Phony General? (now with added Phony Goodness)

[5thgrpguy]

Brice,

Amen brother. I too would take what action necessary tp preclude the burning of our flag. My LYB gets concerned when I jump on the POS that fail to remove their hats during the national anthem at Hockey games I attend. I tell her let them come on...most however cower and remove the covers..they are mostly young people and I find that sad...With stolen valor, most of them never apologize, because the punishment does not fit the crime..Look at that clown in San Antonio, that not only had phony awards, but made a phony ID card to get on base..his punishment.. 3 years probation and a $500.00 fine..IMNSHO these people are a disease on our society and know there is not much to worry about as far as prosecution goes,unless they steal big time, so why apologize ?....I mean after all, they are just exercising freedom of speech..

Ron P.

[SuperScout]

If that dirtbag could reproducing an ID card so easily, what's to stop him or another POS from doctoring up some paper to make him "qualified" for VA bennies? We hear story after story of POS getting caught, but how many more have continued to scam the system? I would wager that at least 10% of all VA claims are paid to unqualified people; the fraud, waste and abuse of Medicare, and other entitlement programs is much higher. ANd we hear the statistics bantered about all the time - but do you hear if any government agency is doing anything about it? We need to demand more of our public servants.

[ussfa344]

Originally Posted by SuperScout

If that dirtbag could reproducing an ID card so easily, what's to stop him or another POS from doctoring up some paper to make him "qualified" for VA bennies?

Brice,

When I started reading your message I had to chuckle because I thought you were talking about the recent wannabe exposure here and on PF2, but then I realized that you are talking about the much greater epidemic sweeping the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies with phonies producing made up documents to support their claims, and that certainly isn't funny. While that is more than enough to fire me up, what angers me even more is how these phony PTSD claims make real deal vets truly suffering from PTSD reluctant to file their legitimate claims for fear of being lumped in with the wannabes.

Another thing that angers me is the real deal vets that get turned down because the lack of official records or what have you. So we have phonies collecting benefits based on fraud, while real deal deserving veterans are suffering without the help they need and deserve. It makes me sick.

Robert

[SuperScout]

Eggzackery!

On two seperate occasions, I had a call from some alleged former member of one of my commands, stating that he had served with me, and asked if I would write a letter for him to help him qualify for VA bennies. I guess that they figured out that a letter coming from me, with my record, would smooth the way for him to slide through the approval process, and he could laugh all the way to the bank.

Now, given that I don't remember all the names of all of my soldiers, being somewhat chronologically-challenged and all, I started asking a series of questions that might help my debilitated memory to fire back up. Seems as if he couldn't answer even the most basic things. For example, on tour #1, I ultimately led a mech Scout Platoon; all 10 tracks carried 5 guys, all tracks had a nickname painted on them, and all tracks were configured with a .50 cal and 2 M-60's with gun shields. He could not remember anything, not even the name of any of the other 4 guys that he allegedly served with. Since we were like family - hell - I can even my brothers and sister's names - I figured he could remember at least one name, but nope.

About that time, I told him that I thought he was a phony, and that I was going to have the FBI track himdown and send him to prison for attempted fraud. Next thingk I hear is a loud "click" as the phone became disconnected.

And you are spot on about the reticience of legitimate veterans trying to deal with a very dysfunctional VA system. The entire issue of health care for vets could be solved so easily, and I'll wager, much cheaper than the current sacred cow that need to be led off to the slaughter house: for those vets that qualify, simply give them a MasterCard, or Visa Card, and tell them that anytime they need medical care or meds to just use that card, and the VA will pay the bill. I've known vets that had to be driven 100 miles or more just to see some VA quack, and was no better off after the day-long ordeal of dealing with The System.

Just what the IG at the VA or the Social Security system or MediCare or anyother agency does is not very impressive to my way of thinking. If they were doing the job for which they are being overpaid, we would read of daily stories of fraud being uncovered, monies being recovered, and convictions being rendered, but no, nary a peep out of the hard-working dead-beats called federal employees.

