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July 01, 2005

A Good Thing

I don't care how this got passed, it's a good thing.

Democrats celebrated a rare Capitol Hill victory on military affairs yesterday, crowing over having forced House Republicans to rush to pass an emergency spending bill for a $1 billion shortfall in veterans health care coverage.

My dad was permanently disabled in the Korean War before I was born, so you might say I've over 40 years experience dealing with the VA. And IMHO, the way our veterans have been treated is a dirty, rotten shame. While it's a ka-jillion times better now than back in the old days****, there's still plenty of room for improvement.

I think we owe it to them.

Wanna know how bad it was? Years ago, when my grandfather, a Navy veteran, became seriously ill with what would eventually kill him, he went to the VA Hospital in Little Rock. Poor and unwilling to take government assistance, it was the only place he could go. The family quickly discovered a problem:

Someone had to stay in his hospital room at all times to keep the rats run out.

I am not kidding.

Posted by Rita at July 1, 2005 03:05 AM

Comments

That is absolutely horrendous in so many ways. What a way to treat someone who served.

I'm shocked, although one of our friends in IL is a veteran of Vietnam; he was going progressively blind yet the VA consistently refused to help. We ended up having a benefit auction/party for him which helped a little with the medical costs. You can't help but question why the VA wouldn't step up. Or maybe you can seeing your post.

Posted by: Andy at July 1, 2005 03:57 AM

The VA's biggest problem is, like any other bureaucracy, it's filled with petty bureaucrats. I can't tell you how many times I've seen my dad have to fight just to get a simple travel voucher paid for his trip to the VA....something to which he was legally entitled. It barely covered the cost of our gas, but he refused to let them not pay it. He said they owed it to him. One of the few times I ever saw my dad swear at a woman was over one of those.

Many of the Gulf I vets I know are having similar problems with the VA as your friend. The shameful treatment of our vets is one of America's dirty little secrets that no one wants to talk about....regardless of which side of the political fence they're on.

Posted by: Rita [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 1, 2005 04:08 AM

My dad went through a similar problem in the Eighties after he broke his hip. His joints degenerated to the point where he needed both hips replaced. The VA was "not helpful" until someone in our family got Senator Pressler involved.

Things suddenly magically started to happen.

I have a lot of contempt for the VA.

Posted by: Keith [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 1, 2005 08:35 AM

Most people who have to deal with them on a regular basis do. It's like being trapped in a bad Russian novel.

Posted by: Rita [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 1, 2005 11:23 AM