* This VA action would be reprehensible

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This VA action would be reprehensible

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance."

So let me get this straight: if we send a federalized national guard unit into combat, the resultant casualties would have to pay for their continued war-inflicted wound care with their own private insurance? If this came to pass, that would make soldiers and former soldiers uninsurable. Other than the saving of 540 million as they estimate, why would our country do this to its enforcers of national policy? This smells quite badly. what say you?

The Wedge's blog | login to post comments

This goes a lot further than that, Wedge...

Submitted by DarthDubious on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 11:42am.

everything coming out of this administration, and the previous one is propaganda and lies.

"We want take care of our Veterans." Nope. They are going to end up robbing them.

Everything DC has done in the last 8, well really the last 20 years, has systematically robbed the Citizens of this nation. Now they are just they are just giving the money straight to the bankers. I would like to slap the taste out of that smug son-of-a-blank Bernanke.

When you have a government pushing through programs that do nothing less than support the agendas of extreme international banksters, and globalist finance oligarchs that is called FASCISM!!!

In Liberty,

DarthDubious

VA Action

Submitted by muddle on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 8:49am.

My brother-in-law, who is a devout follower of Rush Limbaugh, told me about this, and I challenged him on it. It sounded so outrageous I assumed that the story as he told it had been skewed over the AM airwaves and redneckified. For instance, in that same conversation, he insisted that Obama's approval ratings for his first 50 days "are the lowest of any president in American history." But is this overstating the case? Obama's net approval rating today is 7, on the Rasmussen scale.

Anyway, as it turns out, what my brother-in-law described regarding the vets proposal was accurate. As a vet himself, he was outraged, and I can understand why.

I see that the Obama people have quickly withdrawn the idea in the face of protests from vet groups, but the very fact that it was seriously entertained may well have a corrosive effect on any confidence that veterans may have had in this administration. Suppose that, in these hard economic times, I turned to my wife and suggested with some seriousness, "You could probably bring in some extra income if you would work as a prostitute." Seeing her reaction, and coming to my senses somewhat, I reverse myself and apologize. "I was simply brainstorming," I say. But the damage has been done.

____________________

"Puddleglum" by Weatherwax (one of the Muddlings).

Jeeves to the Rescue

Muddle

Submitted by Fred Garvin on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 8:56am.

As I stated previously, America would be better off if the 3 Stooges were in running things instead of the current inept, incompetent, "downright mean" barry obama.

The United States of America
July 4, 1776 - Jan 20, 2009
Rest in Peace

Beyond ths soundbites

Submitted by sniffles5 on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 7:08pm.

At first blush, this would appear to be a clearcut issue, the dastardly VA is disrespectin' our vets, ZOMG!

As with most everything else in life, the truth is a bit more complex than the binary black and white either/or paradigm.

Before I get started, I want folks to know that I don't have in-depth knowledge of every aspect of this issue, so there is always the chance that I may have mischaracterized certain parts of the issue. Apologies in advance.

Now, down to business: As I understand it, there currently exist two components to veterans care: service-related illness/injury and non-service related illness/injury (which I will abbreviate to SRII and NSRII for brevity's sake).

In between SRII and NSRII is a suprisingly large grey area, a no-man's land if you will. Many SRIIs are pretty cut and dried: GI Joe got his foot shot off in Vietnam and needs a new prosthetic. No question there, right? Many NSRIIs are also pretty cut and dried. GI Moe retires from the service and falls off his roof and breaks his arm.

With regard to the first instance, right now the government picks up the tab for GI Joe's new prosthetic. And it is my understanding that the government requires GI Moe to file a claim with his own insurance company regarding his roof fall, and will pick up the remaining cost of treatment not covered by his insurance.

The grey area complicates things. Suppose GI Moe claims that his lifelong alcoholism (from his army days) caused him to fall off the roof? Would that change a NSRII to an SRII? The VA has a huge bureaucracy and internal adjudication system to deal with these sort of claims, complete with judges and appeals and so forth. I read a while back that fully 40% of all VA claims were people wanting to reclassify an NSRII to an SRII.

The question then becomes: is all this paperwork necessary? If not, what can we do to fix this?

Shineski's brainstorm, which has never been submitted to either the President or Congress, is relatively simple: In all cases, file insurance first and the government picks up the rest. Period. Insurance denies you for having a pre-existing condition? Fine, we'll cover it. Insurance cover your condition? Great, less cost to the government.

Personally, I think the system as described above might be more beneficial to the veteran than the existing paperwork-bound system...no more casework and appeals, the veteran gets hurt, gets treatment, files a claim, anything not coveed gets picked up by Uncle Sam.

Anyone see any problem with this?

Sniff

Submitted by Davids mom on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 8:47am.

