va-chief-time-to-rethink-disability-system-current-setup-not-sustainable

Thanks PO1 Tony Holland a Trojan Horse would fetch a large sum right now in the antiguities market :-) In general I concur with Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin statement that "“Our system incentivizes disability, when our system should be incentivizing health and well-being."
I am thankful that he stated "That doesn’t mean pulling back disability compensation benefits" which he made in response to a question about whether the system should be re-evaluated
“Everybody recognizes we have a responsibility as a country to provide and be able to supplement resources for veterans that were harmed or injured during their time of duty. I don’t think anybody‘s suggesting that we take away our commitment to that, but to suggest that there’s not a better way to do things is also wrong.”
I think it makes great sense to expand the services to disabled veterans to include "wellness programs, rather than simply monthly compensation payments."
Physical therapy, suicide prevention are already part of the "wellness" programs that VA offers.
What are your thoughts? COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Thomas Tennant MAJ Ken LandgrenCapt Seid Waddell CW5 (Join to see) SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT 1stSgt Eugene Harless SFC William FarrellSSG Leo Bell SSgt (Join to see) Sgt Joe LaBranche SrA Christopher Wright PO3 Steven Sherrill PO1 John Miller Kim Bolen RN CCM ACM SPC Margaret Higgins Kim Bolen RN CCM ACM

Thanks for the article PO1 Tony Holland. The premise of the article is a good one but one that should not be at the expense of veterans. I am 100% VA and SS disabled veteran and there is not a day goes by that I would not want to be 100% healthy. And I consider myself one of the lucky ones as my disabilities are combination of spinal issues, severe neuropathy as a result of spine issues and PTSD. I look at other veterans and they are missing limbs, they are severely burned and or they have severe PTSD. Health and wellness is always a good thing to promote; my former health care insurance companies were always promoting it and there is no reason why the VA should not take a more proactive role in this regard but to penalize a veteran financially is not the way to do it.

Some of the comments under the article are well stated and so true, better than I can express it.

They are doing the same with SS Disability, so this isn't just being suggested for VA Disability Compensation. Understand the government is looking at ALL budget items, no one in particular is being targeted. And ALL health care will be drastically cut in the future, because unless taxes are dramatically increased there is no way the govt can continue to fund the greatly increasing amount of health care costs this country has with the increasing number of people requiring health care coverage. Right or wrong, it is what it is. I'm on SS Disability and they do encourage wellness through my plan, but it's mostly my responsibility to take advantage of it. The real wellness that benefits me is out of pocket, like therapeutic massage, acupuncture, alternative herbs and supplements, diet, etc., but wellness checkups, and exercise at local gyms are free, as are counseling.

What you become cautious about is when you are going to these visits, to a gym, to counseling, and know that they are reporting in your files on your progress as part of your record. How does this affect your overall disability standing, and are their reports an accurate reflection of your status when it comes to being able to work and cope with daily life? Will their reports mean you lose your disability status and have to return to work? The people reporting on you don't always have the understanding of your medical and mental situation to accurately evaluate your status when it comes to your disability, but their reports become part of your record, so when you have a re-evaluation you may be screwed if you've been going to the gym three times a week, and you've been hitting all your wellness marks for doctor visits and mental health visits and everyone says you are doing "ok", when in fact you aren't by a medical doctors standards. It's a strange place to be and confusing to know what to do.