Comments on: VA Hid Suicide Risk, Internal E-Mails Show

Follow-Up Reporting On Exclusive Investigation Reveals Officials Hid Numbers

[tibu987]

It is time for a complete overhaul of the VA.

From the lackadaisical employees who seem to have time for everything except taking care of the vets.
From the top, the decision makers who decide that a vet who has lost a quarter of his brain and head and is given a 10% disability.
And for the VA hospitals that have a higher death and MRSA rate than all other hospitals.
Etc., etc., etc.

Our vets deserve nothing less than the very best care that this Country can give, NOTHING LESS.
And, it is our duty as appreciative Americans to see that our vets get the very best of everything.
Write the President, your senator, your congressman and tell them. I do.

[bluebloggin]

BlueBloggin has followed the backward progress of how the VA has contributed to American Veteran neglect. Recruiters must lower the bar more and more to replenish the ranks, because the track record for supporting veterans has been disgusting. VA bureaucracy has its problems, and insulting our returning wounded is the most despicable. Questioning the veracity of injuries should not be the norm. Officers reports should be enough. Officers are not encouraged to shed light on the mental deconstruction of their soldiers. They have their own mental stress trying to justify some of the orders they must carry out. This broken system must be accountable at the very top of the US Administration. Recognizing the problem is not enough. How can this administration repair something when they refuse to engage it seriously? Where are the American protesters and Activists?

[hotpaulie]

Support out troops...but when they get back home they are on their own...
When my brother-n-law got back from Iraq, his commanding officer and two others committed suicide within 2 months of being back. Then, they got called back out, this time to Afghanistan, scheduled to be deployed in January. During a ten day period in late November till December, six more soldiers from his base took their lives. What was done??? The base was put on lockdown and no one could leave for fear of further suicides. There was no Christmas for those guys last year.

[ov442]

Posted by clintatl - hey thats not accurate - its not just republicans that Shout about Supporting the troops. Dems and Independants all support our troops. The Difference is that Conservatives are Lying Hypocrites using our Troops as a tool to advance an agenda of Republican Supporters making cash of our dead, maimed, harmed, hurt, used American soldiers for a Republican War, filled with American taxpayer dollars going to Republican Corporate supporters as rewards for helping them get elected.

[adaleo5579]

I was very interesed in your story on the suicides that the DAV keeps quite. Just to let you know that after Vietnam, they had a high rate of Vietnam Veterans that commented suicide. They have always kept it quite, the policition don''t want the puplic to know.

[clintatl]

I would remind all of you smug conservatives who are trying to deflect the issue away from Vet care and onto some random "public health care" system that will never happen... that it is conservatives who shout from the hilltops about supporting our troops and it is conservatives who are letting them take their own lives when they return from this horrific war. Why? Because the only thing conservatives know how to do is lie, cheat and steal... Just look at your leaders. This is what happens with conservatives in charge.

[Baumer]

It appears none of you are truly understanding the issue at hand & all have your own ajenda (Policially) - I have a father of 72 years of age who is a veteran of Korea (2 Tours) The Bay of pigs and Vietnam (1 Tour).

Recently, within the last 10 years he has had to be hospitalized at the VA in New Jersey on & off due to complications from Diabetes.

Thanks to the "PAIN RELIEF" presribed by the Veterans Administration, he is now an OXYCODONE addict.

Now mind you, what began as a relief for the pain brought on by the removal of 1st one & then both legs at the knees has become habitual to the point that he had to be taken to an emergency room - because the actual written prescription caused an overdose!

I can only imagine what the veteran administration is doing to our damaged soldiers when they return from Iraq, let alone those from the Vietnam or Desert Storm eras!

This is appauling for anyone to blame the type of individual who becomes a soldier - maybe they had no choice, much like those who were drafted years before you began making judgement on who is a soldier today!

