[Packo]

Gimpy, thank you my friend.

Hawk,

1. The DVA was elevated to a cabinet level position years ago. I believe the President, and I may be wrong, can say to his head of DVA...."This rating system is a mess. How much do you need to fix it? Put a solution on my desk. You have 30 days." When there is a disaster, or war, or attack like 9-11, the money flows as it should. Our VA system is a disaster. I believe, but may be wrong, he has the power to do what I'm thinking.

2. A Republican Congress, or Dem Congress, would not deny their President on an issue like this if the funding had to go through them. I can't imagine it. This Republican Congress is balking at his ridiculous, and I'm a Republican, pick for the supreme court. They could approve emergency funding for the VA.

3. Not enough people in the right places and too many restrictions on who can adjudicate claims. DVA does not allow veterans to adjudicate claims, nor doctors who are veterans to do Compensation and Pension Physicals because they could be "bias" toward the veteran. Well.....non-veterans could also be prejudical. It's crap. Also, the money, and there is good reason for this, is pumped into the medical side and the paying side. Adjudication and other administration functions suffer.

4. Well, that's an interesting question but there are not many "civilian" groups that function the same. I guess our courts are civilian and also backlogged. Insurance companies don't hurry to pay out benefits. At one time VA adjudicators got bonuses for adjudicating claims fast. Problem was, the fastest way to adjudicate a claim is to just deny it. Certainly they need more people in all areas of VARO administration....and they also need to quit hiring people that don't know squat about being in the service or combat. I ain't holding my breath. Oh, and one more thing. About the closest I can think of is Social Security. There is a system that denies most everybody no matter what their disablility is, and yes, there are tons of phoney's trying to get SS disablility, but even if your 100% by the VA, SS will deny you and let the court decide. How many people do you know that ever got SS without having to pay an attorney? I know of NOBODY and at one time all of my patients in the VA were rated 100% SC from the VA but had to hire attorney's to win their SS case. Another filed up fucked up system.


Pack