mburbank
Nov 10th, 2003, 12:27 PM
Many of you know I try to do some advocacy work for disabled veterans. I say try because recent cuts in services have made it almost impossible to get any information or even contact a human being.
In particular, the Boston area combined it's two psychiatric facilities while cutting the total number of staff by over 50%.
On Oct. 29'th they discharged my good friend George, a Vietnam vet. George has been out of work for a year, and became homeless in September. He went to a veterans shelter, which sent him to the one psych facility the VA now has in our area. Despite overcrowding, George was immidiately committed for observation. During his stay at the hospital, I had regular communication with him when I could get him on the phone, and written permission from him to recieve medical information. Georges family is not involved, and though he once had many friends, I was the only person left in contact with him. Since his discharge he is unnacounted for. I cannot get any information on the nature of his discharge, wether he did it himself or if the doctors did it. So far I have been unable even to get someone to go through his files to see that I have legal permission to discuss George with them. All I know is the date he was discharged and that he has not shown up at a VA shelter since then. We have had several days bellow freezing in the last week, and Georges physical condition is almost as bad as his mental state.
Here's a quick article on the care and respect our president lavishes on the servicemen and womenj he values so highly.
President Bush's Stated Commitment to Veterans Not Reflected in Budget
President Bush often emphasizes his commitment to veterans, saying in 2001, "My administration understands America's obligations not only go to those who wear the uniform today, but to those who wore the uniform in the past: to our veterans."1
But the 200,000 veterans waiting six months or more for their first appointment at a VA facility would be denied access to VA health care under Bush's plan. Others would be charged $250 annual enrollment fees, doubled prescription costs and increased co-payments.2
The same day the President met with wounded soldiers and said that America "should and must provide the best care for anybody who is willing to put their life in harm's way,"3 the Veterans' Administration explained that it could solve the backlog problem by limiting enrollment. "VA would avoid very significant additional medical benefits costs and begin to bring demand in line with capacity, which will reduce the number of veterans on wait lists."4
The administration would also reduce costs by denying access to "better-off"5 veterans - those who do not have service-related disabilities and with incomes as low as $21,050.6
Estimates suggest this would likely more than triple the number of veterans denied health care by FY 2005 to more than half a million7, and the VA anticipates that 55%8 of veterans who already participate in the VA health care plan, numbering 1.25 million, may be unable to continue participation due to the enrollment fee.9
Congress has called for $1.8 billion beyond what the administration requested for FY 2004 funding beyond the White House request.10
While funding for VA 2004 remains unresolved, Congress sought to include $1.3 billion in veterans' health care and extending reservists benefits who have been called up in the $87 billion emergency funding bill. The administration "strongly opposed" the provisions, articulated in a letter from White House Budget Director Joshua Bolten, which were later stripped.11
In particular, the Boston area combined it's two psychiatric facilities while cutting the total number of staff by over 50%.
On Oct. 29'th they discharged my good friend George, a Vietnam vet. George has been out of work for a year, and became homeless in September. He went to a veterans shelter, which sent him to the one psych facility the VA now has in our area. Despite overcrowding, George was immidiately committed for observation. During his stay at the hospital, I had regular communication with him when I could get him on the phone, and written permission from him to recieve medical information. Georges family is not involved, and though he once had many friends, I was the only person left in contact with him. Since his discharge he is unnacounted for. I cannot get any information on the nature of his discharge, wether he did it himself or if the doctors did it. So far I have been unable even to get someone to go through his files to see that I have legal permission to discuss George with them. All I know is the date he was discharged and that he has not shown up at a VA shelter since then. We have had several days bellow freezing in the last week, and Georges physical condition is almost as bad as his mental state.
Here's a quick article on the care and respect our president lavishes on the servicemen and womenj he values so highly.
President Bush's Stated Commitment to Veterans Not Reflected in Budget
President Bush often emphasizes his commitment to veterans, saying in 2001, "My administration understands America's obligations not only go to those who wear the uniform today, but to those who wore the uniform in the past: to our veterans."1
But the 200,000 veterans waiting six months or more for their first appointment at a VA facility would be denied access to VA health care under Bush's plan. Others would be charged $250 annual enrollment fees, doubled prescription costs and increased co-payments.2
The same day the President met with wounded soldiers and said that America "should and must provide the best care for anybody who is willing to put their life in harm's way,"3 the Veterans' Administration explained that it could solve the backlog problem by limiting enrollment. "VA would avoid very significant additional medical benefits costs and begin to bring demand in line with capacity, which will reduce the number of veterans on wait lists."4
The administration would also reduce costs by denying access to "better-off"5 veterans - those who do not have service-related disabilities and with incomes as low as $21,050.6
Estimates suggest this would likely more than triple the number of veterans denied health care by FY 2005 to more than half a million7, and the VA anticipates that 55%8 of veterans who already participate in the VA health care plan, numbering 1.25 million, may be unable to continue participation due to the enrollment fee.9
Congress has called for $1.8 billion beyond what the administration requested for FY 2004 funding beyond the White House request.10
While funding for VA 2004 remains unresolved, Congress sought to include $1.3 billion in veterans' health care and extending reservists benefits who have been called up in the $87 billion emergency funding bill. The administration "strongly opposed" the provisions, articulated in a letter from White House Budget Director Joshua Bolten, which were later stripped.11