After weeks of disagreement and heated debate, House and Senate lawmakers have made a deal regarding how to help fix the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system, which has been mired by scandals, long wait times, and whistleblower retaliation for months, according to The Associated Press.
Details of the plan
The agreement – said to include tens of billions of dollars of funding and resources to lease new clinics and hire more medical professionals – will help veterans seek care at VA facilities and at outside agencies to reduce wait times under a strict time schedule. Recently, Sloan Gibson, the acting Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, requested $17.6 billion over the next three years to finance new locations, hire 10,000 more clinicians and upgrade some of the organization's technology. However, lawmakers have not specified the details surrounding the agreement yet. Instead, officials will be holding a press conference to release the full details about funding, hiring goals and other health care information.
Committee chairmen come together
The plan was agreed upon by legislative leaders Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Jeff Miller. The House and Senate approved VA health care bills in mid-June and expected a final bill by July 4, but slow-moving negotiations pushed that deadline back, according to The Associated Press. After talks broke down into verbal clashes, Sanders – the chair of the Senate Veterans committee – and Miller – chairman of the House panel – managed to come together during weekend telephone discussions. Now just days before Congress begins a month-long recess, a plan has been formulated for lawmakers to vote on and approve. After details are released, the plan must go to a conference committee of lawmakers for approval and then to the full House and Senate before reaching President Barack Obama's desk for a signature.
Solving current problems
The Associated Press reported that a recent audit of the VA showed that 10 percent of veterans seeking care at VA hospitals are still waiting 30 days or more for an appointment. Additionally, 46,000 veterans have waited over three months for appointments. At the same time, 7,000 veterans have not received appointments over the decade in which they requested them. Those struggles are due to shortages of doctors, improper timeline goals, and manipulation of patient wait-time data that protected managers' payment bonuses, according to The New York Times.
More than providing funding and leeway for hiring medical staff the plan is said to, "make VA more accountable and to help the department recruit more doctors, nurses and other health care professionals," Miller and Sanders said, as quoted by The Associated Press.
Many members of the military spend years on the battlefield. In fact, some spend the majority of their lives there. They don't operate aircrafts or military vehicles, aren't equipped with weaponry or much armor, yet they're charged with one of the more dangerous combat jobs overseas: locating explosives. They're the military's combat dogs.
Dedicating their lives to the protection of their human companions and to citizens thousands of miles away, they have been called the guardians of America's freedom. Unfortunately, many of them have been left behind.
Military dogs take the hill
A group of five war dog veterans accompanied by military canine advocates took to Capitol Hill recently to speak with lawmakers. The goal was to pass new legislation mandating that retiring war dogs be brought home to the U.S., preferably with their handlers, instead of being left overseas. According to USA Today, the president of the American Humane Association told reporters that military dogs are often not brought back to the states.
"Military working dogs that are retired overseas will go to a local shelter or another military facility if they're not adopted," said Robin Ganzert, president of the American Humane Association, according to USA Today. "We need to bring them back to the U.S., the country they were raised in and served for. They need to be retired on U.S. soil and reunited with the soldier that they worked with, because that's the person that cares most about the dog. It's a powerful bond they share."
The USA Today report said that over 1,775 war dogs are currently in service. Around 300 to 400 of those dogs retire and are adopted annually. If they are not adopted, they are left in a kennel. Despite a great amount of adoption volunteers, logistics can keep some people from bringing the dogs back home. Namely, future caretakers of the dogs are responsible for the canines' transportation back to the country, and that service can cost thousands of dollars.
According to NPR, Congress passed a law last year saying the military may bring dogs back from war zones to be reunited with their handlers. However, the saying that the military "may" bring the dogs back home does not require them to honor the service. Canine veteran advocates on Capitol Hill want the military to pay for bringing the dogs back stateside, allowing their handlers that served alongside them to adopt them more easily.
A life of service
Military dogs are charged with a service period that can last for years. A dog is only retired if it becomes sick, injured or cannot perform its duties. Where some handlers go on tours that last one or two years, dogs can be kept in service overseas for much longer. Sometimes, they never come back to the U.S.
Last year, John Burnam – a dog handler in Vietnam and the writer of two combat dog books – helped erect the country's first national monument dedicated to service dogs, according to Reuters. Inscribed with "Guardians of America's Freedom, the monument was built with past combat canines in mind. Military officials did not allow combat dogs in Vietnam to return with their handlers.
"They were heroes," Burnam told Reuters, "and they were left to die."
