The House voted 420-5 to pass a compromise bill on veterans’ care. I don’t know how much good it will do since all it does is throw $17 billion at the problem and make it easier for the new VA Secretary to fire department executives, according to the Washington Times;<\/p>\n
Lawmakers approved the plan to cut down on wait times 420-5, signaling that the eagerness to care for veterans outweighed the almost $17 billion price tag \u2014 $10 billion of which would be tacked onto the deficit, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that the Department of Veterans Affairs as we know it today is in crisis and our veterans are suffering,\u201d said Rep. Jeff Miller, Florida Republican and co-author of the bill, on the House floor. \u201cThe conference committee report we\u2019re considering today is the first step.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bipartisan deal would let veterans who have been waiting more than 30 days for an appointment or who live more than 40 miles from a facility seek care outside the VA. It would also give newly-confirmed Secretary Robert McDonald more power to fire poor-performing senior executives.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I don’t know how Congress can actually vote to lessen wait times. But, at least they feel like they “did something” and they can feel good about themselves – and isn’t that really all that matters. The good news is that some veterans can now take advantage of care outside the system if they meet the geographic preconditions. That should reduce wait times somewhat. the problem at the VA is a cultural problem, though and can’t be legislated away, you know, like most problems in this country. <\/p>\n
The problems go deeper than a few executives, though. The Senate (Bernie Sanders, specifically) protected their union base and the real problem employees are still safe, irrespective of how they do their jobs. I wish Mr. McDonald all of the luck in the world, and I wish those veterans who have been left out of the system all of the luck in the world, but I don’t have much hope.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"