World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom… and all conflicts in between. Men and women who answered the call to serve and protect this Republic, the United States of America. When they returned home many retired from the military, went to work, built businesses, raised families, and contributed yet again to the fabric that is America.
Each one, as a Veteran, has EARNED the privilege and should receive the very best of medical care as thanks for what they’ve done to keep us all safe. However, the report released by the Inspector General late Wednesday shows us that this is not entirely the case:
More than 300,000 veterans died waiting for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, a report from the VA’s inspector general revealed.
As of September 2014, more than 307,000 pending enrollment system records were for people who had died, the report found. That’s about 35 percent of all pending records, the inspector general said.
As if the number of those who died while waiting for care, 300,000+, isn’t appalling enough, there is more to the report. And its not pretty. Not. At. All.
Despite promises for widespread reform, nearly 900,000 [emphasis added]military veterans have pending applications to access health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the department’s inspector general said Wednesday in a scathing report which recommended a total overhaul of their record-keeping system that could take years.
Let me tell you something. Given what our Veterans are dealing with, no matter which war or which conflict they fought in, no matter their MOS, ALL should be receiving top notch care from our VA every single time they show up. Unfortunately, as this report shows, they aren’t.
It is outrageous & unacceptable that 307,000 veterans died waiting for health care. The VA can and must do better. http://t.co/py4aIkkN5j
— Kelly Ayotte (@KellyAyotte) September 3, 2015
Our veterans don’t have years to wait for a new system to be invented and put into place. Our veterans don’t have years to wait for the VA to finally get off its rear end and kick the incompetent employees to the curb, and our veterans CERTAINLY don’t have time for VA Secretary Robert McDonald to play the blame game and cite budget woes. In fact, McDonald has had well over a year to work on changing the culture, addressing the backlog issues, stopping employees from willfully deleting over 10,000 transactions, cleaning up a corrupted records database, AND had a President cheerlead for him last year.
Given the report released on Wednesday, it is obvious that not much has happened in the interim; and our veterans and their families who have suffered because of it. Why is this and should this be of concern to us all?
First of all, the VA is a government run healthcare system that has been in place long before Obamacare was slammed down our throats. The dangerous culture of indifference, incompetence, and budgetary incompetence shown by many VA administrators across the country has contributed to worsening medical conditions and even death for those who’ve defended our land in the very best and worst of times. If the VA can’t even run its system correctly, what makes anyone think that Obamacare will be run any better?
This damning report doesn’t include only our veterans from wars and conflicts past. This report sheds a light on what our veterans of the future will face if the VA and Congress don’t step up to the plate and put patient care FIRST and politics LAST. As I reported here, and was verified in Wednesday’s IG report, vets who served recently are facing obstacles that should NOT be in place:
Davis said he told VA that 34,000 men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are losing their guaranteed five-year eligibility for VA service due to “systematic obstacles.”
He said that combat veterans are not required to verify their income when applying for VA benefits. But the enrollment applications of 34,000 such veterans were delayed when the VA system classified them as pending.
Furthermore, the VA hasn’t done a thing to bring its system up to date and has no idea how many records are truly healthcare applications nor do they have a date for those applications! Meanwhile our veterans wait… and 300,000 died before receiving the care they earned. Quite frankly it doesn’t matter that the VA has reached out to veterans and gotten over 34,000 of them enrolled this summer, the question is – Are. They. Getting. The. Care. They. Need? Right now, the disgrace that is the VA cannot answer that question.
Appalled By The World says: What an absolute disgrace. But it is not at all surprising-this regime is of the party that has never liked the military so why should it care? Besides, these vets fought for the USA, which no longer really exists as the current Supreme Warlord Obama always did hate that nation and “transformed” it into an abomination more aptly named the Obaman People’s Republic (plenty of money available for his progressive “people” but none for vets). I know the VA has had issues in the past in doing right by vets but I’m sure it’s gotten a lot worse since Mr Hopey Changey came into power. Too bad there will be little hope for change here until this guy is out of office.
OC says: Appalled, I have nothing but contempt for the Community Organizer-in-Chief, but the problems with the VA go back a LONG way before him. As you noted, he probably exacerbated the problems though.
When my brothers and sisters and I shipped off to foreign lands we were worried about getting back home. Now we get to worry if the VA will actually let us die.
OC
Appalled By The World says: Absolutely disgusting. Yet these creeps can’t wait to plop wads of money into the hands of illegal aliens fast enough. It isn’t much but I thank you for your service-it’s a disgrace the current regime has thrown away all the sacrifice and hard work people like you had to put in only to have you treated worse than an invading illegal alien who’s here only for the freebies.
Nina says: OC, thank you for your service. My husband retired 2 years ago after 20 years in the Army. I’ve had family serve since prior to the American Revolution and there are 2 nephews still in. Several relatives use the VA and thankfully have had good experiences.
This is definitely a culture driven, long standing issue. And yet, I agree, the current climate of “the buck never stops with us it was someone else’s fault” is causing so much harm that people are dying.
Something has to change and should. If that means cleaning house and starting fresh – I’m all for it.
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