Canine advocates are fighting to bring veteran dogs back home to the states to be reunited with handlers like Marine vet Deano Miller. Miller served with a yellow Labrador named Thor four years ago, according to NPR. During their service, Thor was never on a leash or in a kennel. He never left Miller's side.
When Miller went back to the U.S., Thor was left behind in Afghanistan to finish his service.
"I had to wait 3 1/2 years for him, but I'd wait more if I had to," Miller said, according to NPR.
Now, the veteran dog can rest at home with his partner.
President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs attended a confirmation hearing recently where he promised several organizational and leadership changes to the VA. If elected, McDonald promised changes such as quarterly video conferences with regional VA officials, new review boards to measure the effectiveness of health care delivery, a focused approach on digital record keeping and a publicized invitation to whistleblowers to help spur change in the department, according to Military Times.
Inheriting a broken department
Ultimately, McDonald was well received by Senate VA committee officials, who said they would endorse him, The Wall Street Journal reported. However, lawmakers were skeptical about why McDonald would want to take charge of the broken and mismanaged VA.
"You are about to take over a bankrupt corporation," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, according to the Journal. "The real insolvency is in morale and management."
Senators were blunt about the struggles facing the VA. In the hearing they mentioned problems with data manipulation, whistleblower retaliation, longstanding appointment delays, corruption, insufficient staffing and funds and a flurry of other problems. Many were confused as to why anyone would accept responsibility over an organization fraught with such obstacles.
McDonald, a West Point graduate and veteran himself, called the position a fulfilling responsibility.
"I desperately want this job because I think I can make a difference," McDonald said, according to the Journal. "For me, taking care of veterans is personal. I come from—and deeply care for—military families."
In further remarks, McDonald expressed optimism in changing the VA, and was enthusiastic about his ability to handle the challenge.
"There is a lot of work to do to transform the department and it will not be easy, but it is essential and can be achieved," McDonald said, according to Military Times. "I think I can make a difference … I think this is an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of veterans."
The road ahead
In a greater move for transparency, McDonald suggested sharing his cellphone number with the senators, opening the lines of communication between them. However, the nominee for VA expressed that this would not be a one-way street.
"When I give you my cell phone number, I want yours at the same time," McDonald said, according to the Journal.
Now, after receiving strong support from the senators at the confirmation hearing, McDonald may be voted to head the VA as early as next week. Sen. Bernie Sanders expects a full Senate vote before lawmakers take their summer break Aug. 2, according to Military Times.
Vice President Joe Biden pressed Congress to vote in favor of President Barack Obama's candidate for the role of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary and discussed the future of U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this week. However, the vice president made another more optimistic announcement for veterans recently, too. Biden unveiled a White House initiative aimed at decreasing veteran unemployment and resupplying the nation with qualified technology specialists. A new tech jobs training initiative will specialize in veteran-specific training and placement efforts, according to Military Times.
The future of the job market for veterans
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual convention, Biden discussed some of the details of the new high-tech training initiative, but told veterans that the fully detailed plan would be made public July 22. This job training effort comes after a month-long review by the vice president regarding how to make high-skill training options available to all U.S. citizens. According to Military Times, the study found a 1.4 million-job void in the technology jobs sector that will be filled by American businesses over the course of five years.
Reducing the amount of outsourced jobs
During the convention, Biden also discussed the training difficulties the U.S. has faced and how it has lured a wave of foreign workers to the nation.
"Ask yourself the rhetorical question: Why do we need to issue 480,000 to 500,000 [immigrant] visas — which I welcome — to come to the United States to fill high-tech jobs that range from $70,000 a year to $168,000 a year in high-tech industries?" Biden said, according to Military Times. "It's because we don't have enough qualified people here at home."
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, veterans have an unemployment rate slightly above the national average. The BLS also reports that some of the youngest veterans – veterans ages 18 to 24 – have the highest rate of unemployment, 24.3 percent, compared to civilians within the same age group, 15.8 percent.
A wave of ongoing scandals, including data manipulation and whistleblower retaliation, have undoubtedly tainted the reputation of the Department of Veterans Affairs, but it's the wait times that veterans face when scheduling appointments that has really caused the organization to fall from critics' graces. According to Military Times, over 630,000 veterans have faced wait times over a month long as of July 3.
To help the VA decrease those long wait periods, the current head of the organizations, acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson, has asked for an additional $17.6 billion to hire 10,000 new medical staff members, build eight new medical facilities and lease another 77 new medical facilities around the country.
