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Veterans Have Earned Respect
The Veterans Administration serves the needs of veterans who have served their country. This includes both disabled and non-disabled veterans. Most disabled veterans are totally dependent on the VA for their health care and other services. Just like any large organization throughout the country, rules have to be followed in order for things to run smoothly and efficiently. In every VA hospital there is a list of rules and regulations on the wall that describes conduct for veterans. These rules have codes next to them as well as the penalties for the respective violations. Again, these rules are necessary to maintain order and stability within the facility. In any institution in this country, there are checks and balances in order to ensure that power is not abused. The rules governing behavior within the VA should nominally have their own checks and balances. The purpose of this article is to examine these checks and balances.
Let us examine a possible scenario. In this scenario, a veteran goes into a VA facility for an appointment, and while there, a VA employee sees an infraction of the rules by the veteran. This employee calls the VA Police and reports the incident. A charge is then levied against the veteran. Sometimes the veteran isn’t even aware of the rule infraction. A few weeks later, the veteran receives a certified letter in the mail from an organization, such as the Central Bureau of Violations. Inside this letter is the rule infraction against the veteran, as well as a fine. The veteran has a certain number of days to pay this fine with a certified check or money order. If the veteran elects not to pay the fine, he or she can request a federal hearing. This means the veteran will have to post a bond to assure his appearance and, in most cases, will also need to hire an attorney.
While all this is transpiring, the veteran’s care may be referred to the “disciplinary committee." This committee, whose members’ names are not posted, reviews the disciplinary case. This committee has a great amount of punitive power, and has the power to take away the veteran’s right to be seen in a clinic. The committee is permitted the authority to make its rulings before the veteran has even been tried, and it can assign a “red flag” to the vet’s file. The veteran then receives a formal letter that states the decision of this committee, and, of course, no names of the “judges” are provided.
The essence of this article starts at this point. This entire process goes under the assumption that the veteran is always guilty and the VA is always right. At no point is the veteran asked to state his side of the story by a VA employee in authority. At no point during this process is the veteran allowed to present evidence in his defense, except in the case of a Federal hearing to contest the fine(s). The veteran is left out in the cold and is totally on his own. The veteran may decide to contact the different service organizations for help. When that happens, the veteran will get a consistent statement, either verbally or in writing, "We don’t get involved in criminal matters." Then the veteran contacts his elected federal representatives and get the same response, "We don’t get involved in criminal matters"
Any attempt by the veteran to obtain information from the VA is met with silence or remarks such as, "I can’t afford to get involved! I might lose my job!"
This is a very serious matter which should concern any veteran who walks into a VA facility. If a VA employee is having a bad day (or is just simply not qualified to be employed due to his own psychological problems), then they can charge a veteran with a violation and the veteran is powerless. The veteran will go through severe emotional stress dealing with the legality of the matter, as well as the requisite financial stress when hiring an attorney. This is deplorable and certainly a disrespect and disgrace to the veterans who have served their country. Let us not forget that this is happening in a federal facility that is supposed to be there for the veterans.
In this country, we have a document called the Constitution which protects the individual liberties of each and every citizen. One important constitutional liberty is called “due process.” This means that no citizen can be convicted of anything without the right to have legal defense and accurate, timely procedures followed. A citizen has the right to present his defense and evidence before an impartial authority, and to be judged accordingly by his peers. When all this has been properly done, a judgment may then be rendered. The actions of the VA clearly violate this constitutional liberty. Veterans should be able to walk into a VA facility without fear of going through this nightmare, and certainly, veterans should be able to talk to a physician about their treatment or medications without being threatened to be charged with rule infractions. Vets should not be charged for reacting to a VA employee who is yelling, making rude remarks, or acting unprofessionally. Veterans should be able to contact their federal representatives to spur them into inquiring about the VA’s questionable conduct. Instead of form letters being sent ad nauseam, investigations should take place into the abuse of our country’s veterans! If our elected officials won’t police the VA and hold those at fault accountable, they need to be voted out of office. The VA has a long, documented reputation of not policing its own.
There is also a plaque in every VA facility titled, "Patient and Nursing Home Resident Rights and Responsibilities." The very first listing under this document is "You (Veteran) will be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect as an individual." If the rules and regulations are to be followed, then veterans’ rights need to be honored. This means an effective, impartial system of checks and balances that retains our veterans’ constitutional rights to due process. We must remember that those in the highest positions of power allow such violations to occur, and are just as responsible as the lowly VA employee. Accused criminals have the right to legal counsel, the right to due process, and the right to defend themselves. Veterans should have the same rights.
I encourage every veteran reading this article to write your respective senators and congressmen, and to demand a full explanation into the legal proceedings when charges have been levied against a veteran in the VA. If they are reluctant or don’t return pertinent information, then these people should be voted out of office as soon as possible. The senators and congressman are our only power when abuses occur within the VA system.
Remember this famous adage: "Evil prevails where good men do nothing!"
