After Heading Home From Combat, Veterans Face Frustrating Path Though VA System
Paul Rodriguez/ OC Register
As a member of the military, it can be bad enough being deployed far from home. Something a soldier never wants to think about is coming home injured; be it physically, mentally or emotionally. However, the hardest part seems not to be the healing wounds, but the endless frustration of having to deal with the Department of Veterans Affairs as a result. Because of lack of adequate staffing and budgets, it can take years for a Veteran to finally receive the care they need.
Army Specialist Daniel Foster knows these issues very well. A Silver Star and Purple Heart recipient, was injured in Afghanistan in May 2010 while thwarting a suicide bomb attack on his base, preventing harm to his fellow 22 soldiers. The most obvious injury: loss of teeth and jawbone, but also suffers from knee pain, back issues, hearing loss, memory loss, and PTSD. Almost 2 years later, he has yet to receive adequate care.
Dan is only one of many Veterans receiving this dragging response for treatment. In fact, the majority of Veterans have to deal with care this way. Forms that have to be submitted, then re-submitted, then often lost. They are told conflicting information on how to proceed next. And this is only scratches the surface.
Members of the Military lay their life on the line to help keep the rest of us safe, the least we can do is give them a speedy process for recovery.
Greg Sullivan
November 29, 2011 8:44 am
Great job bringing this issue to the forefront. I can’t believe the incompetence of the V.A. dealing with our Vet’s!! I realize this is a totally republican solution, but it seems that this is a classic argument for privatization (or at least public/private partnership). Our insurance system is flawed, but it doesn’t take 13 months to figure out you can’t eat steak without teeth. Hope their advocates can get this solved.
Keep up god’s work.
Arnold Fernandez (@HeavyMetalCholo)
November 29, 2011 9:09 am
The f**ked up part is the Taliban treat their solders families better than the USA treats there American soldiers. Bunch of fucking cunts control the VA system.
Kelyn Powell
November 29, 2011 10:05 am
So happy to hear this issue being addressed on Kevin & Bean/KROQ. My husband has been waiting on a backlog for over a year now, still no payment. He waited on a back log for his GI Bill benefits for months as well.
Someone needs to get Dan his teeth back! I would not be a happy camper without my teeth.
Jeffrey Horn
November 29, 2011 10:19 am
Here’s a solution to problems with the VA and veterans returning home to no jobs….replace poor performing, uncaring VA employees with veterans who actually care about other veterans. There are good, hard working people at the VA too, so those people should be kept though.