‘Decades old problem’ exacerbates benefits backlog for veterans

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - the more things change, the more they remain the same...

2 Controversial VA Directors Back on the Job
Feb 22, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- Two controversial directors involved in a hiring-system scheme at the Department of Veterans Affairs were back on the job Monday, after a decision to reassign them was overturned by an appeals board.

Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson announced the reinstatement of Philadelphia VA Regional Office director Diana Rubens and St. Paul (Minn.) VA Regional Office director Kimberly Graves. He visited Philadelphia to hold two town hall meetings with employees, according to an internal memo obtained by Stars and Stripes. A VA Inspector General's report found that Rubens and Graves manipulated the hiring system to get moved to positions of lesser responsibility while maintaining the same salary. The VA disputed those allegations and instead found the women guilty of the less serious offense of not recusing themselves from the relocation process, in which they received about $400,000. The VA ordered the women demoted and reassigned.

VA officials Diana Rubens of Philadelphia, left, and Kimberly Graves of St. Paul, Minn., at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing in Washington​

However, the Merit Systems Protection Board overturned the VA's punishment, part of a growing battle between the federal employee appeals board and the department. The VA has also been at odds with the Inspector General's office, which Gibson said has issued findings not supported by evidence.In a statement released Monday, Gibson said his proposed disciplinary actions "do not diminish the confidence VA leadership has in the abilities of Ms. Graves and Ms. Rubens to manage their offices, lead their employees and provide benefits to Veterans. "The disciplinary actions I took and any follow-on actions I may elect to take as a result of the initial actions being overturned, were based on the lack of judgment they displayed when they did not recuse themselves from the relocation decisions as quickly or as forcefully as they should have," he said. "Allegations of unethical behavior in the Inspector General report were not supported by any of the evidence I reviewed."

After the quasi-judicial board overturned the punishments for Rubens and Graves in January, it reversed the firing of Linda Weiss, director of the Albany-Stratton VA Medical Center in New York. The board ordered Weiss, who was accused of not responding to patient abuse, to be reinstated but Gibson has vowed not to implement the order.

2 Controversial VA Directors Back on the Job | Military.com

See also:

VA Boosts Budget to Tackle Outstanding Healthcare Claims from Vets
Feb 09, 2016 | The Veterans Affairs Department is requesting a budget of $182 billion next year, a nearly $20 billion funding increase designed in part to tackle outstanding health care claims from veterans. The proposed spending plan unveiled on Tuesday includes nearly $103.6 billion for mandatory programs such as disability compensation and pensions, and more than $78 billion in discretionary funding -- mostly for health care.

VA Secretary Bob McDonald, who is scheduled to testify Wednesday before Congress on the budget request, said the agency now has "one of the greatest opportunities in its history to transform the way it cares for our veterans." McDonald says the funding will expand health care options to veterans across the country, continue efforts to end chronic veteran homelessness and further reduce the backlog on first-time claims and also on appeals. Claims appeals, which have increased over the past six years as the VA put more resources and manpower into tackling the first-time claims backlog, is being targeted next year with more money and personnel. The budget proposes $156.1 million and 922 full time employees for the Board of Appeals, up from about $110 million for a staff of 680 personnel in 2016. The department's spending plan marks the last one that President Barack Obama will submit as his second term ends next year and amounts to about double what it was in 2009 when he was sworn in.

After the White House released the budget details, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Florida, a Republican from Florida and the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, released a rundown of recent and longstanding department problems, from cost overruns on construction projects to employees not being held accountable for poor performance and alleged wrongdoing. "I will fight to ensure VA has the resources it needs, but given the complete lack of accountability for the department's string of past financial failures, this budget request will receive every bit of the scrutiny it is due," he said in a statement. The department budgeted $68.6 billion for health care. Of that amount, more than $12 billion is slated to deliver health care to vets in their community. Another $8.5 billion is for long-term care; $7.8 billion for mental health programs; $1.6 billion to reduce veteran homelessness; $1.5 billion to treat veterans ill with hepatitis C; $601 million for treating spinal cord injuries and $284 million for traumatic brain injuries, according to budget documents. The VA expects to spend $725 million for caregivers.

