Effort to Snatch $10 Billion From Veterans

[DeepseekerADS]

Obama Betrayal: Effort to Snatch $10 Billion From Veterans

Sunday, 15 Feb 2015 08:44 AM
By Betsy McCaughey

The Veterans Administration bureaucracy is already sabotaging the VA reform law passed in August. The ink is barely dry on the 8.6 million "Choice Cards" that supposedly allow vets to see a doctor outside the delay-plagued system.

Obama’s budget tries to snatch the $10 billion allocated for the Choice program and allow it to be spent however VA top administrators want. It’s a sickening betrayal.

Even worse, VA secretary Robert McDonald is telling federal lawmakers that this underhanded move will better serve "VA system priorities." That’s the problem. He’s more interested in protecting "the system" than vets. It’s all about bureaucratic turf and union jobs.

With a straight face, McDonald says it has " nothing to do with us trying to gut the Choice Card or anything like that; it was about flexibility." Flexibility for VA bureaucrats, not for ailing vets who need it. Removing the funding definitely will gut the program because the law says the Choice program expires whenever funding runs out.

At a Feb. 2 press briefing, VA administrators facetiously claimed that sick vets don't want to see outside physicians, and that use of the Choice Cards was "much lower" than they had expected. That’s a whopper. When asked, they couldn’t provide any specifics.

Pete Hegseth, CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, can. He reports that vets get the runaround when they call the VA for permission to use the Choice Card. "The VA is making a concerted attempt to undermine anything that looks like choice."

Vets get told they don’t meet the requirement for living 40 miles or more from a VA facility, or they haven’t endured an unacceptably long wait for care, or their care isn’t medically necessary.

VA administrators are lying to Congress when they say vets don’t want choice. A Tarrance Group poll the first week of February found that 88 percent of vets polled said it is "extremely" or "very important" to increase their healthcare choices.

Here’s another whopper: The president’s budget parrots the VA’s claim that the money allocated for Choice is urgently needed to "support essential investments in VA system priorities."

How urgent are those priorities? At their press briefing, the VA brass couldn’t name any.

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller, R. Fla., dismisses the notion that the Choice money is needed elsewhere, pointing out that the VA has "left hundreds of millions in healthcare funding unspent since 2010 while thousands of vets languished on waiting lists." Not to mention that the president’s new budget proposal increases VA funding by another 7.5 percent.

"It’s not about money," says Hegseth. "The VA wants to perpetuate its dysfunctional system" by keeping vets from choosing to go elsewhere for care.

The shenanigans against the Choice program are one sign that little progress has been made at the VA since the celebrated enactment of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014. Politicians took their bows, and then the VA administrators got busy dismantling the reforms before they could succeed.

Too bad lives are at stake. On Feb. 12, President Obama signed a suicide prevention bill, named for Clay Hunt, a Marine who had served in Iraq and later killed himself. It passed Congress unanimously. Too bad no lawmakers asked whether it has any chance of succeeding.

The answer is, probably not. The law says VA suicide prevention programs will get outside evaluations. So what? The VA has been inspected ad nauseum by the General Accountability Office, Inspectors General, and other auditors. The reports pile up, unread, and the VA’s dysfunction lives on.

Indeed, the GAO — unimpressed with the reform promises of the new VA secretary — just named the entire Veterans Administration a "high risk" program.

What’s needed is a system that puts vets in the driver’s seat, allowing them to take their medical care funding wherever they choose. On Feb. 26, a bipartisan task force assembled by Concerned Veterans for America will unveil such a plan. It’s already attracting support of powerful lawmakers, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R. Calif., and Miller. But with the VA leadership and unions lined up against them, they have their work cut out for them.

 

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[Unclebuck257]

Thanks Deepseeker. This info is not known to many of us specifically and many of us had hopes that the choice cards would do something to help us although we had our serious doubts. I've personally heard everyone of those excuses as to why I couldn't use mine. Hell, the VA docs found through a cat scan on Jan 28th that I have an area at the base of my brain that is either blood that settled from a stroke I had that I didn't know about recently or a growth of unknown origin. Only an MRI will be able to clearly show them what's going on so the neurosurgeons can make a determination correctly. I have an appt on Feb 25th to meet with neurosurgery and the VA couldn't get me in for an MRI until March 19th. Supposedly I was ok'd for an MRI by a civilian entity before that Feb 25th appt. I keep calling the VA to find out the name and phone number of the civilian entity to call and make arrangements for that MRI asap, but to date, my phone calls go unreturned and I haven't gotten a letter with the civilian entity info, as I was told I would. It's now Feb 16th and I'm no further than I was to getting a very needed MRI on Jan 28th. I've been told that the system is just overwhelmed right now and getting the info out to me regarding the civilian entity may or may not happen. I was also told not to cancel my March 19th MRI appt with the VA just in case! Just in case what!!?? Either they've OK'd me with a civilian entity for an MRI or not! What do they mean "just in case"!? Sounds an awful lot to me like a BS line to put me off until the VA does the MRI themselves on March 19th!

