Barack Obama,  Jon Stewart,  Veterans

Obama Administration Backs Away from Veteran’s Policy After Jon Stewart Rips Obama’s Plan to Charge Wounded Veterans for Medical Care

March 18, 2009 /

It only took two days of concerted discussion with Veteran’s groups which became hopping mad to get the Obama Administration to back away from their outrageous policy to charge wounded veterans for their medical care.

The White House on Wednesday backed off a controversial plan that would have dramatically altered the way the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) handles insurance claims, after veterans groups staged an all-out fight against such a proposal.

President Obama will not pursue a proposal that would have allowed the VA to charge private insurance companies for the treatment of veterans with service- and war-related injuries. The proposal raised the ire of prominent Democrats on the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs panels. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was the first to announce Wednesday afternoon that the president won’t pursue such a proposal.

For the second time in a week, representatives from prominent veterans organizations went to the White House on Wednesday to meet with the White House chief of staff on VA budget issues.

Jim King, the national executive director for American Veterans (AMVETS), said that the meeting with Rahm Emanuel lasted all of 15 minutes and that the health insurance issue was the only topic discussed. The representatives of the 11 veterans organizations told Emanuel they were not willing to back down, and the chief of staff told them that he thought the issue was “off the table,” but that he needed to talk to Obama.

Another problem with Obama’s competence? Like AIG? Or does Obama not truly respect Veterans – since he ain’t one?

In the meantime, Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spins the full retreat by Obama (Via Ed):

“President Obama listened to the genuine concerns expressed by the veteran service organizations regarding the option of billing service-connected injuries to veterans’ insurance companies,” said Pelosi. “Based on the respect President Obama has for veterans and the principle concerns of our veteran leaders, the president made the decision that combat wounds should not be billed through their insurance policies.”
 
Pelosi made her comments at a meeting with veterans’ service organizations at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. After her announcement, the group gave her a standing ovation.

The original Flap is below.

Jon Stewart: That Can’t Be Right – Veteran’s Health Insurance

Obama is doing rather poorly when Jon Stewart rips his wounded veteran’s policy. No wonder “The One” is going on Jay Leno tomorrow night.

By the way, I have ridiculed this betrayal of trust Obama policy a number of times.

Technorati Tags: , ,

5 Comments

  • Rich

    April 7, 2009 at 7:07 am

    Veteran groups endorse more Democrats than Republicans. The mainstream media is not talking much about how Obama is going to dramatically increase funding to the VA and the praise it is getting from Vet groups.

  • Flap

    April 7, 2009 at 7:11 am

    May be because there are more Democrats in office than Republicans?

    Obama IS increasing funding to the VA as a precursor to his nationalized health care system, while cutting the defense budget in other areas.

    Veterans groups may like this idea but the defense capability of this country may suffer.

  • David Marshall

    October 2, 2009 at 5:54 am

    A trust betrayed?

    The Chief Judge of Congress’s Court of Veterans Appeals stated that the, “Constitution, Statutes and Regulations” are “policy freely ignored” by both “The Veterans Health Administration” and the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), i.e., the “STATE OF COURT” transcript PARAGRAPH 9 with Congress’s law of the land U.S. CODE, TITLE 38, SECTIONS (§) 511 and § 7252. Decisions of the Secretary; finality; REFERENCES [1], [2] & [3]. This is a no teeth Congressional LEGISLATIVE vs an independent from Congress and the DVA, Judicial Branch Court. The DVA Health Care laymen, “initial adjudicators” still are not held responsible for their “freely ignored” and medically ignorant “Schedule of Ratings for Disabilities” decisions.

    An example of the “initial adjudicators” to date “freely ignored” is this veterans 1957 DVA Physician’s resultant, “MPerR PERMANENT” “SURGEON HQ ARRC JUN 25 ‘58 MEDICALLY DISQUALIFIED FOR MILITARY SERVICE”!

    It is now 15 years later without the Chief Judge’s advised Congressional oversight. Please hold your U.S. House and Senate members accountable for Congress’s perverted Veteran Care.

    REFERENCES:

    [1] The complete 16 paragraph “STATE OF COURT” transcript is available on request. Previously at, and now missing from the Chief Judges and state_of_court sites: http://www.goodnet.com/~heads/nebeker and http://www.firebase.net/state_of_court_brief.htm

    “STATE OF COURT

    CHIEF JUDGE FRANK Q. NEBEKER

    STATE OF THE COURT

    FOR PRESENTATION TO THE

    UNITED STATES COURT OF VETERANS APPEALS

    THIRD JUDICIAL CONFERENCE

    OCTOBER 17-18, 1994

    {as it appears in Veterans Appeals Reporter}”

    ——————–PARAGRAPH 9 of 16 in “STATE OF COURT” TRANSCRIPT records DVA laymen ignoring medical opinion without veteran recourse.—————————–

    “I believe my message is clear. There is, I suggest, no system with judicial review which has within it a component part free to function in its own way, in its own time and with one message to those it disappoints — take an appeal. That is, I am afraid, what we have today in many of the Department’s Agencies of Original Jurisdiction — that is AOJs — around the country. Neither the Court, through the Board, the Board, nor the General Counsel has direct and meaningful control over the Agencies of Original Jurisdiction. Indeed, it is also clear that the VHA — the Veterans Health Administration — ignores specific directives to provide medical opinions as directed. And this is resulting in unconscionable delays. Let us examine judicial review. Remember, the Court and the Board do not make policy, the Secretary and Congress do. The Court simply identifies error made below by a failure to adhere, in individual cases, to the Constitution, statutes, and regulations which themselves reflect policy — policy freely ignored by many initial adjudicators whose attitude is, “I haven’t been told by my boss to change. If you don’t like it — appeal it.” (Emphasis added)

    The top medically ignorant “boss” is Congress’s confirmed “Secretary” of the DVA.

    AND THE CONGRESS’S “policy freely ignored” UNITED STATES CODE law of the land, Health Care take away from Veterans:

    [2] UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 38 > PART I > CHAPTER 5 > SUBCHAPTER I >
    § 511. Decisions of the Secretary; finality

    http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/usc…11—-000-.html

    “(a) The Secretary shall decide all questions of law and fact necessary to a decision by the Secretary under a law that affects the provision of benefits by the Secretary to veterans or the dependents or survivors of veterans. Subject to subsection (b), THE DECISION OF THE SECRETARY AS TO ANY SUCH QUESTION SHALL BE FINAL AND CONCLUSIVE AND MAY NOT BE REVIEWED BY ANY OTHER OFFICIAL OR BY ANY COURT, whether by an action in the nature of mandamus or otherwise.” (Emphasis added)

    THEREFORE, NO COURT REVIEW OF THE MEDICALLY UNTRAINED DVA laymen and “Secretary” “schedule of ratings for disabilities” decisions as proven by:

    [3] UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 38 PART V > CHAPTER 72 > SUBCHAPTER I >
    § 7252. Jurisdiction; finality of decisions

    “(b) Review in the Court shall be on the record of proceedings before the Secretary and the Board. The extent of the review shall be limited to the scope provided in section 7261 of this title. THE COURT MAY NOT REVIEW THE SCHEDULE OF RATINGS FOR DISABILITIES adopted under section 1155 of this title or any action of the Secretary in adopting or revising that schedule.” (Emphasis added.)