Posted on 08/31/2015 8:25:07 AM PDT by xzins
Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson told the Dave Ramsey show on Wednesday that the Department of Veterans Affairs should be folded into the Department of Defense and VA facilities should only be used for specialized care like traumatic brain injuries and limb replacement procedures.
“The size of government has to be reduced significantly. There’s a lot of stuff that we’re doing that doesn’t make any sense. We have a Department of Veterans Affairs. We don’t need a Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Affairs should be in under the Department of Defense, and it should be smooth transition,” said Carson.
The Republican presidential candidate said the U.S. should also examine how it cares for soldiers and that they should be in a support system immediately when they enlist, especially when they go into combat.
“We need to be looking at the way that we take care of soldiers. You know 14 percent down recruitment for our voluntary Army right now. Why? Because they’re looking at what we’re doing to our veterans,” he said.
“When a person applies to the military, they should be in a support system immediately from day one, particularly when they go through combat, because that’s when all the trauma is occurring, and we should have people in place a year before their time of discharge to be working on their integration back into society,” Carson added.
“There shouldn’t be a period of unemployment when they come out of the military, and they should have a health savings account, which allows them to go to any medical facility in the country, and we should be delighted to take care of them,” he said.
“We should use the VA facilities for specialized care for traumatic brain injury, limb replacements, and research,” Carson added.
Why doesn’t FR have a Twitter account? They could inform us when FR is down and when it will be back up. It just makes sense.
I don’t know. Let’s ask the boss ;)
The DOD is NOT a good place for Veterans money to be. They should be focused on winning wars and fighting for war money.
They are going to do that anyway, and if you combine the budgets, then war will take priority over veterans for any sane general. They should be fighting for money for weapons systems and training of the military.
That gives them two missions at odds with each other, and they will eventually encroach on the veterans budget.
It should NOT be under DOD. It’s a lousy idea.
I have a twitter account. Just never got used to using it.
which post should have been directed at me, and which post of mine was it in response to?
For the record, it’s my position anyone attempting to implement or even suggest new qualifiers to restrict or eliminate any qualified American Veterans benefits, should be opposed with vengeance.
He’s part right. Not about merging with the DOD but using the VA for certain functions and streamlining it.
Vet’s who are eligible for VA care should just be given a card so they can go to any clinic or hospital for routine services and the bill is sent to the VA. If something more serious is needed then just like any insurance; it will have to be ok’d before treatment unless there is a compelling reason not to wait.
This would reduce people working for the federal government and help the private sector. A win win for smaller government and improving services for the Vets.
As a vet who uses the VA I can see merit in some of his ideas.
Amen to that Zxins...
Does anyone remember the Nextel commercial of Fireman in the House voting on bills and just getting it done?
Putting this in DOD nothing will get done, it will be F-35-ived to death.
Maybe that Fireman and Mil-Spec attitude of get-r-done ( not the Pentagon ) is what we are craving with so many gravitating to "The Donald". I have been through enough downsizing's to know the Dept's you mentioned and many more have to be looked at, every dime is scrutinized, it is time Disney on the Potomac goes through it too.
I agree with that. However, I think that Congress must honor its promises to all veterans who have entered under a specific set of promises. They can’t change them in midstream.
IF they were to change anything — and I disagree with that — but IF they were, it should only be for future enlistees. Those prospective military can then decide for themselves if it’s a bogus deal or not.
We absolutely DO need a VA department.
It needs to be run by better people, who actually CARE about our wounded.
And incompetence needs to be rooted out and fired immediately.
I have no problem with coverage cards or vouchers, but that’s not a new idea. I’ve supported it for some time.
What I object to is putting the VA budget under the DOD. It would be a conflict of interest.
Every government entity needs to continue to exist because there’s no way those duties could possibly be assumed by fewer agencies. I mean, take the Department of Defense and the VA. There’s absolutely no way an entity like the Armed Services could ever take care of people who served, because there are no qualified people to run such an operation.
It’s not like there are even doctors in the Armed Services, or an area that keeps track of people who ever served. Heck, there’s not even an ability to bid and pay for services rendered throughout the Armed Services or the Department of Defense/
We desperately need the VA to ensure our vets are improperly treated, as they are today.
xzins, what do you say to my comments about the military already being engaged in numerous other activities for their personnel that don't include weapons or training? There are plenty of military hospitals and medical personnel that provide healthcare benefits to active duty military, and likely provide transitional services to those leaving the military.
There's no reason why the Sec. of Defense couldn't ask for funding of veteran's benefits, including those that are disabled, or require other special care. The budget request is a separate line item from all the "war-fighting stuff," and could be spent accordingly. It's called a budget for a reason.
We are in agreement. I don't think this discussion was ever about cutting veterans' benefits.
Cut it back to an agency, cut the bureaucracy.
Did you ever notice how in the past decade or two, everything government does does not benefit Americans or our Veterans.
They loot the American treasure, were spending trillions in other countries, hundreds of billions on illegals, foreign aid, etc.
Yet they tell us, “We need to cut, reduce or eliminate benefits to Americans and our Veterans, we need to eliminate or reduce Social Security benefits, wages and job health benefits, we need to tax your investments more, we need to eliminate or reduce or cut anything benefiting Americans. A steady incremental decline. This is what is being forced down our throats.
We are in big trouble. America is broken bad.
The VA doing a good job now?
It was all established before the federal government was involved in our medical care - it was special for vets.
Now, illegal aliens are getting better services outside the VA.
Time to dump the VA and give vets the better services that are newer and more modern.
The military forces have combat, support, and service support units that comprise our services. Combat units do the actual fighting. Support units provide coverage of combat necessary operations such as signal, air defense, etc. Service support units are generally logistical but include medical, dental and legal needs of a fighting combat force.
So, in providing for battlefield needs military commanders are providing for that which enables them to be victorious on the battlefield.
Providing care for those who no longer are in the military is not a battlefield operation, and the battlefield is what should be their focus.
There is a conflict of interest between the battlefield and any other distraction. A good general who wants to protect the security of the United States will always seek improved equipment, weapons systems, and training. That’s where he’ll fight to spend his money.
That is why the military should not be in charge of caring for those who no longer are in the military.
I disagree. The military should focus on winning wars on the battlefield. They should not be distracted by other concerns. Period.
And, any general worth his salt will always struggle to get more money into anything that will increase his battlefield advantage. So, when he went before Congress begging for DOD money, he’d have most of it weapons and training. He’d gradually sharpen his arguments to have former military getting less and less. That’s what he SHOULD be doing if his focus really is on winning wars on the battlefield.
Of course, if we don’t want him to focus on winning, we should just say so. Please, General Hogsnap, please focus on transsexual surgery, or please focus on LGBT issues, or please focus on religious infiltration. Please forego all those battlefield concerns and let’s be a hospital former military and a change agent for society.
Fine. Let’s pick on the one department that argues for veteran money. But we can keep paying billions upon billions for illegal health care, for illegal education, for illegal jobs, for illegal food, for illegal food stamps.
Sounds like a plan.
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