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I "liked" your post just to notify you that I have responded.

I can't "like" your situation.

Good luck on that my friend, the best to you.

I've felt I had pretty good service at the Salem Virginia VA hospital. On up until the middle of last year. I'd had cataract surgery on one eye, multiple colonoscopies ultimately leading to a hemi-colonectomy. After follow up appointments, the service has absolutely dropped off. I've called more than 10 times to get another appointment - have yet to get anyone on the phone, and leaving messages must be set to auto-deletion at the hospital.

I love my primary care physician. But even getting to her is impossible now. I've e-mailed her in the past through my VA online account and received responses. I also renew my prescriptions on-line. I do hate to bother her, the waiting room is always full.

I received my "Choice Card" more than a month before my brother received his, and my oldest friend just got his = whatever good they will do, and here we go getting unfunded - before I even tried to use it.....

 

[waxy luster]

What this Country needs is a Coup d'état.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Unclebuck257]

Deepseeker,

I well understand your "like" my friend. What I'm about to say was info given to me by a woman on the phone from that company handling the "Veterans Choice" cards. Apparently they are NOT handled directly by the VA and are handled by a company contracted by the VA to do so. That 866 number to call listed on the card is this contract company's phone number and goes directly to them. They then proceed to make arrangements for the Vet to see an out of VA physician.

Deep, I'm not sure how old you are or if you're on Medicare yet like I am. Regardless, if you either have Medicare or have some kind of private insurance, in addition to the VA healthcare, all the rules of having seperate insurance coverage will also apply to any medical care recieved by a VET when it is recieved while using the Choice Card. In other words, it's the same rules as when you have an emergency and go to a civilian hospital for immediate treatment because you can't make it to the nearest VA Hospital. In the latter example, the VA can, and believe me will, deny you coverage, and thus payment, for those emergency medical expenses for one of four reasons, one of which is IF you have what they consider "private" insurance. Medicare is considered "private" coverage. They won't even pay for the 20% part under Medicare that your average Medicare coverage doesn't cover without that additional Medicare coverage insurance you have to buy.

These "Choice" cards operate in much the same way regarding your having "private" coverage. All co-pays of your private insurance apply and any meds prescribed by a civilian physician under that Choice Card plan are yours to fully pay for and get, seperate from the VA. As you know, if you are treated for anything at a VA facility, whatever prescriptions you are prescribed are then filled and provided for you by the VA directly at no cost to the Vet, at least not in my case.

These "Choice Cards" are not apparently what they are advertised on the surface to be.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Deep, I'm not sure how old you are or if you're on Medicare yet like I am.

I'm 65 and have only the Medicaid, and none of the add-ons. They keep calling and writing me to sign up for the "parts" and I always refuse. I have a paper here somewhere I saved, a letter from the VA stating that since I have the VA Health Insurance, I'm not required to sign up for the bummercare. And since the VA (used to) handles my medical, on the phone the "add-on" telemarketers protest and argue, they always go away since I'm already covered.

After this choice card fiasco has come to light, and the greater difficulty of reaching the VA, I'm not feeling as secure as I once did.

Thanks for the "real story"

 

[Unclebuck257]

Deep,

Since now I know that you too are on Medicare parts A&B directly from the gov't , without any of those add ons, just like I am, I want to warn you of something you may not be aware of.
One of the big things that we, as Vets, are told by the VA is IF we have an emergency situation and cannot make it to a VA facility or hospital, we can go to a civilian hospital and obtain care. However, that's not exactly the way it works, EVEN IF THE VA is notified by the civilian hospital. There are FOUR reasons the VA can deny payment for any care like that and one of those reasons is if the veteran carries his/her own medical insurance and guess what!... the VA considers BASIC Gov't issued Medicare as having your own insurance coverage. In other words, if you're a vet, apparently over 62 and collecting Social Security where this basic Medicare coverage is mandatorily deducted from your monthly SS payment, YOU'RE SCREWED!! I know this for a fact as this happened to me and all of the charges from whoever, not covered under basic Medicare, I'm getting billed for personally. This was even considering that the VA misdiagnosed me, thus putting me in the situation where when on my way to a VA hospital for the problem AGAIN, I had to stop at the local civilian hospital due to severe enough pain that I couldn't drive any further and get treated in the emergency room. I even tried to appeal the VA's denial of payment and again they denied payment and fell back on that rule that I had my own insurance coverage, meaning Medicare! If you're an older Vet, you're screwed under this VA healthcare system and those rules!