To improve claims processing, the VA is continuing to invest in technology, earmarking $180 million to the Veterans Benefits Administration to enhance its electronic claims system and $143 million to the Veterans Claims Intake Program to continue converting older, paper records, including health records, into digital images and data. The backlog in first-time claims -- those not acted on within 125 days of filing -- has been reduced from its 2013 peak of 611,000 to about 82,000, McDonald said last month. Unlike other parts of the federal budget, Congress has authorized the VA to include funding requests one year in advance. As a result, the department included 2018 funding figures that totaled about $174 billion, including $104 billion in mandatory programs, a $1.5 billion increase from the 2017 request, and $470 billion in advance appropriations, an boost of about $300,000 from next year's amount.

VA Boosts Budget to Tackle Outstanding Healthcare Claims from Vets | Military.com

 

[Moonglow]

And some people want the Government to take over our Healthcare when they can't even handle Veterans?

?Decades old problem? exacerbates benefits backlog for veterans ? MSNBC


The Department of Veterans Affairs has been scrambling to fix its backlog, which has reached 584,308 claims that have been pending for 125 days or more. About 873,680 veterans have filed claims and that number continues to grow.

The VA has taken care of my health better than when I had health coverage at work in the civilian world...

 

[whitehall]

The federal government seems to have no problem supplying quality health care at little or no cost to an estimated 12 million people who are illegally in the Country. The Bush/Gore election tipped the hand of the democrat agenda when the little army of Gore lawyers high fived each other when unopened ballots from Ships and Military installations were tossed in the garbage unread for some trivial issue that the Military had no control over. The obvious reason for throwing away unopened ballots is that the Gore people (correctly) assumed that the majority of Military based votes would not favor democrats. The uncomfortable fact of life is that democrat administrations care about one thing and one thing only. It's about the voting democrat base and the base doesn't include members of the Military or Veterans.

 

[waltky]

VA Execs Accused in Job Scam returned to posts...

Return of VA Execs Accused in Job Scam Isn't Accountability: Legion
Feb 24, 2016 | Hundreds of members of The American Legion gathered before a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees on Wednesday to hear their leaders slam the Veterans Affairs Department for failing to hold VA employees accountable for conduct they say should have had them fired.

"VA has described accountability as a top priority in the aftermath of scandals blamed for costing some veterans their lives, the payout of questionable performance bonuses, and ill-fated efforts to discipline executives who were found to have abused their positions," Legion Commander Dale Barnett said. But that's not what veterans have seen, he added, most recently when the VA's move to discipline senior executives was overturned on appeal and the employees sent back to work, the previous jobs and salaries in restored. "Veterans do not see this as accountability," Barnett told the lawmakers.

Philadelphia VA Director Diana Rubens​

Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia and chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told the Legionnaires that legislation was coming that will strengthen the department's leadership's hand when it comes to disciplining employees. "I have committed myself to see to it that before this term is over this year, hopefully by the 31st of March, we'd begin the process of passing comprehensive omnibus bill that incorporates the bills we all know need to become law," Isakson said. The Legion earlier on Wednesday announced it had awarded Isakson its National Commander's Distinguished Public Service Award, which is given annually to an elected official who has established an outstanding record in support of those principles advanced by The American Legion.

At the hearing, Isakson said the coming legislation will include a number of proposals by VA Secretary Bob McDonald, including one that would convert Senior Executive Service-level employees, including administrators and directors who manage the agency's medical centers, to Title 38 employees, including professional medical staff such as doctors and nurses. Title 38 employees do not have the same Civil Service appeals process as SES employees. The latter may appeal disciplinary actions to the Merit System Protection Board, which is where the actions against several recent workers were overturned. The final arbiter in a disciplinary appeal involving Title38 workers would be the VA secretary or his designee.

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Senators Pledge to Support VA Chief's Accountability Proposals
Feb 23, 2016 | Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald on Tuesday met with Senators to discuss the VA's budget for fiscal 2017 and appropriations for the following year.

