Bush does something right . . . film at 11
Somehow there's got to be a catch to this:
A $3.2 billion omnibus veterans’ bill that includes a cultural change in benefits claims process was signed into law Friday by President Bush.The rest of the story is here.
The Veterans Benefits, Healthcare and Information Technology Act includes creation of a rural health care office in the Department of Veterans Affairs, increases spending on post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and rehabilitation for blinded veterans.
Also included in the new law is an attempt to expand job opportunities for veterans by raising the goal for government contracting with veteran-owned small businesses and wider mental health coverage to include family care and bereavement counseling.
To read the full text of the bill, go to THOMAS at the Library of Congress, then enter S.3421.ENR in the "Search Bill Text" box. Change the radio button below that from Word/Phrase to Bill Number, then click on Search.
Or you can test the limits of your browser by accessing the 66-page .pdf version here.
I haven't read the full text of this bill, but on the surface at least, it seems like an overall plus for veterans. Perhaps bram will weigh in with her opinion when she gets a chance to look it over.
posted by Anonymous @ 9:18 AM
1 Comments:
Ok, here are my thoughts on this. Allowing veterans access to attorneys earlier in the claims process is one of those ideas that looks good on the surface, but has, I believe, harmful effects to veterans in the long run. First of all, when the government makes mistakes or erroneously rules against veterans, there are absolutely no consequences to the government. If the government makes mistakes and delays and denies a veterans compensation claim, when the claim is finally paid, perhaps 10 years later, there are no penalties assessed (interest). The veteran receives the original claim amount x the number of years, and forward. So, let's say there is an attorney involved. The attorney will take a percentage of the veterans back compensation, which will leave the veteran poorer than today's system.
Hmmm, who benefits by this? Attorneys. I will also point out that there are not that many attorneys out there who are familiar with veterans law, which is not taught in law schools. It is different than regular civil and criminal law. There is a whole set of regulations regarding veterans compensation, and they are complex.
Your first clue that this is not in the veterans interest is that it was rushed through as a "solution" to the claims backlog by the republican forces.
Your second clue is: when have you ever heard of an attorney trying to get a speedy resolution on an issue? Ever hear of billable hours?
Rural outreach of medical care sounds like a good idea too. Except, if we are really pushing telemedicine. You know, a veteran has a telephone consultation with a doctor instead of being examined and treated. Maybe the medicine is mailed, since local pharmacies can't dispense medicines to veterans right now. So, this is better than nothing, but not a whole lot.
What we need for veterans is accessible health care, more doctors and staff and that requires better funding!!!
In terms of veterans benefits claims for disability we need a system that is less adversarial, and a whole lot more honest. I think that requires consequences for government employee screw ups, and perhaps more funding.
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