Bush’s Record on VA Funding

[Rocko]

Obama knew about this problem before his tenure as president and didn't handle the problem sufficiently. Period. Only an uber-hack can try to deflect this shortcoming on to Bush. Period.

Well no.

Obama entered office with an economy in freefall, 2 ongoing wars, one of the most dangerous terrorists on the loose, and an opposition party committed to just one thing, making him a one term President.

You might have a little traction on this had the VA been the only thing on the plate and he was getting a little help.

But as it stands? Republicans only interest is removing the President from office. That's it.

That haven't done shit to help.

Actually they've done worse. They've closed down government and committed it to austerity.

So your excuse is Obama had too many irons in the fire?? Give me a freaking break. He's president of the United States, he has to be able to multitask, and this was a very important issue that should have been tended to. As far as not getting republican support, hes the one in charge of his own administration, what the hell did you want republicans to do?

 

[Sallow]

Bush this; Bush that

the loser Left will NEVER own up to the failures on its watch

Well, the world trade center construction is still ongoing some 13 years after 9/11.

Was that a failure of the "left" as well?

What does that have to do with this?? Nothing.

People died on Obama's watch, after Bush warned him. That is a fact. I don't see how in any way this administration is not the only one to blame.

What does it have to do?

Fixing the crap Bush left behind is a heavy lift.

Bush's VA was denying many vets treatment for ailments like Agent Orange poisoning and PTSD. Additionally they were cutting the funding to the VA.

Obama? Came into office and raised the VA budget while getting previously ignored diseases, treatment. That's in addition to ending the war and bringing more folks home, who by the way required treatment.

To boot?

McConnell's obstruction cowboys have blocked funding for the VA.

You just can't make this stuff up.

Republicans hate government, fuck it up..THEN point to Democrats and say "It's their fault".

 

[Sallow]

Obama knew about this problem before his tenure as president and didn't handle the problem sufficiently. Period. Only an uber-hack can try to deflect this shortcoming on to Bush. Period.

Well no.

Obama entered office with an economy in freefall, 2 ongoing wars, one of the most dangerous terrorists on the loose, and an opposition party committed to just one thing, making him a one term President.

You might have a little traction on this had the VA been the only thing on the plate and he was getting a little help.

But as it stands? Republicans only interest is removing the President from office. That's it.

That haven't done shit to help.

Actually they've done worse. They've closed down government and committed it to austerity.

So your excuse is Obama had too many irons in the fire?? Give me a freaking break. He's president of the United States, he has to be able to multitask, and this was a very important issue that should have been tended to. As far as not getting republican support, hes the one in charge of his own administration, what the hell did you want republicans to do?

Drop the partisanship for once, roll up their sleeves and pitch in.

This is important.

 

[bedowin62]

Well, the world trade center construction is still ongoing some 13 years after 9/11.

Was that a failure of the "left" as well?

What does that have to do with this?? Nothing.

People died on Obama's watch, after Bush warned him. That is a fact. I don't see how in any way this administration is not the only one to blame.

What does it have to do?

Fixing the crap Bush left behind is a heavy lift.

Bush's VA was denying many vets treatment for ailments like Agent Orange poisoning and PTSD. Additionally they were cutting the funding to the VA.

Obama? Came into office and raised the VA budget while getting previously ignored diseases, treatment. That's in addition to ending the war and bringing more folks home, who by the way required treatment.

To boot?

McConnell's obstruction cowboys have blocked funding for the VA.

You just can't make this stuff up.

Republicans hate government, fuck it up..THEN point to Democrats and say "It's their fault".

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! it;'s a heavy lift!1
what idiotic crybabies



did you ever here bush saying he INHERITED a country with a whole crew of hijackers plotting, FOR YEARS; a terrible deed; and how much of a "heavy lift" it was rebuilding the nation after the Dem President failed to discover the plot?

 

[deltex1]

the treatment of veterans returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a national disgrace, highlighted most dramatically by the neglect and substandard care given wounded troops at Walter Reed and other military hospitals.