But the issue of funding took a backseat in the discussion as lawmakers were more intent to talk about McDonald's proposals to hold VA employees accountable for wrongdoing or poor performance. "My goal is to see to it that by the end of March we have an accountability bill for the VA employees that's right for the veterans and right for those employees," said Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia and chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. "We are looking to the future to ensure that if we have problems ... we have a defensible accountability system within the department to correct a wrong and make sure it does not happen again, he added.

Isakson and other lawmakers said they were ready to give McDonald the ability to make both the hiring and firing of employees easier. As part of the department's budget proposal, McDonald asked Congress to convert Senior Executive Service-level employees -- top administrators and directors at the VA's medical centers -- to Title 38 employees -- the category that includes doctors and nurses. McDonald said the change would make it easier to fill the 34 medical center directorships that have been open, in some cases for years, and also to discipline employees when necessary. In the latter case, the change would end the executives' ability to appeal disciplinary actions to the Merit System Protection Board by making McDonald, or his designee, the final word in an appeal.

Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, urged the committee to press Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky and the Senate majority Leader, to schedule a vote on the changes. "We need to push the leadership to get this to the floor and hold this man (McDonald) accountable," Tester said. "We can't hold him accountable if his hands are tied ... If he screws up [he's] gone. But the fact is," he said to the secretary, "I trust you, I believe you can get this done." Saying there is a "very limited amount of time" to move the legislation, Tester told Isakson that "if it takes a letter, if it takes phone calls, if it takes a group meeting with Sen. McConnell, I'll join you in that."

Converting the administration and directorships from SES to Title 38, the section of the law that spells out the hiring practices for VA health care workers and others -- was prompted by recent MSPB judge rulings overturning VA disciplinary actions against executives accused of wrongdoing. McDonald told the lawmakers that converting the job categories is not only about being able to discipline people. He said it's also about being more competitive with the private sector in recruiting and compensation, since it is easier to hire and compensate under Title 38 than the Civil Service rules for SES employees. "It's not about firing people," he said. "It's about treating VA career executives more like their private sector counterparts. It's the kind of flexibility that attracts top performers in the private sector. VA needs that flexibility, too."

Senators Pledge to Support VA Chief's Accountability Proposals | Military.com

 

[waltky]

One big Fubar...

Errors Delayed Claims for Aging, Disabled Veterans
Apr 03, 2016 | I've been getting complaints for years about how slow the government is to appoint fiduciaries to manage veterans benefits for former service members or their spouses who are old or disabled. It seemed as if the Department of Veterans Affairs had forgotten about them. In some cases, it did.

The agency sheepishly announced a few weeks ago that about 14,000 fiduciary claims, some dating to 2000, didn't get processed because they weren't transferred properly within the agency's bureaucracy. The delay could have cost veterans and their families thousands of dollars. If a veteran dies before a fiduciary is appointed, benefits that have been withheld pending the appointment aren't always paid. Uncle Sam profits from its tardiness. "We sincerely apologize to these veterans and their survivors for this regrettable delay," VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson said in a statement March 24. "We are taking immediate action to complete these cases, initiate the fiduciary appointment process, and ensure that these errors do not happen again."

The cover of a VA publication about its fiduciary program, which came under heavy criticism from the department's own inspector general.​

The VA's definition of "immediate action" probably differs from yours and mine. The VA said it could take as long as six months, or more. What else did you expect from an agency with a reputation for being as quick as a tortoise? The VA appoints fiduciaries to manage government benefits for veterans who are deemed incompetent to handle their money. That most typically happens with disabled and aging veterans, or their widows and widowers, who apply for pension benefits to cover the cost of their care in a nursing home. They must meet income requirements. Once they are approved, a process that can take months, their monthly benefits payments begin flowing. But they won't get any retroactive payments they are owed for the period between their application and approval if the VA believes a money manager is needed.

Staff will interview the veteran or eligible widow/widower to assess their competency. If it is determined that a fiduciary is required, appointing one can take many more months. During that time, the retroactive payments, which can be thousands of dollars, continue to be withheld. The VA isn't comfortable releasing such large sums to someone considered to be unable to manage their money. So veterans must draw down their savings or rely on relatives to pay the nursing home bill until that money is released, though I've heard that some homes graciously will let the bill ride for at least a while for the benefits to come through. A few years ago, I wrote about a Carbon County woman who went through that. It took her eight months to get appointed as fiduciary for her father, a World War II veteran, and likely would have taken longer if the Watchdog hadn't intervened.

