Long Term 'Support the Troops' - Not in America, nor Britain, Canada Too

“We are dealing with veterans, not procedures—with their problems, not ours.” —General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

DeJa-Vu, all over again!! And who do the people served and their hired representatives blame, why the agencies of course, for their failures!!

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans deprived of long-term support, say MPs

Cross-party group’s report says armed forces need more help to combat post-traumatic stress and alcohol problems

30 October 2014 - Britain’s armed forces are deprived of the help they need to combat post-traumatic stress, domestic violence, and “hazardous levels of alcohol consumption”, a cross-party group of MPs warn in a report released on Thursday.

They say veterans are faced with a “shocking” backlog in their claims for war pensions and compensation payments, and express concern about the long-term impact on troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan who have been injured, either physically or psychologically.

They say they are worried, as military operations there fade from the public eye, that long-term support for the injured will diminish, despite assurances from the MoD and the Department of Health. Leading charities have made clear they shared the MPs’ concerns.

The report, by the Commons defence committee, comes a day after leading professors in psychology and orthopaedics say the healthcare system is not providing veterans with the service they have been promised and that the government is failing to abide by the military covenant. read more>>>

“Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013

The lid has been lifted on poor veteran care — now we need to improve it

October 29 2014 - Accusations are being made that the UK government is failing to meet the very standards it set for itself when it comes to veterans. Medical experts say former military personnel are not being given the priority NHS treatment they were promised in the military covenant that was signed into law in 2011.

Orthopaedic surgeon Tim Biggs and psychiatry specialist Neil Greenberg have both been quoted as saying that promises being made about veteran care are not being realised. Former soldiers say they are facing difficulties in getting NHS treatment and shadow ministers say the government of failing in its duty.

But this problem is not just about missing out on treatment. When veterans do get help, it is often not the help they need. Services still target veterans as a group, rather than as individuals with very individual needs.

The trauma and stress that service in war zones can cause mean that what happens to personnel after they leave is actually one of the most important aspects of military service. They suddenly find themselves away from what has been a life of strict discipline and intense pressure and can struggle to cope with the transition. Services are available to help but they often fail to recognise that each veteran is different. Services need to be more tailored to reflect the different problems faced by former military personnel, be they old or young. read more>>>

"If military action is worth our troops’ blood, it should be worth our treasure, too" "not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American." -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013

Veterans Affairs, Feds Accused Of 'Inaction' And 'Inability'

06/08/2014 - Veterans of bureaucratic battles over the treatment of ex-soldiers unleashed a scathing critique Tuesday of the Harper government's record.

Outspoken advocate Sean Bruyea, at the centre of a privacy scandal when his personal medical information was leaked, testified to a parliamentary committee that MPs have failed to hold the department of veterans affairs accountable and to demand recommendations from previous studies be implemented.

The House of Commons veterans committee is reviewing the Conservative government's signature legislation, which governs the benefits and entitlements of those who've served. read more>>>

Sen. Bernie Sanders told Conservatives: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014 Neither of these recent wars have yet been paid for, let alone the results from, including the long ignored or outright denied existence of, till this Administrations Cabinet and Gen Shinseki, only Government branch consistent for the past six years, issues! As well as under deficits most of the, grossly under funded, VA budget is still borrowed thus added, problem creating, costs that shouldn't exist!