BernalSilva1

AlecBernalSilva
MrDavis
Government1
1November2015
VeteransAidBill
Withnewconflictsoccurringaroundtheworldonadailybasis,moresoldiersarebeing
deployednowthanever.TheincreaseinveteransofwarfromplaceslikeAfghanistanandIraqhasled
totheVeteransAffairprogramsstrugglingwiththesubstantialincreaseinpeople.Veteransofwar
almostalwayscomebackhomedamagedinsometypeofway,whetheritbementallyorphysically.
TheUnitedStatesVeteransAffairsprogramwascreatedtohelpthesewoundedveteranssothatthey
canreturnbacktocivilianlifeinastable,healthy,andefficientway.However,evenwiththeVA's
budgetof168billionUSdollars,thedepartmenthastroublehandlingtheveteransduetomorethanjust
anoverloadofsoldiers.Veteransaffairsneedtobereformedbecausethedepartmentisvastly
inefficient,toomuchmoneyispouredintothedepartmentforthequestionableservicesitoffers,and
awarenessfortheeligibilityofveteransaffairsmembershipisnotasitshouldbe.
VeteranswoundedinbattlecanclaimdisabilitieswithintheVeteransAffairprogram,butwith
therecentsurgeofwoundedveterans,therehasbeenabacklogindisabilityclaimswithinthe
department.ThisreflectionoftheVAsinabilitytoefficientlyorganizebacklogclaimsgoestoshow
thattheVAdoesnothavethenecessarymanagement.VAlacksadequatesupportforthe$1.3billion
itreportedasactualmanagementefficiencysavingsachievedforfiscalyears2003and2004becauseit
lackedasoundmethodologyandadequatedocumentationforcalculatingandreportingmanagement
efficiencysavings.(Filner).ThisfactshowsfurtherthattheVAlacksviablemanagementand
organization,andthatthesystemneedstobereformed.InOakland,California,theVeteransAffairs

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programhasbeenslowonclaimsofdisabilitiesleavingmanyVeteranswithouttheirbenefits.A
specificveteranhadtowaitfornearlytwoyearsforadecisionfromtheVAregionalofficeinOakland
onadisabilityclaimshefiledforposttraumaticstressdisorder.(Speirer).Thisbacklogis
unacceptableforthedepartmentasitdoesnotallowforsomeveteranstoreapthebenefitstheyhave
earned.ThedisorganizationoftheVeteransAffairsdepartmentleadstoawasteofthealreadylimited
servicesitoffers.
AlthoughtheVeteransAffairProgramreceivesabout160billiondollarsinfunding,theyonly
havethreemainservices,allofwhichlackinreliability.Theveteransaffairsprogramprovidesservices
suchashealthcare,financialbenefits,andburialwithmemorialservices.Thereisalotofbackand
forthsurroundingtheviabilityofcurrentveteransaffairprograms.
Militaryveteransexperience
excessivewaittimeformedicalcare,leadingtohigherincidencesofpreventablehospitalizationsand
death
(Stienle).Theprogramneedstobebetterefficientbeforeanymoremoneycanbeusedsothatit
canbesaved.Accordingtoiom.nationalacadomies.gov,...
othersreturnwithvariedcomplexhealth
conditionsandfindthatreadjustingtolifeathome,reconnectingwithfamily,findingwork,or
returningtoschoolisanongoingstruggle.Evenwiththehelpoftheveteransaffairsprogram,veterans
arestillstrugglingtofindhelp.Thisspeakslevelsabouthoweventhoughtheprogramishuge,itdoes
nothelpthatmuchwithitsreliability.Theawarenessforeligibilityisalsonotatthelevelitshouldbe
at.
Currentlyeligibilityforveteransaffairshasveryfluidrequirements.Thisleadstouncertainty
byveteransandtheirfamilymembersastowhoqualifiesforbenefits.
Thelatestreportcontainsdata
fromOctober1,2001toMarch31,2015.Findings.Approximately
61percent
ofallseparated
OEF/OIF/ONDVeteranshaveusedVAhealthcaresinceOctober1,2001.
(
http://www.publichealth.va.gov
)Thisleaves39percentofveteranswhohaveneverbenefitedfrom

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afterserviceprograms.
Aboutaquarterofthenation'spopulationispotentiallyeligibleforVA
benefitsandservicesbecausetheyareveterans,familymembersorsurvivorsofveterans.Notonly
does39percentofveteransnotbenefittingfromafterserviceprogramssoundsurprising,whenthe39
percentreferstoaquarterofthepopulationorapproximately80millionpeoplethisnumberbecomes
evenmoreastounding.Thisleavesalargevoidofveteranswhohaveeitherneverbeeninformedof
benefitsthattheycanreceiveorthatfeelasthoughtheywouldnotbeeligible.
WhilethereareproblemswithintheVeteransAffairs,somemayarguethatthedepartmentruns
smoothlywithoutdifficulties.Itistruethat,Pensionisaneedsbasedbenefitpaidtowartimeveterans,
whomeetcertainageornonserviceconnecteddisabilityrequirements.(
http://www.vba.va.gov).Yes
thepensionsareanicedealforveteransbutatthesametimetheproblemsovershadowsomeofthe
goodthedepartmenthas.Ina2006reportofthedepartment,judgeDanielAkakastated,
VAlackeda
methodologyformakingthehealthcaremanagementefficiencysavingsassumptionsreflectedinthePresidents
budgetrequestsforfiscalyears2003through2006and,therefore,wasunabletoprovideuswithanysupportfor
thoseestimates.EvenJudgeAkakabelievesthedepartmentneedstobefixedinorderforittorunabetter
program.
ThefactremainsthattheVeteransAffairsprogramneedstobehandledinamoreeffectivewayforitto
besuccessful.Thelargefundingoftheprogramshouldbebetterspentwithinitselftomakeforabetterprogram.
RightnowtheVAisfailingthenationsveteransanditisnotfairtothemtosuffermorethantheyshould.Laws
shouldbemadeintoeffecttobetterregulatethesystemandkeeptheprogramincheck.

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WorksCitedPage
Glantz,Aaron."JackieintheNews."
AngryVeteransDemandEndtoDisabilityClaimsBacklog.
N.p.,n.d.Web.

Office,UnitedStatesGovernmentAccountability,andDc20548Washington.
February1,2006TheHonorable

DanielK.AkakaRankingMemberCommitteeonVeteransAffairsUnitedStatesSenateTheHonorableLane
EvansRankingMemberCommitteeonVeteransAffairsHouseofRepresentatives

(n.d.):n.pag.Web.

Haerens,Margaret.
Veterans
.Detroit:Greenhaven/GaleCengageLearning,2011.Print.

.http://www.vacareers.va.gov/assets/common/print/fs_department_of_veterans_affairs.pdf

ReturningHomefromIraqandAfghanistan:ReadjustmentNeedsofVeterans,ServiceMembers,andTheir
Families."N.p.,n.d.Web.

Stienle,Mia."VAHealthcareFailingVeterans."N.p.,n.d.Web.

"PublicHealth."
VAHealthCareUtilizationbyRecentVeterans
.N.p.,n.d.

http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA270501ARE.pdf