The budget increases that have occurred mostly were enacted over Bush’s opposition or related to the fact that injuries from the Iraq War far exceeded the administration’s rosy projections in early 2003. The Bush team especially underestimated how many cases of post-traumatic stress disorder to anticipate as well as the number of brain injuries, which have been endemic to the Iraq War where insurgents made effective use of “improvised explosive devices,” or IEDs.

Before Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, documents released by the Department of Veterans Affairs said it expected a maximum of 8,000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, according to a study released last year by the RAND Institute, there are more than 320,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars suffering from major depression, PTSD and/or traumatic brain injury. The report found that the VA has been and continues to be ill-equipped to deal with these cases when soldiers return from combat, especially after multiple tours.

An Army task force last year also found major flaws in the way the VA treated and cared for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

Bush’s Record on VA Funding

For his part, Bush stacked the VA with political cronies, such as former Republican National Committee chairman Jim Nicholson, who as VA Secretary defended a budget measure that sought major cuts in staffing for healthcare and at the Board of Veterans Appeals; slashed funding for nursing home care; and blocked four legislative measures aimed at streamlining the backlog of veterans benefits claims.

Of the 84,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by VA, only half, about 42,000, had their disability claim approved by VA. Instead of expediting PTSD claims, Bush's political appointees at VA actively fought against mental health claims.

Bush's appointees also obstructed scientific research into the causes of Gulf War illnesses dating back 18 years to Operation Desert Storm and opposed medical research on treatment for 210,000 of those veterans.

As for funding, Bush proposed a 0.5 percent budget increase for the VA for fiscal year 2006, which amounted to a “cruel mockery” of Bush’s promises to do everything to support veterans and soldiers, Rep. Lane Evans, D-Illinois, said at the time.

Evans called Bush’s proposed budget increase for the VA “grossly inadequate,” saying it would force the VA to “ration” healthcare to veterans.
VA officials had testified in 2005 that the agency needed at least a 13 percent increase to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of war veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and others who needed long-term mental health care.

In early 2007, the Washington Post put a spotlight on the human consequences resulting from the combination of Bush’s wars and the budget squeeze.

The Post published a series of articles documenting the substandard conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is located only 4.7 miles from the White House. Wounded vets were housed in rooms with moldy walls, leaky plumage and an infestation of vermin, underscoring how out of touch Bush had become regarding the nation’s veterans.

In response to complaints that some veterans under VA care were being neglected, Nicholson said in March 2007 that such cases were “anecdotal exceptions.”

“When you are treating so many people there is always going to be a linen towel left somewhere,” he said.

In May 2007, the AP revealed that while Nicholson was pinching pennies on treatment costs and coping with a $1.3 billion budget shortfall, he awarded “$3.8 million in bonuses to top executives in fiscal 2006″ — many as much as $33,000.

Simultaneously, Bush was resisting congressional efforts to beef up the VA’s budget. In May 2007, Bush threatened to veto legislation that sought a 10 percent—$3.2 billion—increase, calling it too expensive. Bush proposed a 2 percent increase, far below what lawmakers and VA officials said was needed to treat a dramatic increase in traumatic brain injury and PTSD cases.

After Congress passed the legislation with the higher VA spending, Bush backed down on his veto threat but that was largely due to the fact that every Republican in the Senate with the exception of Jim DeMint of South Carolina, supported the measure.

Amid the growing scandals about substandard VA treatment and inept management, Nicholson resigned in July 2007.

Suicide Epidemic

Even after Nicholson’s resignation, the Department of Veterans Affairs continued to be buffeted by scandals, including a cover-up in an epidemic of veterans’ suicides and attempted suicides.

Last year, internal VA e-mails surfaced that showed how top agency officials tried to conceal the information from the public about the sudden increase in suicides and attempted suicides among veterans that were treated or sought help at VA hospitals around the country.

And last November, internal watchdogs discovered 500 benefits claims in shredding bins at the 41 of the 57 regional VA offices around the country.

Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, a veterans’ advocacy group that sued the VA in federal court, said attempts by the White House to portray Bush as an advocate for veterans is beyond shameful.

“Bush is the worst failure for our veterans since Hoover,” Sullivan said, expressing shock that the President “would shamefully continue his legacy of lies to the American people as he and his political cronies are forced to leave office on Jan. 20.”