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Veterans Facing Cancer Hope That 'Atomic Veteran' Bill Becomes Law
Apr 03, 2016 | Congress is considering a bill that would create a special "atomic veteran" designation for the men and women who worked to clean up nuclear waste from a South Pacific atoll nearly 40 years ago, a move that Maine veteran Paul Laird says was a long time coming.

But Laird, a 59-year-old from Otisfield who served with the U.S. Army's 84th Engineer Battalion on Enewetak Atoll and who is a three-time cancer survivor, said that the bill has only a slim chance of becoming law -- and that is not acceptable to him. As of now, only 30 co-sponsors have officially signed on to the bill, which is a number the Mainer said does not seem like enough. "We are not seeing people jump up and down to get on board," he said earlier this month. "We're a little disappointed. We're trying however we can to get the word out, but people just don't seem to think it's very important." The bill, H.R. 3870, is called the Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, and was introduced last November by US Rep. Mark Takai, D-Hawaii. It was referred to the House subcommittee on health on Nov. 6 and has not advanced any farther on its legislative path.

The website GovTrack.us, which follows Congress, only gave the bill a 5 percent chance of getting out of committee and a 1 percent chance of being enacted into law. Veterans such as Laird and Jeffery Dean of Belfast want to be designated as so-called atomic veterans so that if they are diagnosed with one of several specific cancers or nonmalignant conditions they can be entitled to compensation or free medical care through the US Department of Veterans Affairs. With this designation, they would not have to prove their cancers were caused by radiation and would likely have an easier time getting a disability rating from the VA.

A thermonuclear explosion rises above Enewetak Atoll on New Year's Eve 1952.​

Laird and Dean were among approximately 6,000 American soldiers tasked with rehabilitating the atoll between 1977 and 1980 before it was returned to the people of the Marshall Islands. The tiny island was the scene of more than 40 nuclear tests from 1948 to 1958, and when the two Mainers were among those told to clean it up with little protective gear, they believe they became contaminated with radioactive dust. "The stuff was like baby powder," Laird said of the contaminated soil he moved with a bulldozer and bucket loader. "When you dumped it in the back of the truck it would just go poof. The first weeks I was there I begged for a dust mask. They said they were on back order and just wrap your T-shirt around your nose."

He said that he is in communication with 340 known surviving veterans from Enewetak Atoll, and of the 340, there is a 35 percent cancer rate. "We have many guys that have already died. We have lots more with a foot in the grave," Laird said. "I've had three different forms of cancer, which is very, very rare. I was in good shape my whole life, then all of a sudden, it was like someone flipped the switch. That's what radiation does." Dean, another cancer survivor, said last year that it is past time for the veterans to get the designation and health care they need. "We're all suffering the consequences," he said. "Vets are dying with no mystery to it."

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[waltky]

Wait-times were systemic across the Veterans Affairs Department...

IG Reports Detail Which VA Facilities Doctored Patient Wait-Times
Apr 08, 2016 | Two years after whistleblower revelations of manipulated appointment times at the Veterans Medical Center in Phoenix led to findings that the problem was systemic across the Veterans Affairs Department, internal investigations into the matter are finally being released.

The reports, documenting the manipulation of wait-times at VA facilities across 19 states, reveal that in at least seven facilities the dates were falsified per order of supervisors, according to an article in USA Today, which acquired the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request. The 71 reports are now available for viewing on the department's website. The VA anticipates releasing another half dozen reports at least. It is also completing 30 site-specific investigations that it will release in the coming months, department spokesman James Hutton said.

