Larry Scott (former E-5) served four-plus
years in the U.S.
Army with overseas tours as a Broadcast
Journalist at AFKN HQ, Seoul, Korea and AFN
Lajes Field, The Azores, Portugal and a stateside
tour as a Broadcast Journalism Instructor
at the Defense Information School (DINFOS).
Larry was decorated four times including the
Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak
Leaf Cluster. He was awarded DOD's First Place
Thomas Jefferson Award for Excellence in Journalism.
After the Army, Larry went back to radio news,
working in Indianapolis as a News Anchor on
WIFE Radio and then in New York City as a
News Anchor on WNBC Radio. He receives VA
compensation for a service-connected disability
and uses the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington
VA facilities for healthcare. Today, Larry
resides in Southwest Washington and operates
the veteran's help website Your
VA Benefits .org. and blogs at vabenes.blogspot.com.
To contact Larry Scott email larry@yourvabenefits.org.
[Have an opinion on this article? Go to the Discussion
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Opinion By Larry Scott VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi has resigned. The resignation
was made public on Wednesday, December 08, 2004. The letter of resignation
was dated November 16, 2004, but withheld by the Bush administration
to avoid the appearance of a Cabinet-level "house cleaning" immediately
after the election.
Principi is the ninth Cabinet Secretary to leave -- setting a modern-day
record for personnel changes at this level. As with most of the other
Cabinet resignations, insiders say it was not a true resignation.
It appears Principi was forced out to make way for a VA Secretary
who would more closely mirror Bush Administration policy. Principi's
generic parting statement, being short on specifics for the future,
would seem to confirm this. Principi said, "It is now time for me
to move on to fresh opportunities and different challenges."
Principi's resignation is being handled in a very low-key manner. A Google search returned just a handful of hits. But, this is very big news to America's 27 million veterans. The new VA Secretary will be making life-and-death decisions for those veterans seeking healthcare at the VA.
The question is: What's in store for VA healthcare?
Principi's four-year reign at the VA controls brought massive changes that can only be described as Draconian. Priority Group 8 veterans were denied enrollment. Co-pays were increased. Means tests eliminated many veterans from the system or forced them into a "pay for care" status. The now infamous CARES Report closed hospitals and clinics while laying out a 20-year plan to construct more buildings without providing the funding to staff those facilities. And gross under-funding at the healthcare level has forced cancellations of surgeries and critical diagnostic procedures putting the lives of thousands of veterans at risk.
For the last four years the thrust of VA policy has NOT been proper funding. Instead, incredible amounts of time, energy and money have been spent to find ways to eliminate veterans from the benefits and healthcare rolls. Will the next four years be any better? That is up to President Bush. He alone holds the power to appoint a VA Secretary who will see to it that ALL veterans receive proper benefits and healthcare.
Will that happen? The White House and Secretary Principi have not supported legislative efforts to provide Full and Mandatory VA Funding, thus taking VA funding out of the discretionary budget and making it part of the mandatory budget process. This would seem at odds with President Bush's promise to "provide more care to more veterans where they need it the most."
Here is where the Bush Administration goal of smaller government will backfire.
Smaller government equals less spending, which equals fewer employees,
which equals inadequate healthcare for veterans. It's time to rethink
the concept of smaller government in the context of a VA that provides
necessary services for veterans.
If the new VA Secretary is just another "Yes-Man," then veterans would
do well to remember the old acronym that artillerymen love to paint
on their shells. BOHICA: Bend Over, Here It Comes Again!
But, being an optimist, I wish the new VA Secretary all the best and
provide the following task list.
Obtain Proper Funding. Forget the smaller government, lower spending philosophy and stand up and be heard. We can't care for our veterans without spending the money to do it.
Prioritize Spending. Throw out the CARES Report. Forget new facilities.
Staff the buildings now in use by the VA with doctors, nurses,
technicians and medical support staff so veterans do not have
to wait months for necessary surgeries and critical diagnostic
procedures.
Re-evaluate Need for the VISN System. The VISN system has just created another layer of bureaucratic nonsense that isolates the VA hierarchy from the local hospitals and clinics. Is it needed? No!
Listen to Your Employees. Give them a venue to speak
openly without fear of retribution. Let them talk about staff
shortages. Let them tell you about veterans who wait for months
and months to get care. Let them tell you about those who die
while waiting. It's imperative that you know what they know.
Listen to the Veterans. Take off your suit and tie. Put
on a pair of jeans and a comfortable shirt and fly to Portland.
Don't tell the local VA people, just wander in. I'll meet you
in the VA hospital canteen and we'll have a coffee or two and
chat with the veterans we meet. You'll learn enough about veteran's
needs in a couple of hours to keep you busy for the next four
years. By the way, I'll buy the coffee.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since this article was submitted, President Bush has nominated Jim Nicholson to the position of VA Secretary. Mr. Nicholson is currently the Ambassador to the Vatican and a veteran. He is the former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Email
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