Obama--> About the VA Problems - "I will not tolerate it, period”

Obama has put his foot down and simply will not tolerate and will not stand for the misconduct at Veterans Affairs facilities.

He is adamant apparently.

He says the misconduct is dishonorable and disgraceful.

All this came in a "serious" speech today.

But why was this all overlooked when the PPACA was debated ?

Why was the VA medical system left alone ?

We can be pretty sure he and the Administration knew these problems existed in 2009.

President Obama today said he "will not stand" for misconduct at the Veterans Affairs Department and vowed that those responsible for allegedly covering up long delays in veteran care would be held accountable if the charges prove to be true.

“It is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate it, period,” Obama told reporters at the White House.

The president’s comments came just moments after he met in the Oval Office with embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to receive an update on the allegations and investigation. They were joined by Rob Nabors, Obama’s Deputy Chief of Staff, who has been assigned to assist with the review of the agency.

Obama on Allegations of VA Misconduct: ‘I Will Not Stand for It’

Here he is....
watch for the usual tell-tale signs of questionable credibility and the usual "could care less" attitude ....

Is he in "damage control" mode again ?

Or is he *REALLY* "serious" this time ?

Obama: Any Misconduct at VA Will Be Punished
www.youtube.com...

a reply to: xuenchen

But why was this all overlooked when the PPACA was debated ?

Why was the VA medical system left alone ?

Not hard to answer at all ... "Because what vets experience at the VA, and what people will experience under ObamaCare, probably aren't far apart at all.

Veteran's healthcare is an abomination. Been there, done that. You compare world-class healthcare to VA healthcare ... and you'd be embarrassed to call yourself an American. The real reason vets hardly ever stand in a spotlight and complain is two-fold.

1. They're not conditioned to do that.
2. Most of them have never had the contrast of experience.

ETA: Did you notice he emphasized, "As Commander-In-Chief"? Hate to break it to you, but the CINC has NOTHING to do with the VA. That's the POTUS' hat folks. The VA and the DoD are separate cabinets.

a reply to: Snarl

"Because what vets experience at the VA, and what people will experience under ObamaCare, probably aren't far apart at all.

I think that comparison is very accurate.

Especially with the newest "networking" cobwebs created by the ACA Exchange policies.

the VA compensation division ROUTINELY under rates verterans injuries to save money. A vet who is 60% disabled will be rated 30 or 40.

The process is well known and appeals take 7-10 years. Vets that have every doctor who they see state they are 100% disabled, the VA sending them to a civilian second opinion also stating totally disabled (100%) will get rated less more often than not.

The compensation department has doctors who read all the reports and over rule them and rate lower.

I was told by a Senator's aide that people there get tenure and promotions for the % of people they under rate.

He is mad because another one of his lack of control over the government has been brought to light. And we all get to hear that this is unacceptable and won't happen again. How much more of this can our country take? Lie after lie ,day after day it all keeps piling up. I wish for once he would actually take the blame for one of his failures instead of claiming that he knew nothing about it till it was in the news.

a reply to: xuenchen

In all fairness to the President, the VA system has been broken for a very long time, a very long time. As a Veteran and once again an active member of the military I have seen and heard many horror stories. This does not excuse the late reaction nor the lack of one from the current Administration but Veterans sadly have been long overlooked.

Our Men and Women from the Vietnam Era, many who volunteered and many who didn't have struggled since that "Police Action" ended. Sadly we as Americans have long allowed it to happen. They have struggled with horrendous care and a general disdain for far too long, Agent Orange Battle where the VA refused to even acknowledge the damage it did. Our Korean Veterans, and both World War vets suffered and continue to struggle with this broken system.

More currently those of us from the first Desert Storm fought for the system to recognize another unknown, some have referred to it as simply "Gulf War Illness" and that fight continues for many. The battle has yet begun for the current fiasco but that storm is going to come as more Veterans are released into an already overburdened VA system.

Some are calling for former General Shinseki, a soldier himself, to resign over this whole affair. I doubt very much that the blame falls on his shoulders, and would deny that as a combat veteran from the Vietnam era would have intentionally denied other soldiers care or even the best care possible.

The current issues as far as VA staff keeping list and "gaming" the system is in response to a fix that someone put in place to alleviate some of these problems that go way back, always impossible to get an appoint at the VA. The "Fix" was was put into place to monitor the appointment system and the VA staff largely made up of civilians and sadly some retired military figured out a way to make it look like it was working, no one followed up, that I can lay blame at the Generals feet but look at how many whistle blowers are now coming forward, people that have all known for a long time it was going on, a simple anonymous call to the IG could have been made and maybe just maybe it could have been fixed.

