307,000 vets died awaiting VA care, report says

[unhappycamper]

http://www.wcvb.com/politics/307000-vets-died-awaiting-va-care-report-says/35071990



Report released Wednesday reveals web of complications with VA's management

307,000 vets died awaiting VA care, report says
UPDATED 10:20 PM EDT Sep 02, 2015

(CNN) —Hundreds of thousands of veterans listed in the Department of Veterans Affairs enrollment system died before their applications for care were processed, according to a report issued Wednesday.

The VA's inspector general found that out of about 800,000 records stalled in the agency's system for managing health care enrollment, there were more than 307,000 records that belonged to veterans who had died months or years in the past.

In a response to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs' request to investigate a whistleblower's allegations of mismanagement at the VA's Health Eligibility Center, the inspector general also found VA staffers incorrectly marked unprocessed applications and may have deleted 10,000 or more records in the last five years.

In one case, a veteran who applied for VA care in 1998 was placed in "pending" status for 14 years. Another veteran who passed away in 1988 was found to have an unprocessed record lingering in 2014, the investigation found.

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The care veterans receive from the VA (in Boston) is superb - we have the best Spinal Care Unit in the entire VA system.

NOTE TO REPUBLICANS: Fuck with the VA any more and you will need a draft to get your cannon fodder brigades together for the next few wars. Actually, just fix the fucking system and take care of the soldiers you have maimed.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Ok, why the fuck do our government agencies

have such antiquated computer systems and software? Why the hell don't we have a 'Department of IT' that simply makes sure every other branch's hardware and software is kept up to date? We shouldn't have 'record backlogs' anywhere. If the VA isn't keeping up, it should be a lack of physical facilities and understaffing to blaim, things we could throw money at more quickly to get them up to speed.

[think]

2. +1

[underpants]

3. Yes there is clearly a problem

From the IRS only able to keep 6 months of emails (and storing returns basically on 8 tracks) to the State Dept having almost no usable email system to the breach in employment records to this at the VA.

Shrinking government kept it out of the last 20 years of technology.

[ruffburr]

4. Republican-

Obstruction to all spending, They have war for profit on their agendas they actually don't give two shits about veterans after all it cuts into their profits to take care of Veterans or any body else for that matter Every bill that is brought up is a major fight with these people , Look at a fact checker what you find will shock you.

[The River]

5. Where The Hell

are these vets located? Are there no telephones or VA hospitals they can walk into?

I enrolled 6 years ago and it only took a matter of days. Since then I've helped other vets get enrolled just as quickly. I helped my cousin enroll last year. He is a Vietnam era vet who was stationed in California for his entire tour but still got enrolled and started getting care within a few weeks.

As a group, we Vietnam vets are getting OLD. Older people do die at a higher rate than the young. Did these vets wait too long to ask for help? There has to be some explanation beyond just saying the VA is to blame for all the delays. Did the vet who waited since 1998 ever bother to place follow up calls or write letters? You can't just wait and hope. It helps to be proactive. Every Congressperson has (or should have) a staff member to help with constituent problems like this. How many bother to used that service or even knew they could?

[jtuck004]

6. They put out a report saying the VA is responsible for gross mismanagement and the death of over

300,000 veterans for lack of care.

Then you come along and say that veterans haven't done enough by putting their lives on the line, now they have to go manage an incompetent hospital system too, instead of these bastards being in jail.

I'm glad there is an ignore button here. Some of this stuff is just garbage.

[The River]

7. I'll Reply to My Own Post

Since I've been placed on ignore. (my feelings are so hurt, sniff sniff)

The headline said: "307,000 vets may have died awaiting VA care, report says"

May have died... They aren't even certain??? Notice the end of the article??? "Correction: An earlier headline on this story mischaracterized the number of veterans who may have died while awaiting care from the VA"

There is a concerted effort by conservatives to kill off and privatize the VA.
This could be just another "hit piece" by those that want to close the VA.


I only reported on my experience. Do you have any first hand experience?
How many vets have you helped enroll??

Must be a REMF, if you even served.