Monday, May 4, 2015

The VA loves to Back Stab Veterans.

Tom's Journal. http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/

tschuckman@aol.com


Friends and Veterans:

Some people, even those in my own household call me 'Paranoid', and 'Chicken Little' [and the sky is falling...], overly distrusting, "too On Guard," etc.   On the other hand my fellow Veterans call me, alert, intelligent, realistic and helpful !   From the beginning, I only wanted my humble Blog:  TOM'S JOURNAL, to be a helpful beacon of facts, warning, reminders, and a  shinning light showing on God's Word, the KJV Bible, helping folks to seize the moment-- the day-- the hour, and choose Salvation from the ransom sacrifice of God's own Son, Jesus Christ, the ONLY way to get to heaven.   Period. 
       It's all about Priorities !   When we all get paid, one of the first things we do is to fill our tanks up with fuel, right?   Got to pay the Mortgage or Rent, bills, groceries, save some, invest some, and help the local Christian church too, take care of our wives and kids....   but not necessarily in that order.   But some folks who were not raised properly might stop in a tavern FIRST to have some cold drinks, and then start to gamble, and I've seen some hard working folks lose their entire paycheck gambling in a pool game with nothing to take home to their families !!   I was never a gambler, PTL.   But reading the Bible, especially the Proverbs, guards our minds and hearts, so that we can prosper and do well.  

But I had to learn the hard way --- dealing with the VA [Veterans Administration] system, too many times, and I believe it's like dealing with a rattle snake.   If you don't handle with care --- you could get bit !  Beware!   For instance,  I suffer from Combat PTSD and some depression,  but I choose NOT to talk to any doctors at the VAMC,  because I know that I cannot trust them, no matter what they say and promise !   I am not about to lose my important possessions on some stupid whim or politically unsound Gov't decisions ...  duh.     Just like:  The U.S. Gov't, at one time, made it illegal to own gold ---  but the smart people KEPT their gold and precious items!   Other countries and Governments have confiscated the citizens' fire arms, etc., and then they were also stripped of their other freedoms and liberties.   Combat Veterans have suffered enough from their injuries and stigmas already ----and now when they seek help for their wounds and injuries, "Big Brother" wants to strip them of their means of defense and pride, even if they NEVER COMMITTED A CRIME OR BROKE THE LAW !!  
      Please share this with any and all Veterans, to warm them !

Warm Regards,
Tom Schuckman


VA Sending Veterans’ Mental Health Information to FBI to Restrict Gun Ownership

By Woody published on in News
Patrick Howley of the Daily Caller has written that mental health information collected by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is being transferred to the FBI so patients can be added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) list of individuals restricted from owning or possessing guns.
According to Howley’s Daily Caller article, the VA said in a responding statement:
“The Department of Veterans Affairs’ policy to inform veterans of their rights regarding the Brady Act has not changed. As has been policy for multiple administrations, VA acts in accordance with federal law and works with the Department of Justice to properly maintain the NICS database. VA notifies any veteran who may be deemed by VA to be mentally incapable of managing his or her own funds of the opportunity to contest this determination and also to seek relief from the reporting requirements under the Brady Act, as required by law.”Seal_of_the_United_States_Department_of_Veterans_Affairs
In response to the Daily Caller article, the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity issued a statement, asking:
Where is the recognition that the rights at issue here are explicitly protected in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution? It seems the VA values a vague reference to “policy for multiple administrations” above the Constitution.
What of the long-respected American legal protection of doctor-patient confidentiality?
How can the VA claim that its actions are justified because it informs patients of the privacy-violating, rights-restricting policy it uses against patients? Patients may logically choose to waive confidentiality to some degree in some instances, but this seems far from a fair waiver situation. It looks more like duress.
Where is the due process? You do not meet due process by summarily depriving someone of the ability to exercise his rights without even a court adjudication and then “generously” allowing him to go through a long, confusing, and expensive process of attempting to prove the deprivation was not justified.
You can read here, here, and here more reports by the Ron Paul Institute regarding the ongoing expansion of the scope of mental-health databases and of the databases’ use by the U.S. and state governments to prevent people from exercising gun rights.

Are you a veteran, or know one, who has run afoul of this VA policy? Tell us how it resolved, if so. Do you think this VA policy breaches doctor-patient confidentiality, or is the agency compelled by law to report veterans to the NICS system?