VietNow National Magazine

Vet to Vet
How late is it? Where's the log jam?
And beware of Control/Alt/Delete.

By Bob Gutsche – National VA Committee Chairman

Bob Gutsche

It’s Later Than You Think

A wise man once said that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you come to the end, the faster it runs out. We all must face the reality that this life does not go on forever, and we need to make plans for those who remain behind.

A few years ago I had the pleasure, while in Branson, Missouri, during Veterans Week, to meet an elderly lady who shared with me what she felt was one of the best things her husband did for her before he died. He compiled a folder of important information and documents that she could use upon his demise.

I believe that all folks should do this, but as veterans,I believe that we have additional information that we should leave at our heirs’ disposal to lessen the stress of our passing. Here are a few suggestions for your After-Life folder:
• Phone number of the County Veterans Service Officer. He or she has the latest information on benefits for survivors, and benefits for the deceased.
• A copy of your DD Form 214 and discharge papers.
• A copy of your Social Security card.
• If you are service-connected, a copy of the latest VA award letter.
• Your wishes concerning where you want to be buried.
• A copy of your will. You certainly don’t want the state to make those decisions for your family.
• A list of your financial holdings and bank account numbers.
• Your obituary, if you have already written one. This can be helpful – especially for those of us who may have been previously married.

These are just a few suggestions to make the process easier for those we leave behind.

Women Need Not Apply

Is this the message that the VA is sending to our women veterans? I certainly hope not. But, a recent audit by the GAO (General Accounting Office) found that two of the nineteen medical centers audited did not even offer gender-specific services. In fact, overall, none of the facilities have fully implemented VA policy regarding health care for women veterans.

Statistics indicate that only fifteen percent of women veterans avail themselves of the care they are entitled to, while twenty-two percent of male veterans seek the care.

The mind-set among many providers of care is that the military is a male society, and that women are not subjected to the traumas of combat. Nothing could be further from the truth, as in today’s conflicts the front lines no longer exist, even though by law women are excluded from combat roles. I don’t know about anyone else, but I certainly would not even remotely suggest that to any of our returning OEF/OIF women veterans.

Providers are not ensuring that women veterans be fully evaluated for PTSD, as they have the archaic mind-set that women were not exposed. Women also have a difficult time receiving appropriate mental health services for sexual trauma because they are unable to “prove” it.

At present the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee is working to alleviate these problems. They are also seriously considering the issue of child care for women veterans who may have to undergo inpatient treatment, since many women are resistant due to the shortage of appropriate proper care available for their children. It’s time for the VA to correct this situation.

Claim? What Claim?

The VA, after being caught shredding claims information and disposing of it, as well as losing it, has come up with a new way to handle claims. They want to go paperless in handling the process of claims. This Paperless Initiative will be utilized to handle Compensation / Pension / Education / Voc Rehab / Employment / Insurance and Loan Guarantee benefits.

With the difficulties the VA has with a simplistic system as hard copies I can visualize the enormous mess this will create. We’ll no longer have to worry about claims being shredded – now all we have to fear is CTRL/ALT/DELETE.

Positive Veteran Health Care Modality

Some VA Medical Centers have developed and implemented a new approach to providing care to our chronically ill veterans. It is known as Home-Based Primary Care. This could let the veteran be treated at home, rather than traveling to a doctor’s office or being hospitalized.

While this method of provision of care is in place at many VA Medical Centers, no two are alike, as they are able to develop the programs to meet the environment of their area.

The Ongoing Log Jam

Since the first of the year, the VA claims backlog has increased sixteen percent. This doesn’t seem to be getting any better, and I wonder if the VA really has a way to deal with it. The VA claims that it expects individual staff productivity to decline because of the challenge of training and integrating new staff members.
So if initial claims have increased sixty percent in the past fiscal year, from 458,000 claims to 729,000, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the handwriting on the wall. And still the VA has no viable solution to the problem.

__________
After over 20 years in the U.S. Navy, Bob Gutsche worked as a counselor in the VA system for many years. He holds a Masters in Social Work degree. Contact him at gutsche@mwt.net.

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