Any misconduct at VA will be punished, Obama says

[DonViejo]

Source: Washington Post

President Obama said Wednesday that if there has been misconduct at the Department of Veterans Affairs, those responsible will be punished. The department has come under fire recently following allegations of treatment delays and rigged recordkeeping at veterans hospitals around the country.

"If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate it, period," Obama said.

Obama spoke after an Oval Office meeting with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and top aide Rob Nabors. Obama has tasked Nabors, his deputy chief of staff, with overseeing a review of the VA health system.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/house-bill-would-speed-va-firings-as-outcry-grows/2014/05/21/eea25adc-e0b7-11e3-9442-54189bf1a809_story.html

[DallasNE]

1. Simple Solution

One report I read points to agent orange issues with Vietnam veterans that were not anticipated in the budgeting process so the VA has been underfunded. So what is this simple solution to resolve the chronic problems the VA faces? Bring back whistle blower protections. They are essential to cutting through the red tape at federal agencies. Inserting this level of transparency would do a great deal to correct the issue. About 10 years ago the VA was under fire for deplorable conditions at their flagship Walter Reed facility in Washington D.C. Apparently lessons were not learned so things got swept under the run. With whistle blower protections in place it would be much more difficult to cover up these problems. Want to bet that whistle blower protections are not even part of the discussion so 10 years from now we will have another VA scandal. It is 100% predictable.

[pinboy3niner]

7. Walter Reed is a military hospital under DoD, not VA. nt

[DallasNE]

9. My Bad

I always thought that Walter Reed had an annex that served veterans and that it was this annex that was at the center of the 2007 scandal. That said, the solution is still the same -- whistle blower protection to get around the bureaucracy currently in place.

[Sam1]

2. Ya some low level employees will be hung out to dry.

The email explaining how to game the system is telling. The part about upper management becoming very angry rather then supportive and attempting to solve the problem with additional resources will be brushed over. Obama will tolerate the situation rather the fight congress for the additional funds necessary to correct the situation. Oh but a few "enlisted" will get the axe while management continues to pressure for cooked books.

What do solders and unborn babies have in common? Politicians don't give a shit about either one after they are out!

[GeorgeGist]

3. But will it be corrected?

Jon Stewart has a hard on for beating the shit out of the VA and Obama.

[leftyohiolib]

4. yet in regards to genocitic war criminals we just move forward- yes let's beat down the whistle-

blowers and ignore the man who had 4400 americans killed in iraq- hey potus how about going after the man who put all those vets in the va

[gussmith]

5. A Great Post Found on Huffington Post

Jaime Gandarilla (Jaime_Gandarilla)

24

103 Fans · queer antitheist feminist with added gluten
true
"Support our troops" has only ever meant support war.
Just like "pro-life" means "Don't you dare abort, but when the baby is here, you're on your own"

[Ash_F]

6. What I don't understand is, if the secret wait list did not exist...

.. would those on the list have received treatment?

What was the motivation for keeping the list? Why hide that there were so many people waiting? Did they have the budget to hire more doctors, and didn't for some reason? Did they want to use their budget for something else?

[IronLionZion]

8. Will any republicans be punished for cutting their funding?

[AnalystInParadise]

11. Don't shoot the messenger

But which year was funding cut?

[IronLionZion]

12. Multiple years

much of which happened with the increase of wounded veterans during the republican wars. A lot of people have failed our veterans. Democrats had good intentions on increasing access to the system, but republicans of course don't want to fund it because they will always fight to cut funding and lower their own taxes.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/defense/who-really-broke-veterans-affairs-20140520

[quadrature]

10. follow the money...nt