Sullivan disputed some of Bush’s claims as misleading, such as the assertion that he doubled funding for the VA. “However, President Bush failed to disclose that the number of veterans seeking VA healthcare doubled, from 2.7 million to 5.5 million, and that rising healthcare inflation actually resulted in a net decrease in spending per veteran by VA during the past eight years,” he said.

“If not for the intervention of Congress to substantially increase VA funding beyond Bush's inadequate budget requests, especially in the past two years, the situation would have deteriorated from a serious crisis to a catastrophe at VA.”

Read much more:
Consortiumnews.com

Ya got anything on Garfield, Gertrude?

 

[bedowin62]

Well no.

Obama entered office with an economy in freefall, 2 ongoing wars, one of the most dangerous terrorists on the loose, and an opposition party committed to just one thing, making him a one term President.

You might have a little traction on this had the VA been the only thing on the plate and he was getting a little help.

But as it stands? Republicans only interest is removing the President from office. That's it.

That haven't done shit to help.

Actually they've done worse. They've closed down government and committed it to austerity.

So your excuse is Obama had too many irons in the fire?? Give me a freaking break. He's president of the United States, he has to be able to multitask, and this was a very important issue that should have been tended to. As far as not getting republican support, hes the one in charge of his own administration, what the hell did you want republicans to do?

Drop the partisanship for once, roll up their sleeves and pitch in.

This is important.

IT'S HARD TO HELP when the crew foreman is an idiot who is making thing worse

record welfare and food stamps is his legacy

 

[keee keee]

Since you're bringing up George W. Bush (what a surprise)...

....what is Bush's record for vets dying while waiting for VA health care?

What is Bush's record for vets dying while waiting for support when under fire and asking for help?

 

[Sallow]

So your excuse is Obama had too many irons in the fire?? Give me a freaking break. He's president of the United States, he has to be able to multitask, and this was a very important issue that should have been tended to. As far as not getting republican support, hes the one in charge of his own administration, what the hell did you want republicans to do?

Drop the partisanship for once, roll up their sleeves and pitch in.

This is important.

IT'S HARD TO HELP when the crew foreman is an idiot who is making thing worse

record welfare and food stamps is his legacy

And Bob's your uncle.

That's the shootin' match.

 

[Sallow]

Since you're bringing up George W. Bush (what a surprise)...

....what is Bush's record for vets dying while waiting for VA health care?

What is Bush's record for vets dying while waiting for support when under fire and asking for help?

Funny no Issa investigation into that..

They just accepted ol' Rummy's "Well you go wit' da army ya got"..

Explanation.

While Bush cut taxes during a war...well two.

First time ever.

 

[bedowin62]

YAWN

I GUESS OBAMA will be the first President elected but never serving a day in office; if he was actually president things happening on his watch would be his responsibility and not the last guy's

idiots and hypocrites

 

[bedowin62]

anybody know when obama's watch actually starts?

 

[bedowin62]

well my my but community organizers sure do have long learning curves!

 

[Iceweasel]

Since you're bringing up George W. Bush (what a surprise)...

....what is Bush's record for vets dying while waiting for VA health care?

What is Bush's record for vets dying while waiting for support when under fire and asking for help?

Huh? How many have died in any war, do you have the stats? Or the relevance? Why is Bush responsible for everything and yet Obama is responsible for nothing? It's insane.

 

[Meister]

the treatment of veterans returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a national disgrace, highlighted most dramatically by the neglect and substandard care given wounded troops at Walter Reed and other military hospitals.

The budget increases that have occurred mostly were enacted over Bush’s opposition or related to the fact that injuries from the Iraq War far exceeded the administration’s rosy projections in early 2003. The Bush team especially underestimated how many cases of post-traumatic stress disorder to anticipate as well as the number of brain injuries, which have been endemic to the Iraq War where insurgents made effective use of “improvised explosive devices,” or IEDs.

Before Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, documents released by the Department of Veterans Affairs said it expected a maximum of 8,000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, according to a study released last year by the RAND Institute, there are more than 320,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars suffering from major depression, PTSD and/or traumatic brain injury. The report found that the VA has been and continues to be ill-equipped to deal with these cases when soldiers return from combat, especially after multiple tours.

