Veteran's Care in the USA

It's Veterans Day in the USA this Thursday, November 11.  And what is Veterans Day? Veterans Day is the US federal holiday honoring military veterans that started at the end of WW1 in 1918.

I want to explore the state of care of these Americans who sacrificed so much. I bring this topic to attention because health care cuts for Veterans is an issue to be knowledgeable about in the next election cycle. Personally, I'm still just trying to find information so I offer some links to stories as you make your decision about the USA's VA health care:

• News: Vet gets $250k for VA (Veterans Administration) hospital negligence http://bit.ly/cPIxya
• Opinion: The following copied from a post, spelling and all, from The SF Bayview http://bit.ly/csQwNz , "Unless you are a vet, and have actually experienced "the best healthcare in the world" you can cite all the "studies" you want. This year alone, in the first 39 VAOIG inspections of the "VA Healthcare System" 37 Medical Centers had critical life threatening deficiencies. While not reported broadly, tort claims for malpractice are enormous, with payments in the hundreds of millions. There are significant problems with unsanitized equipment, physician credentialing and certification, scheduling of appointments, pharmaceutical theft and lack of inventory control, contractual oversight of provider and healthcare service contracts ad infinitum. How do I know this? I'm a 100% disabled veteran, military retiree who abides by the advice of my VA physicians, which is to use my private healthcare provider."
• Governmental Cost: The cost of care for veterans and soon-to-be veterans--this is an important article to read http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2010/September/30/Veterans-Health-Issues.aspx
• Diseases that Need Treatment: Link to a study released today, November 9: http://bit.ly/c21wLP

Other official sources

• www4.va.gov/healtheligibility/ 
• http://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/veterans-health-care-overview 
• www.veteranstoday.com/ 

 It is a complex issue, but for this one aspect of it, I am reminding myself that it's not about the war, it's about the citizens who fought and are fighting it.