VA wait list manipulation betrayed veterans: #tellusatoday

Standard

New details reveal extent of Veterans Affairs scheduling fraud.

USA TODAY reported Thursday that Veterans Affairs supervisors at facilities in seven states directed employees to manipulate patient wait times.

Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

This is not “news.” It’s been going on for years and apparently there is no accountability. A good start would be firing the Congress — both parties.

— Jim Sheets

As a retired vet, the current system should be scrapped, and vets should be allowed to seek care in the private sector. A provider of their choice would assume care and refer patients to other specialists as needed.

— John Dusenbery

I wonder what the wait times at military hospitals and health care clinics are? Perhaps integration of VA health care and military health care would benefit both systems?

— Paul Catorce

Those of you who are screaming for government health care for everybody should take a moment to consider all these VA horror stories and re-examine your opinion. The VA treats only a small subsection of the population. What if everybody was in the same boat?

— Don Scotter

I believe the reason for the falsifications was that bonuses were given for reducing wait times. Incentives invariably lead to cheating.

— John Dyce

What do you expect from an administration that appears to despise the military? These VA administrators all need to be fired, denied benefits and charged with criminal neglect.

How much more disrespectful can you be to veterans, who sacrificed for this country, than to postpone needs and then falsify records at their expense?

— E.C. Hock

Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

It is outrageous that they put their own personal interest in bonuses over the health of our vets.

— @jn94587

The VA doesn’t need “reform.” It needs to be completely replaced with private insurance.

— @KatherineDurde1

This is a perfect example of why we should fight government involvement in anything. I refuse to believe they can run anything.

— @BrianHanson10

Just another example of how America couldn’t care less about our soldiers’ sacrifice once they become expendable.

— @keelocorleon

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.

Leave a Reply