I do not care for the current Administration but I'm not going to blame a problem that has been around since the 70's on him, there are those who we can lay blame on and that is every Politician in Washington that has simply taken a check and paid lip service with too many 30 second sound bites over and over, that is both sides and Independents if there is such a thing. We can blame the employees at the VA who accepted checks and even bonus pay when they full well knew the system was broken and that people died.

Its a shame that even after the latest storm calms that it will be life as usual as we all have short memories and even shorter attention spans. Just a shame !

a reply to: DJMSN

I agree this is not 0bama's fault 100%.

But a point should be made that the VA was mentioned and overlooked in the PPACA legislation.

I think the blame is on all the "Lawmakers" that debated and passed the PPACA ...

They had the chance of a lifetime to make the VA "Whole".

here's some info about PPACA and the VA....

Protecting access to quality, affordable health care that veterans, service members, and their families have now

Preserving VA Health Care

> The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will not impact VA health care. Veterans eligible for VA health care will remain eligible under health reform; nothing in the proposed legislation will affect veterans’ access to the care that they currently are receiving. The legislation makes clear that the Department of Veterans Affairs will retain full authority over the VA health care system.


How the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Will Help Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families

a reply to: Snarl

ETA: Did you notice he emphasized, "As Commander-In-Chief"? Hate to break it to you, but the CINC has NOTHING to do with the VA. That's the POTUS' hat folks. The VA and the DoD are separate cabinets.

Good point, so as commander in chief he will send troops all around the world to get hurt for no good reason and then as president he won't give them the medical attention that they all DESERVE and have EARNED. Isn't that one of the most disgusting things you have ever heard? Makes me sick.

originally posted by: HanzHenry
the VA compensation division ROUTINELY under rates verterans injuries to save money. A vet who is 60% disabled will be rated 30 or 40.

The process is well known and appeals take 7-10 years. Vets that have every doctor who they see state they are 100% disabled, the VA sending them to a civilian second opinion also stating totally disabled (100%) will get rated less more often than not.

The compensation department has doctors who read all the reports and over rule them and rate lower.

I was told by a Senator's aide that people there get tenure and promotions for the % of people they under rate.

That dwarfs the fascist crud policy that a Personnel Director's holiday
(year-end) bonus is based on how cheaply they can staff the company.
I suppose American Manufacturing got what it paid for: or saved on.
And I'd also love to get an affidavit from that aide. Need to go empty now....

a reply to: xuenchen

1. States With and Without the Death Penalty

2. MAP

I thought about the "Capital Punishment" possibility after reading ...

VA Supervisor: Older Veterans Should be “Shot in the Head” to Save Money

The whistleblower, who wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, works at a large 250 acre VA hospital in North Carolina. He presented his credentials to us which checked out. The VA employee lifted the lid on a number of shocking details during an interview with Sgt. Joe Biggs.

“Recently there’s been a very rapid race to move records, boxes, change labels, whatever it may be, they’re putting them in rooms that nobody would look in….and there’s multiple times that I have seen in the past week or so them moving boxes….so apparently they’re hiding their tracks somewhere,” stated the VA employee, adding that the activity preceded an inspection of the facility, suggesting it was part of an effort to conceal evidence in the aftermath of the secret waiting list scandal.

Even more chilling was a warning sent out to VA employees at the facility which, according to the whistleblower, was meant to get across the message, “Do you see what happens to the people that try to get things straight around here, they’re not here anymore,” a tone the whistleblower described as “pretty telling.”

The employee also revealed the shocking attitude of one supervisor at the hospital towards older veterans, who asserted that older vets “should be taken outside and shot in the head because they’re worthless.” The individual still works at the hospital and was not disciplined for his comments.

-
OBSERVATION: Perhaps some SHOULD BE . . . MORE WORRIED ( than others ) ???
.

All these speeches and all these talks about being serious. Meanwhile vets are dying. Everything this government does is a joke.

a reply to: xuenchen

Flag and Star, X.
I'll plead guilty to not watching the clip yet: did he kick one
or both doors off the hinges for this one? They deserve it...

originally posted by: derfreebie
a reply to: xuenchen

Flag and Star, X.
I'll plead guilty to not watching the clip yet: did he kick one
or both doors off the hinges for this one? They deserve it...

I'm sure if he did kick a door, they would have chopped it off the report.

But I bet it *Would Have* looked like this .....

a reply to: xuenchen

Yes we do agree on that however it is a problem far older than just PPACA, there has, much like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security been a general disregard by all parties involved which includes each and everyone one of us since we have allowed it.

They find the money to spread all over the World to buy Friends and who eventually become enimies but we cannot take care of our Veterans and Elderly ? I am not one who buys into the belief that Government was born to take care of us, more likely we are born to take care of it and we as parents have failed.

