Bush Administration Proposes Cut in Veteran Benefits

Nurses Activism

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It seems that our President has given his blessing, no he specifically gave his approval, to cut benefits to veterans, increase the out of pocket cost some veterans pay for their meds, cut benefits/services, especially out-patient services at several facilities nationwide, and charge this new generation of veterans about $250.00 per stay in facilitles. This was a blurp I heard on CNN earlier this AM.

I did not get all of the blurp but when I heard this my blood pressure started going up. How dare he place the lives of our young people in harms way with his oil war, show disrespect to the veterans who have served in past times,and say "here's your bill" to the newer veterans. I may not have every fact straight but I have enough to have to pray extra hard this AM for this man. When, O Lord, are we going to see an end to this pretender? :confused:

I have not yet heard anything about this benefit change for VA patients, nor do I know any details. I do know that many dollars are squandered through the VA in many instances. The same goes for ALL federal goverment agencies. While in the navy I was in charge of ordering supplies through our office. We HAD to use certain companies to order from, and the goverment ended up paying $12 a bottle for handsoap in the restrooms. The VA healthcare system is no different, they to squander money. The also squander trhe well being of patients time and time again. For all of you here in one way or the other involved in the care of patients you will be appalled. A 80-something year old veteran whom had been diagnosed with cancer had to take a 6 hour bus drive to Atlanta VA just to recieve his treatment, and turn around and come back. Of course, this man is unable to drive, so the VA provides a shuttle. Would ANY of you feel comfortable with your grandmother or grandfather having to ride for 6 hours with strangers on a shuttle to recieve chemo?!?!?!?! and How comfortable do you think the other veterans would be if he became sick or could not hold his bowels. The driver is not a trained medical professional. What then? This is just an example of how the VA works for those of you who have never experienced it, I have tons of horror stories. Including my own, I too, am a disabled vet. I have to drive my dad 2 hours just to get an eye exam and wait 3 months for him to have some glasses. You see, there are other areas that need attention in the VA healthcare system MUCH more so than a stupid fee on a hospital stay. Who would drive 2,4, maybe 6 hours to the nearest VA hospital if they had an emergency? The VA can save money and improve care to vets if they could take that 80 year old man and send him to the local cancer center, right here in town. How much better do you think Grandpa feels about not having to be afraid he may have some personal bathroom issues, or getting sick after treatment in a van with strangers. As a nursing student, the very first thing we learned was that we are tha patient's advocate.....There is no patient advocacy in the VA, this will continue and get worse, including this increase of prices. I am letting my voice be heard here, as I have the congressman on the horn, but you see, he had a meeting with the director at the VA hospital 4 hours from here, well guess what, the Hospital Director never showed. The entire system needs revamping, and any increased fees incurred for a vet is only hurting the vet...even more. I cant even imagine those poor people coming home from Iraq with god-knows-what wrong with them, and those poor souls have to be treated at the VA, I wont even get started with the quiality my father has recieved (or NOT recieved) there, thats a whole other thread...Us vets need to get on the horn with this, those who dont have to go to the VA or have never been have no idea. This thing with Bush is only another reason to get started! And as nurses/students, we are learning or know what needs to be done.

I have not yet heard anything about this benefit change for VA patients, nor do I know any details. I do know that many dollars are squandered through the VA in many instances. The same goes for ALL federal goverment agencies. While in the navy I was in charge of ordering supplies through our office. We HAD to use certain companies to order from, and the goverment ended up paying $12 a bottle for handsoap in the restrooms. The VA healthcare system is no different, they to squander money. The also squander trhe well being of patients time and time again. For all of you here in one way or the other involved in the care of patients you will be appalled. A 80-something year old veteran whom had been diagnosed with cancer had to take a 6 hour bus drive to Atlanta VA just to recieve his treatment, and turn around and come back. Of course, this man is unable to drive, so the VA provides a shuttle. Would ANY of you feel comfortable with your grandmother or grandfather having to ride for 6 hours with strangers on a shuttle to recieve chemo?!?!?!?! and How comfortable do you think the other veterans would be if he became sick or could not hold his bowels. The driver is not a trained medical professional. What then? This is just an example of how the VA works for those of you who have never experienced it, I have tons of horror stories. Including my own, I too, am a disabled vet. I have to drive my dad 2 hours just to get an eye exam and wait 3 months for him to have some glasses. You see, there are other areas that need attention in the VA healthcare system MUCH more so than a stupid fee on a hospital stay. Who would drive 2,4, maybe 6 hours to the nearest VA hospital if they had an emergency? The VA can save money and improve care to vets if they could take that 80 year old man and send him to the local cancer center, right here in town. How much better do you think Grandpa feels about not having to be afraid he may have some personal bathroom issues, or getting sick after treatment in a van with strangers. As a nursing student, the very first thing we learned was that we are tha patient's advocate.....There is no patient advocacy in the VA, this will continue and get worse, including this increase of prices. I am letting my voice be heard here, as I have the congressman on the horn, but you see, he had a meeting with the director at the VA hospital 4 hours from here, well guess what, the Hospital Director never showed. The entire system needs revamping, and any increased fees incurred for a vet is only hurting the vet...even more. I cant even imagine those poor people coming home from Iraq with god-knows-what wrong with them, and those poor souls have to be treated at the VA, I wont even get started with the quiality my father has recieved (or NOT recieved) there, thats a whole other thread...Us vets need to get on the horn with this, those who dont have to go to the VA or have never been have no idea. This thing with Bush is only another reason to get started! And as nurses/students, we are learning or know what needs to be done.

