VA- Bureaucracy in Disarray
Collins, Dems spar over whether VA needs key fixes or full overhaul
By Leo Shane III
Both Republicans and Democrats agree that the Department of Veterans Affairs is not perfect. On Tuesday, the two sides fought over just how not perfect it is.
In testimony before a Senate oversight committee, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins portrayed his department as a bureaucracy in severe disarray when he took over three months ago. But he insisted reforms from the new administration since then have set operations on the right track.
“Our shared goal needs to be making things better for veterans rather than protecting the department’s broken bureaucracy,” he told members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “To simply say that where we came in was okay, everyone knows that was just simply not true.”
In contrast, Senate Democrats accused President Donald Trump’s administration of working to dismantle the department rather than improve it, accusing Collins of exaggerating and fabricating problems to justify dramatic changes in coming months.
“You cannot slash and trash the VA without eliminating essential positions which provide access and availability of health care,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ranking member of the committee.
Vets themselves overwhelmingly believe the VA is in need of urgent reforms. Improvements should be focused on speed, accessibility and responsiveness. They are calling for streamlined processes, more emphasis on customer service, and extended referral windows for care. The Trump administration has proposed a 4% increase in VA funding next fiscal year despite proposed staff and contract cuts.
Category: Big Pentagon, Veterans' Affairs Department
In getting on track, which phase was “Get rid of Veterans Day”? That is one way to show how much the president cares.
To be fair, I have NEVER gotten a Veterans day off. It is just another day at work. You get the false platitudes “thanks for your service” , “here’s a special T-shirt we made for our Veterans, now go back to work”. It really is just another day at work for most of us.
When I was a cop it was a paid holiday so we got a full shift pay.
Given a choice for the nation to celebrate, “Veterans” or “Victory”, which is in the best interest of the nation, and Veterans to celebrate?
Victory is the whole point of it. The only thing thst matters in War is winning the damnable thing. And we have largely forgotten it, in this perverse era of “What is the exit strategy?” in other words “How and when do we quit -this- time?”
None of us matter, it’s all for naught, if we don’t make a habit of -winning-, and understanding that essential point.
Put Congress on the VA plan for health care and find out real quick who’s telling the truth.
I have been using the VA since the 70’s and they have improved vastly from what they were. They are not what I would like to see them be yet. The employees they hire are scrutinized more, but there are still those that just warm a seat all day and don’t give a fuck. The care has improved and the choice of doctors they hire have improved. What I don’t like is the heavy reliance on non doctor primary care providers. And that has improved too. At my civilian doctor’s office they too are relying on non doctors to provide services too. I think a lot of the frustration comes from veterans being placed in different categories and levels of service being provided. Prioritizing care to the sickest veterans first. Makes other veterans feel left out and ignored, unable to get appointments when needed.
Let us keep our bloated, crappy bureaucracy and deadwood f*cktard buddies or care (even such as it is) for veterans gets it! (Sounds like a hostage situstion to me.)
VA is a fucking dumpster fire. Retired 8 years ago and live in a town with a CBOC. In 8 years I’ve had 10 different “care teams”. Every single time I have to answer the SAME questions, wait an ungodly amount of time for consults to be scheduled and get refused to have “Veterans Choice” when I want to use an outside provider (had an endoscopy get scheduled 8 months out and then get canc’d the Friday prior due to the doc scheduling too many appts for that day).
Straw that broke my back was driving an hour to the main VA hospital for a neuro consult and they helpfully forgot to call me because the doctor ‘called out sick’ that day. Needless to say I made a scene that day…..
I drove two hours to an appointment only to be told sorry the doctors out today. That’s pure BS when they can’t call you before you travel. And no travel pay, cause you didn’t see a doctor.
They messaged me early in the day to remind me of my appointment.
About 5 years ago, I scheduled a cardio stress test at age 40 due to the fact I lost my old man at 44 and mother at 63 due to heart attacks. I was driving from over and hour away and caught some traffic. Got there 5 minutes later than my appointment time. Front desk called me as I was pulling into the parking lot to make sure I was coming. Got checked in and nurse came out to get me straight away.
“You need to be here at your APPOINTED TIME! The Doctors time is IMPORTANT?”
“And mine isn’t? Don’t give me that shit lady, last appointment I sat out there with my thumb up my ass for 45 minutes because y’all ran over. I took a day off work for this shit and drove over an hour to get here, how about showing a little fucking grace?”
Needless to say; that nurse and I had quite a few run ins over the years….
At least you aren’t some random person she will forget as soon as you walk out the door 😏
That’s when they refer you to their secretive “behavioral committee” or call the VA cops.
I was flagged by that committee for SIX fucking years.
The typical medical staff get gigged, bigly, for inconviniencing the doctor, not you. Essential to understand that.
I try to schedule first thing in the morning, or soon after, with private docs. Then I arrive as the staff open the door. “No worries. I will just sit here and read.” More often than not, some other “early bird” is running late and I can poach the ‘first’ slot. If not, I just sit and read.
I make their lives easier and they mostly reciprocate.
Granted, I have a blessedly understanding employer, and we can juggle our hours, within reason, around lives.
