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Obama Betrayal: Effort to Snatch $10 Billion From Veterans
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Feb 15, 2015 22:32:00   #
Ricktloml
 
BY Becky McCaughey

President Obama and the Veteran's Administration bureaucracy are already sabotaging the Veteran's Administration reform law passed in August. The ink is barely dry on the 8.6 million "Choice Cards" that supposedly allow vets to see a doctor outside the delay-plagued system.

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

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

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

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

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

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

VA administrators are lying to Congress when they say vets do not want Choice. A Terrance Group poll the first week of Feb. found 88% of vets polled said it is "extremely" or "very important" to increase their health care choices.

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

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

House Veteran's Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller-R-Fla., dismisses the notion that Choice money is needed elsewhere. Pointing out that the VA has "left hundreds of millions in health care funding unspent since 2010, while thousands of vets languished on waiting lists." Not to mention that the president's new budget proposes increases VA funding by another 7.5%.

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

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

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

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

Indeed the GAO- unimpressed with the reform promises of the new VA secretary- just named the entire Veteran's Administration a "high risk" program.

What's needed is a system that puts vets in the driver's seat, allowing them to take their medical funding wherever they choose.

On Feb. 26, a bipartisan task force assembled by Concerned Veterans For America will unveil such a plan. It's already attracting support of powerful lawmakers, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and Miller. But with the VA leadership and unions lined up against them, they have their work cut out for them.

Reply
Feb 15, 2015 22:59:52   #
grace scott
 
I hope they succeed. Our vets deserve proper medical care.

Reply
Feb 15, 2015 23:15:49   #
America Only Loc: From the right hand of God
 
As a Veteran, I have always thought we need to get rid of the politicians that reside within the VA itself and have it totally run by only Vets.

Reply
 
 
Feb 15, 2015 23:18:23   #
lindajoy Loc: right here with you....
 
Our Military need to walk into the Oval and escort that POS OUT in handcuffs!!!! T*****rous bastard that he is...

A final straw that is never final with this worthless lying narcassist~~ :evil: :twisted: :twisted:

Vets should be screaming loud and clear too..keep the fire going....See, just enough time has past, that the way our vets are handled is no longer news or upsetting the Hill so they are once again back to their dirty damn tricks, lies and deceptive ways!!!

Reply
Feb 15, 2015 23:22:21   #
mongo Loc: TEXAS
 
lindajoy wrote:
Our Military need to walk into the Oval and escort that POS OUT in handcuffs!!!! T*****rous bastard that he is...

A final straw that is never final with this worthless lying narcassist~~ :evil: :twisted: :twisted:

Vets should be screaming loud and clear too..keep the fire going....See, just enough time has past, that the way our vets are handled is no longer news or upsetting the Hill so they are once again back to their dirty damn tricks, lies and deceptive ways!!!


This is the same game they played with the Vietnam Vets! It's like a circle jerk and the Vets are the pivot point.

SEMPER FI

Reply
Feb 15, 2015 23:22:43   #
jimahrens Loc: California
 
I just tried to use choice card last week was told system is noe fully implemented yet. i have been trying to get nerve scan for months.
Ricktloml wrote:
BY Becky McCaughey

President Obama and the Veteran's Administration bureaucracy are already sabotaging the Veteran's Administration reform law passed in August. The ink is barely dry on the 8.6 million "Choice Cards" that supposedly allow vets to see a doctor outside the delay-plagued system.

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

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

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

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

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

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

VA administrators are lying to Congress when they say vets do not want Choice. A Terrance Group poll the first week of Feb. found 88% of vets polled said it is "extremely" or "very important" to increase their health care choices.

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

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

House Veteran's Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller-R-Fla., dismisses the notion that Choice money is needed elsewhere. Pointing out that the VA has "left hundreds of millions in health care funding unspent since 2010, while thousands of vets languished on waiting lists." Not to mention that the president's new budget proposes increases VA funding by another 7.5%.

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

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

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

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

Indeed the GAO- unimpressed with the reform promises of the new VA secretary- just named the entire Veteran's Administration a "high risk" program.

What's needed is a system that puts vets in the driver's seat, allowing them to take their medical funding wherever they choose.

On Feb. 26, a bipartisan task force assembled by Concerned Veterans For America will unveil such a plan. It's already attracting support of powerful lawmakers, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and Miller. But with the VA leadership and unions lined up against them, they have their work cut out for them.
BY Becky McCaughey br br President Obama and the... (show quote)

Reply
Feb 15, 2015 23:23:17   #
America Only Loc: From the right hand of God
 
In all fairness, all Vets and actually all Americans should march on the White House and Capital and demand about 90 percent of them to leave this Nation NOW. No need to pack...just go!

Reply
 
 
Feb 16, 2015 05:42:40   #
bmac32 Loc: West Florida
 
Choice money is needed elsewhere, reminds of SS money, plain fraud!



Ricktloml wrote:
BY Becky McCaughey

President Obama and the Veteran's Administration bureaucracy are already sabotaging the Veteran's Administration reform law passed in August. The ink is barely dry on the 8.6 million "Choice Cards" that supposedly allow vets to see a doctor outside the delay-plagued system.

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

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

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

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

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

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

VA administrators are lying to Congress when they say vets do not want Choice. A Terrance Group poll the first week of Feb. found 88% of vets polled said it is "extremely" or "very important" to increase their health care choices.

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

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

House Veteran's Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller-R-Fla., dismisses the notion that Choice money is needed elsewhere. Pointing out that the VA has "left hundreds of millions in health care funding unspent since 2010, while thousands of vets languished on waiting lists." Not to mention that the president's new budget proposes increases VA funding by another 7.5%.

