Puppies Assisting Wounded Service Members for Veterans Therapy Act – Funding Fraud
Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) seems to think it will be a good idea to throw $19,000,000.00 to paw at the critical shortage of puppies for damaged veterans crisis. The Bill passed the house and is on the way to the Senate.
H.R. 4305 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a pilot program to provide therapy to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Under that program, VA would provide grants to nongovernmental entities to teach those veterans to train service dogs. The bill also would require the Government Accountability Office to report to the Congress one year after enactment of the bill on the initial results of that program.
The bill would require VA to provide grants over a five-year period. Veterans who participate in the program would train service dogs for their personal use or for use by other veterans with physical disabilities. Using information about participation rates and costs of similar programs offered by several nongovernmental entities, CBO estimates that beginning later in 2020 about 150 veterans would take part in the pilot program each year at an average cost of $25,000 per participant. Using information about the costs of similar reports, CBO estimates that satisfying the reporting requirement would cost $1 million in 2021. In total, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 4305 would cost $19 million over the 2020-2024 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds (see Table 1).
I have a friend who is a veteran and just had to go through a background check, financial audit, home inspection, and character verification just to get a homeless puppy that was being held hostage by a group of obnoxious Dogooders. The notion that we are going to spend $25,000 a year on each puppy is bizarre. At what point do we stop throwing money at things just because it has the moniker “Veteran” attached to it.?
How many cases of fraud have we exposed here over this issue? I see no mention of how they are going to “Vet” the “Vets” for this program. We better put on a few more investigators just to specialize in muting the cacophony about to be unleashed by the hoard of professional victims that will result from this nonsense.
This will be one of the largest sources of fraud and it will breed a whole new litter of professional victims. Please stop this abuse.
Category: Dumbass Bullshit, Veteran Health Care
Can I have a Emotional Support Honey Badger? He keeps away annoying jerks I’d be pissed-off by.
Count me in for an Emotional Support Honey Badger, something to sic on obnoxious door to door Salesmen, asswipes who cut in front of you in the checkout line, crooked Contractors giving inflated estimates,…
I’ll take an emotional support bobcat, please! I’m not normally a cat person, but I can make an exception.
Yepper, I needs me one too. Something to tear a new asshole into the asshole that is pissing me. Kinda like the asshole congress critter on Dave’s Post and the two assholes on ninja’s post. Not sure which one pissed me off the most. Maybe I need a litter of Honey Badgers? A herd? Wouldn’t be a flock, would it? A gaggle?
Give me an effing break. I’ve adopted many a rescue critter. They are very appreciative and very easy to train. Most rescue groups will give you a video or book on the basics. The “background” check that the rescue did on me was to make sure I wouldn’t gonna use them for fight dogs, had a fence to keep them secured, and could afford the food and meds they may need. These congress critters in the District of Criminals need to realize that the free sh*t has got to end…NOW! We as a country owe 20 + TRILLION USD! FDR started all of that and LBJ turned it into a fine art. It called using the system to buy votes. Not as illegal as walking around with an overcoat pocket full of cash. Herman Talmadge D Rat GA, Byrd of WVA and the list goes on.
You want a puppy dog, go get one, many places have people that sponsor the adoption fees. You want a GI Bill education? Raise your right hand, take The Oath, put on the uniform and served the greatest Country in the world. Epstein didn’t kill himself and stay off my lawn.
Nice Honey Badger!
Somehow, I think if one can handle this as a support animal, he doesn’t need a support animal.
Perhaps so… but it would be fun to see.
I have an emotional support 300 Win Mag, does that count?
I can find you some puppies at $5,000 and save the taxpayers 20k on each government puppy…
Just write the check to me with the name my friends call me, CASH….and we’ll be fine folks.
Well, Rep Ilhan Omar is promoting an idea that was generated by Marine Iraq Veteran Will Fischer (please see his article at the link below the Fox News article) to offer the GI Bill to ALL Americans:
“Rep. Ilhan Omar Promotes Call For GI Bill To Apply To All Americans”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rep-omar-gi-bill-should-apply-to-all-americans
https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/a-veteran-explains-why-we-need-a-new-version-of-the-g-i-bill-for-everyone/
“Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is taking heat for sharing an article calling for the G.I. Bill — legislation that pays for American service members’ higher education — to apply to all U.S. citizens.”
“The story, written by Marine and Iraq veteran Will Fischer, who used the G.I. Bill’s benefits to pay for his college education, argues that the benefits of paying for veterans’ education have far outweighed the costs — and covering all Americans’ tuition would benefit not only those avoiding student debt but the economy as a whole.”
