Judas Johns Sacrificed Veterans Instead of Fixing VA

There are many problems with this speech. McCain was talking about problems veterans faced while he had been in the Senate for decades along with the other simple fact that George Bush was President at the time this speech was given.
FIXING THEM EVEN WHEN THE PRESS AND THE PUBLIC ARE NOT WATCHING.

REFORM BEGINS WITH APPOINTING A SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS WHO IS A LEADER OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER AND WHO LISTENS TO VETERANS AND VETERANS' SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS. MY VA SECRETARY MUST BE A FORCEFUL ADVOCATE FOR VETERANS AND A FORTHRIGHT ADVISER TO ME SO WE CAN MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES ABOUT BUDGETING, HEALTH CARE, AND OTHER VETERANS' BENEFIT ISSUES. HE OR SHE WILL ALSO NEED TO BE A HIGH ENERGY LEADER, TOO, BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN IMPROVING SERVICE TO VETERANS. VETERANS MUST BE TREATED FAIRLY AND AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS THEY SEEK COMPENSATION FOR DISABILITY OR ILLNESS. WE KNOW THEM COMPASSION AND HANDS-ON CARE IN THEIR TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN LIFE. 

So why exactly didn't they fix all the problems veterans have faced for decades? Why did reform lead to more trouble for veterans and their families?

AS PRESIDENT, AND WILL DO ALL IN MY POWER TO ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO SERVE TODAY AND THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE PAST HAVE ACCESS TO THE HIGHEST QUALITY HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, AND REHABILITATIVE CARE IN THE WORLD. I WILL NOT ACCEPT A SITUATION IN WHICH VETERANS ARE DENIED ACCESS TO CARE ON ACCOUNT OF TRAVEL DISTANCES, AND BACKLOGS OF APPOINTMENTS, AND YEARS OF PENDING VISIBILITY EVALUATIONS AND CLAIMS. WE CANNOT LET THAT HAPPEN.

Then why didn't he do it as Senator? Why didn't he ever serve of the Veterans Affairs Committee if veteran were so important to him?

WE SHOULD NO LONGER TOLERATE REQUIRING VETERANS TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO STAND IN LINE FOR A TICKET TO STAND IN LINE FOR ANOTHER. I AM NOT HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THERE IS A COST THAT IS TOO HIGH TO BE PAID IN THE CARE OF OUR NATION'S VETERANS. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT CONGRESS OF FUNDS THE VA HEALTH CARE BUDGET IN A SUFFICIENT, TIMELY, AND PREDICTABLE MANNER. 

Predictable to veterans was and is a lot different from veterans' point of view.  They predicted they would continue to get the raw end of the deal.  They were right.

REFORM DOES NOT STOP THERE. WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT ELIGIBLE SERVICE MEMBERS RECEIVE BENEFITS QUICKLY BASED ON FAIR AND PREDICTABLE STANDARDS. WE MUST ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS OF CAPACITY EXCESS WITHIN THE HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM. THIS WILL INVOLVE A WIDE RANGE OF INITIATIVES. I BELIEVE THERE IS A SIMPLE AND DIRECT REFORM THAT WE SHOULD MAKE RIGHT AWAY.

Again, then why didn't he or any other member of Congress manage to do that? Remember, this speech was way back in 2008.

MY ADMINISTRATION WILL CREATE A VETERANS' CARE ACCESS CARD TO BE USED BY VETERANS WITH ILLNESS OR INJURY INCURRED DURING MILITARY SERVICE AND BY THOSE WITH LOW INCOMES. THIS CARD WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH TIMELY ACCESS TO VA FACILITIES. IT WILL GIVE THEM THE ABILITY TO USE THE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES CLOSER TO THEIR HOMES. FOR MANY VETERANS, THE CLOSEST HEALTH CARE FACILITY IS NOT CLOSE ENOUGH. MANY LOCAL PROVIDERS ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH THE COMMON NEEDS OF VETERANS. OFTEN, ALL THAT PREVENTS THEM FROM RECEIVING LOCAL CARE IS THE SYSTEM FOR SHARING MEDICAL RECORDS AMONG VA, DOD, AND CIVILIAN DOCTORS AND HEALTH-CARE SYSTEMS. THIS WILL IMPROVE CARE, REDUCED RISK, AND BROADEN ACCESS AT THE SAME TIME. NEVER AGAIN SHOULD A VETERAN STAND IN LINE TO STAND IN LINE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT TO GET AN APPOINTMENT.

THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR THAT
THIS CARD IS NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE THE VA OR PRIVATIZE VETERANS' HEALTH CARE.

That part is really funny considering it isn't just want some thought would happen.  It is what most feared was the ultimate goal.

