Possible Changes To Vets Health Care Coming

During our veterans series in June, we talked a great deal about the kind of health care vets receive and the kinds of programs that ought to be in place. A panel commissioned by President Bush has reviewed the current system and made some recommendations.

Given their charge by the President in the days after the Walter Reed scandal broke, former Kansas Republican Senator (and injured WWII combat veteran) Bob Dole and Democrat and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala rejected the idea of "patching" the current system out of hand, and have suggested changes to everything from how benefits are received to the depth and complexity of treatment.

[Dole] said the commission expected the White House and Congress to follow through: "We will not let these recommendations sit on a shelf. They need to be acted upon now to improve the quality of lives for our brave men and women and their families."

Shalala said the commission mainly wanted to reduce bureaucracy for veterans. She said that many injured soldiers were forced to repeat their medical situations to different doctors and other personnel because their care wasn't coordinated. The commission also found that 40 percent of injured soldiers have had to resubmit lost paperwork.

Like I said this morning, I will call progress progress. Blue-ribbon panels don't always result in miraculous policy changes, but attention is now being given to serious issues. Here's hoping. The McClatchy piece has more.