When it comes to veterans, politics need to stop

When it comes to veterans, politics need to stop
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 12, 2014

The press has been playing politics with veterans and it needs to end. It is one thing when politicians do it and want people to only be aware of what they want the public to know. That is something we are all used to. It is another when reporters do it. Veterans need to know the truth and they deserve nothing less.

If your really want to know the history of backlog claims without political nonsense tied in then read Wounded Times article about Senator Richard Burr on the Veterans Affairs Committee playing politics while pretending he just discovered the problem. Or you could just read The Washington Times article by By Douglas Ernst, which is a rehash of what was reported by Military Times. "Officials put the total number of cases at roughly 398,000"

This is the truth.

Clinton left a backlog of 400,000 in 2001.

Bush left a backlog of 816,211 in 2008. This was left after some veterans were just cut off in 2003.

VA officials say they must focus on veterans with the greatest needs - those with the most serious service-related illnesses and injuries and those too poor to afford other health care.

But many veterans - and the organizations that represent them - say it is a broken promise.

"Young men and women go off and fight for their country and are told that their needs will be taken care of," said Ronald Conley, national commander of the 2.8-million member, Indianapolis-based American Legion. "To change the rules on them when they get back is wrong."

The Bush administration's proposed changes cut off enrollment for veterans who make more than about $24,000. Those who are above that threshold and are already enrolled in the system would have to pay an annual $250 fee to keep their health-care benefits. In addition, the Bush administration is proposing increasing co-payments for higher income patients from $15 to $20 per outpatient visit and from $7 to $15 for prescription drugs.

The Republican-controlled Congress recently passed a budget for veterans' health care of about $30 billion for 2004, an increase of about $3.4 billion over this year's budget. But the Democrats say some of this money will have to come from co-payments and the veterans using the system.

The VA has been hit by aging Vietnam Veterans. While they are the majority of the new claims filed and majority of the backlog, few reporters have taken notice that while they waited longer than others to have Agent Orange and PTSD treated, they have also waited longer for compensation. Both rules were changed by the Obama Administration. This was during a time when two wars were producing more veterans.

One more factor is while the door was opened for more veterans the Affordable Care Act has added more veterans seeking care/claims from the VA. The Affordable Care Act, VA, and You from the VA is just another part of the story. The Washington Post reported in November "One in 10 veterans lacks health insurance. Obamacare could change that."

While some service groups only want the media to focus on the OEF and OIF veterans, the major veterans groups fight for all veterans. They have not forgotten what the reality has been for older veterans even though the press has. They have not forgotten what they fought for during all administrations because no administration and no congress has done the job to fix the VA once and, I do mean, all.

There are millions of veterans with service related conditions and disabilities but never sought a VA claim. The VA expects this to change due to the Affordable Care Act as well as an aging population of veterans. It isn't that they were not entitled to care from the VA, but more they didn't want it.

Then there are the Priority 7 and 8 veterans. The CBO released this report on those veterans.

Veterans who seek medical care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are enrolled in one of eight priority groups that are defined on the basis of income, disability status, and other factors. The highest priority for access to health care is given to veterans who have service-connected disabilities (priority groups 1 through 3); the lowest priority is given to higher-income veterans who have no conditions that are disabling to the degree that VA provides compensation. Veterans in priority group 8 do not have compensable service-connected disabilities, and their annual income exceeds both VA’s national income threshold and the (generally higher) geographic income threshold that pertains to the veteran’s place of residence. Veterans enrolled in priority group 7 also have no compensable service-connected disabilities; either their income lies between the national and geographic thresholds, or their net worth exceeds VA’s national threshold. As of 2012, about 2.3 million veterans who were enrolled in VA’s health care system had been assigned to priority groups 7 and 8. In any given year, not all of the veterans in those groups seek medical care from VA.

Canceling enrollment for all veterans in priority groups 7 and 8 would reduce discretionary outlays, on net, by $48 billion from 2015 through 2023, the Congressional Budget Office estimates. That estimate reflects the assumption that appropriations would be reduced accordingly. However, because this option would result in greater use of other government health care programs, implementing it would increase mandatory spending for Medicare and Medicaid and for federal subsidies provided through the health insurance exchanges by $24 billion between 2015 and 2023.

In another report from Veterans of Modern Warfare this was released.

It noted 90 percent of group 7 and 8 enrollees had other health care coverage, either Medicare or private insurance. So the "vast majority" cut loose would have ready access to other coverage. Those who don't could be eligible for health insurance exchanges to be set up in the future said CBO.

One disadvantage is that many veterans who have come to rely on VA for at least part of their medical care would see that care interrupted.

The Obama administration and Congress actually had been moving in the opposite direction, to expand VA enrollment, until Republicans won the House. As Obama took office in 2009, VA announced that up to 266,000 veterans with no service-connected health conditions would be allowed to enroll in VA health care. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas) had fought successfully to add $350 million to the 2009 VA budget so income thresholds controlling priority 8 enrollments could be raised 10 percent.

There you have the ugly truth on what has been going on. Any questions? Ask the press why they have forgotten how we got into this mess.

UPDATE

February 19, 2014
Texas shameful VA disability claims backlog said the backlog of claims was bad but when you consider what you just read, you know that this didn't happen overnight. I left this comment.

Forgetting the history of claims dooms veterans to be subjected to the same problem over and over again. President Clinton left with 400,000 backlog claims when President Bush took the chair. President Bush had a backlog of 816,211 in 2008 even though thousands of priority 7 and 8 veterans were cut off in 2003. Politicians may be able to forget how veterans have been treated but veterans do not.