Posted on Dec 4, 2016
Should the VA be reorganized from the ground up?
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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/04/4-quit-after-oklahoma-veteran-with-maggots-in-wound-dies.html
When is enough enough? As a health care provider (Paramedic), how in the blue hell do you allow this to happen to your patient?? The fact this person was in a VA facility makes it even worse! I hold the belief the VA administration should be fired en mass and just start from scratch.
When is enough enough? As a health care provider (Paramedic), how in the blue hell do you allow this to happen to your patient?? The fact this person was in a VA facility makes it even worse! I hold the belief the VA administration should be fired en mass and just start from scratch.
Posted in these groups: 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Medical
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 9
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Once again, I must respond. As posted before, I have had great care from the VA over the past 20 years. yes, it is sometimes slower than it should be, but given the vast size, that is understandable.
Articles like this just sensationalize the problems. However, I would wager the majority of Veterans that use the VAMC are satisfied. At least to a degree.
Does the VA need improvement? Absolutely. But, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Let's work on the problems, correct them, and give our Veterans the best care possible.
Now, as to privatization, there are two major issues that need to be acknowledged. One, most civilian medical personal have no concept of the uniqueness of military service and any of the health problems which come from that service. Second, privatization would not reduce costs nor would it guarantee better care. Fraud would be rampant, requiring a huge monitoring agency.
So, I repeat; let's correct the problems and give our Veterans what they deserve; the best medical care possible.
Articles like this just sensationalize the problems. However, I would wager the majority of Veterans that use the VAMC are satisfied. At least to a degree.
Does the VA need improvement? Absolutely. But, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Let's work on the problems, correct them, and give our Veterans the best care possible.
Now, as to privatization, there are two major issues that need to be acknowledged. One, most civilian medical personal have no concept of the uniqueness of military service and any of the health problems which come from that service. Second, privatization would not reduce costs nor would it guarantee better care. Fraud would be rampant, requiring a huge monitoring agency.
So, I repeat; let's correct the problems and give our Veterans what they deserve; the best medical care possible.
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MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P
MSG Stan Hutchison - I'm glad your experiences with your local VA have been good overall. Mine have been mediocre at best, medically dangerous at worst. I stopped driving 50+ miles to the local VA hospital and opted for the 14 mile drive to a private provider. The out of pocket costs are a bit more but I receive more responsive care.
I'll agree maybe the driving issue is that the VA has gotten so big it is impractical to manage. Had I the answers to THAT problem, I'd be the man running the show instead of a medic on an ambulance.
Would you not agree it seems impossible to fire, remove, or otherwise get rid of employees who have a proven track record of unsatisfactory performance? Maybe instead of the "Scorched Earth" approach I suggested, we should instead focus on precision strikes with targeted effects (ie: removal of poor performers). Maybe appoint more veterans to management positions instead of civilians who have less experience dealing with service specific illness/injury?
I'll agree maybe the driving issue is that the VA has gotten so big it is impractical to manage. Had I the answers to THAT problem, I'd be the man running the show instead of a medic on an ambulance.
Would you not agree it seems impossible to fire, remove, or otherwise get rid of employees who have a proven track record of unsatisfactory performance? Maybe instead of the "Scorched Earth" approach I suggested, we should instead focus on precision strikes with targeted effects (ie: removal of poor performers). Maybe appoint more veterans to management positions instead of civilians who have less experience dealing with service specific illness/injury?
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How would it be reorganized differently? I think it's fairly obvious that the bureaucracy needs to be heavily streamlined, however we also need to remember that all that bureaucracy was created as a way to manage costs. If all the processes are streamlined and everyone can walk in and get the care they need, the VA might require 30-60 billion more per year than it currently receives. Are we as a nation, prepared to pay?
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Yes. There is no excuse for this. The money is there. The need is there. People just don't seem to care. Job fair time. Hire qualified Veterans to staff as much of this as possible.
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