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Veterans’ Spouses and Children to Get Break on Tuition Residency Rules

Congress did get a few things done this year. In August, Congress passed and the President signed the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act. This new law attempts to clear the appointments backlog at Veterans Administration facilities by allowing VA patients to get care at non-VA facilities. The bill also authorized the VA to spend money to improve access and infrastructure and specifically exempted this funding from pay-as-you-go requirements, adding $12 billion to the deficit.

The new law also denies federal higher education benefits for courses taken in states that charge veterans and family members more than in-state tuition. This provision should affect fewer than 4,000 veterans. 27 states already offer veterans resident tuition rates, regardless of when they arrived.

South Dakota already exempts veterans from its twelve-month residency requirement. The Board of Regents is proposing legislation to extend those benefits to veterans' spouses and children to comply with VACAA by its July 1, 2015, enactment date.

South Dakota has a provision allowing other children to establish residency sooner than twelve months if they can show their parents aren't just gaming the residency rules. But are there any classes of citizens besides veterans who should get automatic South Dakota residency? How about clergy, who move their families at the will of their synods to serve our nation's spiritual security? How about oil workers serving the nation's energy security needs in the Bakken but locating their families in Spearfish or Aberdeen to keep them away from the hard life of the oil fields? How about agricultural workers serving our nation's food security as they move here to harvest our crops and milk our cows?

If we can exempt veterans and their families from rules on deficit spending and residency, can we give similar special treatment to other groups vital to the nation's well-being?

23 Comments

  1. tara volesky 2014.11.28

    I really don't understand why we need all these Veteran Hospitals. It seems like they are a feeding trough for administrators who are good at draining the system. For example, I was back in my home town of Mobridge a few weeks ago and went down to the Legion to have coffee with all the old timers and Vets. While conversing with the Guys, an EMT came in and announced that a deer hit a van full of vets that where being transported to the vet hospital in Sturgis. They had to bring out another van where the accident occurred near Timber Lake. These guys had to wait at least a couple extra hours. Why would are government make these poor old guys travel hundreds of mile in one day to see a Dr, when they could drive a few blocks and see their local Dr? It just doesn't make sense.

  2. jerry 2014.11.28

    So then Tara, who would pay for the private local doctor? How would the private local doctor have any idea on how to treat physically and mentally wounded veterans as a combination package? How about surgeries and how about transportation to hospitals that provide the excellent services we now get as disabled veterans? As this all makes sense to you to privatize it, how would that work? Who would be the gatekeeper on this? What about the families that make the trips to these hospitals, where would they stay during the procedure? How would they have the means to do this? As long as there are few soldiers in the fight, then the citizens all wail about the expense of those who were maimed or sick. Everything was all cool when we were in the fight.

    Bless the old timers for their input but with all due respect, they are being spoon fed misinformation from the tee vee and from local cadre. I will promise you this, if those well heeled old timers get real sick, they are going to be wanting to have the VA take care of them.

  3. jerry 2014.11.28

    Tara, these old timers have Medicare, so they can go to the local doctor. When these Medicare folks utilize the VA is for needs they find they do not get from the local VA. I hope they never need the VA and they will do okay without it, but in the event it does happen, the VA will be there for them, even if they do not like to admit it.

    Native veterans also very much use the VA as it is a blessing for them as it is for those whose income is such that they cannot afford Medicare. Your support of the dismantling of the VA is just another right wing death panel.

  4. Tim 2014.11.28

    Jerry, despite what Tara wants us to believe, she is a republican and all republicans want everything privatized, they cannot get 100% profit from everything if the VA is in the picture. The fact that some country side doctor has no expertise in war wounds physical or mental is besides their points.

  5. JeniW 2014.11.28

    Jerry,

    What would be your solution for the vets who have to wait 2 - 3 months to have an appointment at a VA hospital, and those who live far from a VA hospital?

    Should a vet who has symptoms of possible cancer wait that long? Should a vet in Aberdeen have to travel during the winter months to Sioux Falls, or the VA hospital in the western part of the state?

  6. jerry 2014.11.28

    The question of exemption is a good one. Veterans do not expect to be treated with any special exemptions with the exception of one. Healthcare. A big one as noted that was promised.

