Aa
VA
Guess Obama is too busy raising $ for the DNC.
http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/378322/obama-2007-time-end-deplorable-conditions-some-va-hospitals-jim-geraghty
Then-Senator Barack Obama, November 12, 2007: “After seven years of an Administration that has stretched our military to the breaking point, ignored deplorable conditions at some VA hospitals, and neglected the planning and preparation necessary to care for our returning heroes, America’s veterans deserve a President who will fight for them not just when it’s easy or convenient, but every hour of every day for the next four years.”
By 2012, Obama continued to compare the performance of the VA during his administration favorably to his predecessor, declaring, “For the first time ever, we’ve made military families and veterans a top priority not just at DOD, not just at the VA, but across the government.”
Now we know the report of at least 40 U.S. veterans dying waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system is only the tip of the iceberg.
Today:
When Shinseki took office, he vowed that every disability claim would be processed within 125 days with 98 percent accuracy. But the backlogs only got worse.
It took about four months for VA to process a claim for disability compensation claim when Shinseki was sworn in. By 2012, the average wait time was about nine months.
In February 2013, the Examiner published a five-part series, “Making America’s Heroes Wait,” showing more than 1.1 million veterans with disability claims and appeals were trapped in bureaucratic limbo at VA.
About 70 percent of the 900,000 claims for initial benefits were considered backlogged, meaning they were older than 125 days.
The Examiner series also showed how agency statistics were manipulated to hide mistakes that doomed veterans into appeals that could drag on for years.
There were some early signs then that VA’s failures in delivering medical care were having deadly consequences.
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was reported in Pittsburgh in November 2012. Subsequent investigations by the inspector general and area media eventually linked a half-dozen patient deaths from the disease to faulty maintenance and poor management.
Reports of other deaths followed.
Four patients under VA’s care in Atlanta died of a drug overdose or suicides.
In Columbia, S.C., at least six patient deaths from colorectal cancers were linked to delays in receiving colonoscopies at veterans’ medical facilities.
VA eventually acknowledged that delays in providing care was linked to the deaths of 23 patients who died of gastrointestinal cancers at veterans’ health facilities. Deaths from other conditions were not disclosed.
http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/378322/obama-2007-time-end-deplorable-conditions-some-va-hospitals-jim-geraghty
Then-Senator Barack Obama, November 12, 2007: “After seven years of an Administration that has stretched our military to the breaking point, ignored deplorable conditions at some VA hospitals, and neglected the planning and preparation necessary to care for our returning heroes, America’s veterans deserve a President who will fight for them not just when it’s easy or convenient, but every hour of every day for the next four years.”
By 2012, Obama continued to compare the performance of the VA during his administration favorably to his predecessor, declaring, “For the first time ever, we’ve made military families and veterans a top priority not just at DOD, not just at the VA, but across the government.”
Now we know the report of at least 40 U.S. veterans dying waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system is only the tip of the iceberg.
Today:
When Shinseki took office, he vowed that every disability claim would be processed within 125 days with 98 percent accuracy. But the backlogs only got worse.
It took about four months for VA to process a claim for disability compensation claim when Shinseki was sworn in. By 2012, the average wait time was about nine months.
In February 2013, the Examiner published a five-part series, “Making America’s Heroes Wait,” showing more than 1.1 million veterans with disability claims and appeals were trapped in bureaucratic limbo at VA.
About 70 percent of the 900,000 claims for initial benefits were considered backlogged, meaning they were older than 125 days.
The Examiner series also showed how agency statistics were manipulated to hide mistakes that doomed veterans into appeals that could drag on for years.
There were some early signs then that VA’s failures in delivering medical care were having deadly consequences.
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was reported in Pittsburgh in November 2012. Subsequent investigations by the inspector general and area media eventually linked a half-dozen patient deaths from the disease to faulty maintenance and poor management.
Reports of other deaths followed.
Four patients under VA’s care in Atlanta died of a drug overdose or suicides.
In Columbia, S.C., at least six patient deaths from colorectal cancers were linked to delays in receiving colonoscopies at veterans’ medical facilities.
VA eventually acknowledged that delays in providing care was linked to the deaths of 23 patients who died of gastrointestinal cancers at veterans’ health facilities. Deaths from other conditions were not disclosed.
I listened to the speech the President gave at the Tomb of the Unknowns today. Its the first speech I've listened to since that last State of the Union address. Unfortunately, like the State of the Union address or any speech any politician gave in the last 20 years, I didn't come away with much.
I really do feel bad about it too. When these people start talking, its like listening to Charlie Brown's teacher.
I can't remember who I read the other day (it wasn't the President) that was talking about the VA situation, but even reading it sounded like Chuck's teacher. I just don't think I trust these people any more. I don't think they have everyone's best interest at heart. I think the monster is bigger than that now and I think it only works for the unfathomably wealthy. I think there are players on both sides of this equation, and a lot of them reside in our political system.
I really do feel bad about it too. When these people start talking, its like listening to Charlie Brown's teacher.
I can't remember who I read the other day (it wasn't the President) that was talking about the VA situation, but even reading it sounded like Chuck's teacher. I just don't think I trust these people any more. I don't think they have everyone's best interest at heart. I think the monster is bigger than that now and I think it only works for the unfathomably wealthy. I think there are players on both sides of this equation, and a lot of them reside in our political system.
I do a lot of eye rolling during political speeches. And the sad thing is . . . how much of it is the person's own words? They pay big money to speech writers.
I do remember that coming up in the campaigns. Maybe "making a stink" was too strong, because it came up, but it might not have been a real "issue", because nobody was saying that veterans actually died waiting for treatment. He did promise to "fix it" though.
I haven't watched very many Presidential speeches in the last few years, either, but this last one pre-empted the program we usually watch at that time of day.. lol It was all a bunch of BS and my husband and I just sort of rolled our eyes at each other and said "he's not going to anything; it's all lip service".
Fortunately, the "mad as he!!" speech didn't take up the whole program... lol
I haven't watched very many Presidential speeches in the last few years, either, but this last one pre-empted the program we usually watch at that time of day.. lol It was all a bunch of BS and my husband and I just sort of rolled our eyes at each other and said "he's not going to anything; it's all lip service".
Fortunately, the "mad as he!!" speech didn't take up the whole program... lol
I don't remember him addressing It, so was probably after 6 years. That's about how long it's been that a started changing the channel when he came on. Bush may of had a lot of B.S. with him but at least he was interesting. I've tried to make it through Obama's speeches but just can't stomach very much.
Of course, Obama didn't create the issue, but he was the one who made such a stink about getting it fixed 5 yrs ago, or was it 6? At any rate, now that there's yet another scandal surrounding the administration, he got "mad as he!!", made his "I'm going to fix this" speech and most likely, that will be the end of it.
With mid term elections coming up, though, there has to be some talking points on both sides and this could be one that the Republicans won't let die.
With mid term elections coming up, though, there has to be some talking points on both sides and this could be one that the Republicans won't let die.
About where to find people to run the VA? I don't think it would take too long to find administrators out there who are completely capable of running the VA. I think there are people out there who are compassionate enough to step up in nearly any of the vacant slots.
Blame? No way did Obama create this. I totally agree with that. He did say that fixing this was going to be a priority back in 07.... The President is just like anyone else that has filled those shoes. Go ahead and say any old thing to get elected, and then get to the priorities in, oh, 6-7 years.
Blame? No way did Obama create this. I totally agree with that. He did say that fixing this was going to be a priority back in 07.... The President is just like anyone else that has filled those shoes. Go ahead and say any old thing to get elected, and then get to the priorities in, oh, 6-7 years.
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