Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This firing and appointment of an unqualified replacement is intended to pave the way for privatization of the VA medical program. Shulkin, like just about everyone who has been in charge of the VA or cares sincerely about vets, would not play ball with the corporate raiders and so he is gone.
Republicans have been dying to privatize the VA for years. We'll see if they get their way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks
What makes a neurosurgeon qualified to run HUD? A reality TV star qualified to be president? A billionaire bimbo qualified to run the Department of Education? Nothing.
This firing and appointment of an unqualified replacement is intended to pave the way for privatization of the VA medical program. Shulkin, like just about everyone who has been in charge of the VA or cares sincerely about vets, would not play ball with the corporate raiders and so he is gone.
This is an op-ed by Dr. Shulkin. ending with this quote:
"As I prepare to leave government, I am struck by a recurring thought: It should not be this hard to serve your country."
I recall Mr. Trump speaking quite favorably of Dr. Shulkin. I will note that when the whispers began concerning his job security, various Veteran's groups spoke up:
"The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans and Vietnam Veterans of America – groups that regularly advise VA leadership and lawmakers on veterans issues – backed Shulkin on Monday and decried any attempt to undermine or replace him."
Seems their voices were ignored.
Heck, if Dr. Jackson had claimed that Mr. Trump weighed 199 pounds, he would likely be Surgeon General.
This firing and appointment of an unqualified replacement is intended to pave the way for privatization of the VA medical program. Shulkin, like just about everyone who has been in charge of the VA or cares sincerely about vets, would not play ball with the corporate raiders and so he is gone.
Bingo.
As I said earlier, I have a personal interest in this. My husband is a vet and my father in law (also a career vet) received care via the VA. And we have many friends who are vets. While the *idea* of privatization seems good on the surface, in truth the entire system can't be privatized. There are services and expertise that is unavailable in the private healthcare system that are necessary for vets. For instance, my father in law was exposed to agent orange in Vietnam. Non-VA doctors didn't always understand or know how to treat the resulting health issues, especially towards the end of my father in law's life. The VA doctors had much more experience and knowledge. And, let's face it, privatization won't be cheaper for taxpayers when all is said and done either.
But also, the VA is responsible for more than just healthcare for vets, such as disability and retirement benefits, the VA loan program, military cemeteries, and educational benefits.
So, I am hoping that Jackson has the chops to manage such a large organization, but also to stand up for veterans when others in the administration are pushing things that may not actually benefit vets in the long run. Shulkin had some issues, but he did a good job of doing just that -- and it got him fired in the end.
The Budget for the VA is 200 Billion +
The VA has 370,000 Employees .... most of which can't be fired.
Jon Testor the Leading Democrat on Veterans Affairs Committee said:
“Moving forward, the VA needs a strong leader at the top who will listen to veterans, strengthen the VA, and work with Congress to implement bipartisan reforms,” Tester said.
Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, described Shulkin as a friend, but said he was “willing to work with anyone committed to doing the right thing on behalf of our nation’s veterans.”
The VA doesn't need someone to listen to veterans, what does "strengthen the VA mean and there is no such thing as "bipartisan reforms". They have no clue about "the right thing on behalf of our nation's veterans".
This is pretty close to what is needed - "clean up the culture of bureaucratic incompetence".
Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., one of only two lawmakers who publicly called for Shulkin’s dismissal, celebrated the news. He said Shulkin “did nothing to clean up the culture of bureaucratic incompetence that has defined the leadership at the VA.”
How do we know Shulkin "did nothing"??
We can read a March 2018 report from the VA Office of Inspector General about the mess right in Shulkin's backyard Veterans Hospital in Washington, D.C. The Office of Inspector General found such grievous offenses that they gave a quick report to Shulkin a year ago, while they continue to investigate and assess any progress Shulkin and the VA Leadership made over that year. Shulkin had a year and a blueprint in his backyard - he did nothing. He deserved to be fired.
