Homeless vets number doubles despite Shinseki’s best efforts
USAToday reports that the number of homeless veterans or veterans at risk of being homeless has doubled over the last two years, while VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has assured us that the numbers were falling, you know, before the election;
Through the end of September, 26,531 of them were living on the streets, at risk of losing their homes, staying in temporary housing or receiving federal vouchers to pay rent, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports.
That’s up from 10,500 in 2010. The VA says the numbers could be higher because they include only the homeless the department is aware of.
Of course, the VA says it’s because they’re working harder to identify veterans, but, if they were working REALLY hard, the numbers would be falling because they’d be weeding out actual veterans from the number who say they’re veterans. But, I guess working REALLY hard would mean that they’d have to actually work instead of throwing themselves lavish parties and calling it training.
So, where is Shinseki’s resignation? The backlog of claims have grown, the number of homeless has doubled and those were the two things Shinseki said he was going to cure at the DVA. Maybe if he gave all of the homeless black berets, that would cure the problem.
Category: Veterans Issues
We have been told repeatedly the numbers were dropping dramatically… good ole VA propaganda at its finest.
That Black Beret thing didn’t work out so well either
I’m not holding my breath
Yeah…..
I’m going to go with the government not even knowing if they are veterans or not and wanting their annual budgets to increase to “help”.
Or maybe it’s because “support the troops” stops with words and companies don’t hire veterans due to our disgusting ass government saying they are America’s #1 threat.
I had the honor of serving as escort officer for MOH recipient Bruce “snake 6” Crandall to CSM Plumely’s funeral a few months back and ol Shinseki “Black Beret” was there. Crandall and a few other old timers were giving him a hard time about some things in the VA. It was jovial but you could sense a little frustration on their part, and Herr General seemed a little on edge about it. Was a good time
@4
That is a great story. Congrats on the experience too.
I had high hopes when he took over. I will give him credit for 2 thigs that I am positive about:
1. The “cradle to grave” electronic medical records. I haven’t seen anyithing but positive improvements from this.
2. Combining the ETS/Retirement Physical and the VA evaluation physical into one as part of the exit process from the military.
The VA Is full of red tape and shit sack bureaucrats that have been embedded there for decades. The technology helps but if you don’t improve the process and change the mindset and work ethic of the employees there isn’t anything that’s going to change.
Yep, I’ve been talking to some of the vets over here at Brockton VA hospital and they say the homeless shelters are packed, some benefit claimants are waiting around a year to hear back and many are appealing. Also had the privilege of meeting one young Airman who claims to have PTSD from watching videos from the Iraq War. You guys should have seen the crocodile tears on this one, and he’s going straight for the money. Says he has a friend who stayed on base in Kuwait the entire time (mind you, this is after the initial shock and awe period) and the guy received not only 100% disability, but also has a “caregiver” that rips the VA of another $1,500 a month. Seriously? How do you even stop such people? I’ve been dead-set on answering that question since my good ol’ days in NYC.
Oh right, now we’re taking MSM reporting as fact. Get your rhetoric together John. The VA is one of the most socialist and hideously bureaucratic systems in our government. Same with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. What do you expect from another welfare program? Oh that’s right, welfare is only a good system when it’s veterans that get the checks not the Blacks in the ghettos.
It’s not Shinseki, it’s the entire system here. Why the hell is Shinseki VA secretary anyway? He’s a general not a bureaucrat. He should be Secretary of Defense, he’s far better qualified than that asswipe Panetta. Shinseki was an Army Chief, Panetta is a career politician.
@8
” Oh that’s right, welfare is only a good system when it’s veterans that get the checks not the Blacks in the ghettos”
Hey moron…in case you haven’t figured out Veterans Benefits aren’t welfare.
When the Govenrment that YOU elected into offie chooses to send the military into danger on YOUR behalf…YOU and everyone else has also agreed to pay for the consequences of those decisions…
You insult all of use here with asinine statements like that
@8,,, Don’t even compare VA benefits with Welfare. You playing the race card? You do realize that minorities can be disabled Veterans also.
