DHS Talks With VA To Divert VA Health Care Resources To Border Have Ended
DHS walked back its admission that talks were underway to divert VA health care resources to the border to care for illegal immigrants.
In case you missed it, VA has a fourth mission since it’s done such a bang-up job on its other three missions – that fourth mission is to care for the public – and it apparently includes helping illegal immigrants and a variety of other people and entities who are not veterans.
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Some of you may be about as surprised as I was to learn DHS and VA were in talks to divert VA resources to help with the border crisis. Given that VA lacks sufficient resources to properly care for its veteran population, the proposition to now also care for illegal immigrants seems patently absurd.
But “absurd” is the world we live in right now. Up is down. Left is right. Good is bad. Bad is best. That is where we are at as a country.
Two weeks ago, DHA head Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed his agency was in talks to diver VA resources, doctors and nurses to help care for illegal immigrants. The admission came during a House Appropriations Committee hearing. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa pressed Mayorkas.
“We’ve heard that the administration is considering removing health care providers from the VA, for example, doctors and nurses whose taxpayer dollars and their intent is to help care for our veterans,” Hinson began. “So my question to you today is yes or no: Is the Department of Homeland Security planning to reallocate resources, doctors and nurses from our VA system intended to care for our veterans to help care for illegal immigrants at our southern border?”
Following multiple attempts to evade answering the question, Mayorkas admitted members of his team were in talks with VA to do exactly that.
“Congresswoman, the resources that the medical personnel from the Veterans Administration would allocate to this effort is under the judgment of the secretary of Veterans Affairs, who prioritizes the interests of veterans above all others for very noble and correct,” Mayorkas responded.
Key in on his use of “resources that the medical personnel from the Veterans Administration would allocate to this effort is under the judgement of the secretary…”
After being pressed a another time by Hinson, he coughed up the goods.
“I have not personally. But of course, our teams, our personnel have. And I’d be very pleased to follow up with you,” he responded.
Veteran Access To Care Not Affected, Sec VA Says
According to GovExec, Secretary McDonough stressed to Congress that the agency’s “fourth mission” deployments – now dubbed providing care to the public – would not require any sacrifices from veterans.
“In no case does the 4th mission come at the expense of veteran access to care,” the secretary said, adding that he would consult with Congress on any potential new assignments in that category.
The secretary’s denial of the impact of the Fourth Mission on veterans is becoming less shocking.
Every day, veterans are underserved nationwide. Does the secretary think America will believe that when money is spent on non-veteran related activities that veterans missed out on support?
It reminds me of the hearing he testified in likely the same day in April. There, when discussing the troubled EHR transition, the secretary promised that he would not continue the rollout if it put veterans’ lives at risk.
During the same hearing, lawmakers in both parties provided the secretary with example after example of veterans whose lives were at risk. Even the IG confirmed veterans are at risk due to the lack of stability and predictability of the new health record system that mysteriously crashes during software updates.
The secretary kept repeating the obvious Jedi mind trick right to the face of Congress – these are not the droids you are looking for.
Everyone knows dysfunctional health record systems put people at risk of injury or death in any hospital, but McDonough simply kept talking around it.
Likewise, when you have a limited budget, as with adding a Fourth Mission, perhaps, when you take funds from Mission 1 and place them in Mission 4, the First Mission has less funds.
3 minus 1 is not 4.
It would seem the secretary would have us believe 3 minus 1 is 5.
New math.
It reminds me of the time one of our past presidents landed on an aircraft carrier to announce the end of the Iraq war in 2005 that lasted another five years (give or take).
Or, how about the time VA tried to diminish, downplay, and outright lie about the scope of the wait list scandal where many veterans were killed by bureaucratic bungling and gaming of the health care system in 2014?
Does anyone notice any similarity in the messaging from 2014 and now? Do we know what officials were in positions of authority in 2014 and now that might explain the similarities?
