Problems With VA Medical Care

[heironymouspasparagus]

It is all coming into focus now. 

"Peace Love Dope!"

Too much is never enough...
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing....

[dbacksfan 2.0]

It isn't one or the other - it is both!

The Phoenix VA has had rumors about things like this going back to the mid 80's. This is one that can't be pinned on either side of the isle. The joke about the Phoenix VA has been for years, "If you're ready to die, go there, if you want to live go to the county hospital."

From the Arizona Republic in 1999:

The rapid growth of Arizona's elder population, many of whom are veterans, along with the rising costs of high-technology medicine and longer life spans, are proving to be a triple threat to the budget at the Phoenix veterans hospital. While hospital administrators weren't advised of specific complaints that resulted in the special inspection, Fears suspects that a disgruntled staff member gathered 13 or 14 cases over a five-year period during which patients or family members alleged substandard care.

https://secure.pqarchiver.com/azcentral/doc/237920320.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=01%2F01%2F1999%26nbsp%3B-%26nbsp%3BPresent+%2C+&author=West%2C+Maureen&pub=Arizona+Republic&desc=BUDGET+TROUBLE+AT+VA+HOSPITAL+GROWTH%2C+LIFE+SPANS%2C+TECHNOLOGY+UP+COSTS&pqatl=top_retrieves

[heironymouspasparagus]

The Phoenix VA has had rumors about things like this going back to the mid 80's. This is one that can't be pinned on either side of the isle. The joke about the Phoenix VA has been for years, "If you're ready to die, go there, if you want to live go to the county hospital."

From the Arizona Republic in 1999:

Joke is nationwide back to the 60's at least....

[Conan71]

The Phoenix VA has had rumors about things like this going back to the mid 80's. This is one that can't be pinned on either side of the isle. The joke about the Phoenix VA has been for years, "If you're ready to die, go there, if you want to live go to the county hospital."

From the Arizona Republic in 1999:

https://secure.pqarchiver.com/azcentral/doc/237920320.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=01%2F01%2F1999%26nbsp%3B-%26nbsp%3BPresent+%2C+&author=West%2C+Maureen&pub=Arizona+Republic&desc=BUDGET+TROUBLE+AT+VA+HOSPITAL+GROWTH%2C+LIFE+SPANS%2C+TECHNOLOGY+UP+COSTS&pqatl=top_retrieves

The VA is the epitome of the old saw that anything the private sector can do, the government can completely love it up.

We actually refuse to do work for the VA now because their spec books are so thick with bullshit, a major mechanical room overhaul would require hiring extra people just to deal with all the "gotchas" that come up during the warranty period on the project.  They seem far more worried about detail issues in the facility itself rather than detail issues with their patients.

We were relieved as hell a few years ago when we missed winning the contract for a mechanical overhaul in the neighborhood of $2mm a few years back at a facility.  That project would have owned me for about two years.  No thanks.

I can personally attest that the VA pays a premium on major construction because of the PITA factor in dealing with them and their needless extra regulations that other hospitals don't put into their spec books and contracts.

[Red Arrow]

We were relieved as hell a few years ago when we missed winning the contract for a mechanical overhaul in the neighborhood of $2mm a few years back at a facility.  That project would have owned me for about two years.  No thanks.

I can personally attest that the VA pays a premium on major construction because of the PITA factor in dealing with them and their needless extra regulations that other hospitals don't put into their spec books and contracts.

Sometimes everyone else just out high-bids you and you get stuck with a PITA contract.

[guido911]

[heironymouspasparagus]

Wow!  Successfully conflating a 60 day event with a 60 year event!!

Congratulations!!   I knew you had it in you...!!

[guido911]

Wow!  Successfully conflating a 60 day event with a 60 year event!!

Congratulations!!   I knew you had it in you...!!

It didn't take 60 years to log on to Obamacare website...

[guido911]

I read that Obama is mad as hell about this VA scandal that is getting more and more scandal-y as the days go. So much so that he fired a guy (that was already set to retire and perhaps replaced).

[heironymouspasparagus]

It didn't take 60 years to log on to Obamacare website...

Exactly!  60 days to fix the health care website (+ or -), versus 60 years of VA issues.  Great way to bridge the ages!

The VA situation has been ongoing since I was a wee bairn.... and as I said earlier, BOTH sides share MORE than enough blame!!  


Bernie Sanders;

If you can't afford to take care of your veterans, then don't go to war!


41 Senators vote to block reinstatement of benefits to veterans!   

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=2&vote=00046

[guido911]

This is heating up, and getting ugly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH8JhcL06WQ

There is more to this video on this site, but I know it gets some folks in here excited (and thereby discounting/rejecting) if there is a link to a right leaning website for information.