I even contacted my Congressman and was told that trying to overturn the VA's denial of my appeal for payment for that badly needed emergency treatment I had would probably do no good, even though it was caused by a VA blatant misdiagnosis because the VA does not consider their treatment of Vets medical problems as primary healthcare for any vet. How about them apples!? I could keep going, but you get the picture. Somehow, I don't see it getting better anytime soon either. All this hoorah blustering by Senators and Congresspeople about improving the VA is a lot of BS!! Since all that started, like you my treatment, all around, has gotten much worse in almost every sense.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

How about them apples!?

Buck, all I can say is WOW, and I am very sorry to hear that.

And better yet, after all the scandals of last year, it has gotten even worse. We are a forgotten group of people.

It seems like they have taken that scandal as a method to appropriate more money, and have downsized the services even more.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Do not turn thread into politics. The purpose of this forum is not politics, we have a political forum for that....

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Do not turn thread into politics. The purpose of this forum is not politics, we have a political forum for that....

TH, most of us are very aware of this. A couple of over the border responses here and there. The main thing this thread needs to be is a dialog on Veteran's services. There's a lot of Barracks members here, a lot of vets.

Vets, let's raise our awareness of the issues we face in getting proper services, and let's learn something.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

TH, most of us are very aware of this. A couple of over the border responses here and there. The main thing this thread needs to be is a dialog on Veteran's services. There's a lot of Barracks members here, a lot of vets.

Vets, let's raise our awareness of the issues we face in getting proper services, and let's learn something.

I know deep, my post was as reminder to a few....

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Where's Terry? He's a young warrior himself! I'd be interested in his adventures with the VA...

 

[Unclebuck257]

TH,

Since so far in this thread, it's only been Deep and me posting and you aren't talking about Deep turning this political, per your response to him when he responded to your commenbt, you must then be talking about one of my posts. Please tell me where anything I've stated is political! To be honest, in all my replies so far, not one time have I gotten political and I've stayed PURE FACTUAL! You know how I post TH when I get political and I am very blunt when making a political post. Nothing I've said in this thread so far is anything I wouldn't have said, no matter what party was in office while this type of thing is happening in the VA Healthcare System and my posts are soley about the problems in the VA system, not politics.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Please tell me where anything I've stated is political!

No he wasn't my friend. There's two posts by others which violated the rule.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

TH,

Since so far in this thread, it's only been Deep and me posting and you aren't talking about Deep turning this political, per your response to him when he responded to your commenbt, you must then be talking about one of my posts. Please tell me where anything I've stated is political! To be honest, in all my replies so far, not one time have I gotten political and I've stayed PURE FACTUAL! You know how I post TH when I get political and I am very blunt when making a political post. Nothing I've said in this thread so far is anything I wouldn't have said, no matter what party was in office while this type of thing is happening in the VA Healthcare System and my posts are soley about the problems in the VA system, not politics.

Unclebuck, the posts in question were deleted before I made my post reminding our rules and you did not post them..

 

[Unclebuck257]

TH,

OK, I never did see those posts that were deleted and I guess they were deleted before I got to read them or see them. As far as I knew, it was just Deep and me posting to this thread so far.

Deep,

As an update on my situation with the VA, yesterday Thursday I again tried to call the department handling my authorization for a civilian entity to do the MRI on my brain. Remember too, I was running out of time since I'm scheduled to meet with neurosurgery this coming Wednesday at the VA Hospital. When I tried to call that VA Dept yersterday, someone actually answered the phone and I got to speak to a person. Truthfully, I was very surprised. This person checked my records and verified that I had been authorized to go to a civilian entity and then gave me the name and address of that entity and their phone number so I could call and get an appointment. This person at the VA also told me that this department at the VA has 14 days to get the veteran into a civilian medical facility for whatever is needed. Mine had already been well passed that time limit. Anyhow, I called that civilian entity and I just returned from getting the MRI of my brain. In other words, it took the VA well over the 14 days after I was authorized to get civilian care, to notify me of the civilian entity and had I not called and then by chance gotten someone who answered the phone in that dept., I'd still be waiting to hear about which civilian entity etc. I was supposed to have recieved a letter from the VA indicating the information but, none was ever sent to me, according to their own records.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Good deal, glad to hear that for you. There's another new article on the VA and civilian doctors today, I'll make a separate thread for that one.