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Did anyone catch the segment on NBC news last night about the backlog of veteran’s benefits?
Apparently vets are returning from their service with physical and emotional disabilities and have to wait months in order to receive the benefits they are entitled to. This report comes from the MSM I know but, what set me on fire was the interview with the little VA bureaucratic shit that stated something to the effect of:
This has been an ongoing issue for decades so we are now taking measures to correct it.
What in the hell is wrong with the people that run our government? Decades? Really? Now you’re going to take care of it? WTF?
No one at the VA had the foresight to see this coming after being in Afghanistan and Iraqi for all this time? Somebody was asleep at the wheel and should be fired for this. Not some low level management scapegoat….someone at the top level should have to pay for this disgrace.
A pure slap in the face of the men and women who served this country.
This government is a train wreck and everyday I’m more ashamed of its’ conduct.
Littlelebowski
03-22-13, 09:29
I'd personally be ecstatic with a turn around measured in months for my claims. I'm at over a year on a couple.
Welcome to government managed health care. The VA is not unique in this. I've lived nation wide government managed health care and the VA is über efficient comparatively.
I understand your ire though and agree that the returning vets should be getting help ASAFP.
Army Chief
03-22-13, 09:38
The work-around for vets is just to become bums and drug addicts. Our generous unmerited entitlement programs seem to be models of efficiency by comparison.
AC
From NBC's web site: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/21/17404780-obama-urged-to-step-in-to-fix-va-backlog?lite
Littlelebowski
03-22-13, 09:44
I made a claim in January of 2012. Said claim's projected resolution date has been pushed to June of 2014 because I put in a different, unrelated claim in December of 2012.
Can anyone explain this logic?
Took 18 months before I got any action. I'm coming up on a year for an amendment to my status...still waiting...
Smuckatelli
03-22-13, 10:00
18 months after my claim was submitted, it came back denied because I didn't supply VA medical records from 1983-2000.
I have to resubmit and state that I don't have VA medical records from that time because I wasn't in the VA Medical System. I was on Active Duty.
polymorpheous
03-22-13, 10:17
My brother got a TBI in Al Taji from an IED.
The VA didn't believe him that something was wrong until her had a seizure on the street in front of my house.
He got MRI's and wouldn't you know it... TBI, front temporal lobe.
The Army also said he was lying about his Gluten allergy.
He has ruptered discs in his back and an extreme curve in his spine.
They drag their feet whenever they can and shove too many pills down these guy's throat.
Oh yeah, they also refuse to award him a Purple Heart for the TBI.
His MOS was 11C.
This is an absolute disgrace. We have billions of dollar for joint strike fighters, submarines... and yet we can't spend the money to fulfill commitments to people who have already served. To my mind VA hospitals should be cathedrals of modern medicine and innovative care. Benefits should take as long as it takes in a car accident.
It is sad that a bunch of senators from both parties could not have gotten together and said "we are going to hold hearing, allocate money, and fix this". People do a 12 month combat tour and then wait 18 months for benefits.... disgraceful. If its a question of money the head of the VA should be banging desks, throwing furniture and demanding action. We are losing more service members to suicide than combat... Politicians of both parties parrot the "you are the bravest, best military we have ever had. We are so grateful that you are defending us". But when he photo op is over and the uniforms are off and the band is gone, they are like "oh, you're still here. The thing is this war stopped being fun for us, so good luck to you". Not sure how they sleep at night.
gunrunner505
03-22-13, 10:53
This is sad. We take fine young people, ship them off to some shithole where they give of themselves for their country and this is what they come home to? Bureaucratic BS? Awesome.
Welcome to Obamacare. We take national health care and turn it over to a bunch of dumbasses who can't run a post office, can't adequately care for our veterans and now they are supposed to care for us all? Take the time to fix the VA system jackass. Get these people what they need.
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Don't know much or anything about the background of you veterans that have responded here. Or what your needs and/or issues may be. I'm sincerely sorry you are having trouble obtaining what you deserve.
What I do know is this. A veteran should not return from service to their country only to be thrown into a river of red tape when seeking entitled benefits.
Knowing the governments’ propensity for paperwork, I would think it would be easy to verify a vets background or service record and what is causing them to seek treatment or services.
A soldier that has been verifiably wounded, whether physically or mentally, ought to have an ID card they can scan when they walk in the door of the VA hospital to receive treatment and it shouldn’t take months or years to get it.
When we went into Afghanistan and then Iraqi did no one think of the consequences fighting a war would have on the soldiers actually fighting it?
Was making adjustments within the VA system not part of the plan when we decided to go to war?
