backlogs. No more excessive red tape. Just the care and support they earned with their service to our country.
2. Support the whole veteran, not just their physical health care, but also by addressing their invisible wounds, investing in our service members’ post-active duty success, transforming the VA to meet the needs of 21st century service members, and better meeting the needs of our female veterans.
3. Make the VA great again by firing the corrupt and incompetent VA executives who let our veterans down, by modernizing the VA, and by empowering the doctors and nurses to ensure our veterans receive the best care available in a timely manner.
The Trump Plan Gives Veterans The Freedom To Choose And Forces The VA To Compete For Their Dollars
Politicians in Washington have tried to fix the VA by holding hearings and blindly throwing money at the problem. None of it has worked. In fact, wait times were 50% higher this summer than they were a year ago. That’s because the VA lacks the right leadership and management. It’s time we stop trusting Washington politicians to fix the problems and empower our veterans to vote with their feet.
Under a Trump Administration, all veterans eligible for VA health care can bring their veteran’s ID card to any doctor or care facility that accepts Medicare to get the care they need immediately. Our veterans have earned the freedom to choose better or more convenient care from the doctor and facility of their choice. The power to choose will stop the wait time backlogs and force the VA to improve and compete if the department wants to keep receiving veterans’ healthcare dollars. The VA will become more responsive to veterans, develop more efficient systems, and improve the quality of care because it will have no other choice.
The Trump Plan Treats The Whole Veteran
We must care for the whole veteran, not just their physical health. We must recognize that today’s veterans have very different needs than those of the Greatest Generation.
The Trump Plan Will:
1. Increase funding for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and suicide prevention services to address our veterans’ invisible wounds. Service members are five times more likely to develop depression than civilians. They are almost fifteen times more likely to develop PTSD than civilians. This funding will help provide more and better counseling and care. More funding will also support research on best practices and state of the art treatments to keep our veterans alive, healthy and whole. With these steps, the Trump plan will help the veteran community put the unnecessary stigma surrounding mental health behind them and instead encourage acceptance and treatment in our greater society.
2. Increase funding for job training and placement services (including incentives for companies hiring veterans), educational support and business loans. All Americans agree that we must do everything we can to help put our service men and women on a path to success as they leave active duty by collaborating with the many successful non-profit organizations that are already helping. Service members have learned valuable skills in the military but many need help understanding how to apply those skills in civilian life. Others know how to apply those skills but need help connecting with good jobs to support their families. Still others have an entrepreneurial spirit and are ready to start creating jobs and growing the economy. The Trump plan will strengthen existing programs or replace them with more effective ones to address these needs and to get our veterans working.
3. Transform the VA to meet the needs of 21st century service members. Today’s veterans have very different needs than those of the generations that came before them. The VA must adapt to meet the needs of this generation of younger, more diverse veterans. The Trump plan will expand VA services for female veterans and ensure the VA is providing the right support for this new generation of veterans.
4. Better support our women veterans. The fact that many VA hospitals don’t permanently staff OBGYN doctors shows an utter lack of respect for the growing number female veterans. Under the Trump plan, every VA hospital in the country will be fully equipped with OBGYN and other women’s health services. In addition, women veterans can always choose a different OBGYN in their community using their veteran’s ID card.
The Trump Plan Will Make The VA Great Again
The VA health care program is a disaster. Some candidates want to get rid of it, but our veterans need the VA to be there for them and their families. That’s why the Trump plan will:
1. Fire the corrupt and incompetent VA executives that let our veterans down. Under a Trump Administration, there will be no job security for VA executives that enabled or overlooked corruption and incompetence. They’re fired. New leadership will focus the VA staff on delivering timely, top quality care and other services to our nation’s veterans. Under a Trump Administration, exposing and addressing the VA’s inefficiencies and shortcomings will be rewarded, not punished.
2. End waste, fraud and abuse at the VA. The Trump plan will ensure the VA is spending its dollars wisely to provide the greatest impact for veterans and hold administrators accountable for irresponsible spending and abuse. The days of $6.3 million for statues and fountains at VA facilities and $300,000 for a manager to move 140 miles are over. The Trump plan will clean up the VA’s finances so the current VA budget provides more and better care than it does now.
3. Modernize the VA. A VA with 20th century technology cannot serve 21st century service members and their needs. The VA has been promising to modernize for years without real results. The Trump plan will make it happen by accelerating and expanding investments in state of the art technology to deliver best-in-class care quickly and effectively. All veterans should be able to conveniently schedule appointments, communicate with their doctors, and view accurate wait times with the push of a button.
4. Empower the caregivers to ensure our veterans receive quality care quickly. Caregivers should be able to easily streamline treatment plans across departments and utilize telehealth tools to better serve their patients. As we have seen from the private sector, the potential for new, innovative technology is endless. Abandoning the wasteful and archaic mindset of the public sector will give way to tremendously effective veteran healthcare.
5. Hire more veterans to care for veterans. The more veterans we have working at the VA, the better the VA will be. They understand the unique challenges facing their community. To increase the number of veterans hired by the VA, this plan will add an additional 5 points to the qualifying scores of veterans applying for VA jobs.
6. Embed satellite VA clinics in rural and other underserved areas. The Trump Administration will embed satellite VA clinics within hospitals and other care facilities in rural and other underserved areas. This step will ensure veterans have easy access to care and local hospitals and care facilities can handle the influx of patients without backlogs while tapping the specialized knowledge of VA health specialists."
COL Mikel J. BurroughsLTC Stephen C.LTC Thomas Tennant MAJ Ken LandgrenCapt Seid WaddellCW5 (Join to see) SMSgt Minister Gerald A. ThomasSGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT1stSgt Eugene HarlessSFC William FarrellSSG Leo Bell SSgt (Join to see) Sgt Joe LaBranche SGT (Join to see) SGT Forrest Stewart SrA Christopher Wright PO3 Steven Sherrill PO1 John Miller Kim Bolen RN CCM ACM
Veterans Administration Reforms
The current state of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is absolutely unacceptable. Over 300,000 veterans died waiting for care. Corruption and incompetence were excused. Politicians in Washington have done too little too slowly to fix it. This situation can never happen again, and when Donald J. Trump is president, it will be fixed – fast.
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