Legless Veterans face travel to VA Hospital cutbacks NO JOKE!!!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

While body armor indeed saves lives, it creates a great deal more disabled veterans with lost limbs. A MAJOR cut in transportation reimbursements may force thousands of New Jersey veterans to pay their own way when seeking treatment at Veterans Administration medical centers. Other cutbacks to VA Hospitals include lowering the bar on Veterans who qualify for benefits, making only the poorest service people able to receive the free medical assistance promised to them at enlistment.

This ole' Vietnam Vet NEEDS YOUR HELP!!! My comrades deserve good care when they finally finish those extended tours of duty. I just hung up with an administrator at the VA Hospital and she said there's a 23% cutback in hospital administration nationwide but I can't find it online. A cutback in Administration means us disabled vets can't get a warm body on the phone when we need help. Can anyone find this info online? Here's all I've found so far:

http://specter.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Articles.Detail&Article_id=43&Month=1&Year=2003
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F4071FF83C5C0C708CDDAC0894DF484D81
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292259-1989240.php


Editorial: Nothing but lip service

In recent months, President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress have missed no opportunity to heap richly deserved praise on the military. But talk is cheap — and getting cheaper by the day, judging from the nickel-and-dime treatment the troops are getting lately.

For example, the White House griped that various pay-and-benefits incentives added to the 2004 defense budget by Congress are wasteful and unnecessary — including a modest proposal to double the $6,000 gratuity paid to families of troops who die on active duty. This comes at a time when Americans continue to die in Iraq at a rate of about one a day.

Similarly, the administration announced that on Oct. 1 it wants to roll back recent modest increases in monthly imminent-danger pay (from $225 to $150) and family-separation allowance (from $250 to $100) for troops getting shot at in combat zones.

[Surya Gayatri]

1. That's a rather unfortunate headline...

for sure, without legs it's a lot more difficult to get around. :crazy: SG

[Jeffersons Ghost]

2. Read the whole post please

that's just the tip of the iceburg

[Surya Gayatri]

3. So you spotted

the black humor, too? or was the original headline only my imagination?

As for the actual content, sadly no surprise there. In this criminal administration where spin & PR are all--support the troops means nothing more than a cheap yellow ribbon. SG

[Jeffersons Ghost]

5. I'm not understanding you...

I apologize but I don't know what "humor" you mean... This isn't funny to us Vets!

[Surya Gayatri]

10. The original headline, unless I'm mistaken,

read "Legless veterans face travel cutbacks". No? The horrible black humor just struck me...Meant no disrespect or hurt. If you are a disabled vet, bless you for your service--and may it be properly recognized and recompensed. SG

Edit: spelling mistake

[Jeffersons Ghost]

12. that was my original headline

I had just hung up with the VA Hospital here and I was still upset... I meant it to be shocking not funny though... I saw what you did in my headline and changed it... No need for yo to ever thank an old Vietnam Vet like me... We never wanted any thanks which is why many of us got into the anti-war movement after we returned home. War never makes heroes, it only creates casualties. I'm ashamed they brain-washed us into fighting for a few to get rich off our blood.

[Surya Gayatri]

13. With all due respect, I beg to differ...

I remember the hostility and contempt that you Nam vets endured for having served in an unpopular war--and it's past time that such a monumental wrong was righted. So, better a thank-you 30 years late than never! As for brainwashing to get rich off the blood of others, looks like we're in a déjà vu. SG

[Jeffersons Ghost]

14. yeah,

If only we could thank the guys who were told AGENT ORANGE won't hurt people... How can you tell I'm not one of those guys? The answer: because I'm still alive... Our Federal Govt. didn't even admit it was a real health issue until most of the guys exposed to the stuff were dead. I did meet a couple of them at the VA. They're gone now. That stuff was nasty!

[wavesofeuphoria]

4. Cutting back VA benefits ...

during a time of war ... that makes as much sense as raising gas prices during record oil profits

... I swear I am lost in the new world way of thinking ...

[jarab]

6. Just a thought ....

The DAV usually keeps up on current legislation. I'll check them out to see if the info provided is credible.
...O...

[Jeffersons Ghost]

7. THANK YOU SO MUCH JARAB

This is what I was hoping a few of you might find the time to do... I'm working on an article on this topic and need help finding sources.

[enid602]

8. evangelicals

Not to change the subject, but I happened to turn to the religious (TBN) station last night, and a man who is an evangelical preacher (a large man who appears to be a burn victim; can't remember his name) mentioned that he just bought several hundred acres in Colorado for the purpose of creating some sort of evangelical seminary for wounded Iraqi veterans. He said he will create an army of wounded soldiers for Christ; nothing like finding them when they're down, and then using them for his purposes. He was almost gloating that there are so many horribly wounded soldiers coming back from Iraq; he promised that his converts will be convincing witnesses to the lord, even though 'they don't have a leg to stand on.' Is this what the right plans to do with the Iraq war wounded? These evangelicals think of everything. I was sickened by the program.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

9. His wounded army won't work

After the VA is forced to let us all die!

[babylonsister]

11. Maybe here, link to Disabled American Vets:

http://www.dav.org/voters/legislative_talking_points.html


snip//


To bridge some of the gap between the resources needed and the appropriations requested, the Administration’s budget would shift some of the costs of VA medical care from the Government onto veterans themselves. To shift costs to veterans, it would impose a $250 annual enrollment fee and increase pharmacy co-payments upon certain veterans seeking medical care. According to the Administration’s budget, imposing these fees has two goals: (1) to generate non-appropriated revenues from money collected from sick and disabled veterans and thereby partially offset reductions in appropriations, and (2) save money by driving a projected 213,000 veterans away from the VA medical care system in FY 2006. To further partially reduce the gap between resources needed and appropriations requested, the Administration merely declares that it will achieve $590 million in savings through new management efficiencies, a highly questionable proposition.



These proposed user fees are nothing more than taxation upon the benefits of disabled veterans. Such fees depart from the fundamental principle that veterans’ benefits are provided to veterans free by a grateful nation in return for their service and sacrifices. Assuming Congress agrees to impose these taxes on disabled veterans, assuming the projected savings from the unconscionable scheme to drive veterans away from the system created for them, and assuming all of the savings from the attainment of new efficiencies, the total budget authority would still fall far short of what is needed to maintain services. The total budget authority for medical care would still be so inadequate that it would require draconian reductions in essential medical services to veterans. Thus, the Administration’s budget proposes a sharp curtailment of long-term care to disabled veterans. The Administration’s budget requests that Congress change the law to relieve VA from congressionally mandated levels of VA long-term care. The Administration’s budget would provide VA nursing care to 27% fewer veterans in FY 2006 than in FY 1998, the year used for comparison because the law employed 1998 capacity as a statutory minimum level of VA nursing care capacity. The Administration’s budget will cover the costs of nursing care in state institutions for 61% fewer veterans in FY 2006 than in FY 2005.

snip//

[Jeffersons Ghost]

15. the tyrant may have done the cuts when he first took office

It's beginning to look like Bush did the cutbacks when he first took office and it's a 10 year reduction program... it looks totally buried by now.
here's a real timely story

VA Faces $2.6 Billion Shortfall in Medical Care
Agency Undercounted Size of Returning Force

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 29, 2005; Page A19

The Bush administration disclosed yesterday that it had vastly underestimated the number of service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking medical treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and warned that the health care programs will be short at least $2.6 billion next year unless Congress approves additional funds.

I guess it's just another miscalculation by the spin-tyrant that's turning up the immediate heat. Hey, don't think that about our fearless leader anyone can make a mistake can't they?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/28/AR2005062800545.html