One thing that no one has mentioned is the VA forcing vets to use their Medicare benefits, adding to the cost to the vet. My father served 27 years. My brother 22. I did 6 in the Air National Guard. None of us has ever applied for or used the VA. The lack of services and the traveling is just not worth it. My father had his civil service health care benefits, upon his retirement from them. I am on Medicare. Myt brother use his retirement benefits at Ft. Gordon. We all served our country. Our country has short changed us.

Grannynurse :balloons:

We, as citizens of our country, are obligated to serve our country in whatever capacity we are able for the good of all. A person chooses to SERVE in the military. Let us not assume a free ride for life in return for this service that should be given as a matter of course.

"It may be laid down as a primary position and the basis of our system, that every citizen who enjoys the protection of a free government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defense of it." George Washington

"Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state." Thomas Jefferson

"We could have avoided all this suffering simply by shrinking from strife. And if we had thus avoided it, we would have shown that we were weaklings, and that we were unfit to stand among the great nations of the earth. Thank God for the iron in the blood of our fathers, the men who upheld the wisdom of Lincoln, and bore sword or rifle in the armies of Grant! Let us, the children of the men who proved themselves equal to the mighty days, let us, the children of the men who carried the great civil war to a triumphant conclusion, praise the God of our fathers that the ignoble counsels of peace were rejected; that the suffering and loss, the blackness of sorrow and despair, were unflinchingly faced, and the years of strife endured; for in the end the slave was freed, the union restored, and the mighty American republic placed once more as a helmeted queen among nations." Theodore Roosevelt.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

A "free ride"?????

wow.

Do you have ANY idea the sacrifices servicemen/women and their FAMILIES make in military service?

They are owed this much and MORE.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I have not yet heard anything about this benefit change for VA patients, nor do I know any details. I do know that many dollars are squandered through the VA in many instances. The same goes for ALL federal goverment agencies. While in the navy I was in charge of ordering supplies through our office. We HAD to use certain companies to order from, and the goverment ended up paying $12 a bottle for handsoap in the restrooms. The VA healthcare system is no different, they to squander money. The also squander trhe well being of patients time and time again. For all of you here in one way or the other involved in the care of patients you will be appalled. A 80-something year old veteran whom had been diagnosed with cancer had to take a 6 hour bus drive to Atlanta VA just to recieve his treatment, and turn around and come back. Of course, this man is unable to drive, so the VA provides a shuttle. Would ANY of you feel comfortable with your grandmother or grandfather having to ride for 6 hours with strangers on a shuttle to recieve chemo?!?!?!?! and How comfortable do you think the other veterans would be if he became sick or could not hold his bowels. The driver is not a trained medical professional. What then? This is just an example of how the VA works for those of you who have never experienced it, I have tons of horror stories. Including my own, I too, am a disabled vet. I have to drive my dad 2 hours just to get an eye exam and wait 3 months for him to have some glasses. You see, there are other areas that need attention in the VA healthcare system MUCH more so than a stupid fee on a hospital stay. Who would drive 2,4, maybe 6 hours to the nearest VA hospital if they had an emergency? The VA can save money and improve care to vets if they could take that 80 year old man and send him to the local cancer center, right here in town. How much better do you think Grandpa feels about not having to be afraid he may have some personal bathroom issues, or getting sick after treatment in a van with strangers. As a nursing student, the very first thing we learned was that we are tha patient's advocate.....There is no patient advocacy in the VA, this will continue and get worse, including this increase of prices. I am letting my voice be heard here, as I have the congressman on the horn, but you see, he had a meeting with the director at the VA hospital 4 hours from here, well guess what, the Hospital Director never showed. The entire system needs revamping, and any increased fees incurred for a vet is only hurting the vet...even more. I cant even imagine those poor people coming home from Iraq with god-knows-what wrong with them, and those poor souls have to be treated at the VA, I wont even get started with the quiality my father has recieved (or NOT recieved) there, thats a whole other thread...Us vets need to get on the horn with this, those who dont have to go to the VA or have never been have no idea. This thing with Bush is only another reason to get started! And as nurses/students, we are learning or know what needs to be done.