    A scholastic exemption should be a gift from a grateful nation for services rendered. If you can show me how an oilfield worker is under hostile fire or how an ag producer or clergy is in jeopardy from an IED, I would then agree that they should get an exemption as well.

  7. jerry 2014.11.28

    JeniW, you can simply go to Fort Meade or any other VA facility as an example, and go to the emergency room. They will take you the day you arrive and treat you.

    Regarding the travel to a hospital for veterans services, if you are being treated for a heart condition as an example and your doctor is in Minneapolis or far away, you can get privileges to see a local specialist. Those appointments are scheduled appointments and not walk in. In the event of issues that may arise, you can get emergency treatment locally to stabilize and then off you go to the VA hospital.

    By the way, I personally know folks that travel from Aberdeen to Sioux Falls for cardiac treatment and they are not veterans. So this happens all the time.

  8. tara volesky 2014.11.28

    Very good questions Jerry. My Dad is an 85 year old Korean Vet, and I hated to see him have to drive over to Isabelle to get his meds. Could he just pick them up at the local pharmacy. Just talking to these guys, they hate the long trips. Bricks and mortar don't make good hospitals, it's the medical professionals that do. The benefits would be transferred and used with your local Dr's and Hospitals. It would free up billions of dollars that could go directly to the Vets. Local Hospital such as Aberdeen, Yankton, Pierre, Watertown, Mobridge have very good specialists and facilities to take care of our vets. There is just so much abuse and corruption of money that could be going directly to our vets instead of CEO's and all the administrators.

  9. tara volesky 2014.11.28

    The specialists come to local community and non-profit hospitals all the time. I think we need to make the lives for these vets as convenient as possible without losing the quality of medical care. It would not be privatizing because it would still be Government controlled. It you took a vote and ask these vets would you rather dive 420 miles round trip to get a knee replacement or would you use your benefits to get it done by an orthopedic surgeon in Aberdeen? If you needed to see your Psychiatrist, would you rather have him come to you, or do you want to drive a few hours to see him? I know what my buddies would say. I think Vets would like to choose their own Dr. Jerry, just because you don't agree with me, you don't have to call me names. Thanks.

  10. JeniW 2014.11.28

    Jerry, thank you for your comment.

    I do have a question for you. A vet was admitted to the VA hospital in Sioux Falls for treatment of cancer. None of the physicians there were able to treat the vet's condition.

    With some strong advocacy efforts from a family member, a specialist from a local health system was called in to help. Who helped paid for that outside specialist? The VA system or who?

    If the family member had not been as persistent, the vet would been dead by now.

  11. jerry 2014.11.28

    Tara, thanks to your dad for sure. If he is in the system, the VA will mail his drugs to him like they do mine. There are no better professionals than those at Fort Meade and every other facility that I have ever gone to. I am talking about the big regional hospital in Minneapolis for more intense treatments. Regarding the local hospitals, they simply send you to larger ones for major issues. Last I checked, Mobridge and others have difficulty in getting doctors little alone specialists. They also do not have mental health clinics there so how would you treat veterans in those kinds of locations?

  12. jerry 2014.11.28

    Yes, the VA would have allowed this as there was no treatment for that cancer or the specialist to treat that cancer at the location. The VA already does this to some extent on certain conditions, but to throw the VA system under the bus for private care would be the death of the veterans and how we have the confidence to get our treatment from those of whom know the experiences we have had.

  13. jerry 2014.11.28

    Why didn't the vet go to the local clinic or emergency room to be seen before it got so late in the game? I am glad that he got that taken care of. Now, what is he a veteran of? What conflict?

  14. JeniW 2014.11.28

    Jerry, if you are referring to me. He did not go to the ER because it was not an emergency such as a heart attack, broken bone etc.

    He went to the VA hospital/Clinic when he first noticed the symptom. He did not know that it was cancer until after being tested. He does not live out of town. (I cannot tell you more without violating his confidentiality -- it is his tale to tell.) He has treatment at the VA hospital before. It became late in the game because there was not a specialist at the VA for that type of cancer. They were, to put it bluntly, ready to call it quits until his family member started being a strong advocate for him. It was then that an outside physician was consulted.