Did Congress not appropriate funds to shore up the VA for the onslaught of vets that would surely come?
Apparently not and it is shameful.
Our generous unmerited entitlement programs seem to be models of efficiency by comparison.
AC
Yes they do. And, have been abused by the unworthy practically since their inception 50 years ago.
A sad comparison.
Good to see you about Chief!
This is why "government" and "efficiency" are oxymorons. Jeez you'd think they were NFA Form filings or something....
I saw this last night and it pissed me off more than the "Corky's Place" story. This is unconscionable.
Did they not realize how many people were in the military? Did they not realize benefits would be needed when tours came to an end? The government should have no money for anything until these men are taken care of.
If welfare checks or EBT cards are two weeks late there would be rioting in the streets. The fact that they had to set up a suicide hotline for those who can't do over 200 days without the promised support is a national disgrace.
I hate to draw the parallel but I can remember when vets returning from Vietnam were caught up in red tape, marginalized and often relegated to second class citizen status. Even as a child I couldn't understand how this country could let a war veteran become homeless.
I guess at least we aren't leaving a bunch of unaccounted for POWs behind this time.
I have been dealing with the Veteran's Administration since 1985 and here is my opinion on the issue.
The Veteran's Administration should be nothing more than a clearing house to pay medical bills and disability benefits to qualified Veterans. Service connected injuries/disabilities should be the criteria for receiving benefits. Becoming a drunk or drug addict after you are discharged should not make you eligible.
If a Veteran has earned disability benefits, they should be allowed to go to any doctor in their own community to receive care and be admitted to a local hospital for medical procedures. The local doctor can provide documentation to the VA every 5 years to update the status of a Veteran's disability claim.
Close all of the VA hospitals; they are not cost effective to maintain. Authorize veterans who have earned benefits to seek out medical care in their own communities. Eliminate 90% of the VA bureaucracy and focus strictly on processing claims and paying medical bills.
A lot of companies in the civilian sector are outsourcing certain tasks to become more efficient and the Federal government should be no different. The first priority of the Veteran's Administration should be supporting disabled Veterans, not sustaining the Veteran's Administration bureaucracy.
I have been dealing with the Veteran's Administration since 1985 and here is my opinion on the issue.
The Veteran's Administration should be nothing more than a clearing house to pay medical bills and disability benefits to qualified Veterans. Service connected injuries/disabilities should be the criteria for receiving benefits. Becoming a drunk or drug addict after you are discharged should not make you eligible.
If a Veteran has earned disability benefits, they should be allowed to go to any doctor in their own community to receive care and be admitted to a local hospital for medical procedures. The local doctor can provide documentation to the VA every 5 years to update the status of a Veteran's disability claim.
Close all of the VA hospitals; they are not cost effective to maintain. Authorize veterans who have earned benefits to seek out medical care in their own communities. Eliminate 90% of the VA bureaucracy and focus strictly on processing claims and paying medical bills.
A lot of companies in the civilian sector are outsourcing certain tasks to become more efficient and the Federal government should be no different. The first priority of the Veteran's Administration should be supporting disabled Veterans, not sustaining the Veteran's Administration bureaucracy.
I can't see anything I disagree with. Except perhaps becoming an addict after being discharged, there should at least be some kind of assistance available to those who want help. Not an automatic benefit mind you, but somebody to help those who seek help.
Belmont31R
03-22-13, 14:24
If you join the military today I would not expect any medical care aside from little shit they treat at the clinic, and most of the time they just throw a bottle of motrin at you.
Vets, disabled, ect....don't expect anything from them. So if you want to join don't make 'VA benefits' a reason why.
The VA has become overwhelmed with claims for TBI, PTSD, back injuries, etc. Now, what is the common theme behind all of these claims?
They are all very difficult to prove, verify, or validate. A large percentage are completely bogus. Just like personal injury scams and ambulance chasers, there is a whole legal industry built around milking the system for disability dollars, pain meds, etc. Thus, people with valid injuries get to wait.
An analogous situation exists in emergency medicine when the old man with back pain suffers a delay in diagnosing his ruptured aortic aneurysm because the waiting room is packed with colds, ankle sprains, vaginal bleeding, etc. Poor signal to noise ratios have bad effects. The natural reaction is for everybody to scream for more money as if dollars grow on trees.
Now, I'm all ears of somebody wants to divert funds from entitlements such as Medicaid. Good luck bringing that sacred cow to the sacrificial alter.
Littlelebowski
03-22-13, 14:38
The VA has become overwhelmed with claims for TBI, PTSD, back injuries, etc. Now, what is the common theme behind all of these claims?