Apparently this is all too much-----after all, they ought not be given a "free ride" as volunteers.

well guess what, eliminate volunteers and who serves???

Would these same people consider such things "free rides"then, when it is they or their loved ones who sacrifice limb and mental well-being in such service?

I highly doubt it.

I think as citizens of our country we are morally obligated to keep promises made to those who served our country for the good of all.

I will be very glad to do this and would vote for my taxes to increase to provide healthcare. Safe, therapeutic, effective healthcare.

My uncle rode bus for 2 and a half hours to the VA the last few years of his life. His opinion was that the cost of caring for WWII Vets like him was small and smaller as more die every day. The PR outweighed the cost.

We, as citizens of our country, are obligated to serve our country in whatever capacity we are able for the good of all. A person chooses to SERVE in the military. Let us not assume a free ride for life in return for this service that should be given as a matter of course.

"It may be laid down as a primary position and the basis of our system, that every citizen who enjoys the protection of a free government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defense of it." George Washington

"Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state." Thomas Jefferson

"We could have avoided all this suffering simply by shrinking from strife. And if we had thus avoided it, we would have shown that we were weaklings, and that we were unfit to stand among the great nations of the earth. Thank God for the iron in the blood of our fathers, the men who upheld the wisdom of Lincoln, and bore sword or rifle in the armies of Grant! Let us, the children of the men who proved themselves equal to the mighty days, let us, the children of the men who carried the great civil war to a triumphant conclusion, praise the God of our fathers that the ignoble counsels of peace were rejected; that the suffering and loss, the blackness of sorrow and despair, were unflinchingly faced, and the years of strife endured; for in the end the slave was freed, the union restored, and the mighty American republic placed once more as a helmeted queen among nations." Theodore Roosevelt.

I very much doubt you would be inclined to uproot your life and go to war for this country. Why should anyone else? Those brave enough to put their lives on the line for their country certianly deserve compensation. Nobody, and I mean nobody, should be expected to go to war and risk their life without some sort of reward. I don't think our veterans are looking for a free ride. They have done a great service to their country, and thus should be rewarded.

We, as citizens of our country, are obligated to serve our country in whatever capacity we are able for the good of all. A person chooses to SERVE in the military. Let us not assume a free ride for life in return for this service that should be given as a matter of course.

"It may be laid down as a primary position and the basis of our system, that every citizen who enjoys the protection of a free government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defense of it." George Washington

"Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state." Thomas Jefferson

"We could have avoided all this suffering simply by shrinking from strife. And if we had thus avoided it, we would have shown that we were weaklings, and that we were unfit to stand among the great nations of the earth. Thank God for the iron in the blood of our fathers, the men who upheld the wisdom of Lincoln, and bore sword or rifle in the armies of Grant! Let us, the children of the men who proved themselves equal to the mighty days, let us, the children of the men who carried the great civil war to a triumphant conclusion, praise the God of our fathers that the ignoble counsels of peace were rejected; that the suffering and loss, the blackness of sorrow and despair, were unflinchingly faced, and the years of strife endured; for in the end the slave was freed, the union restored, and the mighty American republic placed once more as a helmeted queen among nations." Theodore Roosevelt.

In a way, I agree with you. I believe that everyone, male and female should have mandatory military service, in this country. And no one, regardless of income or education level should be allowd to obtain a deferment. That being said, my father served 27 years. He retired as an officer and his retirement benefit was less then $1200 a month. While everyone else's father was obtaining additional education and/or earning more, he was not. He thought service to his country was more important. The military has always been the poorest paid both active duty and retired. And things have been promised and never delivered.