RELATED: McDonough Bio
RELATED: A Fatal Wait: Veterans Languish And Die On A VA Hospital’s Secret Wait List
RELATED: Over 100,000 Veterans Affected By Wait List Scandal
RELATED: National Media Coverage Of The Veterans Affairs Wait List Scandal
Lawmakers Move To Block
Republican lawmakers moved to block the attempt to remove resources from veterans by introducing a bill to “prohibit the use by the Department of Veterans Affairs of funds to provide emergency assistance at the southern border of the United States resulting from the repeal of certain public health orders, and for other purposes.”
During a later hearing, Mayorkas indicated the agency is no longer seeking VA support for its border health care scheme. “We are not making that request of the Veterans Affairs Department. And the Veterans Affairs Department will not be allocating resources to the border.”
The reversal came after Republican lawmakers raised holy hell over the news.
House Republicans demanded DHS not divert VA health care resources to work on the border in a letter submitted to the Secretary.
“Moving VA medical staff away from our veteran’s healthcare needs to examine illegal immigrants is a recipe for disaster,” the letter states. “Wait times for a veteran to see their doctor can average 22 days and reach as high as 42 days. This is unacceptable mismanagement of federal government resources by the Biden administration.”
“Moving resources away from serving the needs of our veterans to supporting a foreseeable and avoidable crisis at our southern border is unacceptable,” Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), who introduced the Senate bill, said in a statement.
The Biden administration did send VA workers to the border to provide vaccine shots to immigrants during the pandemic build up.
Recent DHS and VA History
Last summer, DHS and VA first announced an initiative to work together at the border “to support our Nation’s noncitizen service members, veterans, and their immediate family members of service members.”
“The Department of Homeland Security recognizes the profound commitment and sacrifice that service members and their families have made to the United States of America,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “Together with our partner the Department of Veterans Affairs, we are committed to bringing back military service members, veterans, and their immediate family members who were unjustly removed and ensuring they receive the benefits to which they may be entitled. Today we are taking important steps to make that a reality.”
“It’s our responsibility to serve all veterans as well as they have served us – no matter who they are, where they are from, or the status of their citizenship,” said secretary McDonough. “Keeping that promise means ensuring that noncitizen service members, veterans, and their families are guaranteed a place in the country they swore an oath – and in many cases fought – to defend. We at VA are proud to work alongside DHS as to make that happen.”
As a purely strategic move, to justify expanding VA health services to illegal immigrants at the border, it seems plausible that VA could create messaging around its focus on deported veterans. From there, if a crisis were to suddenly get worse, it would be easy to justify VA stepping in as medical heroes… since they were there anyway helping deported US veterans get health care.
Seems legit, right?
As a point of reference, per NBC, a 2019 GAO report suggested ICE deported 240 veterans in the past 5 years.
Fact Check Spin
I noticed a fact check spin attempt by the Independent Record to move the narrative from DHS talking to VA about allocation of resources to the border.
“No. Medical specialists at Veterans Affairs facilities, including Montana’s, aren’t being deployed to the Mexican border.”
But that was not the issue being debated, which included DHS confirmed talks to use VHA resources at the border under direction of Sec McDonough.
The issue was whether VA would allocate resources to the border, not whether it was currently deploying medical specialists to the border.
As you read the article, you’ll notice the subtle bait and switch.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont) asked VA head of human resources Gina Grosso about it.
“So the question is this, have you or any VA representatives had conversations, or plan to have conversations, with the Department of Homeland Security to deploy VA personnel at the border to address issues resulting from the repeal of title 42?” Tester said.
“We have not been in any direct discussions with DHS on sending our employees to the border,” Grosso said. She went on to say the VA has given vaccines to U.S. Custom and Border Patrol staff, as well as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees. “I would like to share that we are very proud of the work we’ve done helping other federal agencies that are on the border.”
The Independent claimed the exchange showed, “Grosso confirmed there were no such plans.”
Given my experience AS AN ATTORNEY dealing with some rather stealthy liars and spin agents within VA and elsewhere, the spin deployed by the Independent was rather pedestrian, but it likely did convince a few readers who only read headlines.
