Posted on Oct 8, 2015
How many of us take a public stance regarding our Veterans care?
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http://www.fayobserver.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-think-through-fixes-to-va-care-issues/article_2d38db37-666a-5cec-b235-beecbe6ce31f.html
Many times we have debates on this site and have voiced an opinion. It's my opinion that to be successful in our mission to seek the best care possible, we have to be active. Some may take exception to my letter and I look forward to another perspective to help me understand a different view point of the topic. I am especially interested in the VA perspective, from those now working in the system, how do they feel about the VAAA? My response is to the CVA representative in the area.
Many times we have debates on this site and have voiced an opinion. It's my opinion that to be successful in our mission to seek the best care possible, we have to be active. Some may take exception to my letter and I look forward to another perspective to help me understand a different view point of the topic. I am especially interested in the VA perspective, from those now working in the system, how do they feel about the VAAA? My response is to the CVA representative in the area.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Politics
Health
Congress
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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I do. However, and I pause for effect.
The VA is the one topic I let myself "rant" on. Mainly because I find it utterly frustrating. To a point I cannot fathom. That said, I do try to be 'fair' with them. I have never blamed the People at the VA. Every person at the VA I have ever (personally) worked with has been great. They care. They are trying to do the right thing, and from an outsider looking in, it looks like they have their hands tied by a bureaucracy so complex and so big it's no wonder they don't suck start a gun every morning they pull into work and the place isn't on fire.
AS I've researched deeper into this issue, my views have "evolved" to the point where I honestly believe we are asking an organization to do something that it is incapable of doing. That scares me, because this is America, and I don't think the American People are incapable of anything. But Social Medicine seems to be beyond us. The VHA is Social Medicine, and we have never gotten it right. In the 80+ years of its existence, we have not gotten it right. The first director of the VA was choked for being inept & corrupt, by the president of the United States. I kid you not, look it up. At that was possibly the high point of the organization.
Now, the VA is GREAT at education. It's great and burial. It does A LOT of good. I will not discount that. But I don't think it has scaled well with the ages, and based on the limited research I have done it seems that aging population plus influx of troops creates stress on the system which it cannot deal with... and it happens often enough we should be able to predict it.
So what's the cure? Congress is the oversight for the VA. See something, say something. They have to hold this agency accountable. They have to scale it up to meet the needs. They have to correct the issues before they become issues.
The VA is the one topic I let myself "rant" on. Mainly because I find it utterly frustrating. To a point I cannot fathom. That said, I do try to be 'fair' with them. I have never blamed the People at the VA. Every person at the VA I have ever (personally) worked with has been great. They care. They are trying to do the right thing, and from an outsider looking in, it looks like they have their hands tied by a bureaucracy so complex and so big it's no wonder they don't suck start a gun every morning they pull into work and the place isn't on fire.
AS I've researched deeper into this issue, my views have "evolved" to the point where I honestly believe we are asking an organization to do something that it is incapable of doing. That scares me, because this is America, and I don't think the American People are incapable of anything. But Social Medicine seems to be beyond us. The VHA is Social Medicine, and we have never gotten it right. In the 80+ years of its existence, we have not gotten it right. The first director of the VA was choked for being inept & corrupt, by the president of the United States. I kid you not, look it up. At that was possibly the high point of the organization.
Now, the VA is GREAT at education. It's great and burial. It does A LOT of good. I will not discount that. But I don't think it has scaled well with the ages, and based on the limited research I have done it seems that aging population plus influx of troops creates stress on the system which it cannot deal with... and it happens often enough we should be able to predict it.
So what's the cure? Congress is the oversight for the VA. See something, say something. They have to hold this agency accountable. They have to scale it up to meet the needs. They have to correct the issues before they become issues.
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Sgt Spencer Sikder
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, I enjoy your perspective if not all, most times, this one is no exception. I think you hit on something that I said back when Hillary and Bill tried to socialize medicine. Look at Public Health Service and VA, two socialized medicine providers and they struggle to do what the patient needs in some cases. It's difficult to say many cases, as the number of visits/patient contacts are astronomical and to correlate that data into what we read almost daily about the ineptitude of the organizations is challenging. So do we want to be that patient who gets socialized medicine and doesn't get care, no. We get that now through VA and if you ask the Native Americans who get Public Health Services, I suspect they too feel frustrated.
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I take it personally and I publicly state my displeasure at the mistreatment of veterans at the hands of the veterans administration or any other organization. Our veterans are a precious resource
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How could our country have such an evil, inefficient, and corrupt organization? This is third world crap. 350,000 VA employees cant expedite 350,000 veteran claims. Has anyone heard of creating Task Forces?
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MAJ Hugh Blanchard
When I retired, I had to go to the Vets Admin Center in Hampton Virginia for a retirement exam. The whole place was dirty. The waiting room where several of us had to sit one afternoon was smelly, because a disabled vet had badly soiled an adjoining bathroom and no one had cleaned it. When I asked the admin person on the reception desk when they planned to clean up the massive poop that was stinking up the place, that individual replied that it was not her personal duty to clean up poop, so she could not tell me when that bathroom would be clean. I understand that there have been positive changes made since my experience. But I decided at that moment that I would rather die than be required to "live" in a place like that.
Our disabled warriors gave their all for us, and we force them to live in such filth and with such disregard? God save us....and God forgive us for what we don't do for these men and women who have saved us.
Sincerely,
Hugh
Our disabled warriors gave their all for us, and we force them to live in such filth and with such disregard? God save us....and God forgive us for what we don't do for these men and women who have saved us.
Sincerely,
Hugh
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