It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
For those saying congress did it, let me ask this... since people have been fighting for VA reform for 30+ years why is this only happening now.
originally posted by: Sookiechacha
a reply to: Irishhaf
For those saying congress did it, let me ask this... since people have been fighting for VA reform for 30+ years why is this only happening now.
Whether or not this turns out to be actual reform remains to seen. They still have to figure out where the funding is coming and who its' going to go to, what "conditions" and "rules" would regulate who could and who could not go outside the VA for private care.
Right now, it looks like it puts the burden on Medicare to pick up the VA's slack.
In my opinion, politicians address problems in a way that will benefit their party, their elections.
They never look for solutions, because if the problem was solved, then what would they run on next time?
originally posted by: Vroomfondel
a reply to: peter vlar
I am sorry about your difficulties and I hope you find some resolution soon.
Nothing is going to change everything overnight. It doesn't work that way. It happens in stages and takes time. But it never happens if the POTUS won't get it started. People have known the system was broken for a long time. You can attest to that yourself. But no sitting POTUS has done anything about it. Even when it came to light that our vets were stuck on waiting lists so long they ended up dead still nothing changed. Now we have a POTUS who said he would change it and he is doing it.
I am sorry it won't happen soon enough for everyone in need. But at least it is finally happening. And still, even now, there are dems like pelosi who repeatedly tried to block this type of legislation because they wanted a dem to do it, not Trump. They had their chance and blew it. The honorable thing for them to do now is get behind the legislation and think about the people who need it, not their political scorecard.
originally posted by: sligtlyskeptical
Well, well, well...how soon you all forget.
thehill.com...
"President Obama on Thursday signed a $16.3 billion bill to overhaul the troubled Veterans Affairs Department, saying the country had a “sacred duty” to protect its military service members.
The bill, approved by Congress last week, would allow veterans to seek private care outside VA facilities, and would also provide money for the VA to hire more doctors and nurses. The effort came after reports that some veterans had waited months to get care from the VA."
It is not that Obama did nothing. In fact Obama would have done more but couldn't get more past the Republican Congress at the time. But now that a Republican is President, they are willing to give the more. It is a good thing to keep improving VA care, but you all shouldn't be so quick to dish Obama and give Trump full credit.
originally posted by: jjkenobi
I'm constantly impressed by Trump. Seeing as he isn't and never was a "true conservative" I was skeptical on what he would actually deliver on. But with the tax breaks and taking care of the military, he continues to get it done.
originally posted by: intrepid
a reply to: DBCowboy
I've been saying for over a decade that businessmen, not lawyers, should be running the govt's today. Trump didn't move me at first because of the Twitter madness. He's cut down on that thankfully. I don't agree with all he's done but I gotta say he's kinda winning me over.
Working out the details of exactly how and when that will happen is now up to agency officials tasked with drawing up regulations under the law.
The new law gives VA an additional $5.2 billion to continue Choice through May 2019 while the department implements the new, consolidated community care program. But the MISSION Act doesn’t authorize additional resources to pay for the new program past May 2019 and into 2020.
"Make that guy in the White House keep his promise to all of us veterans, lest we all fall by the wayside and be left on the battlefield," said a former Army staff sergeant who served in Vietnam.
Related content:
Budget Calls for Cuts to VA Programs as Tradeoff for Extending Choice
Legion on Proposed VA Benefit Cut: 'Stealth' Privatization Attempt VA's Disability
Compensation Individual Unemployability (IU) Benefit