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/05/21/video-house-democrat-destroys-shinseki-obama-over-va-fiasco-in-floor-speech/

I expect a racism charge, though. And, of course, this is all Bush's fault.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Guido, the blame on this starts back around WWII and has been the problem of every POTUS, Senate, House, and Congress since the '20's. No US leadership has successfully done crap for Vets. It's really sad that they are treated the way they are, the only thing sadder is the fact that the public has had smoke blown up our asses for 60+ years about taking care of Vets, and the only people benefitting has been the administration overseeing the VA.

[guido911]

Guido, the blame on this starts back around WWII and has been the problem of every POTUS, Senate, House, and Congress since the '20's. No US leadership has successfully done crap for Vets. It's really sad that they are treated the way they are, the only thing sadder is the fact that the public has had smoke blown up our asses for 60+ years about taking care of Vets, and the only people benefitting has been the administration overseeing the VA.

I don't give a ____ about blame on this issue. People spend too much time (me included on occasion) looking to blame someone rather than going about fixing the problem. And I know a little about the VA, personally and professionally, so reminding me about how long the problem has existed does nothing for me. That approach reminds of this colloquy from South Park (episode dealing with global warming flooding and people stranded on roofs):

Stan:   Mom, Dad? [hesitating] Theh, they're gonna go help those people, right?
Sharon:   I don't know. You know, to me, it seems like the mayor of Beaverton should've done something about that dam years ago.
Randy:   Don't blame the mayor, Sharon. What about FEMA? Think this whole thing is really their fault.
Stan:           Ye-but, uh, s-somebody's gonna help the people off their, their rooftops, right?
Randy:   That's not important right now, son. What's important is figuring out whose fault this is. [nothing more is exchanged between Stan and his parents]

Here's the link that was not valid above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH8JhcL06WQ

[Hoss]

I don't give a ____ about blame on this issue. People spend too much time (me included on occasion) looking to blame someone rather than going about fixing the problem. And I know a little about the VA, personally and professionally, so reminding me about how long the problem has existed does nothing for me. That approach reminds of this colloquy from South Park (episode dealing with global warming flooding and people stranded on roofs):



Here's the link that was not valid above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH8JhcL06WQ

In the future...that 's' in https is what makes it invalid.  Take that out of the link and it should work.

Also, where was the outrage 5, 10, 20 years ago?  Or more?  I have a father who potentially has to deal with the VA here soon.  I don't care who is to blame, but to blame the current inhabitant of the White House (as many are doing right now) is counter-productive.  But then again, it's so predictable on one side of the aisle.

Just fix it.

[Gaspar]

In the future...that 's' in https is what makes it invalid.  Take that out of the link and it should work.

Also, where was the outrage 5, 10, 20 years ago?  Or more?  I have a father who potentially has to deal with the VA here soon.  I don't care who is to blame, but to blame the current inhabitant of the White House (as many are doing right now) is counter-productive.  But then again, it's so predictable on one side of the aisle.

Just fix it.

It's just like with everything else.  This is a reaction.  Everything with President Obama is a reaction to something "he first learned about in the news."

The Washington Times has copies of all of documents provided by the Bush transition team warning Obama about the false wait times.

Veterans Affairs officials warned the Obama-Biden transition team in the weeks after the 2008 presidential election that the department shouldn't trust the wait times that its facilities were reporting.

"This is not only a data integrity issue in which [Veterans Health Administration] reports unreliable performance data; it affects quality of care by delaying — and potentially denying — deserving veterans timely care," the officials wrote.


Just like with everything else, he knew, but this was not a priority for him because he was busy with continuing to campaign, give speeches, and play golf. So, when the smile hit the fan, he lied.  Carney's response to the question 'When was the president first made aware of these fraudulent wait lists at the VA': "I think were reported first by your news network out of Phoenix, I believe?" "We learned about them through the reports. I will double check if that is not the case. But that is when we learned about them and that is when I understand Secretary Shinseki learned about them, and he immediately took the action that he has taken."


Same answer about Fast and Furious, same answer about the Justice Department seizing journalist phone records, same answer about IRS targeting.

Except in this case, now 100 veteran deaths are attributed to the delays.

This is all Bush's fault, because if he had cleaned up the VA, 6 years ago, President Obama wouldn't have to deal with this distraction, and could continue to fundraise. Sheesh, people!  Can't you leave a President alone?  Now, just as in past scandals, President Obama is going to have to appoint the person at the heart of the scandal to investigate the scandal.