Adding to present funding
VA officials are confident that an increased budget can dramatically improve the lives of veterans looking for medical care in the future, but some argue that the already steep budget enjoyed by the VA should be enough to correct current problems. Gibson refuted these claims in his first testimony on Capitol Hill.
"I know it sounds like huge numbers," Gibson told lawmakers, according to Military Times. "But [VA] historically has not managed to veterans' requirements, we've managed to budget numbers."
There is already an emergency VA reform bill that would attribute $30 billion to the VA over a three-year period, but this measure gives the organization just $500 million for additional hiring measures, a figure too small to fund 10,000 new medical staff members. Most of the remaining budget aims to help veterans seek private care options, reducing pressure on a VA that has been stretched thin over the years.
Lawmakers and veteran officials have not decided which route would allow for a timelier and more effective solution for veterans. While many agree that allowing greater access to private care facilities would reduce wait times quicker than massive new hiring measures, Gibson told lawmakers that the new hiring and infrastructure initiatives would solve VA issues in the short term and provide longer-term problem solutions for resource issues.
The wait times will likely get longer with no additional funding for securing more beds and medical staff, Gibson told the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, according to an article by The Washington Post. However, some politicians doubt whether increased funds will help the embattled VA.
"This sounds so similar to what we've heard over the years," Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska told Gibson on Capitol Hill, according to the Los Angeles Times. Johanns continued by mentioning the committee had previously granted VA budget requests, which did not solve many of the organizations issues.
"If you can't clean up your act, then guess what? You lose out," Johanns said. "I don't think you need more billions and billions of dollars."
A history of issues but a brighter future
The VA has faced many struggles in the past few months. The former VA secretary Erik Shinseki resigned in May following audits that discovered some veterans had to wait months for medical appointments. Additionally, administrators have been covering up those wait times to protect performance bonuses.
All of this activity has lead to the VA undertaking several changes to improve the current health system. Since the turmoil in May that ended with Shinseki's resignation, Gibson has reported the VA health care system has reached out to 160,000 veterans on the wait list, according to the Military Times.
Whether the VA receives Gibson's requested funds or gains the $30 billion from the emergency reform bill to help increase access to private health institutions, the organization may be lead by a new secretary within weeks or months. President Barack Obama's nominee, former Proctor & Gamble chief executive Bob McDonald, may become the new VA head by December, which could mean a whole new direction for the department.
Traumatic brain injuries rob veterans of their memories and affect their ability to create new memories every year. Moreover, TBIs present a widespread problem in the civilian community that diminishes the quality of life for hundreds of thousands, according to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. To help solve the problem in both communities, DARPA recently announced that several research grants would be awarded, helping fund efforts to develop brain implant technologies.
Repairing the brain with hardware
According to a Military Times report, the research sector of the Pentagon is looking into devices that may reconnect areas of a damaged brain that could lead to retrieval of lost memories. The imagined technology would be a wireless neuroprosthetic. Where pharmaceutical remedies and therapies have not made dramatic breakthroughs in TBI and memory dysfunctions, this innovative technology could help pave the way for newer treatments. According to a Military.com report, DARPA claims there are no current effective treatments for the long-term effects of TBI on memory, but they are eager to change that.
"We're trying to change the game on the options available to our military members when it comes to traumatic brain injuries, and come up with new therapies," said Justin Sanchez, DARPA's Restoring Active Memory program manager, according to the Military Times. "We need new hardware, new devices that can interface with the brain, and we need to develop new computational models that allow clinicians to interface with the brain."
This project is not new to DARPA either. About a month before announcing the research grants, Military.com published a report about the Pentagon's Restoring Active Memory project. Aiming to restore memories in injured patients as well as treat people with mental health disorders, such as depression and Parkinson's disease, the RAM project is just one of the developments benefiting from $50 million of funding for research this year, allocated by DARPA.
Where the money is going
According to the Military Times, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Pennsylvania will each receive funding to develop electronic interfaces that can help recognize memory deficits and improve brain function. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California will also receive funds.
