Posted on 11/01/2015 7:07:35 AM PST by jstaff
Firing VA officials is harder said than done....
I am sure transferring them to remote locations is easier.
The solution is simple...We do not need to create another new program...Enroll Vets in Tricare and close all VA medical facilities....Tricare already exists, it works, I use it, and I love it.
Firing may be hard but transferring should be easy. If you can’t fire one move him to Minot, ND...After one winter he will probably quit.
. . and the beat goes on . . .
When our Naval base went from training to paper pushing BUPERS all the medical went too, except the dispensary.
In 2014 a Pilot Program came down as a DOD MANDATE, for all Retiree’s over 65, that they get their daily meds from either the Base Dispensary, which is NOT set up for the handicapped, or Express Scripts, where your meds are just shoved in you mailbox UNSIGNED FOR.
2015 co-pays went up, last month in comes a DOD MANDATE that the 2014 Pilot drug program would be PERMANENT. 2016 NO COLA RAISE to off set the Cost of Living food price increases. If you choose to use an out side source you pay full price for your meds. If the script that is written by a ER doctor or to late to fill at a closed Dispensary, and you take it to a regular pharmacy if it is OTC Tricare WILL NOT FILL it. You must buy it. If you use the base your meds are free, if you use Express Scripts you pay a co-pay. Dispensaries do not carry all drugs depends on where and size of base, so some must come from ES. Advice be sure what you order has no generic. Base Refills come from Pensacola, ES from what ever state they are located in. Base is 5 days, ES 2 weeks. You can reorder via phone.
One of the reason so many drugs went OTC last year or two.
I can see that you haven’t tried to get help outside of a VA Hosp.
Veterans Administration Reforms That Will Make America Great Again
The Goals Of Donald J. Trump’s Veterans Plan
The current state of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is absolutely unacceptable. Over 300,000 veterans died waiting for care. Corruption and incompetence were excused. Politicians in Washington have done too little too slowly to fix it. This situation can never happen again, and when Donald J. Trump is president, it will be fixed - fast.
The guiding principle of the Trump plan is ensuring veterans have convenient access to the best quality care. To further this principle, the Trump plan will decrease wait times, improve healthcare outcomes, and facilitate a seamless transition from service into civilian life.
The Trump Plan Will:
1.Ensure our veterans get the care they need wherever and whenever they need it. No more long drives. No more waiting for backlogs. No more excessive red tape. Just the care and support they earned with their service to our country.
2.Support the whole veteran, not just their physical health care, but also by addressing their invisible wounds, investing in our service members’ post-active duty success, transforming the VA to meet the needs of 21st century service members, and better meeting the needs of our female veterans.
3.Make the VA great again by firing the corrupt and incompetent VA executives who let our veterans down, by modernizing the VA, and by empowering the doctors and nurses to ensure our veterans receive the best care available in a timely manner.
The Trump Plan Gives Veterans The Freedom To Choose And Forces The VA To Compete For Their Dollars
Politicians in Washington have tried to fix the VA by holding hearings and blindly throwing money at the problem. None of it has worked. In fact, wait times were 50% higher this summer than they were a year ago. That’s because the VA lacks the right leadership and management. It’s time we stop trusting Washington politicians to fix the problems and empower our veterans to vote with their feet.
Under a Trump Administration, all veterans eligible for VA health care can bring their veteran’s ID card to any doctor or care facility that accepts Medicare to get the care they need immediately. Our veterans have earned the freedom to choose better or more convenient care from the doctor and facility of their choice. The power to choose will stop the wait time backlogs and force the VA to improve and compete if the department wants to keep receiving veterans’ healthcare dollars. The VA will become more responsive to veterans, develop more efficient systems, and improve the quality of care because it will have no other choice.
The Trump Plan Treats The Whole Veteran
We must care for the whole veteran, not just their physical health. We must recognize that today’s veterans have very different needs than those of the Greatest Generation.
The Trump Plan Will:
1.Increase funding for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and suicide prevention services to address our veterans’ invisible wounds. Service members are five times more likely to develop depression than civilians. They are almost fifteen times more likely to develop PTSD than civilians. This funding will help provide more and better counseling and care. More funding will also support research on best practices and state of the art treatments to keep our veterans alive, healthy and whole. With these steps, the Trump plan will help the veteran community put the unnecessary stigma surrounding mental health behind them and instead encourage acceptance and treatment in our greater society.
2.Increase funding for job training and placement services (including incentives for companies hiring veterans), educational support and business loans. All Americans agree that we must do everything we can to help put our service men and women on a path to success as they leave active duty by collaborating with the many successful non-profit organizations that are already helping. Service members have learned valuable skills in the military but many need help understanding how to apply those skills in civilian life. Others know how to apply those skills but need help connecting with good jobs to support their families. Still others have an entrepreneurial spirit and are ready to start creating jobs and growing the economy. The Trump plan will strengthen existing programs or replace them with more effective ones to address these needs and to get our veterans working.
3.Transform the VA to meet the needs of 21st century service members. Today’s veterans have very different needs than those of the generations that came before them. The VA must adapt to meet the needs of this generation of younger, more diverse veterans. The Trump plan will expand VA services for female veterans and ensure the VA is providing the right support for this new generation of veterans.