[Keith_Hixson]

Originally Posted by SuperScout

And you are spot on about the reticience of legitimate veterans trying to deal with a very dysfunctional VA system. The entire issue of health care for vets could be solved so easily, and I'll wager, much cheaper than the current sacred cow that need to be led off to the slaughter house: for those vets that qualify, simply give them a MasterCard, or Visa Card, and tell them that anytime they need medical care or meds to just use that card, and the VA will pay the bill. I've known vets that had to be driven 100 miles or more just to see some VA quack, and was no better off after the day-long ordeal of dealing with The System.

.

Brice, I have felt that way for a long time. Just give them a card and pay their bills, would probably save us millions each year. And, the vets would get better service. But alas, the government wants control so we have the Vets administration. I'm sure there would be abuses but not anymore than they have now.

Keith

[ussfa344]

Originally Posted by SuperScout

The entire issue of health care for vets could be solved so easily, and I'll wager, much cheaper than the current sacred cow that need to be led off to the slaughter house: for those vets that qualify, simply give them a MasterCard, or Visa Card, and tell them that anytime they need medical care or meds to just use that card, and the VA will pay the bill.

Scout/Folks,

I have mixed emotions on that when it comes to my personal health care. In my adult life I had a kidney stone 2006, a cold in 1991 that lasted less than a day, and a whole lot of shell fragment and gunshot wounds. Obviously I did nothing for the cold. I passed the kidney stone while in a VA Hospital, but before they had to take any measures other than giving me something for the pain.

That means all of my other medical care in the past forty plus years has been for combat wounds. Back in the late 1970s the VA gave me a card to go to any doctor of my choice on their dime. I have a wound right in the center of my chest that was hurting. The original wound only damaged skin, muscle and my rib cage, but stopped short of my heart (I guess that last part is obvious). So I decided to take advantage of the card and go to a local doctor.

I explained to the doctor that I was having some pain in the center of my chest, so he had me take off my shirt. I have two other gunshot scars and a four inch shrapnel scar within six inches of the wound that was hurting: all that in addition to a whole lot of smaller shrapnel scars. Anyway, I point to the well healed round scar in the center of my chest and told him that it was hurting right there. Dr. Potatohead didn’t ask me how I got any of those scars. He just asked me how the pain felt, and diagnosed me as having pleurisy. I put my shirt back on and left. That was the last time I ever went to a civilian doctor. I decided that day that as I only get treated for the residuals of my wounds, I only want to see doctors that are familiar with the residuals of combat wounds.

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, I want my doctors to consider that it just might be a duck. Dr. Potatohead would probably think it’s a zebra.

But just like the rest of the Viet Nam veterans, I am getting old. So when I start having age related problems I probably would prefer a system as Scout laid out where I went to the doctors of my choice for those problems. Hmmmm, but I have seen a number of old guys at VA medical facilities.

Robert

[Keith_Hixson]

Robert, having been apart of the medical care industry for over twenty years and getting much of my medical care from the VA, I will tell you one thing. There are Quacks out there in both civilian and VA. You did the right thing recognizing the man for what he was. When it comes to Doctors, its seek and find and seek sometimes takes time even within the VA or Civilian Sector. But, don't give up on either sector because there are plenty of fine doctors in both the VA and Civilian sector.

Keith

[5thgrpguy]

Gents,

While we all agree that fraud is rampant in the VA system, I feel that most VA Dr.'s are very caring people, striving to do the very best job they can, at least that has been my experience here in Dallas. But most of them I see here are not old enough to remember WWII, Korea or Vietnam and very few have been involved in the GWOT and as a result what do they know about combat? Only what they read or are told...so, a well read phony can approach them and make them believe that they experienced the BS they are selling, backed up by phony letter's and documents and bingo....they get benefits...it is like any kind of fraud that is commited and It appears to be especially easy if they are really a veteran, who is going to challange a guys 214 that may have been altered unless it is very obvious in a system that is so overloaded? All we can do as vets that have actually experienced combat is continue to out these phonies and put pressure on the sytem to prosecute the ones that continue to spew their BS...As we all know some douche in Illinois is attempting to challange Stolen Valor..these people make me sick...What kind of message is this country sending to our young men and women in harms way?