The reports finally identify VA hospitals and clinics where appointment data was manipulated. In particular, inspector general concluded appointment dates were manipulated in accordance with supervisor instructions in facilities in seven states, including Arkansas, California, Delaware, Illinois, New York, Texas and Vermont. The investigations were carried out in 2014 after whistleblowers went public with allegations of appointment gaming that resulted in veteran deaths at the Phoenix hospital. Altogether, 40 VA hospitals and clinics across the U.S. and Puerto Rico were found to be "zeroing out" wait times -- meaning they would adjust the dates to make it appear veterans were getting the appointment dates they desired rather than those that were available.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs​

The manipulation concealed the extent to which facilities were not keeping up with patient demand. In some instances confirmed by the IG agents, wait-times were manipulated as a result of poor training or instruction, though the net results were skewed appointment data in violation of VA procedure. The department, in anticipation of the reports' release, said last week that it's "important to note that OIG has not substantiated any case in which a [Veterans Health Administration] Senior Executive or other senior leader intentionally manipulated scheduling data." In about a third of the inspector general investigations, there was no evidence of manipulated appointment data, it said. Of those remaining, investigators substantiated 18 instances of intentional misuse of scheduling systems.

Of those 18 cases, VA says, the Office of Accountability Review found individual misconduct warranting discipline in 12, resulting in 29 employees who were disciplined. VA did not offer a detailed accounting of the actions taken, saying only that they ranged from official admonishment to removal, including three employees who retired or resigned with disciplinary action pending. Rep. Jeff Miller, a Republican from Florida and chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, on Friday said the inspector general reports "document dysfunction on the part of both the Department of Veterans Affairs and its inspector general." Miller, who has been the most vocal among lawmakers in demanding VA reform and accountability, slammed the department for sitting on the reports for so long.

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[waltky]

Sharon Helman scores legal win...

Fired Phoenix VA Director Scores Legal Win, Sparks Outrage
Jun 03, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- The former director of Phoenix veterans hospitals who was at the center of a 2014 wait-time scandal scored a major legal win this week, shooting down sections of a law allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to quickly fire misbehaving employees.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Tuesday that the law fast-tracking firings is unconstitutional because VA employees cannot appeal a final decision by an administrative judge. Lynch and President Barack Obama's administration have sided with Sharon Helman, who is suing in federal court over her 2014 termination from the VA for accepting a trip to Disneyland and other gifts. The decision by Lynch is new evidence of the VA's faltering efforts to fire executives and employees when it deems them guilty of misconduct. It also undercuts a key reform passed by Congress in the months following the nationwide VA scandal, which erupted after a doctor in Phoenix said veterans were dying while waiting for care at the facilities overseen by Helman.

The Obama administration is sending the message that "the sanctity of a federal bureaucrat's job is far more important than the health and well-being of our veterans," said Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, an architect of the law. McCain blasted the president for originally touting and signing the law. Other Republicans also voiced outrage over the decision. "The effect of this reckless action is clear. It undermines very modest reforms to our broken civil service system supported in 2014 by the president and an overwhelming majority of Congress," said Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Florida, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Sharon Helman, director of the Phoenix VA Health Care System.​

In the past, employees had the option of appealing their termination to the Merit Systems Protection Board -- a panel appointed by the president -- in a process that could typically take months. But a joint VA-White House investigation during the wait-time scandal found a "corrosive culture" and widespread poor management at veterans hospitals and clinics across the country. The findings added urgency to VA efforts to quickly root out bad employees. A $16 billion reform law passed by Congress in 2014 dramatically scaled back the appeals process, ordering an administrative judge to make a final decision within 21 days -- with no appeal options -- on whether to uphold the firing. But Lynch now contends the law violates the Constitution because it allows nobody to review the judge's decision, including VA Secretary Bob McDonald.

The law "vests a federal employee with the final authority -- unreviewable by any politically accountable officer of the executive branch -- to determine whether to uphold the removal of a [VA] senior executive, which includes the power to overrule the decision of a cabinet-level officer," Lynch wrote in a letter to Republican leadership in the House. Lynch said the Justice Department will no longer defend the law in court against Helman and other challengers. But the Justice Department will continue to defend against the other constitutional violations charged in Helman's federal lawsuit.

MORE

 

[JakeStarkey]

Thank Bush for the back log in the increase of vets for starters.

The VA does a fairly good job compared to the private sector.

Allow vets to go to private vendors, who negotiate with the VA for payment.

Problem fixed.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Edgetho above is the exception that proves the rule that VA care is decent.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

And some people want the Government to take over our Healthcare when they can't even handle Veterans?

I have VA health care, lad.

It's great.

Far better HC service than I ever got in the private sector.

