"HeyBub" wrote:

-snip-

My solution is to close ALL the VA hospitals. Let the vets get treated at a
local facility and have that facility send the bill to the VA, just like
they do for insurance companies.

I'd let the vets have some say in that. and especially in the mental
health dept of the VA I don't think you'd get many agreeing with you.


In the alternative, don't close the VA hospitals but let the vets go to a
local institution if they so choose.

Those of us with insurance do that already. But when something is
service connected, there is no-one better suited to 'fix' it than the
VA.


"But, but, but..." you might say, "... the attendance at VA hospitals may
drop off, diminishing the quality of care for those that remain!"

So some in a given population (the vets) have to suffer six-hour bus rides
so that the entire group will benefit?

Yeah-- and what have they ever done for us? Closing any VA
hospital now would be a bigger slap in the face to the Vets of the
past couple decades than any spitting that might [or might not have]
gone on in the 70s.

Between PTSD [from multiple tours and an older force], and TBIs from
well built equipment tossing soldiers around like crash dummies with
no *apparent* injuries, we need a VA more than ever.

I think the TBIs will be this decade's Agent Orange-- and I've been
saying that for about 8 years.

Jim