JD Vance on privatizing some VA services
During a podcast with Shawn Ryan, JD Vance discussed improving services at the VA. One of the things that Vance would like to see is the privatization of some of their services. He would also like to see “bad apples” removed. Kamala Harris’s campaign insinuated that Vance wanted to defund parts of the VA.
From Military Times:
In an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast released Wednesday, the Ohio senator (who is former President Donald Trump’s running mate) also said he would fire or cut thousands of federal civilian jobs, including many within VA.
“Probably 90% to 95% of the people at the VA are fantastic human beings, but then you’ve got a small slice of the VA [who are] bad apples that makes it really hard for everybody else to do their job,” he said.
“This is why veterans spend three hours on the phone trying to get an appointment. This is why you have people commit suicide, because they’re waiting 28 days to get an appointment with the doctor. It’s a small sliver of the VA, but you can fire those people, right? Give the people who are doing their job a raise. Fire the people who aren’t doing their jobs.”
Both Ryan and Vance are veterans. Vance said he has used VA hospitals for his own health care in the past, but understands frustration with the system and would listen to proposals for privatizing parts of the department.
When Ryan asked “would you ever consider privatized health care for veterans?” Vance responded by saying “I think I’d consider it” before shifting to thoughts on Trump’s past veterans policies.
“I think that there are areas where the VA actually works very well,” he said. “So I would not say, ‘get rid of the whole thing.’ But I would say, ‘give people more choice.’ I think you’ll save money in the process.”
A spokesman for Vance on Thursday afternoon denied that the nominee supports defunding parts of the VA and blasted the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris for creating a controversy where one did not exist.
Additional Reading:
Shane, L. (2024, September 12). JD Vance would consider privatizing some VA services if elected. Military Times. Link.
Category: 2024 Election, Veterans in politics, Veterans in the news, Veterans Issues, Veterans' Affairs Department
It’s all in the details.
No way to evaluate without the details.
Yup. It could be a good thing. It should be considered. All options should be considered.
Considering the story that came out here a few days ago about the VA allowing some land to be used for “non VA” activities, he might have a good idea.
Whoever starts screaming the loudest will be the ones most affected financially. Follow the money.
The very FIRST line on an application for employment at the VA should be…”Are you an Honorably Discharged Veteran of The US Military?” If the answer to that question is “No”, then the application should be set aside until it is determined by competent persons that the position cannot be filled by a Vet. There is no doubt that the entire grubermint is rife with bloat and there are thousands of “positions” that could be eliminated with no decrease in “service”.
I say…again…You want to increase the level of service to Vets from the VA? Have ALL grubermint employees, including Kongress Klown Kritters, report to the VA for health care. Betcha betcha the problems will be fixed then.
He’s not wrong. The major complaint I have with the VA is how long it takes to get an appointment.
I went in for my hip. It’s been bothering me for a long time, but it’s gotten markedly worse lately. They scheduled me for 8 weeks of physical therapy, but the next available appointment for my post PT follow up wasn’t for almost five months. So had two months of PT, which helped a little, but not a lot, and now I’m in the “suffer for three months” phase waiting to get back in to see the doc to schedule next steps.
Then there’s the non-responsiveness. During PT, it seemed to be helping a bit, so I put in a request to extend it for 8 more weeks to get me closer to my follow up appointment. They didn’t deny it. They didn’t approve it either. I just got no response at all…which is typical. If you don’t get it done during an appointment, it probably isn’t going to get done.
I’ll probably hear back from them about the request in six months or so.
I’ve always been happy with the care I’ve received when I’ve been there, it’s just the interminable waiting to be seen or even acknowledged that leads one to believe they aren’t really interested in our well being.
So, for the libs lurking here…the VA system is what socialized medicine looks like. Still want it? Granted, the current system sucks in its own way, like charging the price of a Rolex watch for a 10-minute ambulance ride (a basic Datejust is about $12K), but at least it gets people to the hospital quickly and turnaround on tests and procedures is quick; you’re not going to die while on a year-long waiting list like ones that the Canadian system has.
Want cheap health insurance? Make the health insurance providers operate like car insurance – no asinine crap like in-network providers, regions, or any of that bullshit. Get the healthcare, get a doctor to declare that every service provided is necessary, insurance company pays up. No red tape, delays, or any of that.
