Special Forces Veteran Slams the VA

SF-TX · 06-19-2014, 22:00

Michelle Malkin and an anonymous Special Forces veteran unload on the VA.

Quote:

“They’re getting billions of dollars, and they treat veterans like s-t. There’s no accountability, no buy-in, among civilian unionized employees. We mean nothing to them. It’s like going to the DMV for your health care.”

Link

**The Reaper** · 06-19-2014, 22:43

True words.

There are some good people who actually care at the VA, but they are outnumbered by the shiftless lazy unionized bastards who feel that the Veteran is an inconvenience to them and an interruption in their social schedule.

TR

Quote:

Again, the vet refuses to candy-coat the roots of the festering VA scandal: “The problem is not just waiting lists. It is utter fraudulent expenditure of enormous budgets, not on veterans, but on overpaid lazy, surly civilian employees that often make it clear that a) they do not like veterans and b) that the veteran is actually a nuisance. The problem is endemic, at every level, in the VA. The unfortunate fact of the matter is this: Veterans have become incidental to the process at the VA.”

**Box** · 06-19-2014, 23:59

That guy needs to be audited by the IRS...

...who does he think he is anyway?

Dean Jarvis · 06-20-2014, 06:06

Four years after returning from Vietnam I went to the VA to ask them about a small business loan. They told me they only gave small business loans to WWII and Korean vets. A couple of years after that we had a representative from the VA come to the college I was attending to speak to the vets about their benefits. I pointed out to him my experience with the SB loan and he seemed shocked and told me they give SB loans to Vietnam vets. Some time after that I went back to the VA and asked about the load and I got the same reply. We don't give small business loans to Vietnam vets. Not sure if today you can get one if you served in Vietnam.

(1VB)compforce · 06-20-2014, 06:44

The VA... I hate them on so many levels. Some things they do are GTG, but not many.

GI Bill - good
VA Home Loan Guarantee - good, if not great
Health care - sucks ass.

The last time I went to the ATL VA, 4 hours to get parked, 3 hours sitting in a waiting room before first contact, 2 hours getting repeatedly asked "Do you feel like killing yourself?" without one question about the reason I was actually there. 2 hours to get my car back (they have enforced valet, you can't just, you know, park). What a collosal waste of time and effort. As of today, they still haven't made a service connected determination...2 years later.

yup, that was the LAST time I go to the VA.

Dean - The SBA administers business loans now. Yes, Vietnam qualifies you.
http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/b...-veterans-2014

full cooler · 06-20-2014, 06:50

I had the misfortune of working for the USPS for too many years. Their unionized workers and management both hated two things, mail and customers.

It seems reasonable to me that vets would be number one on VA employees' list of dislikes.

lindy · 06-20-2014, 14:29

Why doesn't BHO "use his pen and phone" to fire all the VA civs that are not veterans and replace those new vacancies with out of work veterans?

An honorable discharge should be a REQUIREMENT for a job at the VA much like a clearance is required for work in the Intel Community.

Nonstop24/7 · 06-20-2014, 17:14

In June of 2013 I injuried my right shoulder sawing some limbs from trees in yard. I was scheduled to see VA doc in July, so I brought up the shoulder injury to them. They 1st xrayed and didn't find any problem so they scheduled me for an MRI 3 wks later. The MRI tech gave me a copy of the disc and said I might need it. The VA nurse called and said it appeared that I had a "torn rotator cup", but they had to send the test off to Regional ofc to see if they would refer me to a Orthopedic Specialist for the injury. Knowing how long they take for this, I went on my own to local Ortho. Doc and was treated sent to 4 wks of therapy and slowly recovered.
Funny thing is I recieved a call from another Ortho Clinic last week wanting to schedule me for Doctors appt. U will notice it is 11 months since I had the MRI.
VA finally read the MRI at Montgomery Regional and deterimed the injury and treatment referal.
Local clinic, medical personel are ok, but admin is terrible. I recommed you keep your own health care.
My 1st VA claim was 7 years for disability and the last one was only 3 years.
A huge bureacucy with terrible waste of resources at Vets expense in time and health.

TxRoadwarrior · 06-25-2014, 21:28

The problems with the VA Healthcare system will not be an easy fix, and certainly will not be fixed by simply firing some of the top personnel. These issues have been a problem for decades.

As a medical contractor I work at VA facilities once a month and have been to more than a few of them in different states, and they are all very similar. There are some great people working at the VA who really do care and try to give great care to our veterans...but they are unfortunately a small minority when it comes to all the people employed there. Alot of the hospitals I have been to have the same type of feel, where most employees do not care about anything that isn't specifically in their job description. For most, the attitude is to do as little as possible and get through the day so they can clock out. It pissed me off the other day when I was there for procedures to have to push the staff to get the OR room turned over quickly so we could get to the next patient, and have one of them say "well we never turn over in less than 30 minutes...plus I'm only here until 3" I was surprised at how straight forward this guy was about how little he cared to get patients into the OR in a timely manner, especially when they have all been there for hours and NPO since midnight.

I've ran into that attitude at many of the VA facilities, and from different employees not just in the OR. The administrative employees are even worse, they wouldn't know common sense if it hit them in the face. It's the whole culture that has been there for decades that needs to be changed. One of the doctors told me that when he was a resident rotating throught the VA (18 yrs ago) there was a bad joke/ saying amongst the staff. "The VA...giving veterans one more chance to die for their country."

kgoerz · 06-26-2014, 06:56

Can't remember where I read this. But it said charity gives more monetary assistance to wounded in combat Vets then the government.

spottedmedic111 · 06-26-2014, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgoerz

Can't remember where I read this. But it said charity gives more monetary assistance to wounded in combat Vets then the government.

I've read that somewhere myself kgoerz. I also seem to recall a warning about limiting tax exemptions for these types of charitible donations may lead to reduced collections. Personally, I suspect the intent is to expand govt dependancy and reduce the influence of private charities.