Grannynurse :balloons:

I am shocked by the term "free ride"...anyone that deals witht he VA knows NOTHING is free...when you have to go through hoops just to get an appointment with a specialist and wait 4 months to see that doc. After you pay for numerous trips hours away just to do bloodwork. When you arrive you are faced with rude incompitent staff. I hope all VA's are not this way, but I have been to several VA hospitals and unfortunately all of them have been horrible. I even had to tell the LPN doing triage WHERE the liver was, and then had to spell quadrant for him, not to mention when i said the word gastroenterologist, BOY that was a funny look on his face. These federal employees know its hard to get fired, and they are well paid. The VA system does not run on customer service. Its plain and simple, if you CAN go somewhere else, you do, therefore they know they people that show up at the VA for care are they because they have no where else to go. It doesnt matter how they are treated by the staff, or the lack of care recieved by the doctors. The last doctor my father saw at a VA was a "primary care" doc he had to see just to get the rconsult to gastro, we were only transferring from another facility where he had been seen by gastro for over a year there. Anyway, after the LPN taking 45 minutes to peck vitals into the keyboard, the doc arrives, does nto introduce himself, looks at though he just woke up (this was 2pm) his hair was nasty and had trash in it. His lab coat was brown due to the nastiness. The smell was a bit nausiating. How can a Medical Doctor in a federal healthcare system there to treat veterans disables due to war service manage to be hired by our government? I know there are certain religions or races that do not bathe regulary, but this is not acceptable. Not for MY dad, and not for me.

Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

I don't understand how anyone could consider the VA system to be a free ride. Not only isn't it free, but the only people who can use pay the price ahead of time by joining the armed forces and putting their butts on the line. That's something that I, and most other people, certainly have never been willing to do.

Specializes in Cardiac.
I am shocked by the term "free ride"...anyone that deals witht he VA knows NOTHING is free...when you have to go through hoops just to get an appointment with a specialist and wait 4 months to see that doc. .

God, isn't that the truth...! And we haven't even dealt with them that much!

Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
I have not yet heard anything about this benefit change for VA patients, nor do I know any details. I do know that many dollars are squandered through the VA in many instances. The same goes for ALL federal goverment agencies. While in the navy I was in charge of ordering supplies through our office. We HAD to use certain companies to order from, and the goverment ended up paying $12 a bottle for handsoap in the restrooms. The VA healthcare system is no different, they to squander money. The also squander trhe well being of patients time and time again. For all of you here in one way or the other involved in the care of patients you will be appalled. A 80-something year old veteran whom had been diagnosed with cancer had to take a 6 hour bus drive to Atlanta VA just to recieve his treatment, and turn around and come back. Of course, this man is unable to drive, so the VA provides a shuttle. Would ANY of you feel comfortable with your grandmother or grandfather having to ride for 6 hours with strangers on a shuttle to recieve chemo?!?!?!?! and How comfortable do you think the other veterans would be if he became sick or could not hold his bowels. The driver is not a trained medical professional. What then? This is just an example of how the VA works for those of you who have never experienced it, I have tons of horror stories. Including my own, I too, am a disabled vet. I have to drive my dad 2 hours just to get an eye exam and wait 3 months for him to have some glasses. You see, there are other areas that need attention in the VA healthcare system MUCH more so than a stupid fee on a hospital stay. Who would drive 2,4, maybe 6 hours to the nearest VA hospital if they had an emergency? The VA can save money and improve care to vets if they could take that 80 year old man and send him to the local cancer center, right here in town. How much better do you think Grandpa feels about not having to be afraid he may have some personal bathroom issues, or getting sick after treatment in a van with strangers. As a nursing student, the very first thing we learned was that we are tha patient's advocate.....There is no patient advocacy in the VA, this will continue and get worse, including this increase of prices. I am letting my voice be heard here, as I have the congressman on the horn, but you see, he had a meeting with the director at the VA hospital 4 hours from here, well guess what, the Hospital Director never showed. The entire system needs revamping, and any increased fees incurred for a vet is only hurting the vet...even more. I cant even imagine those poor people coming home from Iraq with god-knows-what wrong with them, and those poor souls have to be treated at the VA, I wont even get started with the quiality my father has recieved (or NOT recieved) there, thats a whole other thread...Us vets need to get on the horn with this, those who dont have to go to the VA or have never been have no idea. This thing with Bush is only another reason to get started! And as nurses/students, we are learning or know what needs to be done.

How shameful. How in the HELL can our Federal government hold Medicare-certified providers accountable for every undotted "i" or uncrossed "t", when they aren't willing to do the same??? :angryfire

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