Obama admin wont fix the VA, but will spend tax dollars on transgender surgery for soldiers
J.D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) If you needed further proof that every agency and institution under the left-wing lunacy of Barack Obama has been completely politicized, here it is: A cash-strapped Pentagon that is being forced to fund gender reassignment surgery for troops 'confused' about their sexual identity, even as scores of veterans continue to die waiting for treatment from the chronically broken VA medical system.
As reported by Circa, the Defense Department's policy of paying for gender reassignment surgery kicked in a few days ago, and already some bean counters estimate the program could cost upwards of $8.4 million a year. And while that might not seem like much given the Pentagon's annual budget of between $550-$580 billion, every penny counts where you're trying to rebuild a military worn down by more than 15 years of never-ending war.
The PC policy states that if any military member's ability to serve is "adversely affected by a medical condition or medical treatment related to their gender identity," they become eligible for reassignment surgery or hormone therapy, both of which would be subject to the member's commander in terms of timing.
'A gross misuse of military medical dollars'
In June the Rand Corporation, a think tank, put forth a very broad estimate of the number of transgender troops currently serving on active duty – somewhere between 1,320 and 6,630. The think tank further estimated that of those, between 30 and 140 would prefer hormone treatment while between 25 and 130 would choose surgery. The latter would either be conducted at a military or private hospital if the former did not have qualified care, according to USA Today.
Soldiers and others who oppose the policy do so largely on practical grounds. They note that gender reassignment surgery, in particular, makes it impossible for that military member to deploy for at least 135 days, meaning there will be a shortage of talent in the member's assigned unit.
"I think this is a gross misuse of military medical dollars that should be used to make our military forces deployable or to help those who are wounded or injured while they are deployed," Ron Crews, a veteran and current executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, told USA Today.
Others have said that with a worn-out military needing to upgrade equipment and personal gear, nearly $10 million can go a long way.
Still others are upset that convicted troops, like former Pfc. Bradley Manning – now going by Chelsea Manning – who was jailed for espionage will also qualify for the gender reassignment surgery.
Not enough resources, meanwhile, for veterans
Meanwhile, after the last scandal involving the VA system in 2014, when we reported that more than 1,000 veterans had died waiting for care at various facilities, not much has changed – except for providing money to currently serving members who are 'confused' about their sexual orientation.
Just a few days ago, Fox News noted that a newly issued watchdog report found that a VA facility in Phoenix that was caught up in a scandal a few years ago for making up phony appointment lists and allowing vets to die before they were seen, is back at it.
"More than 200 veterans have died while waiting for medical care at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix, two years after the facility was at the center of a scandal in which patient records were altered to hide the length of their waiting period," Fox News reported.
The VA's Inspector General said that despite ordered reforms, 214 veterans had open specialist consult appointments on the day they died. In addition, the IG found that one vet never even received an appointment for a cardiology exam "that could have prompted further definitive testing and interventions that could have forestalled his death."
But gender reassignment surgery in Obama's military? No problem; the Pentagon has money for that.
Remember when Obama promised on several occasions to reform the VA? Those are beginning to sound a lot like his health care reform "promises," aren't they?
Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/z055566_Pentagon_gender_reassignment_surgery_VA_hospitals.html