“Imagine what it would do for our country and those who live here if we were to take the ethos behind the original G.I. Bill and apply it to everybody—canceling all student debt and making public colleges, universities, and vocational schools tuition-free,” Omar tweeted, quoting the AlterNet story.”
I can’t stand that woman. Arrogant, disrespectful to our country, and content to blame the US for everything (you can always leave the US you know and if you do, don’t you ever come back). There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch Omar, because the tax payers are the ones that are going to be footing the bill one way or the other. It is no different than the “free” healthcare you get in Canada or the UK. You still pay for it through your taxes and rather you like it or not, healthcare is a service, not a right. Always has been, always will be. It’s no different than when you go to get your car repaired or have someone look at your air conditioning unit. Those people don’t work for free. No one in the world does. The social safety net that many European countries have (Scandinavia in particular) is no different, that has to be payed for as well and immigrating to those countries is not easy and the taxes are high. Heck immigrating to Canada is not exactly easy either. The difference between offering it to veterans and the rest of the country is that veterans earned it which is what the G.I. Bill was originally meant for and Will Fischer should know that. Good news is that Omar, Rashida, and Cortez are doing quite a bit of damage to the Democratic Party. Cortez in particular with her many gaffes.
The problem with this is twofold: First of all, not everybody has the ability to pass those tough college courses like “adult coloring” and “what gender am I?”
Second it lacks ambition.
A much cheaper way to achieve the same objective would be to simply grant every American a PhD in whatever subject they desire upon their 18th birthday. No college required, no tuition, no testing. Yesterday you were Buck Raunchey, 17 year old kid from Suburbia, USA, and today you are DOCTOR Buck Raunchey, PhD in applied physics.
See how easy that was?
What an enormous disservice to the tens of thousands (millions?) of those who served our country and earned this benefit, and turn it into a social program open to the FSA.
Typical thought process from the Socialist Democrats, and would be paid for by those who actually pay taxes. Us.
Give me a f’n break. $19 million — million! You know the program would require some new bureaucracy, hiring some GS or WG people, likely NOT veterans, to oversee veterans taking advantage of the boondoggle. SGT MAJ on a crutch. What kind of idiot is that Stivers?
The kind who gets inundated by such ideas and finally just gives up and goes with the flow.
I can’t imagine what being a congressman or senato must be like these days.
Of course, the entire problem would just go away if the government was not in the nanny business and had only the money necessary to run core (i.e. constitutionally mandated) programs and systems.
The income tax and Reserve system are the root of the problem. A government awash in cash is a government awash in corruption.
Right Lars?
Reminds me of the plastic Med kit/box on the LBFD “bus”, which has the star of life decal on it which costs around $50-60 bucks and you can go to walmart and get the same fishing box for around $20 bucks. Prices are boosted up on equipment that says emergency services on them.
Yeah, put that into effect and the next thing you’d see would be things like the APL Service Puppy Training Division!
Interesting.
He deployed to the Sandbox from October 2004 to December 2005 with the Ohio National Guard and served as a Battalion Commander.
“A career soldier, Stivers has served over 30 years in the Ohio Army National Guard and holds the rank of Brigadier General. He served the United States overseas during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and Djibouti where he led 400 soldiers and contractors and is proud that each and every one returned home safely to the United States. Stivers received the Bronze Star for his leadership throughout the deployment.”
So just what branch was he, Infantry? Ordnance? MP? Transportation? Signal?… Iraq is where things still happen, but Qatar is where we have the Rest Camp for those in harm’s way to go for a few, NO shooting going on there! Kuwait? BTDT, you just don’t go where there is UXO and don’t mess with the snakes or Scorpions.
API:
In September 2004, he became the Battalion Commander of the 237th Personnel Service Battalion.
He currently identifies himself as a Loggie.
a very strenuous and dangerous mission, no doubt.
His small battalion of less than 300 probably has about 12000 PTSoftheD cases.
And when the BG retires from the Guard he’ll immediately drop his VA service connected disability compensation application. I imagine he’ll be granted a 100% rating and eventually a Permanent & Total Disability characterization.
I hope no puppies are harmed in the making of this legislation.
I wonder how many veterans are getting sick of being portrayed as damaged (besides everyone here). Especially when it attracts parasites who want to fraudulently sponge off of the service.
Cameron,
This goes back decades and is highlighted in Jug Burkett’s seminal work STOLEN VALOR. Mr Burkett was a Vietnam veteran and one of the things that got under his craw was how the “typical” Vietnam Veteran was being depicted. Once he started researching the subject he uncovered the wholesale fraud that the Stolen Valor industry had become.
If you haven’t read the book, do so. Its starting to look like some of the same things are happening again.