First, there can be no debate DHS was talking with VA about using VA personnel for purposes other than caring directly for veterans.
Now, focus on what Grosso said to the senator.
No “direct discussions with DHS”. Were the VA – DHS discussions, perhaps, indirect discussions with DHS as suggested by Mayorkas remarks to Congress? It is obvious some kind of talks were going on involving use of VA personnel at the border.
And why are VA personnel giving vaccines to employees of other agencies? Is that consistent with your understanding of what VA is supposed to be doing?
It appears VA is pushing to expand its mission beyond what was originally contemplated by the legal framework that is now dubbed the Fourth Mission.
VA Fourth Mission Is Real
VA does have a Fourth Mission, and the pandemic opened the door to it to rollout in full glory under President Donald Trump at the beginning of the lockdown in March 2020.
For some background, certain members of certain political and policy spheres have aspired for the Department of Veterans Affairs to become the model for America’s 21st Century socialized health care model.
That dream was largely nuked in 2014 when the country learned the emperor had no clothes.
Due to corrupt bureaucrats and budget shortfalls, VA employees gamed the system by forcing veterans to go without desperately needed health care for years. The agency allowed shadow wait lists and other strategies to game the books.
In the end, the scandal that started in Phoenix became a national scandal. Veterans died. Obama administration leadership and the former IG team white washed the scandal. It’s worth noting the current Secretary of Veterans Affairs was the White House chief of staff at the time.
The scandal resulted in VA losing its grip on the dream leading to the current community care model enjoyed by at least some veterans.
Suddenly in 2020, we started to see the rollout of the Fourth Mission:
VA is starting to execute its fourth mission of supporting the national COVID-19 response, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said March 30 during a radio interview.
The department recently announced it opened 50 beds to non-Veteran, COVID and non-COVID patients to help New York City.
The decision came after the state of New York requested federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Wilkie said VA also received a request for assistance from New Jersey.
Wilkie said as governors make requests for assistance, VA stands ready to respond.
The secretary said VA is also helping on the national level. VA received an order from FEMA to take over the pharmaceutical purchase and supply system. VA will be the “central supply station” of medicine and oxygen during the COVID-19 response for FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard.
Wilkie promised that veterans would still come first, and that services to the public would only be available if there were excess capacity.
The Fourth Mission was supposedly created with the VA/DOD Resources Sharing and Emergency Operation Act (Public Law 97-174). VA basically is a backup to DOD for health care services in the event of a war or national emergency.
Those curious about VA’s current policy on its role should read up on VHA Directive 0320.04.
On May 9, 2022, after the dust up with Congress, VA published a notice, “As of May 9, 2022, there are no new missions.”
Mission accomplished.
What do you think? Is this the best use of agency resources? If VA ever were to do it, would the VA personnel treat the illegal immigrants the same way as veterans are treated?
Is this a secret 4D chess move to actually scare illegal immigrants into leaving if given the inadequate care many veterans complain of year after year?
RELATED: VA Did Not Clean Endoscopy Equipment Properly Before Reuse (thanks Elf)
Sources:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-mayorkas-veterans-affairs-resources-southern-border-migrants
@ Steven,
with regards to your response regarding your previous comment/critique on Ben’s article, you closed your recent comment “not being your best effort “. I make a lot of comments here that are not always my best effort as well. I try to provide useful information to help other Veterans with my comments as do a lot of Vets. Some Vets comments to Bens articles are partially to vent frustration and let other Vets know we are all in the same boat, which you eluded to in your recent comment about your struggles with the VA.
With regards to your dissatisfaction that Trump diverted funds I agree and Trumps claims that he “fixed the VA” when he did not, are well understood among the readership.
Ben and other Vets that comment want to do right by Veterans and so thats why there was a lot of pushback from your initial comments.
Continue to share your experiences/problems with the VA and offer or ask for solutions here.