If you are right - then this makes sense. I've been there - having to deal with the paperwork of the VA, etc. One relative from the Korean War passed away during an 'appeal'. I have lost two relatives before they (VA and others) admitted that reaction to Agent Orange should be treatable by the government. It's painful to go back and remember the exact problems that we had. If our government says that if an insurance company refuses to treat a condition of a vet - they will provide coverage - sounds good to me.. . and it's about time!

The military should have the

Submitted by zoes on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 7:12am.

The military should have the exact same benefits as the Congress, etc. Or Vice Versa. It really is that simple.

ZoeS

"Never love anything that can't love you back."

Where is the blogging left wing on this?

Submitted by The Wedge on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 5:02pm.

Sniffles, Main Stream, Jeff C, what do you think of this? Many on the right think the left has no use for the military and would like to see the soldiers punished as it is an all volunteer army. What do you think about this proposal that the administration is floating?

Vet Health Care Post-Injury

Submitted by AtHomeGym on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 11:17am.

Not for one minute do I think this is Eric Shinseki's idea--certainly not with own personal injury background. But the fact that it surfaced at all tells me that there is/are a person or persons in the administration who is/are certainly clueless about Vets and Health Care. Now maybe this is just another angle to promote universal health care. Regardless, it smells to high heaven, so say I, a 42 yr US Army Vet!

People Power

Submitted by Davids mom on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 11:35am.

This shows what an observant and involved citizenry can accomplish!
If the VA bureaucracy can be improved - than all is well. If not - something needs to be done about what is considered a 'war related' condition for veterans.

Click Here

Suspiciously absent

Submitted by S. Lindsey on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 7:18am.

They loath the Military.. Unless they need to slam a $1 million dollar cruise missle into a tent to kill some camels or blow up an asprin factory..

I will not lower my standards.. So UP YOURS.. Evil

GUN CONTROL Link

Suspiciously absent

Submitted by S. Lindsey on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 7:18am.

They loath the Military.. Unless they need to slam a $1 million dollar cruise missle into a tent to kill some camels or blow up an asprin factory..

I will not lower my standards.. So UP YOURS.. Evil

GUN CONTROL Link

this liberal agrees...

Submitted by Main Stream on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 6:11pm.

I agree that it's reprehensible to impose this upon our veterans. From listening to the evening news just now, Obama has backtracked on this.

The fact..

Submitted by S. Lindsey on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 7:21am.

that he even raised it speaks volumes about how he feels about the Military.. Useless unless needed to divert attention..

I will not lower my standards.. So UP YOURS.. Evil

GUN CONTROL Link

Military - not left or right

Submitted by Davids mom on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 5:38pm.

My grandson - and countless others who have served this country in a questionable war could care less about left/right ideology. TREAT OUR SERVICE SONS AND DAUGHTERS with respect - as much respect as Blackwater -i.e. pay, insurance, etc. Everyone is watching to see if this issue will be resolved so that our brave men and women will be whole. Don't bring this right/left stuff crap in when you're talking about my grandson. If you want to see a 'gray revolution' - just mess with our grandchildren!!

America would be better off.....

Submitted by Fred Garvin on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 8:39pm.

America would be better off if Larry, Moe, and Curly were in charge instead of the corrupt, lying, incompetent and inept team that occupies the White House now.

It's obvious that barry and his clowns have absolutely no clue as to what they are doing.

The United States of America
July 4, 1776 - Jan 20, 2009
Rest in Peace

Fred, do you honestly believe

Submitted by bad_ptc on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 8:50pm.

that McCain and the dog-sled musher's cheerleader, "fly my kids for free", "I only need $150.000/mth for clothes", "I see Russia from my front porch", would have been a better option?

Pleeeeeease!

No at all, bad_ptc

Submitted by Fred Garvin on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 8:53pm.

I'm saying that the 3 Stooges would have been a better option than President Teleprompter and his sidekick Joe "trainwreck" Biden.

The United States of America
July 4, 1776 - Jan 20, 2009
Rest in Peace

I might just have to agree with you Fred

Submitted by bad_ptc on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 8:56pm.

This past election was just another in a series that left me wanting for a third candidate.

Your anger is misplaced with me David's Mom

Submitted by The Wedge on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 6:08pm.

Everything is political and on the table. I am a vet. I have shed blood, deployed, and conducted military operations on foreign soil. I have been deployed in feckless peacekeeping missions under both the Democrats and the Republicans. This is an Administration proposal that has been floated to see if it has legs and can pass. I want the left to be upset about it and rise up against this. In case you haven't noticed, the left holds the levers of US governing power currently. The military should not be a left/right issue, but spend some time with the left leaning faculty at most major universities and you will see that it is.

Wedge

Submitted by Davids mom on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 8:18am.

My anger will be directed at whoever disrespects our military. POLITICS has caused us more world-wide problems and caused more death and injuries to our future generations during this Iraq mess than has been warranted in the history of our country. Thank you for your service. You're still alive. I still have dead relatives to grieve. I don't care how you view my anger!