Oh, wait…I summarized, I didn’t even tell the whole story. So, I was having more and more trouble with my hip so I sent a message to my VA PCM requesting an appointment. I waited two weeks and heard nothing, so I called. Voice Mail. Left a message. Still heard nothing for another week. Called again. Left a message. Finally got a return call, so almost a month, just to get them to respond to make an appointment. The quickest they could get me in was in two months. I made the appointment. He kindly told me that if it got too bad I could always go to the emergency room. So I’ve got that going for me. So, about three months after beginning the process I finally get in to see the doc. They want imaging. That’s a walk-in so no appointment for it. I did that the next day, got there early and it went very quickly and smoothly. Then I wait three weeks and hear nothing. Finally send a message to my PCM. No response. A week later I call and leave a message (I’m not sure they even know how to actually answer the phone, it always goes to voice mail). three days later I finally get a call back. The doc sent a referral for a consult with Physical Therapy. They’ll call to make an appointment. PT Calls two days later. The next available appointment (just for the consult) is in 6 weeks. Sigh. I go to that appointment, they agree that I need PT but they don’t have any openings for at least 6 months. Do I want to be assigned to “Community Care?” YES. They’ll call in a day or so to see if they can find a provider for me. I get a call the next day, they assign me to a civilian PT facility 5 minutes from my house. The civilian PT facility calls me THAT DAY, and makes an appointment for Friday of the same week. That’s the difference between getting care from VA and getting care from a civilian… Read more »
So…adding it all up, it took me 6 months to be assigned by the VA to a civilian provider and less than a week to get care from the civilian provider.
So now the PT is complete and I’m still in “waiting for my next VA appointment” purgatory.
But that’s not all. At that same initial appointment with my PCM, I requested a new CPAP machine because mine is over 10 years old and is starting to get wonky on me. .long story there, but the bottom line is I need a new sleep study. They made an appointment for that for me. 7 months down the road. I just had that appointment a week or so ago. I’m going to do an “in home” sleep study because there would be about a 5 month wait to do the “in facility” one. It’s still going to be three months before my follow up appointment after the in home sleep study is done.
Finally, I’m due for a colonoscopy. I asked for that at my initial PCM appointment as well. They set me up for that…only a bit over 6 months for that consultation. I went to that one a month ago or so. They scheduled my Colonoscopy…for May.
I sure hope I don’t have Colon cancer, because if I do, by the time they catch it, it’ll be having a rave in my guts.
That’s what socialized medicine looks like.
Are you in blinding pain? No problem, we’ll get you fixed right up in 6 to 8 months. In the meantime there’s always Ibuprophen…oh, and here’s a couple of tubes of Ben-gay. It won’t do anything for the pain but it will make you smell bad.
You need a routine test used to detect a deadly disease that you have a family history of? No problem, We’ll get that done for you in about a year. If you don’t die first.
I’d disagree with Mr Vance.
About 99% of the blue collar workers at the VA are some of the best I’ve seen (at least in Minneapolis).
It’s the college educated, degree holding (Masters, PhD, and MD) that could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch through a 30 foot vacuum cleaner hose that are the worst human beings I’ve ever met.
Since I’m on THIS particular site I’m not afraid to say that more than one of them has made me feel like murder would have been a rational response to their idiocy.
I believe that sucking the chrome off a trailer hitch would be Kamala’s specialty. <g>
I agree, but the folks of Degree Quality at the VA could really give her a windy run for her money.
One of the more common comments I see on a couple FB Veteran pages are recommendations for asking for community care instead of VA only when going to the VA for health care. Some of it may be for specialties like counseling.
Is that “privatizing” or just opening options?
Community Care is just that, care outside the VA. Sometimes the VA does not have a doctor for your specific aliment. I was directed to seek care outside the VA by the VA. They had no one in the region that could help me with a rare form of Leukemia. That is private practice outside the VA, and if the VA can’t provide services or it can be done cheaper by an outside provider. Then that should be done as it benefits veterans and saves taxpayer dollars. Which allows more care for more veterans. You’re not actually privatizing the VA, just providing care more efficiently. I believe that is what Vance is speaking of.
No argument from me, bud.
It’s just that, after all these years of promises, and sweet talk from our government about how our service to the people gained us a high degree of respect and access to the best care we could possibly get, we’re a little tired of them having to come up with lame excuses as to why they can’t meet those promises.
And what makes it worse is that we know they can’t do it because they steal from St Peter to pay St Paul every minute, hour, day, week, month, year, and decade…and still pat us on the ass and say; “hope you don’t mind I came too soon, honey. It’ll be better next time…I promise.”