Chicago Mike
@Chicago Mike
Mike, although the VA, denied your TBI claim, look up Thomson Memory Center. There is one located in the area of 90, Barrington Rd, 72, in Hoffman Estates. They are qualified to determine and treat your TBI, bring a copy of your military records, your claim denial, and tell them whats going on, that the VA denied your claim, and your going to file an appeal.
They will thoroughly test you, and give you a very detailed report, that their entire team will back up in a court of law. They will help you with your rebuttal to the VA’s denial, and you will get your SC, for your TBI.
Good luck, and never give up. I proved a SC TBI 40 years after the fact. Not that it has done a damn thing for me. Fuck the VA, and all the incompetent AFGE, commies that work there.
@Crazy Elf, KatterKat, Windguy, and Angela, kudos, good to see your all still kicking. Hey Oldmarine, hope all is well in your neck of the woods, and that you see this. Later Gators -!ii!-
Thank you for your comments, Jose, John, Windguy, Crazy Elf, Jim, Chicago and others even you Steven, and your attempt to hijack the conversation and kill the messenger trying to call attention to VA problems and fix the system. Yes fix the system. I would have to question whether or not you are even a veteran Steven but if you were one of thousands of veterans that got stuck with a ER bill the VA refused to pay or have recently had the VA pay for your ER bill, you need to know that Ben is responsible for facilitating getting this problem fixed. (see NBC KARE 11 PATTERN OF DENIAL, Just google it)
Shout out to Chicago for calling attention the the problems caused by the failures of the VA directors in Roseburg/Brookings Oregon. Thanks for naming names that point to the various broken cogs in the VA wheel.
Thank you Benjamin Krause for all you do for us veterans. We got your 6!
Appreciate the kind words 6! Would you believe the TBI exam issue is still a big problem? VA just outsourced its issues to government contractors. Certainly would love any help folks would like to lend to collate stories impacting veterans nationwide.
I’m pretty sure whoever “steven” might be that his comment was more of an attempt to gaslight readers, or he is confused about what we do. We critique either party. I do not need to or want to talk about Trump every two seconds, unlike some news media members (ahem, MSNBC). I am not a cabinet level secretary, and I fully believe it is important to hold their feet to the fire when they are presently doing sketchy things.
Thank you Ben and thank you “got your 6″ for your comments. With regards to the TBI exam issue I can share info and contribute my experience with the VA’s C&P.
I was involved in a head on car accident (70 mph impact) in the line of duty in 1984 (Coast Guard). I broke my femur, fracture/dislocation of my right hi-and multiple head injuries.
Due to my injuries my right leg is shorter (less than 1.25”) and is causing multiple orthopedic, nerve problems, arthritis, etc from the “chronic pelvic obliquity” as I get older.
Two years ago I filed a claim requesting to establish service connection for TBI with rating of 0%.
There are multiple reasons why I did this. My family noticed some changes my with me when I came home which I have adapted to over the years. There can be numerous effects from just one TBI on us humans as we get older. see below from different articles.
“TBI sustained during early adulthood or mid-adulthood will influence aging. Epidemiological studies have explored whether TBI poses a risk for dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging.”
And
“TBI and resulting medical comorbidities such as endocrine, sleep, and inflammatory disturbances on age-related gray and white matter changes and cognitive decline”
And
“The data support the suggestion that pathological changes triggered by an earlier TBI will have an influence on normal aging processes and will interact with neurodegenerative disease processes.”
And
Military veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more than twice as likely to die by suicide compared with veterans without such a diagnosis, according to a newly published study by researchers led by faculty from the CU School of Medicine”
There is a lot of information on the long term effects of jus one mild TBI as we age and I have had several. The VA does have a TBI Registry but it does not cover older Vets like me.
My purpose for establishing service connection was to establish my TBI Registry with the VA.
The VA C&P explained that she usually dealt will Vets who experienced TBI from IED or other explosions. The examiner agreed in person that I incurred a mile to moderate TBI from that 1984 MVA and recognized the other milder TBIs I had experienced. In her findings she wrote that I did incur a Mild TBI in service but then reduced it to a head injury at the end of her report.
