Bush’s 2004 budget proposal, announced in February, would impose a $250 annual enrollment fee on veterans who don’t have service-related disabilities and generally have incomes above $24,000. Veterans in those low-priority groups also would see their co-payments for doctor visits rise to $20 from $15 and to $15 from $7 per 30-day prescription.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said the changes would help make up for insufficient financial resources and would reduce the backlogs that are forcing some patients to wait months for time-sensitive health-care services.
The plan, which is subject to congressional approval, is designed simultaneously to reduce enrollment of less-needy patients and to raise more money.
When the stricter eligibility requirements were proposed in February, the department trumpeted them as a way to help focus its health-care assets on providing medical care to veterans who need it most.
J.P. Brown III, the Youngstown-based commander of Ohio AMVETS, said the cutbacks would have drastic effects on veterans, especially in northeastern Ohio, where unemployment is rising.
"A lot of these people are just barely making it now,’’ he said.
Brown added that the changes might discourage young people from enlisting. "If they’re going to be reneging on these promises . . . what are the chances of us maintaining a strong and vital military superpower?’’ he asked.
The administration’s recent decision to stop enrolling Priority 8 veterans — those who weren’t seriously injured in service and whose incomes are relatively high — will make 4,000 Ohioans ineligible for VA health care.
Unlike the other proposed changes, the enrollment freeze didn’t require congressional backing and went into effect in mid-January.
Dave Barker

BILLIONS TO FIGHT AN IMMORAL DISEASE IN AFRICA...

PORKBARREL PROJECTS IN ALMOST EVERY STATE IN THE UNION...

WELFARE AND SSI FOR THE UNDERCLASS...

AND A FEW PARADES AND INTERVIEWS FOR THE VETERANS?

WHEN WILL WE BAND TOGETHER TO STOP THIS INSANITY?

WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH?

Immoral disease????? Is Africa a continant of Homosexuals? I was not aware of that.

Today I interviewed a veteran, who retired from the Army. His income is Social Security and his Army retirement. His total income is $1500 per month. The VA charges him all co-pays as he has to much income!
This man served at the end of WWII, Korea and Vietnam unbroken service. He earned the Combat Medical Badge in Korea and re-earned it in Vietnam.
The only thing he ever asked the VA for was medical. Now the VA is going to take his co-payments out of his retirement check! That will save the higher income taxpayers some valuable dollars.
Dave Barker

I now represent the veteran who earned the Combat Medical Badge in Korea and again in Vietnam. This retiree had never filed a claim with the VA for anything. Not even VA healthcare. Now he needs VA healthcare and cannot afford it as he makes to much money! Get REAL! I discussed this with the people at our hospital who actually support the veterans and look for ways to get around the obstacles that pop up from time to time. Now when this co-pay goes into effect the old Sarge is going to have to look at possible co-payments.
His Army pension and Social Security total $1500 per month and he is going to have to pay all those new charges. Hopefully at $18,000 per year we can get the Sarge in under the poverty limit threshold.
Uh Oh. I forgot. He bought a couple of acres a few years ago and with the CD he foolishly holds, causes his income to go over the limit! The investments will be counted against him. So if he liquidates the CD and sells his unneeded property he can then be treated without the co-pays AFTER his year of prior income expires. Sometime in mid 2004.
Dave Barker

We all now know, the enrollment freeze didn’t require congressional backing and went into effect in mid-January 2003. It was scheduled to last at least the rest of this year. Now my sources say this will continue through at least the end of 2004. A decision to re-instate Priority 8 veterans to VA healthcare most likely will not be made until after the November 2004 elections.
To make matters worse, for non-service connected working veterans, or military retirees new enrollees are on the way! The influx of possibly 200,000 returning combat veterans from the PGW2, Kosovo and Afghan wars will be allowed two years of VA healthcare before being disqualified. The system will be required to tighten the financial belt for the expected overflow.
Does this problem bother anyone else?
Dave Barker

USE EACH AND EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THE DISGRACEFUL TREATMENT OF VETERANS BY ALL THE LAYERS OF GOVERNMENT AND BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES.

RONCO you are so right! In these issues of VA health care Concurrent Receipt and many other disappointments in a long line of broken promises!
Dave Barker

Here Here. God Bless Ronco!! Continue the fight. Figure out who the enemy is and take it to them.

AND HE IS US...

Re: Immoral disease

You are corect, Africa is not a continent of homosexuals, however you have to admit the HIV and the Ebola viruses did originate there, albeit they are NOT immoral.

Holy crap Vet. You must be bored. You're reading some old stuff. Take up the "aids is immoral" argument with RONCO. He wrote it. I bet he's got issues with money going to our African friends by the billions for Aids victims.

Personally Robert, I have reservations about sending money over there for that. I believe that money could have been better distributed here for worthy causes.

THOUGHT WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT OUR OWN OUT IN THE STREETS...HEARD WE BOUGHT TOO MANY ALLIES...IT IS AMAZING HOW MANY LIBS HAVE TRUE FEELINGS BUT FALSE PREMISES...

I WOULD QUIT ALL FOREIGN AID AND TIGHTEN THE BORDERS, BOTH AT ENTRY AND EXIT POINTS WITH THE MONEY...

VETERANS NEED THE MONEY MUCH MORE THAN FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS...TROOPS NEED A REAL RAISE AT THE ENLISTED LEVEL FIRST...

TYPICAL USE OF PC AND DOUBLE SPEAK TO TRY AND MAKE SOME SILLY PARTISAN POINT THAT DOES NOTHING TO HELP VETS OR TROOPS...I WOULD NOT SERVE WITH SOME OF YOU BLEEDING HEARTS.

As I said before, take care of our own first, then the rest of the world. I think we're in agreement on this one.

Gotta agree also.

I wonder who Ronco is talking about??? Seems we're on the same page except for the "I wouldn't serve with" crap. Many of those that you think your too good to serve with are in body bags and buried in foreign cemeteries.

It seems as if an agreement is being reached. Instead of sending our money overseas, we should first take care of our veterans? How novel. I wish our wonderful politicians would have thought of that!
Currently under the new IRS regs, we have E-6's and below not eligible for a tax refund. Then when they are retired from 20 plus years, unless they are service connected disabled, they are not eligible for VA healthcare, because their military pension puts them into Priority Group 8 if they get a slightly over minimum wage job and work 40 hours per week. Then they are called names by the affluent and told they didn't plan their life right, etcetera, etcetera. We that care are told we don't need another welfare program and other such little gems. There are many veterans who struggled through 20 years who were E-5's and E-6's who could not advance any higher for many reasons. Sometimes it was due to the MOS being closed; or they could do the job well and simply could not get around the test. There are many reasons. Does this mean their 20 years of service to this nation regulates them to no medical care? Or no break on taxes? When people tell me they lived well on E-4 pay they need to be writing books on that subject.
Dave Barker

Stop breaking every word down that is written and attempting to analyze it. You'll drive yourself and the rest of us crazy. You took RONCO's word out of context.

Once again, WELL DONE, Dave!