As People we have failed, Churches and Neighbors used to look out for each other and did what was necessary to see a family, an individual or whole communities through a hard day. Too a certain degree we still do, always amazes me how quickly money can be raised for the aftermath of a disaster but a neighbor going hungry everyday or even every other day is dismissed as lazy. In some cases its true but our Nanny state produced these feelings of entitlement, our very own child, the Government, created by us has taken over our role.

In the case of our Veterans, PROMISES were made and have continued to be made and they must be honored or we become what we often accuse the rest of the world of being, insert any words here you are comfortable with as almost any we have accused others will work just fine. Common sense should dictate that we care for our elderly as they cared for us, but sadly common sense is no longer applicable in the world of Politics, as the word Common con-notates a feeling of a group and Politics is simply about one individual, the one who will say or do anything to get elected and maintain power.

It will be surprising in the end to see if this situation ever improves but after at least 30 years of the same, chances are as short as our memories and the same old adage business as usual will apply.

a reply to: DJMSN

Again ... these are people dying on Obama's watch. The correct course of action is to fire (if not imprison) every person from the POTUS right down to the patient's physician. And the VA's punishment should be to pay for the replacement and training required.

The patient's physician has the ""authority"" to take whatever action is necessary to "preserve the life, limb, or eyesight" of an individual under their care. That means, if the President was required to stand by that patient's bed for a week, and hold that Soldier's hand ... the doctor would be acting within his charter to "order it done" ... and the POTUS would be derelict in his duties for failing to follow that order.

There's no playing here. Work in a military hospital for a while. Know the rules.

originally posted by: DJMSN
a reply to: xuenchen
In all fairness to the President, the VA system has been broken for a very long time, a very long time. As a Veteran and once again an active member of the military I have seen and heard many horror stories.

More currently those of us from the first Desert Storm fought for the system to recognize another unknown, some have referred to it as simply "Gulf War Illness" and that fight continues for many.

unfair? the VA problem is getting progressively worse.

GWS is a result of a couple of the vaccines given. I forget which ones but that is the cause. And the reason it hasn't been disclosed.

originally posted by: HanzHenry

originally posted by: DJMSN
a reply to: xuenchen
In all fairness to the President, the VA system has been broken for a very long time, a very long time. As a Veteran and once again an active member of the military I have seen and heard many horror stories.

More currently those of us from the first Desert Storm fought for the system to recognize another unknown, some have referred to it as simply "Gulf War Illness" and that fight continues for many.

unfair? the VA problem is getting progressively worse.

GWS is a result of a couple of the vaccines given. I forget which ones but that is the cause. And the reason it hasn't been disclosed.

I believe you ... and ain't that some BS as well?

The vaccines really weren't the problem, even if they did cause the on-set of GWS. The problem was that they were ordered to be administered. The person issuing the inoculation order was at fault. Nobody went after that A-Hole. F'er probably got promoted to Surgeon General or some other cozy government posting. Probably kicked back enjoying a retirement check on the sunny beaches in Florida somewhere.

a reply to: Snarl

I have sad news for you, but people have died as a result of the VA Health System on every Presidents watch at least since Vietnam. It is a bureaucracy created by Government and again because we have failed to realize that Government is not suppose to take care of anyone but that WE are to take care of Government.

The VA Health Care System has long been overlooked because of indifference due to Governments fault, Politicians and because of our own indifference. I remember my Grandfather, a veterans of WWII, and his struggle with cancer and his battles to get appointments thru the VA. He was one of the lucky ones who had insurance so it was a little easier as the VA system loves insurance as do most hospitals.

Long lines and generally poor care has always been a hallmark of the VA, it is an overwhelmed system and mismanaged to the maximum. The Government has a pretty poor record of operating anything, look at our Postal Service losing billions every year, the IRS incapable of detecting fraud unless its the guy making 50 thousand a year who failed to report some gambling winnings or a notorious outlaw they are unable to touch otherwise.

No we cannot lay the blame at the Presidents feet but many Presidents feet. But in reality the only people to blame are those we see in the mirror when we have the guts to look. I do not care for the current Administration but not going to lay it all at his feet.

a reply to: DJMSN

I hear you. My passion on this topic may be a bit misleading.

It's never been fair. Most Soldiers know this and accept the lack of fairness. But ... there is a line, and it looks like it's been crossed again.

Would I blame Obama? No ... unless he doesn't fire Shinseki.

a reply to: Snarl

I understand completely and not ready to exonerate everyone and yes it is an unfair system....and yes most Soldiers do Soldier on (an Seaman...Marines...Airman...and Coasties) most are fortunate to have insurance and can afford to use private facilities. I know i have only been in a situation to have made use of the system once and it was a trial.

If someone must be fired I would rather see the actual Administrators of the local facilities found to have been "gaming" the system, hard to prove that someone actually died because of the system as far as criminal charges but civil suits will follow this mess for sure and I think they should be held accountable personally.