[jersupporter]

It is regretable that are Veterans and soilders are suffering so much under this administration. But the American public and voters are also to blame for this tragedy. We as voters refuse to hold our elected officials feet to the fire. Ask the cureent candidates running for office, what are they going to do to change the VA?
I retired from the VA after 27 years as a manager.
I retired in 2002, and I am glad I did.
Congress and sitting Presidents have never fully supported the VA. VA budget has always been cut,but we certainly do not cut foriegn aid. We certainly can allocate pork barrel spending on wasteful projects in districts of congressnal members. Our congressnal members certainly defend vigorussly this wasteful spending, but get very defevensive when they are asked why the budget is cut for the VA, or when this kind of news comes to light. They shrug their shoulders and say they did not know this situation or others existed until now.
At the VA I worked at our CEO and five other management officials were caught in pharmacy kickback scheme. None of them were ever prosecuted, the assistant director was transfered to another VA at the same level and salary. The CEO was allowed to retire at $100,000 per year retirement, and the other four managers also retired at very good retirement pay. Posted by pasisk1
---------------------------
Sir - thank you for your service and you should write letters to the editor etc expressing this corruption.

[homespunlady]

I remember volunteering at a NY VA as a teen in the 70''s. It was strange and frightening then. It also was memorable because of how "average and Human" those people I up until then only knew about from TV shows and movies were.

WE WERE ALL "VETS" in one form or another back then.

Yes, the ELITE DID SCAM OUT and GET BETTER TREATMENTS ELSEWHERE more than the rest but due to the DRAFT there was a pretty wide cross section of society otherwise - EXCEPT for women which the VA back then DIDN''T EVEN have TREATMENT OR FACILITIES FOR.

Now as a VET looking back at the part of society I was in, I still see humanity for most and still see quite a bit of SYSTEM DISCRIMINATION based on CLASS and less often gender.

VA VETS have been the "forgotten" at the same time they are used to "flag wave" and the IRONY of that FACT is NOT lost on them.

They ARE your husbands, wives, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, grandparents and neighbors.

They ARE "the canary in the coal mine" as to what our nation plans for the REST of the Citizenry because they ARE a microcosm of America.

[bluebloggin]

BlueBloggin has followed the backward progress of how the VA has contributed to American Veteran neglect. Recruiters must lower the bar more and more to replenish the ranks, because the track record for supporting veterans has been disgusting. VA bureaucracy has its problems, and insulting our returning wounded is the most despicable. Questioning the veracity of injuries should not be the norm. Officers reports should be enough. Officers are not encouraged to shed light on the mental deconstruction of their soldiers. They have their own mental stress trying to justify some of the orders they must carry out. This broken system must be accountable at the very top of the US Administration. Recognizing the problem is not enough. How can this administration repair something when they refuse to engage it seriously? Where are the American protesters and Activists?

[mjvw2]

government health care. coming to you soon

Posted by mjvw2 at 11:15 AM : Apr 22, 2008

I hope you are right.

Posted by leftyintexas

And you''ll get the same crappy care these vets are getting.

[pasisk1]

Ask the current candidates about their healthcare plans. It comes down to socialized medicine.
Ask Hiliary Clinton about her failed healthcare plan during her husbands administration. Which was socilized medical care. She will deny it as not being socilized medical care, which is ***.

[pasisk1]

It is regretable that are Veterans and soilders are suffering so much under this administration. But the American public and voters are also to blame for this tragedy. We as voters refuse to hold our elected officials feet to the fire. Ask the cureent candidates running for office, what are they going to do to change the VA?
I retired from the VA after 27 years as a manager.
I retired in 2002, and I am glad I did.
Congress and sitting Presidents have never fully supported the VA. VA budget has always been cut,but we certainly do not cut foriegn aid. We certainly can allocate pork barrel spending on wasteful projects in districts of congressnal members. Our congressnal members certainly defend vigorussly this wasteful spending, but get very defevensive when they are asked why the budget is cut for the VA, or when this kind of news comes to light. They shrug their shoulders and say they did not know this situation or others existed until now.
At the VA I worked at our CEO and five other management officials were caught in pharmacy kickback scheme. None of them were ever prosecuted, the assistant director was transfered to another VA at the same level and salary. The CEO was allowed to retire at $100,000 per year retirement, and the other four managers also retired at very good retirement pay.