  15. tara volesky 2014.11.28

    Jerry, my Dad is on Medicare and supplemental insurance and his heart and cancer specialist comes down from Bismarck ND to check on him. Many of these smaller hospitals have specialist that visit at least once a month. I just feel that all the money spent on buildings and administration would be better spent on giving Veterans better benefits.

  16. jerry 2014.11.28

    JeniW, you do not have to have a broken bone to go to the ER, they must see you.

    In the VA hospital's there is an advocate that represents them as well as the DAV and the American Legion that will also do the same. The problems sometime is that veterans do not know this kind of help is available to them and they think they can just shoulder this themselves. It can be overwhelming and very aggravating to the point of not doing anything. Contact one of these organizations to seek guidance for your friend. If the veteran draws service connection disability or wants to apply for that, then contact the DAV. If not service connected, then contact the American Legion. You can also contact your senators and your congress representative for help. This veteran is not alone, there is help for him.

  17. jerry 2014.11.28

    Tara, you mentioned your father has Medicare along with a supplement so he does not need the VA for his healthcare unless he is service connected. These veterans riding the bus to Fort Meade probably do not have that luxury. What you are also missing is that many many veterans are not as old as your father, we have some 2 million and counting that have just entered the VA system in the last decade with many more arriving daily. That is the reason facilities need to be built be that at VA centers or anywhere else.

    Something very important to consider, veterans take their own lives at the rate of 22 per day Tara. 22 times the final bell tolls on lives that have seen and been through to much anguish in their time of service. Both young and old veterans are more likely to kill themselves than the rest of the public. VA is doing as good of job as they can do regarding this and if the situation was changed to private sources, the rate would surely climb. The privatization of the VA is a right wing dream along with the privatization of social security and Medicare. These necessary functions of government make the right wing slobber all over themselves in anticipation of their taking them over. Hide and watch what will start to happen after the 1st of the year in this congress.

  18. grudznick 2014.11.28

    Ms. Volesky, I hope Ron is doing well. Please tell him hello and ask him to come and blog here on Mr. H's blog.

  19. JeniW 2014.11.28

    Jerry, thank you for sharing what you know.

    I do not know all the small details of the person when he went in for treatment. He may have gone to the ER. I just would have never thought to go to an ER for a tiny lump, that is not preventing me from breathing or swallowing.

    He did get the treatment he needed and is coming along very well. My concern is the fact that a family member had to do some strong advocacy on his behalf in order to be seen by an outside physician who would be able to treat him when the VA physicians ran out of options. I do not doubt the sincerity of the VA hospital staff, but people should not have to have a strong advocate to get care.

    It seems like the VA hospital system is like other health care systems, or nursing homes, someone needing care either needs to be a strong advocate for him/herself, or have someone be an advocate for them to make sure that the needed care is provided.

    We know that in many institutionalized settings, those who cannot, or will not advocate for themselves, or have an advocate, the person gets a bit less care. You know, like the noisy wheel that gets the oil, but the quiet wheel does not.

  20. tara volesky 2014.11.28

    Thanks Grudz for your inquiry. Will tell him hi from you. Jerry along with my poor spelling, I am far from being an expert when it comes to Veteran issues. I just hate to see them getting jacked around. I am for the legalization of medical marijuana because research is showing the it helps with PTSD. I hope you realize I am just asking questions and throwing some suggestions out there. That doesn't mean I am necessarily correct. I didn't realize their were so many in VA system. Hate so see anybody suffer.

  21. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.28

    "If we can exempt veterans and their families from rules on deficit spending and residency, can we give similar special treatment to other groups vital to the nation's well-being?"

    No.

  22. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.28

    I worked at Ft. Mead as a chaplain from 2001-2006. It was my first experience in the VA system. I was very pleasantly surprised by the dedication of the staff to the vets. Ft. Mead had ICU, surgery, hospitalization, long term care, commissary, canteen, transportation and a psychiatric unit at that time.

    Everyone - medical, janitorial, dietary, retail, transportation - Everyone - really cared about the vets. The Old Boys were the reason the rest of us were there. That was a point of emphasis that was taken seriously. I did not hesitate to recommend Ft. Mead to anyone.

    I had little contact with administrative types, so I can't speak for them, but those of us who had direct contact with the vet's did our best for them.

    (I never heard anything about any secret schedules or lists.)

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