For the first two, could the common theme be combat on two fronts? Maybe?
If you join the military today I would not expect any medical care aside from little shit they treat at the clinic, and most of the time they just throw a bottle of motrin at you.
Vets, disabled, ect....don't expect anything from them. So if you want to join don't make 'VA benefits' a reason why.
Yea, you'd have been much better off had they given you Percocet and Xanax instead...
In reality, the VA does a fair job (C- grade) at handling routine health maintenance such as colonoscopy, diabetes education, etc. It fails at responding to sudden changes in condition.
For the first two, could the common theme be combat on two fronts? Maybe?
Not to mention fighting an enemy that is difficult to distinguish from those who claim to be our allies and those we are supposed to be rescuing all the while abiding by ROE more restrictive than what was used against US citizens at Ruby Ridge.
I'm sure there are some scammers who are faking it, but when it comes to combat vets I give the benefit of the doubt and they are innocent until proven guilty. And those who do attempt to defraud the VA we should leave to those who have genuine issues and are being held up by those with fraudulent claims to decide their fate.
polymorpheous
03-22-13, 15:02
The VA has become overwhelmed with claims for TBI, PTSD, back injuries, etc. Now, what is the common theme behind all of these claims?
They are all very difficult to prove, verify, or validate. A large percentage are completely bogus. Just like personal injury scams and ambulance chasers, there is a whole legal industry built around milking the system for disability dollars, pain meds, etc. Thus, people with valid injuries get to wait.
An analogous situation exists in emergency medicine when the old man with back pain suffers a delay in diagnosing his ruptured aortic aneurysm because the waiting room is packed with colds, ankle sprains, vaginal bleeding, etc. Poor signal to noise ratios have bad effects. The natural reaction is for everybody to scream for more money as if dollars grow on trees.
Now, I'm all ears of somebody wants to divert funds from entitlements such as Medicaid. Good luck bringing that sacred cow to the sacrificial alter.
Hmm.
Let me ask my kid brother if he is faking it.
You're a medical doctor.
I'll get back to you as to what exactly those IED's did to him.
Then, perhaps you will understand the level of care the VA gives to combat veterans.
For the first two, could the common theme be combat on two fronts? Maybe?
Not really. Many claims for TBI occur when the "injured" was well outside the injury radius of the blast and suffered no loss of consciousness. My personal favorite was the soldier who wanted a LOD for a motor vehicle collision where he hit his head. This collision occurred on the FOB, traveling less than 5 mph, and wearing a helmet. Another wanted a LOD for his appendicitis since be was having chronic abdominal pain after successful surgery - the docs at Bagram must have botched it.
In terms of PTSD, we now have drone operators filing claims. Also, take a look at this claims rates for reservists vs active duty - they are very different...humm.
Army Chief
03-22-13, 15:14
Talk about perspective ... I'm fighting as hard as I can NOT to be forced into retirement with a 100% disability right now. ;)
AC
Hmm.
Let me ask my kid brother if he is faking it.
You're a medical doctor.
I'll get back to you as to what exactly those IED's did to him.
Then, perhaps you will understand the level of care the VA gives to combat veterans.
Relax. I'm not accusing your brother of faking anything. There are plenty of soldiers with legit injuries who get bad care. Direct your anger at those working the system. My personal experience leads me to believe that it is somewhere between 20-30% when it comes to PTSD and TBI.
Trust me, I have first hand experience of VA care - from both sides of the hospital bed.
Talk about perspective ... I'm fighting as hard as I can NOT to be forced into retirement with a 100% disability right now. ;)
AC
And you are a rare breed.
Belmont31R
03-22-13, 15:23
The VA has become overwhelmed with claims for TBI, PTSD, back injuries, etc. Now, what is the common theme behind all of these claims?
They are all very difficult to prove, verify, or validate. A large percentage are completely bogus. Just like personal injury scams and ambulance chasers, there is a whole legal industry built around milking the system for disability dollars, pain meds, etc. Thus, people with valid injuries get to wait.
An analogous situation exists in emergency medicine when the old man with back pain suffers a delay in diagnosing his ruptured aortic aneurysm because the waiting room is packed with colds, ankle sprains, vaginal bleeding, etc. Poor signal to noise ratios have bad effects. The natural reaction is for everybody to scream for more money as if dollars grow on trees.
Now, I'm all ears of somebody wants to divert funds from entitlements such as Medicaid. Good luck bringing that sacred cow to the sacrificial alter.