My claim to establish Service Connection for a TBI rated at 0% was denied.
Chicago Mike
👍
In point of fact…
I am a veteran.
I have had more than one ER Bill the VA did not pay, the most last month, long *after* Mr. Krause’s all-too-typical go-round with the VA.
I fought “the system” for 13 years to get the coverage I believed the Law entitled me to, despite having a Silver Star, a Bronze Star (V), a Purple Heart(**), &c. My Purple Heart entitled me to service-connection and gave me Group I priority for service, but the VA fought tooth-and-nail to prevent an award for PTSD, to prevent an award for TBI, and so forth and so on; everyone who has faced the VA Ratings system knows that song.
By and large, I don’t “google” other peoples’ thoughts or opinions as a *basis* for my own. Simply because Mr. Krause does good work for Veterans, doesn’t make him error-proof, nor free him from the biases we all suffer from, any more than I.
I was not trying “gaslight” anyone–I believe the post was excessively partisan, and that it compared poorly to wide latitude you gave President Trump, specifically when he diverted funds.
I have followed your blog for a number of years–as is common among the readership. I often find myself in agreement with your views, as expressed here. I sometimes find myself disagreeing with your views, as expressed here.
If I gave the impression that I felt you “need to or want to talk about Trump every two seconds”, then I am sorry. I do not see how you drew that inference, but you appear to have done. Not my best effort, obviously. Mea Culpa.
Thanks “6”,
I had to contact my congressman to get reimbursed from the VA AFTER my PCP sent me – by ambulance – to the nearest hospital! I was actually DYING! My PCP stated, quote; “IF (I) had waited much longer my wife would have been a widow!” unquote!
Getting reimbursed was a freaking nightmare!
As he often does, the selfsame Lawyer who runs this blog exposes conduct in others which he, himself, practices. What lawyer directly addresses an admission of guilt? For f-ck’s sake, Trump is still going on and on about the election he lost, without ever admitting that more people voted for the other guy.
When former President Trump diverted funds from the VA, DoD, DoJ, DHS, &c., to build his white elephant at this very same border, where were these long lists of valiant Congresspersons closely questioning administration representatives? Not here.
I don’t like **any** administration, from “2014” or “2016” or “2020” or 1920, diverting, or mis-directing, or re-appropriating, or &c, money allocated by Congress for projects they cannot get congressional approval for.
And for the record, the “4th Mission” creep was initiated under former President Trump, via his “brain trust” at his rich-persons hangout in Florida (aka The Gang of Three). Trump was the one that began the movement to make the VA the model and the launch point for “Republican Health Care”–the answer to the ACH (which remains an awful piece of legislation, btw, unless you happen to be a middle-class professional without a company health plan).
Why do we care so much about the Party affiliations of the people stealing from us? Why is it perfectly fine that Trump stole money from Fort Wainwright (in AK), money meant to improve living conditions in the US Army’s far-and-away base leader in suicides, to build a wall on the border no rational person believed would work?
This is an issue across two administrations, one R and one D. No single Party owns it; they are both guilty of underserving veterans and using the resources Congress allocates to us for their own priorities.
Come on councillor, straighten up and fly right.
Such anger!
Oh BTW, IF it weren’t for people like Ben, idiots like you would be unaware of the egregious acts committed against veterans by VBA & VHA employees!
I’m a living example of getting much better care from the VHA when President Trump was in office! If it weren’t for his changing Obama’s “Choice Program” over to the “Mission Act”, I’d be dead and my wife would be a “surviver” having to deal with this democrat run monstrosity!
As for your hatred towards him, I refuse to try and change your delusional mind!
P.S.
I had to come back to really reply to your B.S. comment.
Evidently you work for the VA, #steven! Because everything you’ve spouted is what’s wrong with America!
All industries are politicized.
Your a comic in the making. Talk about misinformation.
