VA sends $4,000 bill to triple-amputee Purple Heart recipient after he spoke out against Obama

Poor Richard's News ^ | November 6, 2013

[grundle]

If you want to see where government-run healthcare gets you, look no further than what the VA is doing to Airman Brian Kolfage after he spoke out against Obama. Our veterans who sustained injuries in combat deserve the best treatment we can give them, but the VA just sent Purple Heart recipient Brian Kolfage a bill for $4,000.

Here’s the letter he just received from the VA:

Kolfage is an outspoken critic of the Obama administration and wants to know why his records were pulled in the first place. He’s written about the whole story on his Facebook page (emphasis mine):

Two months ago I received a letter from the VA stating they over paid me and that I needed to provide evidence proving otherwise. So I mailed in everything showing that in fact I wasn’t over paid what they were stating, hard evidence too. I then get a letter stating its been resolved. Now today I get this letter showing that they are taking money out of my disability compensation that I receive for losing my three limbs… I call the number listed and the automated system says call back another day, WTF, you’re taking my money and you can’t even answer the phones. This is the garbage that so many veterans have been dealing with over the past few years. And its complete [expletive] that someone can lose half their body for their country then they pull our records to nickel and dime us because the government is broke. After dealing with this for over a month I’ve decided to share my experience. This is exactly why we do not need a full blown government healthcare system run by the IRS, because they will target opposition, they will mess up, and they will take your money even if its by mistake. Then it will take months to even correct it, and this is just the VA, imagine this on a scale 30,000 times larger!

If this is how our nation treats our most severely wounded think about how they’ll treat those who are everyday citizens. The only people who are truly taken care of these days are those who control us and are politicians, they ensure their own are granted every privilege that they can come up with while screwing those who are trying to survive. IS THIS THE CHANGE YOU VOTED FOR? please tell WHY my record was pulled for one thing, and then a background check was done, then my money is being taken… for what? FREEDOM OF SPEECH!?

To his credit, Kolfage makes it clear that his objective isn’t to get any money out of this. He’s not looking for sympathy, just to expose how corrupt the VA is. He turned down one twitter user’s offer to pay for his medical expenses:

[warchild9]

Wait, wait...who got that backwards?

Hanlon’s Razor

[Doogle]

THEN THERE’S THIS

http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/24/va-employees-destroyed-veterans-medical-records-to-cancel-backlogged-exam-requests-audio/

[House Atreides]

With government

It’s rarely malice

and almost always stupidity.

Somebody f***ed up the paperwork.
******************************************************************

Really? It’s always amazing that such “stupidity” raises its head when an individual has criticized “the messiah Obama”.

It’s not stupidity at all. It’s VILENESS and EVIL, pure and simple. This vileness comes not only from Obama’s political appointees, it’s also endemic amongst the career (and vastly overpaid) civil servants.

[warchild9]

Most decisions made at the VA level are performed by career bureaucrats. My daddy has been fighting them for years.

The color of the face in the White House is irrelevant.

[Born to Conserve]

Henlon’s razor:

You can attribute however you want, in the end, both the malice and the stupidity of others will hurt you, and you have the right to defend yourself.

[warchild9]

Wiki “Hanlon’s Razor”

You’ll get my joke

[redcatcherb412]

Unfreaking unbelievable. I had to pay back benefits when I got awarded 10% for Agent Orange induced prostate cancer because the biopsy came back as a benign tumor not malignant and was told to refile when the tumor became malignant. Using that logic for this Airman is take back the money as if the limbs grew back magically and they’ll give him the money back when he loses them again. VA logic knows no bounds of actual logic.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A young man from my home town high school was drafted and sent to VN. He was in combat, driving a personnel carrier, when he ran over a mine.
The explosion came up through the floor and in addition to leg injuries, he lost one testicle.
He returned home, married and fathered three children that all help on his family farm. He was provided a 90 percent disability by the VA.

[RebelTXRose]

I’ve wondered why cost-cutting hasn’t taken this turn already... but, I forget...bureaucrats need to justify their jobs.

