Obama mulls making vets foot bill for service injuries

This is just wrong!!!

By David Goldstein
McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is considering making veterans use private insurance to pay for treatment of combat and service-related injuries. The plan would be an about-face on what veterans believe is a long-standing pledge to pay for health care costs that result from their military service.
But in a White House meeting Monday, veterans groups apparently failed to persuade President Obama to take the plan off the table.
“Veterans of all generations agree that this proposal is bad for the country and bad for veterans,” said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “If the president and the OMB [Office of Management and Budget] want to cut costs, they can start at AIG, not the VA.”
Under current policy, veterans are responsible for health care costs that are unrelated to their military service. Exceptions in some cases can be made for veterans who do not have private insurance or are 100 percent disabled.
The president spoke Monday at the Department of Veterans Affairs to commemorate its 20th anniversary and said he hopes to increase funding by $25 billion over the next five years. But he said nothing about the plan to bill private insurers for service-related medical care.
Few details about the plan have been available, and a VA spokesman did not provide additional information. But the reaction on Capitol Hill to the idea has been swift and harsh.
“Dead on arrival” is how Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington described the idea.
“ . . . when our troops are injured while serving our country, we should take care of those injuries completely,” Murray, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told a hearing last week.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki said at the same hearing that the plan was “a consideration.” He also acknowledged that the VA’s proposed budget for next year included it as a way to increase revenue. But he told the committee that “a final decision hasn’t been made yet.”
For veterans, that was little comfort. (Read More)

'Sentinels of Freedom' Scholarships Help Wounded Veterans

I know the people mentioned in this article & I know the "Sentinels of Freedom" is a wonderful organization so I wanted to share it with you here. We met Sgt Thibeault with his family when he arrived here in April of this year....They are amazing people. I hope you will read this & check out "Sentinels of Freedom" to see what the do.

By Sharon Foster

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2008 - Thanks to a recommendation from the Army Wounded Warrior Program at Fort Riley, Kan., retired Army Sgt. Victor Thibeault of San Ramon, Calif., will study general education with the help of a "Sentinels of Freedom" scholarship that also benefits his family.

"The Sentinels of Freedom scholarship has helped me to secure gainful employment [and] a rent-free living space and a minivan for my family, not to mention the unwavering support of the local community," Thibeault said.

The Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation provides four-year "life scholarships" to help severely wounded veterans become self-sufficient.

Scholarship recipients receive assistance with rent-free housing adapted for physical needs, new furniture and other household supplies, career-placement and training, new adaptive vehicles based upon need, educational opportunities, and financial and personal mentorship. To date, the program has awarded 31 scholarships, with 20 more in the pipeline.

Mike Conklin of Danville, Calif., the father of three Army Rangers, started the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation. Conklin said he was inspired to reach out to severely injured veterans after one of his sons was wounded in Iraq in 2003.

"Impressed by the level of care my son received in military hospitals and wanting to do something tangible to support U.S. troops, I created the nonprofit Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation," Conklin said. "The four-year program is meant for veterans with severe service-related injuries who have the aptitude, attitude and drive to become independent and successful members of society."

Scholarship recipients are called 'Sentinels' in honor of their sacrifice and commitment to guarding America's freedoms, Conklin added.

While in Afghanistan in 2003, Thibeault was injured when he was ambushed driving through a crowded market place. A Taliban militant threw a grenade through the driver's side of his vehicle, and it landed under his partner's seat.

"I grabbed it and put it in the center console of the vehicle, mitigating the effects of the blast," Thibeault said. "As a result of the blast, I suffered multiple shrapnel injuries and lost all the fingers on my left hand, except my pinky. I suffered damage to a large portion of my left side and leg."

For his wounds and for saving his fellow soldier's life, Thibeault received the Purple Heart and a Silver Star. Because of his heroism, he also was nominated to receive this scholarship.

"The scholarship has helped enforce a seamless transition from active duty to the civilian work force through a committed community dedicated to the welfare of severely disabled veterans," Thibeault said.

Thibeault is a senior support services technician for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. Along with his expecting wife, Maleney, and 2-year-old daughter, Delilah, he moved from Kansas to California to accept the scholarship and start working.

Any member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard who suffered severe injuries - amputation, blindness, deafness, paraplegia or severe burns, for example - in the line of duty since Sept. 11, 2001, can apply for the scholarship. Qualified candidates also must have "the skills, experience and attitude that employers look for" in filling available positions and must successfully complete all interview processes, Conklin said. Once they become Sentinels, he added, they'll receive support from a variety of sources.

"Sentinels succeed because whole communities come forward to help," he said. "Local businesses and individuals not only give money, but also time, goods and services, housing and transportation."

Thibeault agreed.

"This has created a nearly stress-free environment where I can focus on my life, education and family goals," Thibeault said. "The Sentinels of Freedom have exceeded my expectations of what a nonprofit veteran service organization can do and be."

Related Sites: Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation

"Dear Mr. Obama"

This is an ad that should have run on TV...please watch it

Mail request for Wounded Marine

I received a request for mail for a young Marine in a burn unit here in the states. I called myself to the nurses station and verified that he's there - they can not release any info but verified he's there and could use some mail. The Marine's name is Matthew and was injured from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He's 23 years old and suffered multiple fractures of his leg and forearm, lacerations on his face and eye plus burns on his legs from the blast beneath the Humvee he was operating last month. He's currently doing good. He was on his third tour of duty overseas when injured. He's glad to be home and glad to be alive. He was initially treated in Germany before being transferred to the US towards the end of June. The doctors there said he would be able to walk again, but he may be receiving treatment at the Burn Center for about a year. He's in an awful lot of pain...suffered third-degree burns on his skin.

So if you can, take a few minutes and write a short note and send a card to me & I will forward it on. Email me at pfcrensmom-cardsfortroops@yahoo.com . I mailed the first batch out on July 29th with next batch going out on August 25th. This will be an ongoing project.

Absolutely no glitter on these Get Well cards please & envelopes must be unsealed.

If you have any other cards (all occasion) for the troops at this time you can send em along now too.

UPDATE ON MATTHEW: I have learned that he has been released from the hospital & is living with his family in guest house on grounds...guess it is like a Fisher House type of setup. Trying to get more information as to how long that he will still be there but not getting called back. I know it will be another month at this point.