In an online essay, institute Director of Health Policy Studies at Cato Institute Michael Cannon offered a radical idea to transform the Department of Veteran Affairs. Cannon suggests that free health care not be provided for veterans and instead provide better pay and vouchers for veterans to buy their own coverage.

Cannon also has recommended privatizing the Veterans Health Administration, which he believes would “improve the quality of veteran’s benefits immeasurably.”

The idea, despite some factors such as expanding private care options for veterans, has been widely opposed by individuals all over the political spectrum. Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, are in favor of providing veterans with more private health care options but have never mentioned plans to completely rid veteran’s benefits. Democrats and veteran groups are completely opposed to privatization of VA functions arguing that these physicians lack expertise or motivation to handle difficult service-connected injuries.

The common belief amongst many is that not only is this idea radical, but it is also a ridiculous idea provided from the Cato Institute think tank. The strict privatization of health care for veterans would almost certainly result in veterans paying out of pocket for their medical care, despite the vouchers received. Medical care is the least we can provide our veterans for the sacrifices of them and their families.

Student veterans have access to expert advice from the VA about the best ways in which to use the benefits that are available to them. The counselors provide assistance on a range of issues, including applying for education benefits, filing service-related claims and helping them understand the nature of the benefits they have.

Navy veteran Reginald Rogers and Brett Haddow, who was in the Air Force, interact with veterans to answer questions and offer step-by-step guidance. They also work with their children and spouses.

Rogers is keen to ensure that veterans are not wasting their benefits. He also deals with the frustration often experienced by veterans who are struggling to get in touch with the VA or find information about their services.

The areas the counselors cover include Washtenaw Community College, Schoolcraft College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Eastern Michigan University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan, among others.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Muskegon County’s alternative court for veterans would initially focus on high-risk and high-need veterans

By Chris Berry

A Muskegon County alternative court for combat veterans of high-risk and great-need could be the first court of its kind in Michigan to be certified by the U.S. Department of Justice.

A presentation on the project was made to the Muskegon County Commissioners Sept. 3 meeting by Muskegon County District Court Judge Michael Nolan and David Eling, the county’s director of the Department of Veteran Affairs. Nolan would be the veterans court’s judge, while Eling would coordinate mentors for veterans in the court.

(Related: Female Veterans Gather for a Day of Service and Sisterhood)

Federal certification for a veterans’ court would produce more paperwork, but also the potential of additional federal grant money for its programs, Eling said. The specialty court would direct offenders into treatment programs and reduce the number of repeat offenders, called recidivism.

“We want to get them off that merry-go-round,” Eling said. “We certainly owe it to these men and women.”

The primary focus of the court would be high-risk, high-need combat veterans, labeled “little time bombs” by Eling, because often they return from combat tours used to violence and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

(Related: U.S. Ceases Enforcement of Laws Banning VA Benefits For Same-Sex Couples)

“They need it the most and are at the highest risk of recidivism,” Nolan said.

All candidates for the specialty court would have to be approved by the Muskegon County Prosecutor.

“We’ve decided to take it on a case-by-case basis,” Nolan said.

Set to launch in January or February 2014, the court would begin with only 10 defendants. The start of the program had been delayed because funding for the court’s training initially fell through. Eling said Judy Kell, Muskegon County’s grants coordinator, located an alternative training that the court could complete nearly for free from the National Drug Court Institute.

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Muskegon County’s Department of Veteran’s Affairs came up with close to $10,000 needed to send four people from the veterans’ court team to Washington, D.C., to complete training.

“This has no impact to the general fund, because we’re using existing resources,” Muskegon County Administrator Bonnie Hammersley told County Commissioners.

Read more: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/09/muskegon_countys_federally-cer.html

Christopher J. Berry is a Michigan elder law attorney Dedicated to helping seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care maze. To learn more visit http://www.theeldercarefirm.com/ or call 248.481.4000

Now Congress is pushing for President Obama to “take direct action” to end the backlog. A bipartisan letter helmed by Reps. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla. and Mike Coffman, R-Colo. and cosigned by 164 House Republicans and Democrats, is urging the white House to run interference in order to help the more than 600,000 vets currently waiting for their overdue disability claims. The average time they wait to have a first-time filing processed is between 317 and 327 days, the letter states. Many vets are waiting as long as two years for their claim to be processed, and there are vets who waited as many as 1,000 days.

This letter is not the first of its kind – a similar one was sent a month ago by 67 senators which also requested that President Obama take action by becoming involved in solving the disability claims backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Some cities are running a lag time longer than others; the average wait for a disabled vet inNew Yorkis 642 days, while the average wait for a vet inPhiladelphiais 510 days. While Congress has approved more funding and more employees for the Department of Veteran Affairs, the backlog situation has not improved. A spokesperson for Veterans Affairs has stated that the agency has processed more than 4 million claims in the past four years – a record number – while admitting that more needs to be done.

The VA’s goal is to process the backlog of claims by the end of 2015 as the system completes a switch from paper-based processing to a new electronic system. A backlogged claim is any claim 125 days or older. The electronic system has been rolled out in 20 offices throughout theUnited   States, and should be in all of the 56 offices by the end of 2013.

In response, White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the President is “deadly serious” about clearing the extensive backlog by 2015. But while the backlog issue predates Obama’s administration, advocates are pushing for him to become more hands-on in order to get the system resolved. According to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), more than 575,000 vets have been waiting for their claim to be processed for more than 125 days.

Source

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/01/democrats-and-republican-in-both-chamber-press-obama-to-end-backlog-veterans/

Now Congress is pushing for President Obama to “take direct action” to end the backlog. A bipartisan letter helmed by Reps. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla. and Mike Coffman, R-Colo. and cosigned by 164 House Republicans and Democrats, is urging the white House to run interference in order to help the more than 600,000 vets currently waiting for their overdue disability claims. The average time they wait to have a first-time filing processed is between 317 and 327 days, the letter states. Many vets are waiting as long as two years for their claim to be processed, and there are vets who waited as many as 1,000 days.

This letter is not the first of its kind – a similar one was sent a month ago by 67 senators which also requested that President Obama take action by becoming involved in solving the disability claims backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Some cities are running a lag time longer than others; the average wait for a disabled vet in New York is 642 days, while the average wait for a vet in Philadelphia is 510 days. While Congress has approved more funding and more employees for the Department of Veteran Affairs, the backlog situation has not improved. A spokesperson for Veterans Affairs has stated that the agency has processed more than 4 million claims in the past four years – a record number – while admitting that more needs to be done.

The VA’s goal is to process the backlog of claims by the end of 2015 as the system completes a switch from paper-based processing to a new electronic system. A backlogged claim is any claim 125 days or older. The electronic system has been rolled out in 20 offices throughout the United States, and should be in all of the 56 offices by the end of 2013.

In response, White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the President is “deadly serious” about clearing the extensive backlog by 2015. But while the backlog issue predates Obama’s administration, advocates are pushing for him to become more hands-on in order to get the system resolved. According to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), more than 575,000 vets have been waiting for their claim to be processed for more than 125 days.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800