On the original subject, any puppy with basic obedience training, would fill the requirements of an “emotional support animal”. Or as Martin so eloquently put it a Pet. My soon to be 4 year old 95+ pound German Shepherd needed a bit of advanced obedience training. He’s a great pet, companion, family protector and sometime comedian. What better emotional support can you ask for.
What Mr. Burkett has dug up with there being a lot of fraudulent activity with his research does not surprise me one bit, which is sad (you can’t completely eradicate fraud). I am willing to bet that this goes back to the beginning of civilization. Now I have heard of that book mentioned quite a bit around here. I may just buy it in the future (I can satisfy my reading craving with it while I wait for the next Destroyermen novel). I am curious to see what he has written about it.
I have a few questions for you USAFRetired if it’s alright.
Knock yourself out. I’m around here most days.
What’s your opinion on compulsory service (can be service in an organization like the Peace Corps in lieu of military service) and how would you implement it? I don’t exactly believe in compulsory service in anything but I find that belief being challenged.
“Emotional Support Animal?” Yes, I have one of those because another word for “Emotional Support Animal” is “Pet.”
MJ: Exactly. Plus it used to be called a dog pound. The term ‘rescue’ dog/cat/iguana/slug/et cetera reeks of virtue signaling. Maybe I’ll up the virtue signaling ante and bring home a rescue homeless guy. The cool part is that he is already trained to poop outside. Would a collar on him be too much?
You could re-enact the classic movie “Fido.”
This is for API.
Steve Stiver’s Military Background.
https://www.nationalguard.mil/portals/31/Features/ngbgomo/bio/3/3265.html
Looks as if he was a Quartermaster Officer and most likely, was stationed at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait while deoloyed for OIF as the Battalion Commander of the 237th Personnel Service Battalion, Ohio National Guard.
He probably went TDY to Iraq and Djibouti where he may have had some Soldiers there.
Don’t know if he had troops in Qater, but I do know Qater was “R & R” for some Soldiers who were in the Sandbox.
So, yes, he is a Loggie. Nothing wrong with that.
API:
This is what the 237th Personnel Service Battalion did during OIF 2004-2005:
“During their time deployed, the 237th delivered over 50 million pounds of mail. In addition, they reduced the delivery time of that mail by 25 percent from an average of 16 days to 12.”
“The 237th PSB was recommended for a Meritorious Unit Commendation, for their actions while deployed.”
http://www.sitemason.com/newspub/dtWzug?id=26079&mode=print
Nothing wrong with delivering mail to the Troops.
Not just delivering it, but delivering it in time that the beef jerky hasn’t turned! This might be one of those BSM for merit in the rear that I can get behind.
Bronze star for leadership? They do pass them out like candy don’t they. I’d be embarrassed to get a BS if I hadn’t at least dodged one bullet.
aGrimm:
Yes, that happened during the early part of OEF and OIF.
I THINK the ROE changed as time went on.
There were Soldiers who received the BSM for Meritorious Service in Vietnam as well who probably did not directly interact One on One with the Viet-Cong.
I think alot of Soldiers received the BSM for Grenada, Panama and Desert Storm as well.
Iraq and Asscrackistan, too.
yes. The MSM was not authorized in a combat zone so the BSM was awarded as it was designed to be.
I don’t mind senior leaders getting a BSM for their work, but not if they were at Camp Cupcake.
The leadership stress of sleeping in a private room, no incoming, no patrols, and no base defense duties must really be rough. Clowns…
just my own opinion, though.
Speaking sense like that tells me you were probably a SGM I’d have been happy to serve under.
At least it’s not Combat Action Badge earned for being 195m (“within 200m”) from a rocket, mortar, etc. (“IDF”) impact… I’d rather explain a Purple Heart earned while whackin’ in the porta pottie due to shrapnel.
I am bringing my elder pup to the vet this week, 5K to get ride of the bad lump. He is my boy.
There were 324 cosponsors for bill H.R.4305 – PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act (190 R’s & 134 Dem’s).
FINALLY, a bill with Bi-partisan support! (sarc)
While they’re at it, how about them supporting bill H.R. 69 – “Emotional Support Strippers For Vets Therapy Act”. (grin)
https://congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4305/cosponsors?searchResultViewType=expanded&KWICView=false
“The only Charity I care about dances for money in a G-string.”
~ Cotton Hill (War Hero & Hank Hill’s Dad)
Look at the bright side. We can generate our own lethal influenza, and our own Wuhan Klan with all these people turning their houses into barns. We won’t have to order out Chinese anymore. I do love my two dogs though. Mrs. Larson(looking over shoulder)? I kid. She’s a keeper. Seriously, I go to the hospital a lot. It’s beginning to look like The Westminster Show. Last week a Dane…HUGE!