Do you lock any of your doors, gates etc at all? Because if walls didn’t work why do the White House, Capital and Representatives have them and keep building them higher and higher? Go back to Biden’s basement and believe in your flat world. Everything will be okay when you stick your pacifier back in your mouth.
More people did not vote for the other guy. Get informed. Both parties are the same corrupt. The ACH is a disaster. I can provide numbers before and after. You are not a veteran. Benjamin is correct. This blog is not the blog of Trump and it isn’t.
Well said, A. Both major political parties have underserved our nations veterans for decades! Veterans issues imho are the one place where politics have no place – – – and by being there, only HURT veterans. The reason it hurts veterans is because every time the administrations change – – – it seems to me that whatever policies were put in place by one administration gets (or is attempted to be) reversed by the other.
Some VA policies are good – – – others are not. What is needed is to keep the good policies, and make the bad MUCH better. Politics will never be able to accomplish.
Clinton caused damage to the VA, and therefore veterans who honorably served. George W. Bush did the same. So did Barack H. Obama, and Donald J. Trump. No doubt President Biden will do the same.
The reason it happens? POTUS in our modern times is mostly a figurehead who is constrained by mostly bad laws (use of rider amendments) that have been passed since the mid-’80’s. Zero reason at all for any federal bill to exceed 100 pages in length. Too much bloat. Too little substance.
As long as veterans stay dumb about politics, and the fact that ANY politics with veterans issues hurts us all, the song will remain the same.
Thanks for this article Ben, being a Veteran of the Roseburg VA Healthcare System in Oregon, there is a shortage of medical personnel specifically Doctors. Maybe some of the VA doctors that were going to be assigned to the Border can be deployed to the Brookings Oregon VA Clinic.
The staffing shortage at the Brookings VA Clinic is deliberate has been ongoing since 2016 and places Veterans lives at risk which I will give examples of below.
Since 2016 and I and other Veteran’s who were denied PCP care were required to drive to the Roseburg VA for care 160 miles from Brookings due to the clinic (less than 1 mile from my house) not accepting Veterans due to a lack of medical providers. The Brookings CBOC was only being staffed with 1 doctor instead of the required 2 doctors. On 9/11/17 at the new Brookings VA Clinic ribbon cutting ceremony, the clinic opened its doors not being able to meet the primary care needs of local Veterans due to the shortage of doctors and support staff.
In réponse to my query about the ongoing staffing problem at the Brookings VA clinic in November 2017 the excuse provided to Congressman DeFazio by then Director Doug Paxton was “we have been actively recruiting for providers in Brooking. However, it has been difficult due to housing limitations in the area.”
This was a lie to the Congressman. Paxton announced at at the November 2017 Town hall that he recruited Doctors Carpiet and Mantey (husband and wife) from the VA in Salem who were supposed to start in December 2017 but whose starting was delayed until February 2018 to coincide with the assignment Interim Director Dave Whitmer who would claim he solved the staffing problem at the December 4, 2018 Brookings Townall before leaving Roseburg two weeks later. At the June 4, 2019 Brookings Townhall, Roseburg VA Director Allen’s Associate Chief of Primary Care Dr. Todd Quier told Veterans that Carpiet and Mantey were “Bad Doctors”.
Allen’s 6/4/19 Promise to Veterans that he would fully staff the Brookings Clinic never materialized. In an email, I had to shame Allen into providing temporary coverage to fill the existing PCP vacancy which he did.
In December 2019 a Veteran was brought to the clinic by myself and another Veteran because he wasn’t feeling or looking well. The Brookings Clinic, which is supposed to provide urgent care, was only being staffed with one physician, and was given his symptoms and this Veteran sat for over 30 minutes before being told to go to Urgent Care at Curry Medical Center. Luckily when this Veteran was brought to CMC the Urgent Care had been converted to an ER just two days earlier and reporting the same symptoms as were reported to the Brookings VA clinic, This Veteran was immediately put in a wheel chair and rolled into the ER because his symptoms indicated he was having a heart attack.