Perhaps you just don't know what the fuck you're talking about?

Thats not my experience.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Thank Bush for the back log in the increase of vets for starters.

The VA does a fairly good job compared to the private sector.

Allow vets to go to private vendors, who negotiate with the VA for payment.

Problem fixed.

Except.
Veterans Choice health care program faces continuing challenges

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

And some people want the Government to take over our Healthcare when they can't even handle Veterans?

?Decades old problem? exacerbates benefits backlog for veterans ? MSNBC


The Department of Veterans Affairs has been scrambling to fix its backlog, which has reached 584,308 claims that have been pending for 125 days or more. About 873,680 veterans have filed claims and that number continues to grow.

The VA has taken care of my health better than when I had health coverage at work in the civilian world...

Not my experience. Waiting a month sometimes longer for an appointment. Can't get intouch with my primary. An emergency room vist with a wait time of hours.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Thank Bush for the back log in the increase of vets for starters.

The VA does a fairly good job compared to the private sector.

Allow vets to go to private vendors, who negotiate with the VA for payment.

Problem fixed.

Except.
Veterans Choice health care program faces continuing challenges

Yes, it does, but the VA does a good job compared to the private sector.

I have had outstanding care from VA for almost twenty-five years now and have little complaint, particularly when comparing it to private care.

Wait times: normally three to ten minutes. I once had to wait 45 minutes because an emergency had occurred in the Blue Clinic, as an old duffer went into cardiac arrest during a regular visit with his doctor.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Thank Bush for the back log in the increase of vets for starters.

The VA does a fairly good job compared to the private sector.

Allow vets to go to private vendors, who negotiate with the VA for payment.

Problem fixed.

Except.
Veterans Choice health care program faces continuing challenges

Yes, it does, but the VA does a good job compared to the private sector.

I have had outstanding care from VA for almost twenty-five years now and have little complaint, particularly when comparing it to private care.

Wait times: normally three to ten minutes. I once had to wait 45 minutes because an emergency had occurred in the Blue Clinic, as an old duffer went into cardiac arrest during a regular visit with his doctor.

You are talking about a scheduled appointment. I'm talking about waiting to get an appointment. I'm curious as to when and where you served.

 

[Moonglow]

And some people want the Government to take over our Healthcare when they can't even handle Veterans?

?Decades old problem? exacerbates benefits backlog for veterans ? MSNBC


The Department of Veterans Affairs has been scrambling to fix its backlog, which has reached 584,308 claims that have been pending for 125 days or more. About 873,680 veterans have filed claims and that number continues to grow.

The VA has taken care of my health better than when I had health coverage at work in the civilian world...

Not my experience. Waiting a month sometimes longer for an appointment. Can't get intouch with my primary. An emergency room visit with a wait time of hours.

Have you activated your account on MYHEALTHVET.com? My team gets a hold of me on the same day...But not every VA is the same..Also have you received your card for outside VA care? To get a doctor outside does take a while, but I have learned that phone lobbying does increase the speed of authorization time..
Even a regular doctor takes time to see and a regual hospital still has wait times determined by the degree of your need...

 

[JakeStarkey]

Thank Bush for the back log in the increase of vets for starters.

The VA does a fairly good job compared to the private sector.

Allow vets to go to private vendors, who negotiate with the VA for payment.

Problem fixed.

Except.
Veterans Choice health care program faces continuing challenges

Yes, it does, but the VA does a good job compared to the private sector.

I have had outstanding care from VA for almost twenty-five years now and have little complaint, particularly when comparing it to private care.

Wait times: normally three to ten minutes. I once had to wait 45 minutes because an emergency had occurred in the Blue Clinic, as an old duffer went into cardiac arrest during a regular visit with his doctor.

You are talking about a scheduled appointment. I'm talking about waiting to get an appointment. I'm curious as to when and where you served.

So your scheduled appointment waits are OK?

Houston, Shreveport, Salt Lake City and some outpatient clinics, among others.

I have always been able to see someone as necessary, which has been very rare for me.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Thank Bush for the back log in the increase of vets for starters.

The VA does a fairly good job compared to the private sector.

Allow vets to go to private vendors, who negotiate with the VA for payment.

