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 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.

I work for a Va hospital, and yes I know the system isn't perfect, and frankly I think the union needs to be thrown out so we can get rid of some of the worse employees.

However, if you have a certain type of insurance, you have to go to the hospitals that accept that insurance.When I started my job I chose my medical insurance on the fact that a local hospital I liked was covered. However, I had to see my PCP to get the referral to see the general surgeon, even though I KNEW exactly what was wrong with me, because I have been treated for it in the past. This is typical of many HMO's and insurance plans, not just the VA. Each VA belongs to a division, and each division kind of acts like it's own little HMO.

If a vet uses the VA then he has to have his labs done at a VA clinic. Plain and simple. It is not feasible to have a VA clinic in EVERY town. Though the VA is going towards having more CBOC's (community based outpatient clinics).

Also, if you have a complaint, you should be able to voice your complaint to the VA, just ask at the desk, or go online to that VA's website.

I work in the hospital, and frankly, I think people don't realize how different it is from civilian hospitals. We have a higher nurse to patient load than most hospitals (up to 11 patients per licensed staff depending on the shift, with 1-2 NA's), we have less support staff (trust me, I have never had RT do neb tx's for me yet), we have less of the "goodies" that make hospitalization easier on the patients. The VA doesn't stock toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, etc., those come from volunteers, and if it's evening shift, or weekend, sorry, I'll offer you a sponge on a stick. The only snacks available are either part of the MD ordered diet, and dietary delivers those per patient, or the diabetic emergency kit (which the nurse's have to account for EVERY TIME we take something out of the kit). We have a higher ratio of psychiatric patients than most medical hospitals. A couple of months ago a colleague was stabbed 3 times. I've seen more patients taken down in leatherlock restraints than you would believe, and I work general medicine. We are continously short linen, supplies, you name it we probably don't have it. Sometimes nurses working under these conditions get frustrated and rude, because I think everyone knows nurses don't always get appreciated enough.

There are too many veteran's and not enough money. Too many times we have been down staff but on a hiring freeze due to the VA budget being cut yet again. It's not the staff you see when you go to the VA clinic or hospital that is the problem, it's admnistration. The "little people" are just trying to keep their heads above water.

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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.

The reward they seek is what you take for granted every day. It's called freedom

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Welcome to government run health care

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.
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The reward they seek is what you take for granted every day. It's called freedom

I certianly don't take my freedom for granted. I think this is quite an assumption to make about somebody you've never met.

I appreciate what those who have put their lives on the line have fought for, and won. I think more graditude is due towards those who serve their country, and especially towards those who have fought for it.

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The military has always been the poorest paid both active duty and retired. And things have been promised and never delivered.

Grannynurse

Perhaps you didn't read my earlier posts on this thread. I'm curious, what was promised to me that has not been delivered? After all, I'm a 14 year veteran of the Army, medically discharged, and now considered a disabled vet. What am I missing?

Kevin McHugh

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Would someone like to create a poll for this?

Something like...Prior service, non-prior service, current service, family member of prior service, agree with cuts, not agree with cuts?

????

This poll by it's very nature would be misleading and incorrect. Go back to the beginning of the thread. THERE ARE NO CUTS BEING MADE IN VA FUNDING. Asking whether someone was in favor of the cuts would be like asking whether or not we were in favor of the ongoing invasion of Great Britian. Of course, we'd all be against it, IF IT WERE REALLY HAPPENING!

Kevin McHugh

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I certianly don't take my freedom for granted. I think this is quite an assumption to make about somebody you've never met.

I appreciate what those who have put their lives on the line have fought for, and won. I think more graditude is due towards those who serve their country, and especially towards those who have fought for it.

Here is your quote

"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."

They are rewarded by freedom plain and simple, and the VA is for service connected disabilities period end of story. We have an all volunteer force no draft, so those that are currently giving up their lives are there on a voluntary basis.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.
Here is your quote

"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."

They are rewarded by freedom plain and simple, and the VA is for service connected disabilities period end of story. We have an all volunteer force no draft, so those that are currently giving up their lives are there on a voluntary basis.

No, not plain and simple. Congress is awarded with free health care benefits for life (and most of them are millionaires who could afford to pay for their own dayum insurance). Why on earth shouldn't those who have served our country in the military be given the same benefit?

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No, not plain and simple. Congress is awarded with free health care benefits for life (and most of them are millionaires who could afford to pay for their own dayum insurance). Why on earth shouldn't those who have served our country in the military be given the same benefit?

They do if you serve 20 years and retire or you get a medical discharge. Let's cut your paycheck in half to pay for all these programs and then tell me how in favor of lifetime benefits for someone serving 3 or 4 years. Anyone can run for the Senate or House of Representatives. It's not military people who are clamoring for these lifetime benefits it's people on here who have no idea how the military works. We need less knee jerk reactions on here and more common sense

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

Right. I disagree with you, so I have no common sense.

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Perhaps you didn't read my earlier posts on this thread. I'm curious, what was promised to me that has not been delivered? After all, I'm a 14 year veteran of the Army, medically discharged, and now considered a disabled vet. What am I missing?

Kevin McHugh

What is your rating Kevin? How far do you have to travel to the VA? Are you Medicare eligible? Do they treat your non-service connected illnesses? My father served 27 years. In exchange for his service, he was guarenteed lifetime medical benefits, in a military hospital. He retired at 48. Neither he nor my mother ever received their medical benefits, with the exception of his being treated in the ER of Ft. Gordon's hospital and being transferred to a civilian Augusta hospital. I understand the rating of who receives care: active duty, active duty dependents, Guard on active duty, retiree, medical discharged retiree. I think the military fell very short on their life time medical care benefit, in exchange for the 27 years of service he gave them.

What you are missing, is the promises that the military made, in exchaned for career service. You were discharged at 14 years. My father, at 27, my brother at 22. My father and brother have never gotten what was promised to them. That is what they and other career service personnel have missed.

Grannynurse :balloons:

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
IThere are too many veteran's and not enough money. Too many times we have been down staff but on a hiring freeze due to the VA budget being cut yet again. It's not the staff you see when you go to the VA clinic or hospital that is the problem, it's admnistration. The "little people" are just trying to keep their heads above water.

And so, let's praise Bush and Co. for DECREASING spending. Do not want those pesky, PITA vets getting any "Free rides", would we? OMG this is disgusting. I can't see how anyone can agree w/what the Administration is wanting to do here.

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