My transfer request was finally approved in 2021 when the clinic was fully staffed with 2 physicians and I had my first appointment with Dr. Rueben on 5/26/21.
Dr. Ruben did not perform required exams including my ears (never took out my hearing aids) but reported in my medical records that he did, unaware of my aortic-iliac occlusive disease and the findings of numerous other doctors of lack of blood flow to my lower extremities. Ruben reported he examined the peripheral pulses in my legs and reported them intact despite no even checking them. Other docs, including a vascular surgeon, reported this pulses were absent/barely palpable and I needed a bypass. Ruben would also prescribe a potentially life threatening combination of prescription drugs Baclofen, Hydrocodone and Lyrica which have major and moderate interactions with each other.
After blowing the whistle on Ruben he retired due to health reasons.
Since 2021 the Brookings VA clinic has operated with one provider NP Carol Oliver who was recruited locally and caused a lot of problems for Veterans including denying one Veteran Oxygen for her S/C Lund disease. This Veteran felt compelled to address at a Curry County Commissioners meeting, the video testimony posted on Youtube. Oliver caused other problems for Veterans as one Veteran reported to me by email, being treatment for a TBI because it was a workman’s comp claim.
Since Ruben left the clinic Allen has used telemedicine to provide PCP coverage which is not the best especially when I received a phone call followup from My PCP NP Solomon in North Carolina after a severe 1/26/22 auto accident in which I was transported to the local trauma center Gold Beach hospital by ambulance.
Solomon prescribed muscle relaxers and physical therapy. Luckily, my auto insurance called me that day after the phone appointment to inform of my medical coverage and I made a same day appointment with Nurse Practitioner Kelly Creaser at Curry Medical Center and received excellent followup care which included reporting the pericardial effusion to my cardiologist, performing an X-ray of my clavicle to rule out a fracture, sending me for an MRI of my neck which showed the fracture of the T2 vertebrae which was missed on the initial CT scan performed immediately following the accident as well as making the referral to a hand surgeon which was also injured in the crash.
Solomon would no longer be providing PCP coverage at the Brookings VA clinic after that.
PCP Coverage is now provided by Dr. Brosa who I spoke with on the phone once before he took a leave of absence to have hip surgery. In a recent secure message to me from my Brookings VA nurse, telemedicine is being provided by different doctors and she did not know from day to day who is providing coverage or when a new permanent provider would be assigned to the clinic as staff are usually the last to know when that’ll happen.
I personally have had over 12 PCPs since 2016.
Since the VA apparently has extra doctors to send to the Border, maybe they could send one to the Brookings VA clinic in Southern Oregon.
As of yesterday I am locked out of myhealthevet account. Hmm….
Chicago Mike
Have you noticed how just about every VHA is run by little Napoleons! It’s as though they try their best to keep taxpayers monies all to themselves and not the workers! Which led veterans to receive less than adequate healthcare!
If it weren’t for websites like Ben’s, we’d be in the dark over much of this crap!
Whole problem with this country is that our nation has the priority list screwed up beyond belief! We have lawmakers rather than leaders.
Consider this: The Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States laid down the Statement of Intent, and the foundational principles that decreed how the citizen’s of this country were to be governed. Subsequent amendments to the Constitution (Bill of Rights) guaranteed those rights .
Everyone who served (especially combat veterans) in the military – – – no matter the self-justification – – – decided that it was not right for them to take something for nothing. So you joined the military to serve and give back to the country. In exchange for your willingness to die for your (plenty have) nation if need be, Uncle Sammy promised you certain benefits.
Uncle Sammy needs to keep those promises in a timely manner.
There should be no justification or excuse for the way the VA system currently operates. Veterans should be treated efficiently, fairly, and in the manner they have so justly earned.
Time for the VA to stop funding all kinds of senseless ‘outside’ contracts in order to provide job security for those who did not serve (Looking at you Mr. VA Secretary) but wish to have their lifestyle funded by Uncle Sammy.
Time for the VA to get off of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like.
Time for the VA to build the MyHealtheVet system into a robust, efficient platform that every veteran who has Interweb access can use to help manage their healthcare.