4.Better support our women veterans. The fact that many VA hospitals don’t permanently staff OBGYN doctors shows an utter lack of respect for the growing number female veterans. Under the Trump plan, every VA hospital in the country will be fully equipped with OBGYN and other women’s health services. In addition, women veterans can always choose a different OBGYN in their community using their veteran’s ID card.
The Trump Plan Will Make The VA Great Again
The VA health care program is a disaster. Some candidates want to get rid of it, but our veterans need the VA to be there for them and their families. That’s why the Trump plan will:
1.Fire the corrupt and incompetent VA executives that let our veterans down. Under a Trump Administration, there will be no job security for VA executives that enabled or overlooked corruption and incompetence. They’re fired. New leadership will focus the VA staff on delivering timely, top quality care and other services to our nation’s veterans. Under a Trump Administration, exposing and addressing the VA’s inefficiencies and shortcomings will be rewarded, not punished.
2.End waste, fraud and abuse at the VA. The Trump plan will ensure the VA is spending its dollars wisely to provide the greatest impact for veterans and hold administrators accountable for irresponsible spending and abuse. The days of $6.3 million for statues and fountains at VA facilities and $300,000 for a manager to move 140 miles are over. The Trump plan will clean up the VA’s finances so the current VA budget provides more and better care than it does now.
3.Modernize the VA. A VA with 20th century technology cannot serve 21st century service members and their needs. The VA has been promising to modernize for years without real results. The Trump plan will make it happen by accelerating and expanding investments in state of the art technology to deliver best-in-class care quickly and effectively. All veterans should be able to conveniently schedule appointments, communicate with their doctors, and view accurate wait times with the push of a button.
4.Empower the caregivers to ensure our veterans receive quality care quickly. Caregivers should be able to easily streamline treatment plans across departments and utilize telehealth tools to better serve their patients. As we have seen from the private sector, the potential for new, innovative technology is endless. Abandoning the wasteful and archaic mindset of the public sector will give way to tremendously effective veteran healthcare.
5.Hire more veterans to care for veterans. The more veterans we have working at the VA, the better the VA will be. They understand the unique challenges facing their community. To increase the number of veterans hired by the VA, this plan will add an additional 5 points to the qualifying scores of veterans applying for VA jobs.
6.Embed satellite VA clinics in rural and other underserved areas. The Trump Administration will embed satellite VA clinics within hospitals and other care facilities in rural and other underserved areas. This step will ensure veterans have easy access to care and local hospitals and care facilities can handle the influx of patients without backlogs while tapping the specialized knowledge of VA health specialists.
I’m in the process of trying to get my 92 year old WWII vet Dad to be seen at the VA. Filled out all the paperwork, he was given an appointment for 12/9 which is obviously more than a 30 day wait. Called the number provided for the situation and still, 3 weeks later, have not been able to secure an appointment for him anywhere that is sooner than 12/9.
Whomever can figure out a system that relieves vets of this pathetic mountain of red tape, I say hats off to them.
As with most everything run by our idiot government, it’s all words. I’ve yet to speak to someone in the VA system who has a straight answer on how to get my father seen sooner, even though it’s stated he is ‘entitled’ to that service.
I detest hallow words, especially when dealing with the health and well being of my Dad. Just my 2 cents.
Under Trump’s plan there will be no hoops to jump through before you can see an outside doctor. No more six month weights to get a colonoscopy, which is typical.
What Trump should have said was veterans will have hiring priority for initial employment and also job priority once they’re in the system. In other words if both applicants score the same, the employee with veteran status gets the job, not the boss’s relative.
I recall one incident when the VA wanted us to send 92 year old WWII vet who was in D day on a 100 mile trek to a Denver VA for a series of tests and treatment on a tough wintry day.
We just treated him and ate the bills since the VA rejected them for no prior Approval.
He is one of many DC establishment potted plants here everyday .
Trump’s plan is a complete overhaul of the VA system to make it more efficient and cost effective. Its not just about wait times.
Does the vet have to drive more than 50 miles to get help in Trump’s plan, or just go to the nearest facility?
Under Trump’s plan there will be no hoops to jump through before you can see an outside doctor. No more six month weights to get a colonoscopy, which is typical.
Thank you, NKP_Vet, for answering this question. And, thank you for your service.
LOLOL!!
Maybe one of the few remaining on the (quickly shrinking) payroll?
I had medical insurance in the 880’s and went to the VA. They stuck me in the place overnight, checked my teeth while was awaiting a civilian doctor who checked my hand, broken in a fight. They fixed my hand, fixed my teeth and updated my shots. I was not under military disability. When I was ready to be discharged, I gave them my insurance card and was told “That’s too much hassle.” I was amazed at how they sluffed off my money.
You’re not a Trump fan are you. At least he’s trying to do the right thing. What’s your candidate’s plan anyways?
I requested to see a dermatologist and hadn’t heard anything in two weeks. So I emailed my PCP and told her that if I wasn’t going to see a dermatologist within the next two weeks I wanted to go outside the system. The next day I got an email confirming an appointment 30 days to the day of my initial request.
When I got to the appointment there were not very many patients at the clinic and I went right in to see the doctor. That tells me it’s not the doctor-to-patient ratio that holds things up. It’s the paper work being done by the lowered paid affirmative action people who set up the appointments.
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