An Army task force last year also found major flaws in the way the VA treated and cared for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

Bush’s Record on VA Funding

For his part, Bush stacked the VA with political cronies, such as former Republican National Committee chairman Jim Nicholson, who as VA Secretary defended a budget measure that sought major cuts in staffing for healthcare and at the Board of Veterans Appeals; slashed funding for nursing home care; and blocked four legislative measures aimed at streamlining the backlog of veterans benefits claims.

Of the 84,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by VA, only half, about 42,000, had their disability claim approved by VA. Instead of expediting PTSD claims, Bush's political appointees at VA actively fought against mental health claims.

Bush's appointees also obstructed scientific research into the causes of Gulf War illnesses dating back 18 years to Operation Desert Storm and opposed medical research on treatment for 210,000 of those veterans.

As for funding, Bush proposed a 0.5 percent budget increase for the VA for fiscal year 2006, which amounted to a “cruel mockery” of Bush’s promises to do everything to support veterans and soldiers, Rep. Lane Evans, D-Illinois, said at the time.

Evans called Bush’s proposed budget increase for the VA “grossly inadequate,” saying it would force the VA to “ration” healthcare to veterans.
VA officials had testified in 2005 that the agency needed at least a 13 percent increase to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of war veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and others who needed long-term mental health care.

In early 2007, the Washington Post put a spotlight on the human consequences resulting from the combination of Bush’s wars and the budget squeeze.

The Post published a series of articles documenting the substandard conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is located only 4.7 miles from the White House. Wounded vets were housed in rooms with moldy walls, leaky plumage and an infestation of vermin, underscoring how out of touch Bush had become regarding the nation’s veterans.

In response to complaints that some veterans under VA care were being neglected, Nicholson said in March 2007 that such cases were “anecdotal exceptions.”

“When you are treating so many people there is always going to be a linen towel left somewhere,” he said.

In May 2007, the AP revealed that while Nicholson was pinching pennies on treatment costs and coping with a $1.3 billion budget shortfall, he awarded “$3.8 million in bonuses to top executives in fiscal 2006″ — many as much as $33,000.

Simultaneously, Bush was resisting congressional efforts to beef up the VA’s budget. In May 2007, Bush threatened to veto legislation that sought a 10 percent—$3.2 billion—increase, calling it too expensive. Bush proposed a 2 percent increase, far below what lawmakers and VA officials said was needed to treat a dramatic increase in traumatic brain injury and PTSD cases.

After Congress passed the legislation with the higher VA spending, Bush backed down on his veto threat but that was largely due to the fact that every Republican in the Senate with the exception of Jim DeMint of South Carolina, supported the measure.

Amid the growing scandals about substandard VA treatment and inept management, Nicholson resigned in July 2007.

Suicide Epidemic

Even after Nicholson’s resignation, the Department of Veterans Affairs continued to be buffeted by scandals, including a cover-up in an epidemic of veterans’ suicides and attempted suicides.

Last year, internal VA e-mails surfaced that showed how top agency officials tried to conceal the information from the public about the sudden increase in suicides and attempted suicides among veterans that were treated or sought help at VA hospitals around the country.

And last November, internal watchdogs discovered 500 benefits claims in shredding bins at the 41 of the 57 regional VA offices around the country.

Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, a veterans’ advocacy group that sued the VA in federal court, said attempts by the White House to portray Bush as an advocate for veterans is beyond shameful.

“Bush is the worst failure for our veterans since Hoover,” Sullivan said, expressing shock that the President “would shamefully continue his legacy of lies to the American people as he and his political cronies are forced to leave office on Jan. 20.”

Sullivan disputed some of Bush’s claims as misleading, such as the assertion that he doubled funding for the VA. “However, President Bush failed to disclose that the number of veterans seeking VA healthcare doubled, from 2.7 million to 5.5 million, and that rising healthcare inflation actually resulted in a net decrease in spending per veteran by VA during the past eight years,” he said.

