Everyone loves young soldiers/why not when they get older and need us?

Question

I originally asked this question in the general P&G.
I should have asked in the military section.
Our veterans are not being taken care of properly when they need us. It's not just the aged veterans either. We have what 21,000 injured troops coming home wounded from Iraq.
We have veterans from every war since WWI suffering through the ineffective VA administration. The federal gov. keeps cutting funding. Hospitals are under staffed.
We have veterans coming home w/ chemical weapons poisoning and post traumatic stress disorder.
They answer the call when we ask. We need to respect their needs when they come home.
On a personal note: My 80 year old grandpa lost his only brother to WWII. When he had to go in for a hip replacement he developed a bedsore and because of complications due to diabetes and neglect he died. That's just HIS story...there are so many others.
We need to change our VA system.
Our men and women in uniform deserve better!

Answer 1

Young soldiers remind us of all the idealism that goes with war: glory, heroism, and patriotism.

Old soldiers remind us of the reality: mental trauma, displacement, and death.

Answer 2

Hello Kelly

You have a valid point. As soon as I saw your question I felt for lack of a better term (guilty as charged). It's not that I don't care about our older vets, it's that I don't think of them often enough (even though I get goose bumps thinking about what they went through, whether it was combat or just the era they lived in.)

For the most part I trust the VA, and I know there are isolated instances where vets are not receiving the best care possible, but overall the VA is a godsend to many vets. Especially indigent vets.

Most men and woman don't require adulation for something they were willing to do in the first place, they only ask for respect. There is plenty of respect and many lifelines for men and women who wore the uniform.

I can't speak for your grandfather, but I'm willing to bet that he was given the care that he would have wanted at the age of 80.

As far as funding being cut and the VA being ineffective, you need to check your facts.

Answer 3

The VA is the 3rd largest federal agency in the US. Complete with there own Inspecter Generals Sectiong and General Council the Lawyers that helps keep there actions out of the news. Most recently denying Veterans Pain Medication for not signing a waiver of their fourth amendment rights, including protections of Title 38 USC. Its all a big contradiction in terms , mean while as a chronic pain patient I go without my meds rather than waiver my rights. Thank you Chapter 17 BENEFITS, I cant use. Why, so they can cut some of us out and cut costs.

Answer 4

I'm a disabled vet. I deal a good bit with the VA, and for the most part it's not that bad. Every hospital has problems. Every HMO or insurance company has horror stories. But, what I see is pretty sad. The VA has a system in place to deal with just about everything. The systems are well-designed and intended to work effectively 100% of the time. The problem is the people within the system. I've dealt with some that are absolutely wonderful, and others that are not.
A couple of cases in point: I've called the VA hotline to ask a question. The VA person doesn't understand my question, or they don't know the answer. They then give an answer that doesn't fit the question. I press the issue, and then I hear "hello, hello, sir can you hear me, hello?" Well of course they can hear. They went as far as they could with my issue, and knowing how long it will take to get back through, and knowing others counsellors will probably "get the call," she simply hung up on me in a clever way.

I have medicine mailed to me on time sensitve basis. Many times it arrives late. No one knows why, gremlins maybe. The system I use is designed to ensure my medicine arrives on time. But, one month, the operator messed up the computer process, and the request never made it to the doctor. Another time, I called to check status, and the person told me it had been put in the mail. I found out later, that person simply lied. Another time, the request was sitting in a person's computer, waiting to be forwarded, except the person was on vacation for 2 weeks.

I had an application pending at the VA adminstration for 9 (yes nine) months. I kept calling and was routinely told it was being processed. No matter what I asked, the answer was routine - by people as close to the top as I could get. I finally met a gentleman working for the VA (he worked on a military base helping GIs). I explained my problem to him, and he fixed it. He was so apologetic and told me the person handling my case had been fired. My case wasn't routine, and the case-worker kept moving my case down to the bottom of the stack to avoid dealing with it.

