Library of Congress »6/10/2014--Passed
House without amendment.Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014 - Section2 -
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into contracts
with such non-VA facilities--sounds good--its a pass off more than problem solver.
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This is another bill voted for by Paul Cook--its wrong headed and goes the wrong direction. Rather than funding and staffing veterans' care through the Veterans' administration, he votes to take funding away and give it to private facilities. Rather than manage the budget with good legislation, he uses it as an opportunity to privatize more government function.
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This is an abrogation of the duty of oversight Paul Cook has as a Congressman and as Marine Colonel who is charged to care for the men & women under his command (which effectively is everyone in the service because of his oath of office). Paul Cook should be focusing his energies (and he has plenty of time since Boehner only scheduled 95 days of session for the year) in solving the VA's problems by getting them the funding, staff and management skillsets they need.
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Regrettably, staff and funding were not the only issue(s)!
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This is another bill voted for by Paul Cook--its wrong headed and goes the wrong direction. Rather than funding and staffing veterans' care through the Veterans' administration, he votes to take funding away and give it to private facilities. Rather than manage the budget with good legislation, he uses it as an opportunity to privatize more government function.
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This is an abrogation of the duty of oversight Paul Cook has as a Congressman and as Marine Colonel who is charged to care for the men & women under his command (which effectively is everyone in the service because of his oath of office). Paul Cook should be focusing his energies (and he has plenty of time since Boehner only scheduled 95 days of session for the year) in solving the VA's problems by getting them the funding, staff and management skillsets they need.
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Regrettably, staff and funding were not the only issue(s)!
See: http://progress-index.com/
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1. VA officials, including the acting inspector general, and a health expert from the Government Accountability Office, warned against a rush of veterans into private sector care pointing to , saying it could backfire if not carefully coordinated and properly resourced. The Inspector General said transferring records with non-VA providers remains a hurdle (i.e. privacy). "We need to ensure that there is sufficient non-VA care coordination staff in facilities. You can't simply feed into community [care] and assume it's going to take place," Philip Matkovsky, assistant deputy under secretary for health administrative operations, warned. "We have to coordinate that care."--HR 4810 does not address how that will be done.
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2. Many VA facilities apparently manipulated wait time data to pretend to meet internal goals for providing timely access to care by a veteran calling for an appointment and being told it would be 120 days out because that's the first available, that appointment got scored as being the veteran's desired date and the facility then posts "zero waiting days" though the veteran actually waited four months. Another trick was that the vet got the appointment 120 days out. Two weeks before that appointment, it got cancelled in the system and it gets recreated with the veteran is no wiser to the fact his appointment was cancelled because it's been recreated for the same time and date (but the appointment log shows a wait of two weeks not 120 days) ---HR 4810 does nothing to stop these abuses or prevent the private vendors from pulling the same thing.
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3. There is nothing in HR 4810 that attempts to reallocate existing resources to close the delays and care delivery
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If elected to Congress, I would look to lead, not just throw money and follow poorly thought out plans. I have had three men in my family die of service connected disabilities. I know its tough to get care, but its care we are morally obligated to provide.
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HR 4810 needed to be more inclusive and address things like records, privacy protections, management abuses and staffing and budget for coordination as without that, the outsourcing is little more than abandonment by budgetary fiat.
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1. VA officials, including the acting inspector general, and a health expert from the Government Accountability Office, warned against a rush of veterans into private sector care pointing to , saying it could backfire if not carefully coordinated and properly resourced. The Inspector General said transferring records with non-VA providers remains a hurdle (i.e. privacy). "We need to ensure that there is sufficient non-VA care coordination staff in facilities. You can't simply feed into community [care] and assume it's going to take place," Philip Matkovsky, assistant deputy under secretary for health administrative operations, warned. "We have to coordinate that care."--HR 4810 does not address how that will be done.
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2. Many VA facilities apparently manipulated wait time data to pretend to meet internal goals for providing timely access to care by a veteran calling for an appointment and being told it would be 120 days out because that's the first available, that appointment got scored as being the veteran's desired date and the facility then posts "zero waiting days" though the veteran actually waited four months. Another trick was that the vet got the appointment 120 days out. Two weeks before that appointment, it got cancelled in the system and it gets recreated with the veteran is no wiser to the fact his appointment was cancelled because it's been recreated for the same time and date (but the appointment log shows a wait of two weeks not 120 days) ---HR 4810 does nothing to stop these abuses or prevent the private vendors from pulling the same thing.
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3. There is nothing in HR 4810 that attempts to reallocate existing resources to close the delays and care delivery
.
If elected to Congress, I would look to lead, not just throw money and follow poorly thought out plans. I have had three men in my family die of service connected disabilities. I know its tough to get care, but its care we are morally obligated to provide.
.
HR 4810 needed to be more inclusive and address things like records, privacy protections, management abuses and staffing and budget for coordination as without that, the outsourcing is little more than abandonment by budgetary fiat.
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Message prepared by candidate
Bob Conaway for Congress (CA-08)
Bob Conaway for Congress (CA-08)
12127 Mall Blvd, Suite A-363
Victorville CA 92392
Contact No. (760) 617-8305
Nothing in a single one of Paul Cook's actions since his election has done anything else. He is obviously a very effective corporate mouthpiece in government.
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