“If not for the intervention of Congress to substantially increase VA funding beyond Bush's inadequate budget requests, especially in the past two years, the situation would have deteriorated from a serious crisis to a catastrophe at VA.”

Read much more:
Consortiumnews.com

Why not discuss Nixon's VA funding...or Ford's, or fucking Adams???


500 benefit claims shredded?


How about 1.5 MILLION ????

The point is we're taking about THIS ADMINISTRATION'S failures.

You left-nuts have bemoaned Obamacare in saying that it didn't go far enough.....that you would have preferred a 'single payer' system/
Well, guess what, ass-hats? That's exactly what the fuck the VA is.
THERE is your single payer system.
This is what you fucking wanted?
Waiting lists and hidden and/or deleted waiting lists with people dying while they wait for care?

Ah, hell, let's try it out on our nation's heroes first...see how they fare.

I need to bump this.

This is what our future single payer system is going to be like

 

[TooTall]

the treatment of veterans returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a national disgrace, highlighted most dramatically by the neglect and substandard care given wounded troops at Walter Reed and other military hospitals.

The budget increases that have occurred mostly were enacted over Bush’s opposition or related to the fact that injuries from the Iraq War far exceeded the administration’s rosy projections in early 2003. The Bush team especially underestimated how many cases of post-traumatic stress disorder to anticipate as well as the number of brain injuries, which have been endemic to the Iraq War where insurgents made effective use of “improvised explosive devices,” or IEDs.

Before Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, documents released by the Department of Veterans Affairs said it expected a maximum of 8,000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, according to a study released last year by the RAND Institute, there are more than 320,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars suffering from major depression, PTSD and/or traumatic brain injury. The report found that the VA has been and continues to be ill-equipped to deal with these cases when soldiers return from combat, especially after multiple tours.

An Army task force last year also found major flaws in the way the VA treated and cared for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

Bush’s Record on VA Funding

For his part, Bush stacked the VA with political cronies, such as former Republican National Committee chairman Jim Nicholson, who as VA Secretary defended a budget measure that sought major cuts in staffing for healthcare and at the Board of Veterans Appeals; slashed funding for nursing home care; and blocked four legislative measures aimed at streamlining the backlog of veterans benefits claims.

Of the 84,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by VA, only half, about 42,000, had their disability claim approved by VA. Instead of expediting PTSD claims, Bush's political appointees at VA actively fought against mental health claims.

Bush's appointees also obstructed scientific research into the causes of Gulf War illnesses dating back 18 years to Operation Desert Storm and opposed medical research on treatment for 210,000 of those veterans.

As for funding, Bush proposed a 0.5 percent budget increase for the VA for fiscal year 2006, which amounted to a “cruel mockery” of Bush’s promises to do everything to support veterans and soldiers, Rep. Lane Evans, D-Illinois, said at the time.

Evans called Bush’s proposed budget increase for the VA “grossly inadequate,” saying it would force the VA to “ration” healthcare to veterans.
VA officials had testified in 2005 that the agency needed at least a 13 percent increase to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of war veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and others who needed long-term mental health care.

In early 2007, the Washington Post put a spotlight on the human consequences resulting from the combination of Bush’s wars and the budget squeeze.

The Post published a series of articles documenting the substandard conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is located only 4.7 miles from the White House. Wounded vets were housed in rooms with moldy walls, leaky plumage and an infestation of vermin, underscoring how out of touch Bush had become regarding the nation’s veterans.

In response to complaints that some veterans under VA care were being neglected, Nicholson said in March 2007 that such cases were “anecdotal exceptions.”

“When you are treating so many people there is always going to be a linen towel left somewhere,” he said.

In May 2007, the AP revealed that while Nicholson was pinching pennies on treatment costs and coping with a $1.3 billion budget shortfall, he awarded “$3.8 million in bonuses to top executives in fiscal 2006″ — many as much as $33,000.

Simultaneously, Bush was resisting congressional efforts to beef up the VA’s budget. In May 2007, Bush threatened to veto legislation that sought a 10 percent—$3.2 billion—increase, calling it too expensive. Bush proposed a 2 percent increase, far below what lawmakers and VA officials said was needed to treat a dramatic increase in traumatic brain injury and PTSD cases.

