VA in disgrace: El Paso facility betrays those who sacrificed

VA in disgrace: El Paso facility betrays those who sacrificed
El Paso Times Staff
Article Launched: 04/08/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT


El Paso and the area have a lot to be proud of when it comes to the military including Fort Bliss, an increasing soldier and family population, Future Combat Systems, unparalleled training facilities and an exceedingly bright future for the post and city.

But all El Pasoans, in particular lawmakers and other officials, should be deeply ashamed of having the nation's worst Veterans Affairs Health Care System. An internal performance survey showed that the local VA facility was failing in just about every category possible, including the VA's reason for being there -- patient care.

The Bush administration has spent years creating a new generation of veterans, and that same administration is failing them miserably when it comes to veteran care. The federal government has both a moral and practical obligation to care for the men and women who serve in uniform, and that obligation is being ignored.

Those veterans who need medical treatment or therapy, families who need help with benefits, veterans who need advice, counseling, guidance on the morass of paperwork that accompanies every move at VA -- these people need, and more than that, deserve, the absolute best of treatment. They have sacrificed much and many are still suffering. They must be helped, not ignored, shunted off to the side, or be made the victims of shoddy, inferior treatment.
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http://www.elpasotimes.com/opinion/ci_8843024

I'm beginning to think that they don't want to do what they need to do. After all, if they don't treat the men and women who returned wounded instead of in a coffin, these veterans will die sooner than later, much later and with a lot more expense. I hate to think such a thing but over the years I've been racking my brain trying to figure out why they have accomplished so little when it comes to taking care of the wounded at the same time they seem to have such an easy task funding the occupations they send these men and women into. Why would this happen? Why wouldn't they do the steps necessary to take care of all of them? Don't they have a conscience? Why would they be holding another hearing followed by another hearing and then take baby steps in correcting the problems they do hear about? It's not like any of them should be such a shock. MOST OF THE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN GOING ON SINCE VIETNAM!