I once went to the EENT clinic to see about getting a new hearing aid. Mine was issued while I was still on active duty and it had just finally deteriorated beyond repair. The lady at the desk gave me the " what do you want" look and I explained my problem. She checked her computer and said it didn't show I was ever issued a hearing aid. I told her it was given to me while still on active duty. She said it didn't matter, they would still have the info. She told me I would have to make an appointment with general medicine in the VA clinic, and then get a referral to the hearing clinic. Whew, that was close, she was able to get rid of me and get back to her "work." Why did I need to see a general doctor. I'd make the appointment, tell him my story, tell him I couldn't hear. Then he'd send a referral to EENT and then they would give me an appointment, test my hearing etc. What a waste - just because the receptionist had no record of me having a hearing aid. She was too lazy to get up from behind her desk and go search for any other type of info, such as a paper record in their clinic (I had been seen there before, with my hearing aid at least twice). She didn't care what extra I had to do, the added time to fix my problem, the added costs, and the time spent that could have been allocated to another patient.

Just a few of many, many situations I can cite. Sadly, the bottom line is that people are responsible for making the system work. The best systems in the world are only as good as the people who use them. A lady once commented to me that if the vets would just leave her alone for a little while she could get her job done. I told her the vets are her job. That was met by a stern face, as she walked away.

Too many apathetic people unwilling to go beyond their routine tasks fill the ranks of the VA. If every person employed by the VA treated every customer like it was their parent, 99% of the problems would go away.

How would I improve it all? I'd give hiring preference to vets and encourage them to apply for the jobs. I'd strongly stress customer service and customer rapport with all VA employees. I'd include customer service in their rating and performace reports. I'd establish a "working hotline" that customers could call into that carried real weight. I'd keep it separate from other lines used to address working problems or issues. This one would deal exclussively with the Va rep's interface and performance with the customers. Punishment for valid complaints would include forfeiture of pay and job loss.
I'd give each customer a critque that included an area to rate the employee.
These are but a few items off the top of my head. But, sadly the beauracracy will continue to slumber along at it's slow ineffective pace. And, oh yes the current director, Nichols I believe, did turn down additional funding - it's on record.

Thank you for your kind words though. And I might stress, not all VA employees are like this. I've dealt with some that were absolutely God-send. To them, I tip my hat.

Answer 5

Its not just the military that they are doing that to. Government employees have the same problems. My grandfather who was a paratrooper in WW2 came back and got a job for the government at Hanford Nuclear waste cause he thought it was safer than working in the mines.The Government did nothing when he got radiation poisioning. It wasn't until 20 years after his death that the rest of his family got a settlement from the governemnt.

Answer 6

Tricare is not any better.. go in with a headache or a severed leg and you get motrin. Its a joke! My husband is military. My doctor is always on leave or deployed so I get sent to somebody else who is obviously overwhelmed with twice the patients. Call in the morning for an appt. and you wait on hold for 3 hours. I pay out of pocket for my own health insurance because Tricare is a worthless.

Answer 7

From earlier I by no ability concept i'd not like an older guy. I say that is gross, because from then that is like doing my father. I discovered a lot. because I continuously wanted someone my age and by no ability over the decrease age. yet I undergo in ideas human beings will continuously say to me the age is in basic terms an quantity. It concerns what the heart needs. i'm now 33 years previous and understanding that I now loved older adult men. imagine about it, now I felt guy's my age is in basic terms too immature. and can't stand it.. i love adult men in common words from 33 to 40 8! i will not bypass over for someone who's 60. No way!! two decades aside isn't a huge deal for me anymore. To me is reckoning on the fellow. If she dosent coach she likes you want that that is more effective perfect off with someone who's over 23. attempt seem for someone who's in mid 30's. might want to change your existence perpetually!!!

Answer 8

That is exactly why I do not want the government in control of the healthcare system. I visit the VA hospitals in Illinois and Indiana weekly. I have seen good and bad. the bad was enough to convince me why they should never have control of anyones healthcare!

Answer 9

i agree