From the WashingtonPost.com:
by William Branigin
Eric K. Shinseki resigned Friday as secretary of veterans affairs, taking responsibility for a scandal in the VA health-care system over excessive waiting times and coverups of what he called “systemic” problems.
Now: what will it take to truly repair the VA?
BZ
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, many of our veterans are customarily waiting 115 days to see a doctor at VA facilities. That is, if the VA isn’t lying about those wait times.
That was confirmed this week in a report by the VA Inspector General which can be seen in its entirety here.
From the WashingtonTimes.com:
1,700 vets not on official wait list at Phoenix VA facility, preliminary report finds
by Jacqueline Klimas
A preliminary report released Wednesday found “serious conditions” at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs facility, including hundreds of veterans who were never placed on an official wait list and faulty scheduling practices that meant some veterans would never see a doctor.
Repeat: “some veterans would never see a doctor.”
“We identified an additional 1,700 veterans who were waiting for a primary care appointment but were not on the [electronic wait list,]” the report from the VA inspector general said. “Most importantly, these veterans were and continue to be at risk of being forgotten or lost in Phoenix [healthcare system’s] convoluted scheduling process. As a result, these veterans may never obtain a requested or required clinical appointment.”
Correct.
And here’s the rub: Mr Obama has patterned ObamaKare after the glorious VA medical system. Wasn’t it Mr Obama who said, in 2009 at a VFW convention in Phoenix, Arizona, that he was going to “clean up” the VA? And wasn’t that promise made FIVE years ago? Didn’t he say he was going to “cut those backlogs, slash those wait times, deliver your benefits sooner“? Why, yes, he did.
In case you’ve forgotten, the transcript is here.
Why doubt that allegation? Let’s play the video, shall we?
The full 32-minute speech is here. And herein Mr Obama promised:
“Whether you’ve left the service in 2009 or 1949, we will fulfill our responsibility to deliver the benefits and care that you earned. And that’s why I’ve pledged to build nothing less than a 21st-century VA. And I picked a lifelong soldier and wounded warrior from Vietnam to lead this fight, General Ric Shinseki.
“And we’re keeping our promise to fulfill another top priority at the VA, cutting the redtape and inefficiencies that cause backlogs and delays in the claims process. This spring, I directed the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to create one unified lifetime electronic health record for the members of the Armed Forces, a single electronic record, with privacy guaranteed, that will stay with them forever. Because after fighting for America, you should not have to fight over paperwork to receive the benefits that you’ve earned.”
A speech that so many people seem to have conveniently forgotten now, mostly Leftists and Demorats.
Even back in 2007, Mr Obama made promises about the VA whilst he ran for President, such as the “Sacred Trust” Kansas City speech. He said:
“To keep our sacred trust, I will improve mental health screening and treatment at all levels: from enlistment, to deployment, to reentry into civilian life. No service-member should be kicked out of the military because they are struggling with untreated PTSD. No veteran should have to fill out a 23-page claim to get care, or wait months – even years – to get an appointment at the VA. We need more mental health professionals, more training to recognize signs and to reject the stigma of seeking care. And to treat a signature wound of these wars, we need clear standards of care for Traumatic Brain Injury”
So upon those promises in 2007 and 2009, who is to be responsible? Will it be Mr Obama? Will it be the current VA head, General Shinseki?
One thing upon which you can be guaranteed: it will not be Mr Obama.
BZ
Not an idle statement but one vetted from personal observation.
From FoxNews.com:
by J.D. Gordon
By now most American have heard about the VA’s infamous patient “secret wait lists” which reportedly contributed to the deaths of up to 40 veterans in the Phoenix area alone. Those patriots were American heroes who served our country proudly. Yet they were left to die waiting to see a doctor.
Here’s another secret the White House doesn’t want you to know about the VA. Al Qaeda detainees get better medical treatment than our veterans.
Say what?
Yes, it’s true. I know because I served as a Pentagon spokesman from 2005-2009 and visited Guantanamo Bay Naval Base over 30 times during those years.
Despite the fact that Al Qaeda terrorists carried out the Sept. 11 terror attacks, killing 3,000 people in America, the admitted co-conspirators and their roughly 150 fellow jihadists at Gitmo have approximately 100 doctors, nurses and health care personnel assigned to them.
Doctors and medical personnel are at their beck and call. Got a cold, a fever, a toothache, a tumor, chest or back pain, mental health issues, PTSD? No problem, come right on in. Military doctors are waiting to see you.
The VA and Gitmo eligible patient-to-health care provider ratios speak volumes.
While the Gitmo ratio is 1.5 to 1, for America’s 9 million veterans receiving VA health care and 267,930 VA employees, the ratio is 35 to 1.
Surprising at all? Not to me.
And, on the cusp of Memorial Day, is this truly the way we should be honoring our veterans — by treating those who kill our citizens better and more readily than we treat those who defend our shores?
BZ