The amounts for each institution are:
- UPenn: up to $22.5 million over four years
- UCLA: up to $15 million
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California: up to $2.5 million
The effects of TBI and memory loss are widespread in the U.S. Since 2000, DARPA reports that over 270,000 servicemembers have sustained TBI injuries, which often results in difficulty retrieving memories and affects the ability to form new memories. Adding to those numbers, DARPA estimates that 1.7 million American civilians have been affected by TBI injuries. Scientists and researchers face significant biological and technological challenges in producing a piece of neuroprosthetic hardware, but plans to develop and test initiatives such as RAM and other projects are well underway. Veterans and many others stand to benefit from future innovations as well. Military.com reported that the benefits of a neuroprosthetic device could also help treat and restore the memories of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Bob McDonald, the former CEO of the fortune 500 company Proctor & Gamble, has a long resume. A West Point graduate with five years of Army experience and 33 years of corporate business experience, McDonald led over 120,000 employees stationed around the world for four years as P&G's CEO and is an active member of the West Point Alumni Association, According to The Associated Press.
By many accounts, McDonald is a highly capable candidate to head the Department of Veterans Affairs. President Barack Obama nominated McDonald after the resignation of former VA Secretary Erik Shinseki. Now, many in the medical and veterans community are questioning Obama's choice in nominating a business leader instead of a doctor or high-ranking military official, but the choice is not worrying many political leaders.
Faith in new leadership
"Bob McDonald is a good man, a veteran, and a strong leader with decades of experience in the private sector, House Speaker John Boehner said, according to CNN. "With those traits, he's the kind of person who is capable of implementing the kind of dramatic systemic change that is badly needed and long overdue at the VA."
Nonetheless, if Congress chooses to accept McDonald as the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, he will be inheriting a system fraught with corrupt personnel and numerous internal problems. After guiding 120,000 employees with P&G, McDonald will be asked to oversee 340,000 employees in the VA, which carry out services for home loans, health care, education benefits and a flurry of other responsibilities.
A hopeful outlook
Looking ahead, McDonald told VA employees and veterans advocates at the VA headquarters that he aims to build "a VA that is more effective, more efficient, and that truly puts our veterans first," according to AP.
The candidate for head of the VA went on to say, "At the VA, the veteran is our customer, and we must all focus — all day, every day — on getting them the benefits and the care that they've so earned. That's the only reason we're here."
Finding inspiration through his years as a West Point graduate, McDonald also encouraged focusing on operation fundamentals and concentrating on choosing the "harder right rather than the easier wrong" at a leadership event at a college university this past fall.
The road ahead
Just a few weeks before their August break, the Senate has little time to confirm McDonald as the new head of the VA. If his role is not finalized before the break, he may have to wait until December to assume the new role. Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, told CNN that he is already looking forward to meeting with McDonald to discuss VA issues. In the same vein, Senate officials are also saying the process should be quick, as they have already issued McDonald standard background questionnaire materials.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Brian Meyer is a double amputee working to assimilate himself back into life after service. After losing most of his fingers and a leg as a result of a roadside bomb, he became determined not to let the injuries deter him from living a normal life. He even refused having wheelchair ramps built into his home, according to a report by The Associated Press.
Fortunately for Meyer, some relatively new procedures are drastically improving his quality of life by increasing his range of motion and his ability to use his injured limbs. Meyer is undergoing ablative laser treatments, which is a procedure commonly associated with smoothing wrinkles or treat acne scars. Instead, the lasers are being used on his scar tissue, leading to some dramatic improvements in many of his physical abilities. Meyer can now use the remaining fingers on his left hand to exercise, ride his motorcycle and perform many of the daily tasks necessary to lead a normal life.
"When the job requires me to hook something and grab it, now I can do it," Meyer explains in an AP video. "Before, I couldn't."
A groundbreaking treatment
Fractional ablative resurfacing is a procedure that Naval Medical Center San Diego dermatologists helped pioneer for veterans, but the treatments help many more. According to the AP , many of the medical breakthroughs have been presented to the American Academy of Dermatology in order to help severely scarred people in the general population as well.
"These are not special, scar lasers or special, wounded warrior lasers," Chief of dermatology at NMCSD Cmdr. Peter Shumaker told the AP. "We've taken these techniques that are primarily used for cosmetic purposes and altered them a bit to apply to trauma rehabilitation."
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently produced an article about the laser treatments, saying they can dramatically improve both cosmetic appearance and function in very large scars. According to the article, the laser treatment vaporizes scar tissue with high precision, allowing scar tissue to be remodeled with very low risks of complications. The article goes on to state that these treatments often improve patients' lives by enhancing rehabilitation, allowing for earlier, greater use of prosthetics, increasing walking function, enhancing grip and reducing feelings of pain or itching.