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

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

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

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

Indeed the GAO- unimpressed with the reform promises of the new VA secretary- just named the entire Veteran's Administration a "high risk" program.

What's needed is a system that puts vets in the driver's seat, allowing them to take their medical funding wherever they choose.

On Feb. 26, a bipartisan task force assembled by Concerned Veterans For America will unveil such a plan. It's already attracting support of powerful lawmakers, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and Miller. But with the VA leadership and unions lined up against them, they have their work cut out for them.
BY Becky McCaughey br br President Obama and the... (show quote)

Reply
Feb 16, 2015 05:57:17   #
lindajoy Loc: right here with you....
 
America Only wrote:
In all fairness, all Vets and actually all Americans should march on the White House and Capital and demand about 90 percent of them to leave this Nation NOW. No need to pack...just go!


:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Reply
Feb 16, 2015 06:14:03   #
Pulfnick Loc: Knoxville, TN
 
The Choice program isn't written to be quite as good as many people think it is. Does it allow a vet to get local treatment if the VA can't provide it within 40 miles of your home? Only to see a GP for an in office visit. It only applies to primary care/GP type doctor visits so for anything else, like specialists, tests, surgical, etc that can't be done by a small clinic office, Choice doesn't help. I still need to drive to a VA hospital 120 miles for routine care, rather than use local, private providers. The program still needs a major tweak to fix this.

Reply
Feb 16, 2015 06:42:28   #
bmac32 Loc: West Florida
 
I'm less than 8 miles away from a VA hospital and I won't step foot into one. Did once about 30 years ago and ended up waiting most of the day, at least I got to sit.



Pulfnick wrote:
The Choice program isn't written to be quite as good as many people think it is. Does it allow a vet to get local treatment if the VA can't provide it within 40 miles of your home? Only to see a GP for an in office visit. It only applies to primary care/GP type doctor visits so for anything else, like specialists, tests, surgical, etc that can't be done by a small clinic office, Choice doesn't help. I still need to drive to a VA hospital 120 miles for routine care, rather than use local, private providers. The program still needs a major tweak to fix this.
The Choice program isn't written to be quite as go... (show quote)

Reply
 
 
Feb 16, 2015 06:59:01   #
WhosetheBoss Loc: Arkansas
 
Ricktloml wrote:
BY Becky McCaughey

President Obama and the Veteran's Administration bureaucracy are already sabotaging the Veteran's Administration reform law passed in August. The ink is barely dry on the 8.6 million "Choice Cards" that supposedly allow vets to see a doctor outside the delay-plagued system.

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

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

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

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

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

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

VA administrators are lying to Congress when they say vets do not want Choice. A Terrance Group poll the first week of Feb. found 88% of vets polled said it is "extremely" or "very important" to increase their health care choices.

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

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

House Veteran's Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller-R-Fla., dismisses the notion that Choice money is needed elsewhere. Pointing out that the VA has "left hundreds of millions in health care funding unspent since 2010, while thousands of vets languished on waiting lists." Not to mention that the president's new budget proposes increases VA funding by another 7.5%.

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

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

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

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

Indeed the GAO- unimpressed with the reform promises of the new VA secretary- just named the entire Veteran's Administration a "high risk" program.

What's needed is a system that puts vets in the driver's seat, allowing them to take their medical funding wherever they choose.

On Feb. 26, a bipartisan task force assembled by Concerned Veterans For America will unveil such a plan. It's already attracting support of powerful lawmakers, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and Miller. But with the VA leadership and unions lined up against them, they have their work cut out for them.
BY Becky McCaughey br br President Obama and the... (show quote)


Fayetteville AR VA hospital used to be known as the hospital of death. Now things are pretty decent with new facilities and a lot higher survival rate. Just recently though I had an ear infection for 2 months just waiting to see the ENT Specialist. What I am saying is don't stop, improvements happen. I have always been upset that my federally defined service hasn't earned federally available benefits at all locations in the US instead of only allowing service at a VA location.

Reply
Feb 16, 2015 10:39:14   #
DamnYANKEE
 
lindajoy wrote:
Our Military need to walk into the Oval and escort that POS OUT in handcuffs!!!! T*****rous bastard that he is...

A final straw that is never final with this worthless lying narcassist~~ :evil: :twisted: :twisted:

Vets should be screaming loud and clear too..keep the fire going....See, just enough time has past, that the way our vets are handled is no longer news or upsetting the Hill so they are once again back to their dirty damn tricks, lies and deceptive ways!!!


Lindajoy ?? We tried making Mini Loaves of my Bread . BY GOD , it Worked , Cut 15 to 20 minutes off bake time too :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :-D :-D :-D

Reply
Feb 16, 2015 11:20:40   #
eagleye13 Loc: Fl
 
So Should Americans just turn their heads, and continue sending our men and women all over the world, for a whole lot of BS?
Who is ready for the Ukraine set up?

mongo wrote:
This is the same game they played with the Vietnam Vets! It's like a circle jerk and the Vets are the pivot point.

SEMPER FI

Reply
Feb 16, 2015 11:53:15   #
Antisocialist Loc: Florida
 
Ricktloml wrote:
Obama's budget tries to snatch the 10 billion allocated for the Choice program and allow it to be spent, however top VA administrators want.


Well, they only spent $500 million on new drapes while our vets were dying, waiting for medical care, why not blow $10 billion and finish the vets off like Obama and the Libtards want? They h**e our military.

Reply
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