SOME HAVE WRONGLY CHARGED THAT. I BELIEVE THE VA ALWAYS BE THERE TO PROVIDE TOP-QUALITY CARE FOR OUR VETERANS. I BELIEVE THE VA SHOULD CONTINUE TO PROVIDE BROAD SPECTRUM HEALTH CARE TO ELIGIBLE VETERANS IN ADDITION TO SPECIALIZED CARE IN AREAS SUCH A SPINAL INJURIES, PROSTHETICS, AND BLINDNESS. THESE ARE SERVICES WHERE THE VA AT THE STANDARD IN MEDICAL CARE. EVEN SO, THERE ARE VETERANS ELIGIBLE FOR CARE WHO ARE NOT CURRENTLY ABLE TO RECEIVE IT BECAUSE OF DISTANCE, READ IT WAITING TIMES, OR THE ABSENCE OF CERTAIN SPECIALTIES.

THE NEW CARD I PROPOSE WILL OFFER BETTER ALTERNATIVES TO PROVIDE THE BENEFITS THAT THEY HAVE EARNED. REFORM MUST ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT GREATER CARE IS NEEDED FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF INJURIES. IN THE SENATE, WHO HELPED AUTHOR THE WOUNDED WARRIORS ACT. IT WAS THE FIRST MAJOR LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.


YOU HAVE MY PLEDGE, MY REFORMS WOULD NOT FORCE ANYONE TO GO TO A NON-VA FACILITY. THAT IS MY PROMISE. [APPLAUSE] THEY WILL NOT SIGNAL PRIVATIZATION OF VA. THEY WILL NOT REPLACE ANY SCHEDULED EXPANSION OF THE VA NETWORK, INCLUDING THOSE FACILITIES DESIGNED TO HELP VETERANS LIVING IN RURAL AND REMOTE AREAS. I SUPPOSE FROM MY OPPONENT'S THE VANTAGE POINT, THIS IS JUST ONE MORE ISSUE TO BE USED TO ADVANTAGE.

Nice speech but not much more than that. McCain said that he did not intend to privatize the VA. That is what he said, at least in this speech, however, it seems that was exactly what he intended.

Joe Violanti, legislative director of the Disabled American Veterans, a nonpartisan organization, said the proposal would increase costs because private hospitals are more expensive. The increased cost could lead to further rationing of care, he said.
Republican offers plan to let some get care outside VA

But as with most things, members of Congress cause the problem and then blame the VA for what goes wrong.

Veterans who need to see a doctor often have to travel long distances – 40 miles or more – to get to a Department of Veterans Affairs facility. So last year, after scandals involving long wait times for vets, Congress tried to make getting care easier.

The Veterans Choice Act gives veterans the option of using a doctor outside the VA system if VA facilities are more than 40 miles away, or there's more than a 30-day wait for an appointment.

While the rule seems simple, making it work hasn't been as easy. In Indiana, for example, veterans are still having to go far to get the care they need.

John Birdzell is a retired Army vet who volunteers to pick up other veterans at their homes and bring them to the Adam Benjamin Jr., VA Medical Clinic in Crown Point, Ind. On this cold, early morning, Birdzell waits in the facility's empty parking lot while 30 mile-an-hour wind gusts swirl the lake effect snow coming off of Lake Michigan.

"We owe it to veterans not to burden them further as far as this travel."
- Rep. Peter Vosclosky (D-Ind.)

"I guess I've driven in worse conditions," he says. "It just gets to be a challenge on days like this."
Veterans Choice Act Fails To Ease Travel Burdens For Vets In Need Of Care

The message has been delivered but care has not. The promises have been made but not kept. Members of Congress have had too many decades to fix the VA for all veterans. Why haven't they? Because some members like John McCain and John Boehner want it turned over to for profit doctors and hospitals.

From John Boehner's webpage

FACT: The president has failed to offer a long-term, comprehensive plan to address the problems at the VA.

On his recent trip to Phoenix, President Obama signaled his lack of focus on veterans issues by skipping a visit to the VA facility where at least 40 veterans lost their lives awaiting care.

Meanwhile, “More than 600,000 veterans — 10 percent of all the Veterans Affairs patients — continue to wait a month or more for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics,” according to a recent USA Today report.

The White House has been on notice for years that “VA medical facilities were reporting inaccurate waiting times and experiencing scheduling failures that threatened to deny veterans timely health care,” says the Washington Times.

Boehner simply omitted a few facts such as Congress writes the bills and not only sets the rules, funds the Department of Veterans Affairs, they have the obligation to make sure it all works.

Boehner did an interview with the Columbus Dispatch and explained why they haven't fixed anything in decades.

More than two decades ago, House Speaker John Boehner said, he floated an idea that was controversial: Why not privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs?

The idea was soundly rejected by veterans’ organizations.

Now, in the midst of a sweeping scandal over allegations that government officials falsified reports on how long veterans were waiting for medical treatment, Boehner said yesterday that the idea still has merit.

“I still like the idea, and especially now,” he said.

So they decided to break the VA in order to do exactly what they wanted to do.

Just goes to show that these Judas Johns didn't care how many veterans had to be sacrificed in the process of getting what they wanted.