Moment of truth for Congress and VA, flying monkeys

Lately is seems as if Congress is more like the forest in the Wizard of OZ and members more like flying monkeys than watchdogs. After all, they are supposed to be in control of the branches of government they sit in chairs of as members of a committee and subcommittee. You know, the stuff they get paid to do. When they don't, they get to blame everyone else and just hold hearings on who should get blamed instead of themselves.

We've been down this road for so long now it is pathetic how many people are hot under the collar as if it is all some huge shocker that never happened before. Too bad it has never really stopped happening.

For my almost 55 years on this earth, I have been involved in one way or another with disabled veterans. My Dad was 100% and my husband is. I have never, ever seen a time when there were not news reports about one problem or another. Just in the last 7 years since this blog started out of the almost 22,000 posts, most of them are about how we have failed our veterans.

I can assure you that none of this is new and has hardly improved over decades.

During the last two years of the Bush Administration, the Democrats controlled the House and the Senate. In other words, they had control over the committees and subcommittees. Before that, it was Republicans and now we're right back that way again with a divided government.

The one subject that should have never been a political one is our military, past and present yet every veteran I talk to feels like a political football and they pissed off. They hear this politician or that one talk about how bad things are and they lived through the reality of how bad things have been all along. All of a sudden, as election time rolls around again they are suddenly important and that ticks them off.

These are the same men and women willing to die for the sake of someone else and politics never mattered to them when lives were on the line. Imagine how they feel hearing politicians say they wanted to privatize the VA "decades ago" like the just heard John Boehner say. They know in order to do that, get what he wanted out of this, he'd have to destroy the VA first or veterans would never ever allow it to happen. After all, it is bad enough contractors make money off what troops do. This country owes them the best care and not the best private income for businesses.

They are frustrated. No, I take that back. They were frustrated years ago. Now it is more like heartbroken because they are not fools. They know what has been happening and most of them blame congress since no matter who is in charge, they suffered because too many politicians view the VA as welfare. Yes, a welfare program. You know, the kind of thing that no one deserves and no one needs.

So lets toss in a bit more truth about what has really been going on.
v Add these into the backlog since the door was opened to let these men and women in but congress never took that into consideration for staff and claims processors.
September 27, 2009

The federal VA provides medical care and benefits to all enrolled veterans, with a range of preventive outpatient and inpatient services offered within its health care system. OEF/OIF veterans receive an additional benefit — five years of free health care in the VA system for any issue related to their deployment. As with other veterans, once enrolled in the system, they’re always in, but for issues not related to deployment or after those five free years, they may face co-payments.

"We typically have wide latitude in what we can determine is deployment related," Roberts added.

"Even if it’s not deployment related, we can take care of your needs."

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, of the 1.7 million who have served in the two theaters of operation, 1.02 million veterans were eligible for VA health care as of April 2009. A total of 454,121 have come to the VA for care, said the VA’s Terry Jemison. Of that number, nearly half are reserves and guard members.

In Pennsylvania, more than 11,380 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans sought treatment statewide in 2008, with 2,154 going to the Lebanon VA, according to the state Department of Veteran’s Affairs Web site.

"We have a large number of guard and reserves, and in many cases, they had to leave their workplace when their unit was called up," Jemison said, explaining some differences with veterans of past wars. "After being separated from active duty, they’ve returned to work and have health insurance from their job and other options.

"They get to the demobilization site, are anxious to get home and aren’t thinking a lot about their federal benefits," he added. "They’re feeling beefy, strong and healthy and don’t have a health issue. It’s one reason we do follow-ups. We try to track them down and remind them."

Aside from ensuring they receive benefits they’re due, the VA wants veterans to enroll to make sure they can quickly access health care for any problems that crop up.

Two years before that effort was going on, there were 148,000 Vietnam veterans seeking help and filling claims for Agent Orange and PTSD. By 2010 the VA said PTSD claims went up 125% and Disabled Veterans Decry Wrongheaded, Heartless Budget Cuts by January 2011. Ad all this up and you have exactly what Boehner said he wanted. A way to sell off veterans care and privatize it. Guess he didn't figure on so many dying instead of living the best lives possible.