More progress to be made
Shumaker does not call this is a wonder treatment, however.
"The technique is not a replacement for existing scar treatments, but is a valuable tool to accelerate rehabilitation and help fill the void between physical therapy and surgical revision," Shumaker told the VA.
Fractional ablative resurfacing is becoming a more common procedure among wounded soldiers, and with roughly 2,000 troops who have lost limbs after serving in Afghanistan, the treatments could vastly improve the quality of life for hundreds. Currently, the Naval Health Research Center is beginning a six-year study to better understand the road to recovery for many wounded warriors. The Wounded Warrior Recovery Project includes 1,500 participants so far, but the Navy is attempting to sign up 10,000 in total.
President Barack Obama will announce his nomination for the next secretary of Veterans Affairs on Monday. Robert A. McDonald is expected to be chosen for the position.
Who is Robert McDonald?
McDonald recently retired as chairman of Procter & Gamble, a Fortune 500 company with which he worked for 33 years. Although some question his ability to work with a government agency after being involved with the private sector for so long, McDonald has a strong military background.
McDonald's father served in World War II with the Army Air Corps. As the son of a veteran, the military was part of his early life. He went on to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduated in the top 2 percentile of his class, according to USA Today. After college, he served in the Army for five years and became a captain in the 82nd Airborne Division. When he left the military, he received the Meritorious Service Medal.
In his life after service, McDonald went back to school and got his MBA from the University of Utah in 1978. He then started working at P&G in 1980, serving as a brand manager for several big name companies, including Tide. After making his way up in the company, he later becoming chief operating officer and then chairman of the board.
Issues with the VA
McDonald will be replacing Army general Eric Shinseki, Obama's nomination from 2009, who resigned from the position on May 30.
A recent upheaval has shaken the agency amid allegations that it hasn't been providing veterans with proper medical care. An internal audit identified problems that may have caused delayed care and the falsification of records.
McDonald's experience in the private sector and with business management are being touted as key points for his consideration for the position. His experience with managing a large company is seen as potentially helpful when it comes to managing the thousands of hospitals administered by the VA. The New York Times reported that McDonald managed 120,000 employees between 2009 and 2013 and that his company served over five billion customers.
Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChystal, who served with McDonald in the 82nd Airborne, said the nominee's "business acumen, coupled with his dedication and love of our nation's military and veteran community, make him a truly great choice for the tough challenges we have at VA," the Associated Press reported.
"This is definitely a surprising pick," said Paul Rieckhoff, the chief executive and founder of charity organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told the New York Times. "McDonald is not a name that was on anyone's radar over the last few weeks. His branding background may prove helpful because there are few organizations in America with a worse reputation toward customers than the VA right now."
In order to become the official secretary of Veteran Affairs, McDonald's nomination will need support from both the Republican and Democratic parties. He must get congressional approval before being appointed.
One hundred years ago, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austria-Hungary empire. This would be the shot that would begin the "war to end all wars," World War I.
Although the United States did not enter the war until 1917, the beginning of WWI is not an event to be overlooked. It is a time to remember and honor the veterans of the past that served their nation. The last living U.S. WWI soldier, Frank Buckles, passed away in 2011 at the age of 110, according to CNN. Although they may all have passed, their sacrifices must be remembered.
The U.S. was only involved in the war for a short period of time, 19 months in total. However, during that time 116,000 Americans were killed, and more than 204,000 wounded. It changed the course of history, destroying many of the Old Regime empires and reshaping Europe. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Monarchy broke into pieces, creating some of the smaller countries we know today. Some of the nations to emerge include Poland, Ukraine, and many of the Baltic countries.
The legacy of WWI can be felt reverberating throughout history and into the current political climate. The outcome and after-effects of this war were key factors in the rise of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, opening the door to usher in the age of World War II. For every cause, there is an effect and WWII effected almost every nation on the globe.
One example of the sweeping effects of WWI was the United States' booming economy during and after the war. With Europe dealing with the destruction and aftermath of the war and America's ability to produce goods in overdrive, the U.S. became a global economic leader, shaping the country's economy into the powerhouse we know today.
Many veterans from WWI returned to their civilian jobs in their life after service, but they never forgot what they went through. The Army Times reported on a group of veterans from company B, who vowed to get together annually to remember their fellow fallen servicemen. They saved a bottle of French wine from their time overseas and meant for the final living member of their company to drink it in honor of his comrades when the time came. Joseph Maggio would be the man to make that toast. He passed away in 1997.