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ABC: Tracking Wounded Vets Cost Too Much
TPM alum Justin Rood reports:
A proposal to keep seriously wounded vets from falling through the cracks of the bureaucracy was shelved in 2005 when Jim Nicholson took over as the secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department, according to the former VA employee who was responsible for tracking war casualties.As a result, seriously wounded veterans continued to face long delays for health care and benefit payments after being discharged from the military, says former VA program manager Paul Sullivan....
Sullivan said he was told the cost of the system -- less than $1 million to build and requiring a handful of staff to maintain -- was prohibitive.
$1 million.
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Comments (12)
Unholy Moses wrote on March 7, 2007 5:28 PM:Wow ... just ... wow.
Good to see those who always yell "Support the troops!!" don't actually, you know, support the troops.
I'd be more than willing to give back that whopping $20 a year tax break Bush gave me if it went to helping wounded vets. I bet others feel the same way ...
genesic wrote on March 7, 2007 5:51 PM:OK, here's the plan. We get the warhead and then hold the world ransom for...ONE MILLION DOLLARS!
/Austin Powers
It wasn't a lot of money in 1997. It's not a lot of money now. But hey, at least Bush supports the troops, right?
Anonymous wrote on March 7, 2007 5:57 PM:Maybe they used it to buy "support The Troops" magnetic ribbons.
So why does Nicholson still have his job?
d
global citizen wrote on March 7, 2007 9:30 PM:May a thousand Rood-ses bloom.
Richard L. Adlof wrote on March 7, 2007 9:49 PM:Let me guess what's next:
Tatooing UPC barcodes on their foreheads . . .
Injecting tracer chips into their shoulders like dogs at the pound . . .
Retina scanners and other biometric readers located on every door at every VA facility . . .
Wouldn't it just be easier and cheaper to simply honor rheir VA ID's?
Richard Nixon wrote on March 7, 2007 10:32 PM:$1 million? I know where we can get that.
Bart Halp wrote on March 8, 2007 12:12 AM:Not that this excuses any VA issues that do exist, but it is frustrating that the press does not seem to be able to properly differentiate between DOD and VA. I've seen the Walter Reed problems attributed to the VA over and over in recent press coverage. I would be more confident in the information being presented if they were able to get their facts straight.
bill o rile me wrote on March 8, 2007 1:08 AM:U.S. soldiers might want to consider buying mega lottery tickets. Better the chance for proper care.
Al in Austex wrote on March 8, 2007 5:30 AM:Ok the next question re Walter Reed might be who benefitted from the Privatization directly when IBP took over this contract . And precisely how was the contract obtained -did convicted felon Safavian late of the White House staff -have anything to do with the contract? .
Jimi in the Cornbelt wrote on March 8, 2007 10:53 AM:The private contractor immmediately reduced the head count -and care for our vets sufferd horribly.This is more BuchCo NEO Thuggery - follow the money.
Bart, sad to say most of the press doesn't research squat anymore. Just pull it off the wires (AP, Reuters, etc) and slap it up hoping that they did their research. Most of the time it's just Administration talking points, recycled and refurbished for the latest "Ooopsy."
wagonjak wrote on March 8, 2007 2:07 PM:Why is Jim Nicholson still in office? As usual with the screw-ups of this administration, some mid level and lower level officers have been moved or fired, but the man ultimately responsible has skated as usual...
FIRE JIM NICHOLSON IMMEDIATELY!!!
Anonymous wrote on March 8, 2007 2:58 PM:Not only has Nicholson skated, I understand he has a major role in the investgation of, wait for it, HIS OWN ORGANIZATION! Henhouse, meet fox. Sheesh.
d