In my girlfriend’s circle, VA found her best friend’s stepdad had Stage 4 (terminal) cancer and sent him home with (what they determined he “should” need) a pill-cutter with no pills for the pain. (They send guys waiting six months for an appointment to see a shrink for PTSD home with a sackful of addictive meds, no problem.) He shot himself in the heart so he wouldn’t burden his family with his being in pain and they could give him an open casket funeral.
My claim for my bad back is pending, I have an exam scheduled a short time down the road. Second time around, the first time the NP(Nurse Practitioner) stated, in all of her medical knowledge and experience, my neurologist and neurosurgeon didn’t know what they were talking about when it came to damage done to my back. The exam was done by a private contractor. The kind who likely gets money from VA when they deny a claim.
Now, I get to see a different NP who has a whopping 3 years experience compared to the Chief of Neurosurgery at the hospital. He just performed surgery on my back 7 weeks ago, and the pain in my back, as they say in one of the commercials on tv, the pain is gone! Same private contractor as the previous visit.
Maybe I’m the exception, but with only a year in the VA system, I’m pretty impressed with what I’ve had so far (and with 35 years of Army service, I’m coming to the VA with a lot of follow-up requirements!). Of course I was expecting it to be bad based on what I’ve heard, so it’s easy to impress me. On a second note, why would the Dems expect me to believe they suddenly care for vets when, for the entirety of my life, they’ve trashed the military and done their best to drive down readiness?
I live in a heavily military area so there are lots of VA resources around.
I have Tricare Select as a retiree and I also have a health plan through work but I choose to use VA as my primary care provider (they bill my insurance for anything not service connected).
I have been very happy with the care I’ve received.
The only issue I’ve had with the VA is the interminable wait for an appointment. I haven’t had anything really urgent in a long time, but if I do, I’ll probably end up going to a civilian facility and using Tricare/Private insurance to pay for it, but for routine stuff, I can’t complain about the care.
I do the same: use VA for majority of care but due to stupid ass wait times I’ll tend to source it out through PCM/Tricare….
Never had an issue with the VHA.
The VBA fucking sucks.
Same here. Never had an issue with VA, mainly because I refuse to do anything with them. Especially after seeing how they killed off my father and both of my brothers.
I purchase a supplemental insurance policy plan “F” with my
Social Security retirement income.
My primary is a PA at the local hospital.
Don’t know if they are even aware that I am a veteran.
Don’t care either.
When I retired at 62 back in 2007 and was on cobra for 18 months I appled for the va but I was told that I wasn’t eligible. To be eligible I had to be in the Viet of the Nam but I was separated before the ship went to the west coast and Viet Nam.. Turns out that in the year of 2003 bush slowed down the va funding, so I went to United Health Care…later on when obama was in, he started the funding again but I was already a member of United HC and when I hit 65, I went on to Medicare which was primary and UHC secondary which I am happy with. Speaking of happy, how about “I’m So Happy” by Lewis Lyman and the Teenchords 1957 on the fury label.
Hera ya go Jeff:
https://youtu.be/Q6sEMQNHbK4
My impression, through AB Son’s experiences and stories here, is that some areas of the VA are a fuster-cluck, some work as intended.
Depends, possibly, on the quality of employees & managers.
I’ve been using the VA since 2008 and in that time, I have had just about 5-6 bad experiences with them. Mainly my former primary care provider. Arrived for my 1:00 appt, did not seen until after 4pm. I could have gone to a funeral of a cop buddy of mine if I had known that and still make both the funeral and appt.
“Good enough for gov’t work!” –VA
Sounds like that old phrase in the military has not gone out of style… hurry up and wait.
When it was determined I had leukemia the VA offered treatment at the regional office (110 miles from home) or I could choose any oncologist of my choosing back home. I choose care back home at VA expense. The VA stepped up and paid all the bills.
My friend who had bladder cancer decided to get care at the local and regional office. He continually had scheduling problems in getting chemo. He did receive treatment, although he had a hard time getting treatment regularly and follow up was delayed. Then he went on dialysis, and his cared suffered more due to scheduling. Now I don’t know if it was failure on his part to follow up or his care team dropping the ball in getting cancer treatment scheduled But he died after about 18 months.
I personally will always prefer treatment outside the VA, using my Medicare plan G . The VA is okay for routine stuff. Just not open heart surgery or cancer treatment in my eyes. Go elsewhere where.
I’ll just leave this here: (NSFW)
https://youtu.be/7QH5LcmfyLI?si=hvx9v4iRDWm-L9P5
That’s a pretty good parody of VA care! Makes one think about the many situations you run across using the VA.
BOHICA!
“You cannot slash and trash the VA without eliminating essential positions which provide access and availability of health care,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ranking member of the committee.
Yeah, and let’s not forget that “Hanoi Jane” Fonda has more time in Vietnam htan “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal who has been a loyal tart to his party all of his political life.
OMG!!! That’s so freaking awesome, on point, and absolutely correct!!!
Remember though: the “Viet-Nam, USMC, veteran”, doesn’t rely on, nor use (I’m assuming) VA medical access.
Just ask Giap…