In my case, even after about 15 visits to the clinic while AD they basically said the MRI has a 6 month wait list and heres a bottle of OTC meds.
Talk about perspective ... I'm fighting as hard as I can NOT to be forced into retirement with a 100% disability right now. ;)
AC
You sound like the rare breed I worked for while I was on active duty. None of them could pass a physical to attend bootcamp. They all had bits and pieces missing, only a few of them could walk upright and the old Master Chief wore hearing aids the size of transistor radios.
Good luck with your fight to stay on active duty. Keep up the good fight.
There will always be someone around to work the system. Any system.
I've never received one penny of assistance from the goverment for any reason in my entire 54 years. Always heard that it was mostly a pain in the ass no matter what type aid you were seeking.
So, I may be out of my element when discussing this but, is there not a type of administrative "triage" that is used when applying for benefits? Or, does the guy that has suffered an IED blast, has blurred vision, loss of hearing and missing a limb or two get the same consideration as the guy who has PTSD and is having bad dreams (nobody take this as not being a serious condition please)
Does everyone, no matter the issue, just apply and wait in line on a first come first served basis?
The VA is an example of socialized medicine. Thus, it is subject to all of the limitations of other socialized systems which includes its fair share of fraud, waste, and abuse. Is it better than the socialized care that you would get in Cuba or Venezuela? Sure, but nobody should be surprised that it falls far short of the Mayo Clinic or John's Hopkins.
However, let's not fool ourselves into thinking that these problems will go away if Uncle Sam gave every vet BC/BS and told them to go get a civilian doctor. Cost containment will always be an issue.
ICANHITHIMMAN
03-22-13, 16:46
Welcome to government managed health care. The VA is not unique in this. I've lived nation wide government managed health care and the VA is über efficient comparatively.
I understand your ire though and agree that the returning vets should be getting help ASAFP.
The funny part is no one seams to realize this is obamacare in a nuts shell! I'm going on 3 years of ****ing with them, Its so frustrating if you did not have an issue before you will by the time its settled. I had to get a congress mans to make phone calls. I have a buddy who took a round in the chest in 2004 and was just retired yesterday.
ICANHITHIMMAN
03-22-13, 17:02
Another wanted a LOD for his appendicitis since be was having chronic abdominal pain after successful surgery - the docs at Bagram must have botched it.
Its funny you mentioned this, I'm sure they are different situations but in 2004 one of our team leaders got appendicitis. When he returned to the fob he got real, real sick and had to be med vac-ed again turns out they left some gauze inside him and it got infected BAF docs.
I got out in MAR 05 and submitting a claim is required through ACAP and I didn't get my disibility benefits until I think AUG or SEP. It was a nice back pay check though. I thought I got denied and was never told.
ramairthree
03-22-13, 21:53
The VA is hampered by several things.
Try to work a NSPS or GS rating to pay the right specialists enough to get quality guys. Say a cardiologist. You can not get the pay to match. FPs, etc. sure but not the competitive specialties.
Let's say you manage to hire one. A civilian cardiologist gets paid more if he sees more people. A government one get's paid the same whether he works in the most patients or the minimum.
A civilian cardiologist will have ancillary staff ensuring he sees the most patients in the most efficient manner. The VA will give him a cumbersome records system and make them do all kinds of BS someone would do for them instead.
Overall, they end up seeing fewer patients.
Now look at the patient load. Out of a hundred trying to get in for TBI or PTSD, twenty or thirty may be for real. The rest are scammers. Other conditions, etc. are different, but overall it is crazy.
Yes, the whole system makes me mad at what the people that deserve it are not getting.
NavyDavy55
03-24-13, 05:40
I was denied an increase for my service-connected disability by the VA.
The appeal is going on two years and an average appeal takes around five years or more.
Littlelebowski
03-24-13, 06:47
I thought I would check my status at eBenefits. Site's down (very common occurrence).
ICANHITHIMMAN
03-24-13, 07:49
I thought I would check my status at eBenefits. Site's down (very common occurrence).
The site is a Beta version its not reliable at all brother. About a year ago I had my appeal on there and I was tracking all the steps. It finally said decision YA right, NO. I waited and waited noting came in the mail. I started the long process of trying to get some one on the phone, 3 weeks later I found out they had not decided anything after 15 months they had not denied anything either. They simply stopped it because as I later found out someone there entered it in to the wrong system. That was 3 years after initial filing date and the day I called my congressman. I got a phone call about 3 weeks later and now have my own personal phone number to my case manager. Still waiting though as for some reason they don't have Army records for my 6 years of service only the 4 from my Navy service. Good thing I had copies.
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