[bluebloggin]

BlueBloggin has followed the backward progress of how the VA has contributed to American Veteran neglect. Recruiters must lower the bar more and more to replenish the ranks, because the track record for supporting veterans has been disgusting. VA bureaucracy has its problems, and insulting our returning wounded is the most despicable. Questioning the veracity of injuries should not be the norm. Officers reports should be enough. Officers are not encouraged to shed light on the mental deconstruction of their soldiers. They have their own mental stress trying to justify some of the orders they must carry out. This broken system must be accountable at the very top of the US Administration. Recognizing the problem is not enough. How can this administration repair something when they refuse to engage it seriously? Where are the American protesters and Activists?

[leftyintexas]

government health care. coming to you soon

Posted by mjvw2 at 11:15 AM : Apr 22, 2008

I hope you are right.

[missingamerica]

lollll...that Katz is one promotable person in the Republican worldview...staying "on message" even if it kills the people who risked their lives because somebody else who stayed "on message" talked them into it with yet more lies and omissions.

Gad...this Administration - hell, Republicans in general - definitely represent the most evil Americans been faced in this century, and they''re working hard to overtake the top spot of the last two centuries.

[inventagod]

Can you imagine working for the Bu$h killing machine?
It''s bad enough to live under his rule, without voting for the scumbag...
This is not a popular president.
To have to kill for these oil lies must be truly horrific.

[bluebloggin]

BlueBloggin has followed the backward progress of how the VA has contributed to American Veteran neglect. Recruiters must lower the bar more and more to replenish the ranks, because the track record for supporting veterans has been disgusting. VA bureaucracy has its problems, and insulting our returning wounded is the most despicable. Questioning the veracity of injuries should not be the norm. Officers reports should be enough. Officers are not encouraged to shed light on the mental deconstruction of their soldiers. They have their own mental stress trying to justify some of the orders they must carry out. This broken system must be accountable at the very top of the US Administration. Recognizing the problem is not enough. How can this administration repair something when they refuse to engage it seriously? Where are the American protesters?

[musyk4me]

You actually think the VA or the US Govt CARES? LOL how naive!
Posted by newster1 at 09:14 AM : Apr 22, 2008

Sir/Ma%u2019am: I have the great honor and privilege of working at a VA hospital and my heart goes out to the men and women who risk their lives everyday for someone else''s views of what is right or wrong. I say it is an honor and a privilege because it truly is %u2013 to be able to help those that have given so much %u2013 their arm, their legs, their mental well-being. I take great pride in what I do and I am just as offended as you all because even though the front line "little people" like me that are committed to their work and strive to make the VA what it SHOULD BE, the higher ups that unfortunately make the decisions that affect us have their own agendas (obviously from this article!) causing ALL OF US employed at the VA to look bad. I hope that this doesn%u2019t give everyone a bad feeling about the VA. But reading the posts, I think it is too late. Please know that there are still people out there who treat these wonderful men and women just like they would want their mother or father treated.

Of note, on my way to work this morning, I heard on the radio that because of depleting reserve forces, the military will remove the ban for felony and sexual offenders to join the military. America won%u2019t last much longer.

[jersupporter]

To the RINOpublicans, the American Soldier is truly a fire and forget weapon. But as long as you have your "Support the Troops" ribbon magnet on the back of your Escalade....... Posted by FloydZepp
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What have YOU personally done to help these VETS? Do you volunteer at one of the VA Hospitals? Do you send care packages to those serving? The Answer is NO and thus these troops are fire and forget for you also. COWARDLY HYPOCRITE
This whole situation is a travesty and hopefully whomever is elected will attempt to fix this problem.