If this is Shinseki’s “best effort”, I’d hate to see his half-assed one.
@8 Both sex and rape must be equally abhorrent to you.
“It’s like I’m a shark… I’ve just got to keep making analogies.”
Through the years I’ve run across so many homeless vets at bus stops, street corners and convenience stores. So I start talking to them, asking simple questions like, “where did you serve? What unit were you with? Where did you train? What was your MOS?” I’ve been disappointed every time. They have all been liars. I have yet to meet a guy with a “Homeless vet” sign or story who was real. I’m not saying they aren’t out there, just I don’t believe they are a prevalent as we are lead to believe.
I have personally seen the VA decline in the last few years. Hell I came back off active duty in Sep and still haven’t been able to get them to restart my compensation benefits for an already established disability….
@13 Jim, I have had the same experience. I know for sure that many homeless claim to be veterans in order to gain sympathy. In my dealings with the VA I’ve also come into contact with several “disabled veterans” who probably have bullshitted their way into the system. Unfortunately the guys who need help never try to go through the mess created by the phonies or are too proud to be lumped in with the druggie or criminal element who end up homeless.
Why not let real vets run the VA; the whole institution? Former Servicemembers who know when a story stinks. Who know or can do the basic research on what units were where. Or know when a drawdown occurred and the guy claiming PTSD could only have been 15 years old. And there needs to be one, linked nuisance database, so a guy exposed in one city can’t go across the state line and ply his bullshit story there. The other plus for having vets run the offices is they hate the red tape b’rocracy crap too, and will just get the job done. They’ll unf*ck the system in a year or less.
It’s like tackling suicide. We have to be there for each other. Vets taking care of vets. Very, very few career civilians are going to ‘get it’, regardless of how many letters they have after their name. We’re just a number to them.
Something tells me Shinseki is never going to be able to live down buying those chinese made berets.
While living and working in Seattle, I used to run across homeless “vets” hanging out at the various public venues with their cardboard signs in hand. One that I sort of took a liking to, was always trying to bullshit the public about his “special forces” service. Yea, right.
My partner had served in the Rangers(NCO)usually wouldn’t say shit even if he had a mouthful, verbally lit him up like a roman candle. Next time we saw the dude, he had clean olive drabs on his back, a hair cut, shaved off his beard and told us he didn’t want to play those kinds of games with my partner.
You had to be front and center for that shit. It was priceless and I ate it up like apple pie. From then on, any time we saw the homeless “vets” they’d cross the street and hide amongst the buskers…(communist)unionized sidewalk vendors if you are wondering what a busker is.
The American Legion fuckin scuzz bags!! DAV==Scum Bags VFW==more scum bags. The three hacks that con money out of veterans! Shinseki two words FUCK YOU!!!! Your a liar and a federal pimp! Shinseki you are also a punk for the federal government. DAV VFW American Legion all protect the VA> Why? Because they collect kash assistance and federal welfare money from the VA! Fuck You VA go to hell where you belong! Their going to give out million bucks to homeless vets?? Yeah to tell us theirs no beds and we dont qualify!!!! This damn shit head this “shin HO CHEE Chinn Seki.” Hey vietnam vets blanket party this hawiian shit sack hack will ya!! What a disgrace this turd is along with oboo zo !!! These two should be flushed down the toilet and be done with it!!!
FUCK YOU SHINSEKI GO FUCK YOUR SELF JACK ASS
HEY SHENSEKI FUCK YOU!! Your a rotten no good fuckin little mother fucker you punk bitch doosh bag! Your no fuckin good stealin and rippin off veterans to fund you and federal fuckin friends criminal lavish lifestyles you no good fuckin ass hole!!! 2015?? Bull shit you fuckin lier. awol mother fucking
little ass wipe fuck you!!!!!
BREEVE/hutmos: you’re posting from the same IP address. If you’re the same individual, how about using a consistent screen name vice two different ones. Using multiple personae is considered being a “sock puppet” and is also generally considered inappropriate.
Hondo, I wonder if he/she/it even made it to the fifth grade before dropping out of school to draw welfare