David's Mom--disrespects?

Submitted by USArmybrat on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 8:52am.

How disrespectful can you get than to call all the hard work and sacrifice that our troops made in Iraq a "mess"! They have done a tremendous job there, in spite of all the political hacks in Washington that called it a "failure" or worse. And what kind of statement is "caused more death and injuries to our future generations..."?? What of the Civil War? The World Wars? Vietnam, for God's sake? Nothing about those were "political"?? Think about what you stated, DM. And, I am truly sorry for your grief and loss.

US Army Brat

Submitted by Davids mom on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 11:18am.

My anger will be directed at whoever disrespects our military

I sincerely believe that it was political mismanagement that sent our brightest and best into a war that had no plan for ending; they were sent with less than adequate equipment; etc. I feel it was a mess - because it was mismanaged by politicians. Our military did the best they could under ridiculous circumstances. Don't even open the topic of past wars and the way soldiers of color were treated while they served and died for our country - and then came home to segregated facilities, etc. There is a difference between politicians and statesmen. Statesmen truly believe their ideologies will benefit the country. Politicians believe their ideologies will get them re-elected. (Example: Southern Democrats becoming Republicans)

Soldiers of color?

Submitted by USArmybrat on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 11:53am.

Where was I talking about that? When I mentioned the other wars, I was referring to the fact that many times there were mistakes (D-Day would have been labeled a total disaster by our media, with all the problems and huge casualties that we encountered). Our soldiers MANY times did not have everything that they needed. It isn't right but it happens in every war. And our military did more than "the best they could under ridiculous circumstances" in Iraq. They succeeded. And they did this even with all the naysayers (mostly Democrats) that wanted nothing less than defeat for our mission there. And THAT was politics, of the dirtiest kind. Just to keep Pres. Bush from having a successful mission there, they did and said whatever they could to bring about a defeat.

US Army Brat

Submitted by Davids mom on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 11:57am.

Have a nice day!

Sorry DM

Submitted by bad_ptc on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 5:52pm.

but I will NOT disrespect those that chose duty over $$$.

Blackwater, or Xe (pronounced “Zee”), has done nothing but tarnish the world view of the U.S. and it's dedicated men and women serving in the armed forces.

Blackwater may have started off with good intentions but after killing innocent civilians and RAPEING their own, I have no respect left for them.

Bad

Submitted by Davids mom on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 8:11am.

. . so why are you sorry? I have no respect for Zee or whatever! Some of their sorry a___ were under the direction of my grandson - and they made BIG BUCKS while he served making MUCH LESS! They had better safety equipment, better quarters, etc., etc., . . .and their bosses made more than some of the CEO'S under scrutiny - paid with our tax dollars - and the 'right' said nothing!!

Submitted by hutch866 on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 5:47pm.

Mark this on your calender mom, I agree.

I yam what I yam....Popeye

To say this is sad is an understatement.

Submitted by MacTheKnife on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 12:08pm.

What a sad day and a complete abdication of our national responsibilities to those who truly deserve our support.

AIG, Citibank and GM want Billions after mismanagement and waste, Obama says yes (and thanks for the political contributions by the way)

Our GI's - earned and deserve millions for health care after paying the ultimate sacrifice - Obama says no.

This is shameful. I guess the cocaine, marijuana, alcohol and tobacco truly has clouded his judgment.

God bless our veterans.

Now We know why Michelle was

Submitted by Dondol on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 10:15am.

Now We know why Michelle was at the Military base last week. She was the front man, you know go in and get them all calm and trusting and then WHAM, Obama comes in this week and throws it to em. The old 1,2 punch well planned!

Obama's weapon of Choice!

Michelle - "Front Man"

Submitted by Fred Garvin on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 11:55am.

Well, she is rather mannish!

The United States of America
July 4, 1776 - Jan 20, 2009
Rest in Peace

What everyone needs to understand, Fred, is...

Submitted by DarthDubious on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 12:09pm.

the US govt is a smoke screen, this is especially so with the executive branch, more than with the others.

Let's look at it this way so that maybe everyone can see what I'm getting at:

Let's say you go to McDonald's. You get a bad burger, and your fries are old and cold. First you go to the cashier(courts). You can't get any satisfaction with them, so you ask for the Shift Supervisor(Congress). You can't get anything done there. So now you finally get to the Store Manager, and you then get either a new burger and fries, or a refund.

Who's missing? The OWNER!!! You never see the Franchise OWNER!!! The guy who makes the real money. You never get to see the real power behind the restaurant. Managers change periodically, but the bankster agenda pushes forward steadily, no matter who we hire.

This is the real battle we face ladies and gentlemen. That OWNER is The Federal Reserve System. Fight the real enemy of freedom. Do your homework and learn the truth, and the truth will set you free.

In Liberty,

DarthDubious

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This VA action would be reprehensible

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