Some high lights of the report:
• The lack of consistently clean storage areas for medical supplies and equipment;
• The failure to accurately and consistently track and trend patient safety events;
• Excessive vacancies in leadership positions and other pervasive staffing issues across multiple departments, including Logistics, Prosthetics, Sterile Processing, and Environmental Management Services;
• More than 10,000 open and pending prosthetic and sensory aid consults as of March 31, 2017, causing some patients to wait months for needed items;
• Financial and inventory systems producing inadequate data, lacking effective internal controls, and yielding no assurances that funds were appropriately expended;
• Approximately $92 million in supplies and equipment being charged to purchase cards over a two-year period without proper controls to ensure the purchases were necessary and cost-effective;
• Underutilization of the prime vendor contract that was designed to purchase supplies at more favorable prices;
• More than 500,000 noninventoried items maintained in an inadequately secured warehouse; and
• Patient protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) stored in unsecured areas.
Failure of Leadership was one of the 4 items cited for this "Critical Deficiency" Report.
Shulkin was a failure with a Political Agenda and love of the High Life while he took a Luxury trip to Europe - the New York Times reported extensively on the Shulkin boondoggle to embarrass the Trump Administration in their Never-Ending Trump Hostility. NYT totally forgot that Shulking was an ObamaBoy, so I guess that backfired.
A warehouse somewhere in D.C. with over a half million items stored - they buy things like $44,000 Forklifts (2 of them) that are too large to use and then just ship them to the warehouse. 144 beds that didn't fit (couple of $100,000) shipped to the warehouse. The incompetence is breathtaking and it occurs in every VA facility in the country. The OIG is the only entity that does Audits, the VA Leadership has ignored those Audits for years. The only thing that tend to get the attention of the CongressCritters is pictures of dead Vets laying in hallways at the VA Hospital.
The VA doesn't need a leader with a shoulder to cry on - it needs a Drill Sergeant Wrecking Ball and a united Congress that will back him or her up. Unfortunately Congress cares only about re-election and MONEY for their re-election.
I regularly read IG Reports from all departments - It's certainly enough to turn anyone's stomach.
Doubtful that the CongressCritters bother to read them or they wouldn't make such asinine statements.
This is an op-ed by Dr. Shulkin. ending with this quote:
"As I prepare to leave government, I am struck by a recurring thought: It should not be this hard to serve your country."
I recall Mr. Trump speaking quite favorably of Dr. Shulkin. I will note that when the whispers began concerning his job security, various Veteran's groups spoke up:
"The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans and Vietnam Veterans of America – groups that regularly advise VA leadership and lawmakers on veterans issues – backed Shulkin on Monday and decried any attempt to undermine or replace him."
Seems their voices were ignored.
Heck, if Dr. Jackson had claimed that Mr. Trump weighed 199 pounds, he would likely be Surgeon General.
"As I prepare to leave government, I am struck by a recurring thought: It should not be this hard to serve your country. In recent months, the environment in Washington has turned so toxic, chaotic, disrespectful and subversive that it became impossible for me to accomplish the important work that our veterans need and deserve."
One other interesting factoid that I came across last night is that Shulkin actually suggested to the President that he give Jackson to Trump for a Deputy position at the VA a few months back. That made me feel more confident about Jackson. Like all active duty military, I am sure Admiral Jackson will try to do his best in his new role.
The Budget for the VA is 200 Billion +
The VA has 370,000 Employees .... most of which can't be fired.
I regularly read IG Reports from all departments - It's certainly enough to turn anyone's stomach.
Doubtful that the CongressCritters bother to read them or they wouldn't make such asinine statements.
The VA definitely has lots of problems - no disputing that.
But, if you really want to see fraud, waste, and abuse, privatize a Federal agency.
As the wife of a military veteran and the daughter in law of a military veteran who was treated by the VA, I'm all for more choice and better service for our vets, but at the same time, there are certain services that the VA provides that are going to be difficult to replicate out in the corporate world. So any privatization has to be done selectively and thoughtfully.
The VFW, Disabled American Vets, Vietnam Vets of America, AMVETs, the Foreign Legion, and many other mainstream veteran associations agree with me on this.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