Seriously, FREE HEALTHCARE for all vets at their own doctor is probably a much less expensive way to go - with better care!

[NTHockey]

This regime has declared war on each and every person who lives in Acirema. They are doing it one at a time so no one notices.

What they forget is that in this day and age, information is spread at the speed of light. It is time to strike back.

DEFY, RESIST, EVADE, SMUGGLE

[jocon307]

“It’s rarely malice and almost always stupidity.”

2 words: Lois Lerner.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

warchild9:" It’s rarely malice.
and almost always stupidity. Somebody f***ed up the paperwork.
Eric in the Ozarks (post#3) :" Every agency in government has been politicized by the current WH occupant. "
Eric in the Ozarks (POST #10) :"Stupidity, like the IRS attack on conservative political groups ?
I don't buy it."
detective (post #14):" With the Obama Administration it is probably malice. Stupidity is random. It effects people regardless of their views.
With the Obama Administration it only the good people who speak out who get attacked by the government.
The IRS is a good case in point. "
Born to Conserve:"Henlon’s razor:
You can attribute however you want, in the end, both the malice and the stupidity of others will hurt you,
and you have the right to defend yourself.

This is the most vindictive and opressive administration ever , and you can attribute it to the power and brains behind the throne !!
and It isn't the empty suit !!

[ExNewsExSpook]

In my former job, I ran a team that consisted of myself and three other military retirees; I’m ex-Air Force; the rest of the group consisted of a retired Army MSG; a retired CSM (National Guard) and a retired Petty Officer (USN).

One day, I was talking to the Navy guy and the subject of disability pensions came up. He volunteered that he was collecting a 70% disability on one training accident and PTSD. Never served in combat; in fact, he spent most of his career as a recruiter and manager in the Navy’s recruiting command.

There are literally thousands of these dubious and false claims that are routinely approved; they clog the system and increase wait times for vets who truly deserve the benefits and often have to wait years for a determination on their claims. I retired more than a decade ago, but heard that most troops exiting the service (including the REMFs) claim PTSD, since it will give them a check for life and put them at the head of the line for VA care.

One more story about the VA. In my first job after leaving active duty, I worked with a retired Air Force Lt
Col, who spent his Vietnam tour at a ground radar site. Base was never attacked during year in the ‘Nam; if fact, he joked the biggest hazard he faced was bad food at the O Club. He was a retired O-5, and later retired from civil service as well. No kids; investment portfolio worth almost seven figures. Yet, every time he needed health care, he ran down to the local VA hospital because it was free. And, because he served in Vietnam (at a base where agent orange aircraft were stationed), he was considered priority one.

Needless to say, he never came close to those planes, the chemical, or the jungle where it was sprayed. But by being in the right place at the right time, he was at the top of the list for any VA-provided health care service.

[jeffc]

The next President has a LOT of cleaning up to do.

The zero king now reminds me of Sharkey (Sauruman) and the Cleansing of The Shire at the end of The Lord of The Rings (the book).

[blueunicorn6]

The purpose of The Veterans Administration is not to assist Veterans. The purpose of The Veterans Administration is to provide government jobs for Democrats.

[blueunicorn6]

Let us all repeat the VA motto....

“Delete, Delay, Deny And Hope They Die”

[null and void]

With government

It’s rarely malice

Once upon a time I believed that too.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A cousin was combat infantry in 1966-67 and was dosed with Agent Orange on two major occasions. While there was no history of birth defects in his or wife's family, they had two very damaged children before deciding to forgo additional kids.
The VA in Des Moines ducked and dodged his request for testing or help with their children. A private MD testified there was no question that AO had caused the birth defects and shortened his life.

[Jumper]

Wish you luck and hang in there. I guess they will get their $95... Just file a claim for travel every time you visit (I don’t bother) but it will nickel and dime them to death administratively and you’ll get your pound of flesh, so to speak.

[Two Kids' Dad]

I used to work with a guy that was in combat in Grenada and got shot in one of his testicles during combat. Ouch!