After Congress passed the legislation with the higher VA spending, Bush backed down on his veto threat but that was largely due to the fact that every Republican in the Senate with the exception of Jim DeMint of South Carolina, supported the measure.

Amid the growing scandals about substandard VA treatment and inept management, Nicholson resigned in July 2007.

Suicide Epidemic

Even after Nicholson’s resignation, the Department of Veterans Affairs continued to be buffeted by scandals, including a cover-up in an epidemic of veterans’ suicides and attempted suicides.

Last year, internal VA e-mails surfaced that showed how top agency officials tried to conceal the information from the public about the sudden increase in suicides and attempted suicides among veterans that were treated or sought help at VA hospitals around the country.

And last November, internal watchdogs discovered 500 benefits claims in shredding bins at the 41 of the 57 regional VA offices around the country.

Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, a veterans’ advocacy group that sued the VA in federal court, said attempts by the White House to portray Bush as an advocate for veterans is beyond shameful.

“Bush is the worst failure for our veterans since Hoover,” Sullivan said, expressing shock that the President “would shamefully continue his legacy of lies to the American people as he and his political cronies are forced to leave office on Jan. 20.”

Sullivan disputed some of Bush’s claims as misleading, such as the assertion that he doubled funding for the VA. “However, President Bush failed to disclose that the number of veterans seeking VA healthcare doubled, from 2.7 million to 5.5 million, and that rising healthcare inflation actually resulted in a net decrease in spending per veteran by VA during the past eight years,” he said.

“If not for the intervention of Congress to substantially increase VA funding beyond Bush's inadequate budget requests, especially in the past two years, the situation would have deteriorated from a serious crisis to a catastrophe at VA.”

Read much more:
Consortiumnews.com

Now for the other side:

President Bush has remained committed to ensuring all veterans receive the care and support they need from the Federal government. Under his leadership, the Administration has:
Dramatically Increased Funding To Support And Care For Those Who Have Served Our Nation
• Increased funding for veterans' medical care by more than 115 percent since 2001.
• FY 2009 funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) totals more than $97 billion, nearly double the level of funding when the President took office and the highest level of support for veterans in history.
• Provided more than $6 billion to modernize and expand VA medical facilities and more than $1 billion over the past three years to support traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder treatment and research.
• Honored our veterans with a hallowed, final resting place by implementing and fully funding the largest expansion in the national cemetery system since the Civil War.
Improved Care And Services For Wounded Warriors
• Created the Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors – co-chaired by former Senator Bob Dole and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala – to ensure that wounded service members and veterans receive quality care and services and can live lives of hope, promise, and dignity. Nearly all of the Commission's recommendations have already been implemented, such as:
o Expanded training, screening, and staff resources to help service members and veterans suffering from mental health disorders.
o Created a joint Recovery Coordinator Program for seriously injured service members.
o Initiated a pilot program to replace the cumbersome system of two separate disability examinations with a single, comprehensive medical exam.
• Established a Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and expanded VA's polytrauma system of care to 21 network sites and clinic support teams to provide state-of-the-art treatment to injured veterans at facilities closer to their homes.
Ensured Those Who Have Served Our Country Receive The Benefits They Deserve
• Called for and signed a GI Bill for the 21st century, which expanded education benefits for service members and veterans and made it easier for those who defend our Nation to transfer unused education benefits to their spouses or children.
• Increased career counseling services for returning veterans, particularly those wounded in combat.
• Signed legislation that increased from two to five years a combat veteran's eligibility to enroll for lifetime VA medical care and allowed family members of injured service members to take additional time away from their jobs to care for their loved ones.
• Signed legislation to ensure military retirees with severe disabilities receive both their military retired pay and their VA disability compensation.
• Helped more than 1.9 million veterans enroll in the VA health care system since 2001.
• Reduced the average length of time to process a veteran's disability claim to under 180 days, down from 230 days when the President took office.
Worked To Decrease The Number Of Homeless Veterans
• Expanded Federal grants and worked extensively with faith-based and community organizations to help homeless veterans.
• Cut the number of homeless veterans by nearly 40 percent from 2001 to 2007.

http://georgewbushwhitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/factsheets/veterans.html

 

[Jarhead]

So here we are again.....

