Veterans hospitals today do not serve all veterans. Everyday, veterans of our military are turned away. It is hard to believe a veteran can not get service at a hospital provided for veterans. These individuals sacrificed for their country and then are turned away in their time of need. How can this be? Who would turn away those who never turned away from their duty?

Veterans are eligible for medical care in a VA facility if he or she cannot afford the care anywhere else. This is one policy which turns away veterans in need of care. First of all, who can afford health care today? Second of all, who determines if a veteran can or can't afford care elsewhere? We allow a government bureaucracy to decide this question. Shouldn't all who are veterans be eligible for medical care at veterans facilities? The phrase "if he or she cannot afford the care elsewhere" is just a giant loophole to turn away veterans.

Even worse, if a veteran qualifies for treatment at a VA hospital, he still may be refused service. The reason, too many veterans and not enough beds. To meet these demands (and particularly to address the problem of the limited number of hospital beds) the VA has established a priority system for deciding who gets treatment first directly from VA hospitals, clinics, and doctors. This priority system is as follows:

• Priority Group I - veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 50% or more disabling.
• Priority Group 2 - veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 30% to 40% disabling.
• Priority Group 3 - veterans who are former prisoners of war, were discharged for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, have service-connected disabilities rated 10% to 20% disabling, or who were disabled by treatment.
• Priority Group 4 - veterans who're receiving aid and attendance or housebound benefits.
• Priority Group 5 - veterans with a 0% disability rating whose income and assets are below certain dollar limits.
• Priority Group 6 - Gulf War veterans receiving care solely for Gulf War-related disorders not amounting to compensable disabilities, veterans with compensable 0% service-connected disabilities, and World War I veterans.
• Priority Group 7 - all other veterans. If accepted for treatment, this group of veterans must pay a copayment for services.

It would be difficult to imagine our veterans coming up with a priority system before following orders. The officers would not have allowed it. The military would fail if soldiers didn't blindly follow orders. It is a failure of society if we now don't stand behind the sacrifice our veterans made for our freedoms.

The VA hospitals have actually come up with a system to deny service to some veterans. Priority should be given to all veterans. If someone has served our country as a veteran of our armed services, shouldn't they all be allowed services at veterans hospitals?

Why aren't there enough beds for our veterans? Our government runs a huge deficit but won't supply enough beds for veterans. We spend taxpayers money to bail out banks and auto companies. The US sends millions of dollars to outside countries like Pakistan. It's the age old problem that we see time and time again, the politicians are more concerned with big business, lobbyists, outside countries, etc. than with our own needs right here at home.

In the video above you see a veteran who served 20 years in the Air Force and served our country in the Vietnam War. He was turned away by the VA hospital when he went to them for a hearing aid. They told this man, Gary, that he earned too much money to be serviced at the VA hospital. Gary worked on jet engines over 20 years in the Air Force. His hearing loss must have something to do with his long term exposure to the enormous amount of noise caused by a jet engine.

Gary is a minister at a small church in south Texas. Average attendance less than 100. He was told he earned too much money to be allowed a hearing aid from the veterans hospital. He has hearing loss. He served our country as a jet engine mechanic. Should how much he earns at a tiny church now be a reason to deny him a hearing aid at the VA hospital?

These stories are repeated across our country. Veterans deserve more than they could ever be given. Denial of any veterans benefits seems a lack of political morality. Our VA hospitals are only following rules, but these rules make no sense. Our returning troops are like family and for many of us they are family. Today, more than ever we all appreciate the sacrifice of veterans and their families. When will our government do the same?

At the top of the article are links you can click on to contact both the Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs. One of the great things about this country is if you don't like something about our government we have the right to raise our voices in protest. I encourage everyone to do just that. Exercise your right as a citizen of the best country on earth, the United States.