Why isn't the VA covering ALL the costs of this man's treatment???!!!

[BrklynLiberal]

:cry:
Wounded GI Endures Blindness, Paralysis

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - He lies flat, unseeing eyes fixed on the ceiling, tubes and machines feeding him, breathing for him, keeping him alive. He cannot walk or talk, but he can grimace and cry. And he is fully aware of what has happened to him.

Four years ago almost to this day, Joseph Briseno Jr. was shot in the back of the head at point-blank range in a Baghdad marketplace. His spinal cord was shattered, and cardiac arrests stole his vision and damaged his brain.

He is one of the most severely injured soldiers—some think the most injured soldier—to survive.

"Three things you would not want to be: blind, head injury, and paralyzed from the neck down. That's tough," said Dr. Steven Scott, head of the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center at the Tampa VA Medical Center, where Briseno has twice been hospitalized for extensive care. In recent days, Briseno was hospitalized yet again, this time at the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center.

<snip>

"All our savings, all our money, was just emptied ... the 401(k)s, everything," said Joseph Briseno, who took a new job a year and a half ago to make ends meet.

Various charities, especially Rebuilding Together, raised money to renovate their basement, supply a backup generator for the medical equipment, and install a lift so they can hoist "Jay," as they call him, into a chair and bathe him in a handicapped accessible bathroom.

"If you asked me this from the very beginning, if we can handle it, I wouldn't lie to you. I would say no, that there is no way. There's no way that we're going to learn all these things. But my wife and I, we learned everything. We are the respiratory technician, we are the physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists ... his wound care nurse," Joseph Briseno said.

"It's a lot of work and it's hard, and some days are harder than the other days. But we don't take this as a burden for us because he's our son. We will do everything for him."

The family has help from VA-provided nurses, but not around the clock. Jay's mother and father often do overnight duty, making sure their son is turned every four hours so he does not develop bedsores, which can become infected and threaten his life. If they do not turn him and keep him on schedule, he does not sleep well and becomes agitated.

<snip>


"We always have hope. One day at a time—that's the way we live our lives," the elder Briseno said. "We're so lucky to have him. He was a very good son from the very beginning. God gave Jay to us and he's a blessing to us."

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2007-06-24_D8PVEVLO0&show_article=1&cat=breaking

[rodeodance]

1. long term custodial care. I have no idea what the payouts are.

[gravity]

2. Because it would be taking away money from someone else who needs it

[Quantess]

4. Yeah, like the execs at Halliburton.

[Rosemary2205]

3. Families often have difficulty putting loved ones in long term care facilities

After my car accident my parents were going to spend a fortune to renevate their home to accomodate the medical needs of both my husband and I. I had to fight them tooth and nail to convince them we were better off in a nearby long term facility and they could help us fight for the rehab services that we needed to improve. Once my own wealth was gone we had to be moved to a medicaid/medicare facility. It certainly had it's problems but with a little intellectual and emotional family support we got at least the minimum of what we needed to not only survive but drastically improve.

My parents would have bankrupted themselves for my benefit. Fortunately I still had the brains and communication abilities to stop them from doing so.

[kestrel91316]

5. Why? Because we have to KILL THEM OVER THERE so we don't

have to TREAT THEM OVER HERE.

[elehhhhna]

6. WTF? Outrageous.

"Johnny got his gun" all over again.

I would gladly spend my tax money on 24-hour in home care for this man. WE OWE THEM.

[AwakeAtLast]

7. Good God, it's just like the song "One" by Metallica

:cry: :cry: :cry:

That is sooo sad!

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Az]

8. Because the conservatives are trying to make war into a business

And the VA has to remain financially viable. So costs and services must be cut.

This thinking is perhaps the most dangerous thing in our world right now. War should not be cost effective. War is an extreme act against life. It must be considered with all possible humanity. The consequences must be dealt with with the utmost of humanity. Not via some corporate inspired financial bottom line.