This is terrifying. And, it is shocking to even a long time VA distrust-er like myself. Who is running the VA? Is it the out of work commissars from the old Soviet Union? The Drug Cartels? A pack of wolves? At the very moment of ill health or advanced age, when a veteran is most in need of help and gentle care, the VA goes for the throat in order to funnel a few $$$ to cronies. And, turns the screws even further when the veteran dares to complain? It makes me ill to read about it. I am grateful to Jim and Larry for exposing this.
I am a life member of the DAV and I strongly support shutting down the entire VA medical operation and handing disabled veterans an insurance card. It would save the tax payers mega bucks and provide safe dignified care to veterans such as the rest of the nation already receives. VA medical care is dangerous, inefficient and completely beyond repair. The only losers if it were to be shut down would be the losers that depend on it for a job.
I look at it this way, anytime I fight the VA, I am not doing it for myself, but rather for later veterans down the road. Very few of us live long enough to actually extract justice from the VA in just our one life time.
I know of absolutely nothing that VA doctors do better than civilian doctors. Give each disabled veteran an insurance card and close down the VA. The tax payers would save serious mega Bucks and the veterans would receive safe dignified treatment as well as more accurate diagnoses. Of course, that will never be done, because it would cut the bureaucrats, the politicians and the big veterans groups out of their slice of the juicy veteran health care pie.
It seems to me, that if I can ONLY access information that I myself have uploaded into the system, that it would be simpler and easier to just keep the information here on my desk where I can look at it anytime I want, without going through the hassle of giving it to the VA first and then jumping through hoops to look at it.
Of course, that's just me, an uneducated old Sergeant, I am sure these big shots at the VA know what they are doing. ;-)
The call centers exist for one reason and one reason only, to protect the VARO's from the odious chore of having to receive and attempt to answer questions from veterans. And they are a great success at attaining that purpose. The VARO's are free to travel. party and compute bonuses without being bothered by any calls from those troublesome veterans.
You are so correct, at least people recognize the name Vietnam!
If I had access to a national health plan like in Canada I would never darken the door of a VA facility again. Anything is better than the VA. I have crossed the border into Mexico before for medical care rather than go to the VA, and I would do it again for many types of care. The VA is a broken system with a captive clientele. I don't personally know anyone, certainly no politicians that use the VA by choice.
I am a 100% service connected disabled Vietnam veteran. I moved to southern Indiana and receive health care through the Marion, Illinois VAMC because apparently Indiana does not have it's own VAMC. Marion is the worst mess of any VAMC I have ever seen anywhere. Dangerous, unclean and disorganized. Nothing works there. Nothing Nothing works and there is no way to communicate
![[Avatar]](/images/avatar26.png){kind=avatar}
Opus