VA Should Not Be Its Own Entity (Part 1)

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), especially the Claims side of the VA,  should not be its own entity; especially the VA Claims.  It seems like it's one big money laundering scheme for the private sector.   

Full disclosure, I'm a Veteran.  And actually, the Services side of VA is pretty decent.   But the Claims side is mad awful.  This is about me and other veterans who have gone through the system only to be denied by people who have never served in the actual military a day in their life.

This is going to be a post that damn well might turn into an eBook because that's how much I have to say about this matter and how salty the "system" can make you feel.  And I hope every Service Member who has ever served thinks about this for themselves and for future Service Members.

Let's explore a few things.

Of the approximate 331,441,281 plus Americans identified in the 2020 Census, less than 50 million have served in any branch of service over the history of the country.  I found this Census Bureau pdf about Veterans very interesting.  In one section it mentions a "Declining size of the veteran population"…  Let's just say what it is.  They are DYING off, many without

proper care or concern.  These folks were Service Members to the Armed Forces of the United States of America.  They should have never been shuffled off to the VA, just to be shuffled off to someone else.  In my opinion, the military has a duty and responsibility to anyone who raised their right hand to serve; regardless if it was for 20 years or 20 minutes.

It's amazing how much money goes into the military budget.  They have found a place for lots of equipment,  contractors, and special organizations of all sorts, but dole off the ones who actually served.  It's no wonder some people have a bitterness when they leave the military, and that needs to be fixed.

If Veterans were given the actual money that was put into supporting and operating the Veteran's Administration personnel and facilities, would alone solve most of their issues.  That coupled with access to the military's medical system and local providers would be a game changer and would more than likely create a win-win solution for both Veterans and their local communities.

There still need to be drastic changes made in support of Veterans, and it needs to start now.  No form of PTSD or any other mental disorder, or injury, should be belittled.  So imagine the magnitude of difference in the amount of PTSD civilians claim they've had because of adjustments they've had to make because COVID-- versus the amount of stress ALL Service Members go through with basic training, then training and preparation for deployments and then actually being deployed!

Our priorities are wrong in this country and we need to start looking more after our citizens, Veterans and Service Members.

#VA #Claims #VeteransAffairs