The left is showing us how "their man" is no worse than the last administration.

Yet they also say the last administration was the worst in American History.

So what does that say about how they feel about this administration?

Love the irony.

 

[edthecynic]

the treatment of veterans returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a national disgrace, highlighted most dramatically by the neglect and substandard care given wounded troops at Walter Reed and other military hospitals.

The budget increases that have occurred mostly were enacted over Bush’s opposition or related to the fact that injuries from the Iraq War far exceeded the administration’s rosy projections in early 2003. The Bush team especially underestimated how many cases of post-traumatic stress disorder to anticipate as well as the number of brain injuries, which have been endemic to the Iraq War where insurgents made effective use of “improvised explosive devices,” or IEDs.

Before Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, documents released by the Department of Veterans Affairs said it expected a maximum of 8,000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, according to a study released last year by the RAND Institute, there are more than 320,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars suffering from major depression, PTSD and/or traumatic brain injury. The report found that the VA has been and continues to be ill-equipped to deal with these cases when soldiers return from combat, especially after multiple tours.

An Army task force last year also found major flaws in the way the VA treated and cared for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

Bush’s Record on VA Funding

For his part, Bush stacked the VA with political cronies, such as former Republican National Committee chairman Jim Nicholson, who as VA Secretary defended a budget measure that sought major cuts in staffing for healthcare and at the Board of Veterans Appeals; slashed funding for nursing home care; and blocked four legislative measures aimed at streamlining the backlog of veterans benefits claims.

Of the 84,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by VA, only half, about 42,000, had their disability claim approved by VA. Instead of expediting PTSD claims, Bush's political appointees at VA actively fought against mental health claims.

Bush's appointees also obstructed scientific research into the causes of Gulf War illnesses dating back 18 years to Operation Desert Storm and opposed medical research on treatment for 210,000 of those veterans.

As for funding, Bush proposed a 0.5 percent budget increase for the VA for fiscal year 2006, which amounted to a “cruel mockery” of Bush’s promises to do everything to support veterans and soldiers, Rep. Lane Evans, D-Illinois, said at the time.

Evans called Bush’s proposed budget increase for the VA “grossly inadequate,” saying it would force the VA to “ration” healthcare to veterans.
VA officials had testified in 2005 that the agency needed at least a 13 percent increase to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of war veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and others who needed long-term mental health care.

In early 2007, the Washington Post put a spotlight on the human consequences resulting from the combination of Bush’s wars and the budget squeeze.

The Post published a series of articles documenting the substandard conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is located only 4.7 miles from the White House. Wounded vets were housed in rooms with moldy walls, leaky plumage and an infestation of vermin, underscoring how out of touch Bush had become regarding the nation’s veterans.

In response to complaints that some veterans under VA care were being neglected, Nicholson said in March 2007 that such cases were “anecdotal exceptions.”

“When you are treating so many people there is always going to be a linen towel left somewhere,” he said.

In May 2007, the AP revealed that while Nicholson was pinching pennies on treatment costs and coping with a $1.3 billion budget shortfall, he awarded “$3.8 million in bonuses to top executives in fiscal 2006″ — many as much as $33,000.

Simultaneously, Bush was resisting congressional efforts to beef up the VA’s budget. In May 2007, Bush threatened to veto legislation that sought a 10 percent—$3.2 billion—increase, calling it too expensive. Bush proposed a 2 percent increase, far below what lawmakers and VA officials said was needed to treat a dramatic increase in traumatic brain injury and PTSD cases.

After Congress passed the legislation with the higher VA spending, Bush backed down on his veto threat but that was largely due to the fact that every Republican in the Senate with the exception of Jim DeMint of South Carolina, supported the measure.

Amid the growing scandals about substandard VA treatment and inept management, Nicholson resigned in July 2007.

Suicide Epidemic

Even after Nicholson’s resignation, the Department of Veterans Affairs continued to be buffeted by scandals, including a cover-up in an epidemic of veterans’ suicides and attempted suicides.