Problem fixed.

Except.
Veterans Choice health care program faces continuing challenges

Yes, it does, but the VA does a good job compared to the private sector.

I have had outstanding care from VA for almost twenty-five years now and have little complaint, particularly when comparing it to private care.

Wait times: normally three to ten minutes. I once had to wait 45 minutes because an emergency had occurred in the Blue Clinic, as an old duffer went into cardiac arrest during a regular visit with his doctor.

You are talking about a scheduled appointment. I'm talking about waiting to get an appointment. I'm curious as to when and where you served.

So your scheduled appointment waits are OK?

Houston, Shreveport, Salt Lake City and some outpatient clinics, among others.

I have always been able to see someone as necessary, which has been very rare for me.

The fucking problem is waiting months for a doctors appointment. You are an exception to all the other Vets out their that have gotten nothing but BS from the VA.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Thank Bush for the back log in the increase of vets for starters.

The VA does a fairly good job compared to the private sector.

Allow vets to go to private vendors, who negotiate with the VA for payment.

Problem fixed.

Except.
Veterans Choice health care program faces continuing challenges

Yes, it does, but the VA does a good job compared to the private sector.

I have had outstanding care from VA for almost twenty-five years now and have little complaint, particularly when comparing it to private care.

Wait times: normally three to ten minutes. I once had to wait 45 minutes because an emergency had occurred in the Blue Clinic, as an old duffer went into cardiac arrest during a regular visit with his doctor.

You are talking about a scheduled appointment. I'm talking about waiting to get an appointment. I'm curious as to when and where you served.

So your scheduled appointment waits are OK?

Houston, Shreveport, Salt Lake City and some outpatient clinics, among others.

I have always been able to see someone as necessary, which has been very rare for me.

The fucking problem is waiting months for a doctors appointment. You are an exception to all the other Vets out their that have gotten nothing but BS from the VA.

That is merely your opinion, nothing more.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Except.
Veterans Choice health care program faces continuing challenges

Yes, it does, but the VA does a good job compared to the private sector.

I have had outstanding care from VA for almost twenty-five years now and have little complaint, particularly when comparing it to private care.

Wait times: normally three to ten minutes. I once had to wait 45 minutes because an emergency had occurred in the Blue Clinic, as an old duffer went into cardiac arrest during a regular visit with his doctor.

You are talking about a scheduled appointment. I'm talking about waiting to get an appointment. I'm curious as to when and where you served.

So your scheduled appointment waits are OK?

Houston, Shreveport, Salt Lake City and some outpatient clinics, among others.

I have always been able to see someone as necessary, which has been very rare for me.

The fucking problem is waiting months for a doctors appointment. You are an exception to all the other Vets out their that have gotten nothing but BS from the VA.

That is merely your opinion, nothing more.

No its not do you ignore the news or what. People have died waiting on the VA. My next appointment is for a MRI on my back this will be the third time I don't know why maybe those idiots think its going to spontaniously heal. Had to wait 2 months for this one.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Yes, it does, but the VA does a good job compared to the private sector.

I have had outstanding care from VA for almost twenty-five years now and have little complaint, particularly when comparing it to private care.

Wait times: normally three to ten minutes. I once had to wait 45 minutes because an emergency had occurred in the Blue Clinic, as an old duffer went into cardiac arrest during a regular visit with his doctor.

You are talking about a scheduled appointment. I'm talking about waiting to get an appointment. I'm curious as to when and where you served.

So your scheduled appointment waits are OK?

Houston, Shreveport, Salt Lake City and some outpatient clinics, among others.

I have always been able to see someone as necessary, which has been very rare for me.

The fucking problem is waiting months for a doctors appointment. You are an exception to all the other Vets out their that have gotten nothing but BS from the VA.

That is merely your opinion, nothing more.

No its not do you ignore the news or what. People have died waiting on the VA. My next appointment is for a MRI on my back this will be the third time I don't know why maybe those idiots think its going to spontaniously heal. Had to wait 2 months for this one.

You have made a suggestion that the VA is worse than private care. No it is not. You cannot prove that because you don't have the numbers or the comparisons for the numbers. Where are you getting VA care?