Veterans Deserve Better !

I was sad and angry to read about the problems with the Veterans Administration. Sad and angry but not surprised. We have a local veteran's hospital in my area and I have been hearing tales for years about poor and delayed treatment. Not being either a veteran or a health care professional I had no way to judge these stories, but they were many.

In 2009 General Eric Shinseki became Secretary for Veterans Affairs. I have noticed the news articles about this latest situation omit the general's military rank. He was a four star general and was the Army's Chief of Staff. Those things tell you a lot about the man. He is smart. He is ambitious. He is competent. He knows how to get results. He can function in a political arena. One would think that such a man would be driven to protect the military people most in need of his protection. To the contrary, the situation for these American heroes seems to have gotten worse. I just do not understand why this neglect has become endemic. 

Allison Hickey is the Under Secretary for Veterans Benefits. She is also ex-military having retired as a Brig. Gen. A look at her background would lead one to think that she has the tools for the job also. In her position, she is the person most directly responsible for results. They have not been forthcoming except on paper. As I understand it, the illusion of results has become more important than actual results. They have learned to love the statistics, while forgetting about the people.

It appears that the VA is being run like a sleazy commercial insurance operation in that the more benefits you can deny, the more successful you are. This is a terrible business model for an agency whose mandate is to care for American veterans that sorely need help. Even to the point where those officers charged with reviewing denied benefits were not allowed to assist in helping those that were denied. While, I am sure, every taxpayer would ask due diligence by case officers, I think most Americans would agree that those that have sacrificed for their country should have appropriate care.

If assuring success requires a change of management, so be it. If this organization is operating on the old premise "good enough for government work", changes are essential. Change must be immediate. These people need help and many of them have waited far too long. If new management is required to shake things up, don't hesitate. We owe it to these good people.