Last year, internal VA e-mails surfaced that showed how top agency officials tried to conceal the information from the public about the sudden increase in suicides and attempted suicides among veterans that were treated or sought help at VA hospitals around the country.

And last November, internal watchdogs discovered 500 benefits claims in shredding bins at the 41 of the 57 regional VA offices around the country.

Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, a veterans’ advocacy group that sued the VA in federal court, said attempts by the White House to portray Bush as an advocate for veterans is beyond shameful.

“Bush is the worst failure for our veterans since Hoover,” Sullivan said, expressing shock that the President “would shamefully continue his legacy of lies to the American people as he and his political cronies are forced to leave office on Jan. 20.”

Sullivan disputed some of Bush’s claims as misleading, such as the assertion that he doubled funding for the VA. “However, President Bush failed to disclose that the number of veterans seeking VA healthcare doubled, from 2.7 million to 5.5 million, and that rising healthcare inflation actually resulted in a net decrease in spending per veteran by VA during the past eight years,” he said.

“If not for the intervention of Congress to substantially increase VA funding beyond Bush's inadequate budget requests, especially in the past two years, the situation would have deteriorated from a serious crisis to a catastrophe at VA.”

Read much more:
Consortiumnews.com

Now for the other side:

President Bush has remained committed to ensuring all veterans receive the care and support they need from the Federal government. Under his leadership, the Administration has:
Dramatically Increased Funding To Support And Care For Those Who Have Served Our Nation
• Increased funding for veterans' medical care by more than 115 percent since 2001.

As was already pointed out, that is nothing more than the Bush propaganda machine trying to take credit for policies Bush opposed that Congress passed over Bush's objections. Every Bush budget proposal CUT the VA budget, but Congress increased the allotments over Bush's objections!!!!!

Democrats Propose $3.5 Billion to Reverse Bush Veterans Funding Shortfalls

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week, the Democratic National Committee's Veterans and Military Families Council applauded aproposal by Senate Democrats to supplement President Bush's woefully inadequate budget and add $3.5 billion in funding for our veterans. As has consistently been the case, the Bush Republicans in Washington refuse to fully fund programs that are critical to our veterans and fighting forces.

The announcement that Democrats are adding $3.5 billion to the President's budget comes days after former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay bragged about removing Republican Representative Chris Smith as Veterans' Affairs Committee chair because Smith refused to join the Republican leadership in shortchanging veterans' programs. DeLay defended that decision, despite the recent stories highlighting the impact of the Bush budget cuts, telling National Public Radio that Rep. Smith "just would not run his committee like the caucus wanted him to approach his committee ... Chris Smith wanted way too much funding. For veterans' health care." Asked if he still believed that was a good decision "in spite of what's been reported in recent weeks," DeLay said "Absolutely, I still do."
- [NPR, Morning Edition, 3/20/07]

 

[edthecynic]

Bush this; Bush that

the loser Left will NEVER own up to the failures on its watch

Well, the world trade center construction is still ongoing some 13 years after 9/11.

Was that a failure of the "left" as well?

What does that have to do with this?? Nothing.

People died on Obama's watch, after Bush warned him. That is a fact. I don't see how in any way this administration is not the only one to blame.

As was posted earlier in this thread, there were over 2,000 vets dying per year under Bush from lack of health care insurance to 40 in 5 years under Obama, and to the Right Bush is a hero because he "warned" Obama.

 

[ClosedCaption]

Since you're bringing up George W. Bush (what a surprise)...

....what is Bush's record for vets dying while waiting for VA health care?

Over 2,200 Vets Died for Lack of Health Insurance in 2008 - NAM

Over 2,200 Vets Died for Lack of Health Insurance in 2008

BTW that was a troll question. He doesnt give a shit how many died. He'll excuse it some way and tell everyone when vets die on Obamas clock its much worse because...Obama something

 

[ClosedCaption]

Whats amazing here is that all the rw'ers blame Obama for not fixing....BUSH's PROBLEMS while at the same time ignoring any and all problems that occurred under Bush.

They dont hold Bush at fault for any of the spilled milk but complain that Obama didnt clean up the mess.

With no shame