Time for the VA to put human beings back on the telephone with veterans – – – rather than the endless round-robin of robo-recordings that direct the veteran into an hours long circle-jerk with no positive results.
Time for the VA to begin to clean house. Time for the POTUS to disband the AFGE by executive order.
While my family has a military tradition of serving our nation prior to its official inception – – – given the betrayal of our government towards those of us who have served – – – I would do absolutely everything in my power to prevent a family member from joining the military today.
Especially given the times we now live in.
The VA had to walk this back? Mr. Secretary it was put out there. Too late to ‘walk it back’. Tip for next time: Have your people engage their pea sized brains before opening their alligator sized mouths.
Hold them accountable for their actions. Fire them when they make king-sized stupid statements like that. Micro-manage your immediate underlings.
Make them understand that they will perform their duties in an efficient, orderly manner – – – or you will make their ‘tenure’ at the VA so miserable they will wish they had never been born.
And make sure they understand that YOU MEAN IT.
Nothing less than what is expected from Tyrannical despot Biden Administration. W e have seen the enemy withing since the Clinton administration forward to Obama and Biden each step worse. I cannot obtain my medication or medical care from the VA Ft Harrison MT, a excuse they state is that they cannot get doctors.
The intelligent ones leave after a day or two. We should be resolve this according to the declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. People get upset over Russian sending troops into the Ukraine yet millions invade our borders each year, if that is not a declaration of war then we fought wars for a lot less than the amount of illegals entering our Country. Why did us Veterans go and fight for freedoms when our government is handing our Country over to invaders. Biden Administration et el need to be arrested and tried for TREASON that includes the DHS, FBI, DOJ
Very well put. Thank you for the information. I have a claim for copd and it’s been pending for approximately 4 yrs and then some. So I decided to seek help from my reps. in Congress And the senate. The response is still pending. I’m believing what you said. Delay, Deny, until they Die. This administration has got to go. This is my first time with a response.
Very well put. Thank you for the information. I have a claim for copd and it’s been pending for approximately 4 yrs and then some. So I decided to seek help from my reps. in Congress And the senate. The response is still pending. I’m believing what you said. Delay, Deny, until they Die. This administration has got to go.
Maybe the DHS concept of diverting VA healthcare to weary and sick migrants is just a clever psy-op. Think about it, the threat of VA healthcare might actually deter people from heading to the border…. oh ya, I went there.
Great response!
😂😂😂😂😂
Very possibly.
More likely, promotion to medical staff and executive positions.
Pretty funny! Probably a grain of truth in there.
I live two hours or so from the Mexican Border. Sometimes I travel to Mexico for Health or Dental care. I have to pay out of my pocket, but the quality of care I receive there is better than what I receive at the VA. The clinics are clean enough, and the cost is far cheaper if you are an American citizen. If you are a Mexican, I am sure that the cost of healthcare is much more expensive.
Here ya go Ben, here’s another scandal in the making at any VHA;
*”https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/05/12/culture-shift-needed-combat-patient-safety-failures-va-watchdog-says.html?ESRC=eb_220513.nl”*
Think about this, when you go to your vha appointment, is the people serving you qualified? The vha HAS, IMO, failed to sufficiently investigate those who apply for any healthcare position! Veterans have been informed numerous times of deaths by incompetent individuals at vha!
When will the people who hire take the time to investigate?
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In your article today, you mentioned wait times for appointments could be as long as 42 days. All due to the VA claiming they’re NOT sending healthcare professionals to the border???? Well, my primary care physician is no where to be found AND my next appointment is 1 year away.
He is aware of multiple problems I’m having with my kidneys. I’m having these problems BECAUSE of the incompetence of the VHA never checking my prostate for over 10 years. Even when I complained, all they ever did was give me pilles.
Couple this problem with ALL of my service connected disabilities the physicians never help with – IMO it’s got back to; *”DELAY, DENY UNTIL THEY DIE!”* attitude!