Protesters gather at Roseburg VA

While seeing any veteran forced to protest for the care they have already paid for is heartbreaking, maybe we need to see more protests at VA hospitals before the American public gets it. It is not that they don't care about our veterans. It's more a matter of they don't have a clue what's going on. Most simply assume veterans are taken care of after they served this country.

If you read blogs you may have encountered postings about private health insurance and the VA but what you have not read is the fact our veterans have to carry private health insurance, Medicaid or Medicare. If they have a disability rating from the VA, they will cover the care attached to the disability claim for free, but the rest is billed to insurance companies. Most of the time the insurance companies won't pay because they say it's the responsibility of the VA to cover the cost. With a claim pending or denied and on appeal, that is a claim considered "non-service connected" which means the veteran is responsible unless their income is too low to be able to afford to pay. No rating from the VA actually means that any medical need caused by service leaves the veteran S.O.L.

With all the pending claims, the private insurance companies deny claims because the doctor diagnosis cases like PTSD as service connected but the VBA denies the claim over paperwork. This happened to and is still happening to Vietnam veterans along with the new veterans. When my husband is treated for anything not attached to his claim, they bill our private insurance, which is very expensive. Before his claim was approved, the VA tried to bill our insurance but the claim was denied and we had to pay the fees. This was terrible for a couple of years until his claim was finally approved and we got most of the money back.

There are veterans across the country being denied the help they need to heal and be well after service to this country and they are suffering. Maybe if every veteran caught in the red tape flood, took to the streets and protested at the VA hospitals and clinics across the country then maybe the media may actually find their hearts and report on it so the public knows how the veterans are actually being treated or neglected. Politicians actually have the courage to stop bills for veterans by saying the congress has to pay for anything done for the veterans. They don't have a clue our veterans already paid for their care when they served with their lives on the line.

It is time the public knew exactly what was going on so if you are part of a group, paint your signs and show up in mass and let the American people know their independence they celebrate in a few days came with a heavy price you are still paying for.

Protesters gather at Roseburg VA

ANNE CREIGHTON
The News-Review

More than 50 protesters gathered in front of the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center Monday morning to voice concerns about health care for Southern Oregon veterans.

After the local VA medical center replaced its six-bed intensive care unit with a two-bed telemetry unit last October, veterans began to fear more changes.

“People are always skeptical of services being moved,” said State Rep. Tim Freeman, R-Roseburg, who was standing among fellow protesters on Garden Valley Boulevard. “There's a certain anxiety that surrounds a change in health care.”

A press release from the Douglas County Veterans Forum said “the reduction of medical services at the VA not only degrades our veterans rights for quality and timely care in a VA environment, but impacts the livelihood of thousands of residents in our area.”

The press release also emphasized the importance of veteran health care in a facility that understands and respects their experiences and needs.

“We made a promise to our vets that we would take care of them when they went in harm's way,” said James Little, forum president, on Monday. “It's dishonorable to not give them the health care they deserve.”
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Protesters gather at Roseburg VA