The sanctimonious rhetoric consistently offered up/about “lacking care of the troops and their families” is being exposed as hollow for thousands of those service members. Lawmakers and veteran advocates criticized Defense Department Officials last week for continued questions surrounding personality disorder discharges by DOD, a practice critics say allows the military to avoid paying for some war injuries by blaming problems instead on pre-existing medical conditions. In 2009, the military discharged more than 2000 patriotic service members for conditions DOD says were lingering from before their enlistment. Every one of these service members underwent a pre-enlistment physical and found to be fit for services.
Troops who are found to have pre-existing medical conditions or mental disorders that would make them unsuitable for continued military service can be dismissed from the service, denied long term veteran’s medical care and even forced to repay their enlistment signing bonus even if they’ve already served in combat and sustained injuries there.
As the Defense budget comes under increasing pressure, bureaucrats and bean counters have found a cost cutting practice at the expense of those who willingly served and sacrificed. Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Bob Filner, D-California, frustrated by DOD and VA actions, stated “This begs the question of how many soldiers have to commit suicide, go bankrupt, and end up homeless before real action is taken to remedy this problem?”
Just wait until these unsuspecting veterans have to deal with the VA. If they are fortunate enough to even get rated within two years, then these hapless souls must deal with surly, bureaucratic individuals that could care less about the veteran, doctors that prefer to cut and paste previous records in order to save time, thereby falsifying medical records and extraordinary wait times for the privilege of NOT being treated! Add to these facts, dirty examination rooms, limited parking areas, long distance travel, inability to communicate with outside personal doctors and a major influx of new wounded veterans, the VA is making the "scandal" at Walter Reed a walk in the park. God help anyone if they have a terminal disease. If this is the model for the future of healthcare in this country, not only are the veterans screwed once again, our whole country, or what is left of it will be ruined. I'll bet no one in Congress is using the VA for their private healthcare.
ReplyDeleteI thought General Shinseki, who spent months recuperating in a VA hospital, was going to address these and other more pressing issues from his personal experiences. All we got was a beret when he retired from the Army. What are we getting now?