From Military.com:
“Lawmakers Urge Postmaster
General to Fix ‘Troubling' Delays of Veterans’ Medication”
Lawmakers urged Postmaster
General Louis DeJoy on Friday to reverse disruptive changes at the U.S. Postal
Service, voicing grave concerns about veterans whose mail-order medications are
delayed. President Donald Trump appointed DeJoy, a former fundraiser for the
Republican National Convention, to the job this summer as the coronavirus
pandemic threatened the Postal Service’s financial viability. Staff hours have
been cut and high-volume mail-processing machines were removed from post offices,
according to multiple news outlets. USPS union officials warned that the
changes have led to many mail delays, raising concerns about the viability of
mail-in voting. But changes also sparked concern among veterans and lawmakers
about delays for mail-order prescriptions. “We have received many troubling
reports from veterans waiting weeks for their prescriptions to arrive,” a group
of 31 Senate Democrats wrote to DeJoy. The Department of Veterans Affairs fills
80 percent of its prescriptions by mail — about 120 million prescriptions per
year going to 330,000 veterans. The senators, led by Jon Tester, D-Mont., and
Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked DeJoy to examine how his changes have affected the
mail-in prescriptions and to work with the VA to ensure there are no delays.
The VA insisted Friday that most
orders were still arriving on time. Press Secretary Christina Noel said
prescriptions shipped through USPS are taking an average of three days to be
delivered, and more than 95% of mail-in prescriptions have been on time. The
department is encouraging veterans to order routine refills 10 days in advance.
Many, however, do not control their medication and rely on VA doctors to
monitor them. In cases of emergencies, the VA can fulfill those prescriptions
in person, Noel said. Mail-in prescriptions are popular, though, in part because
of veterans' mobility issues or distance from VA pharmacies. The VA can also
use commercial carriers to deliver medication, Noel said. Four House members
wrote to DeJoy and VA Secretary Wilkie on Friday, claiming there was “a real
threat to our veterans.” The House members said they were alarmed and had
“grave concerns” about prescription delays. “The culmination of these major
changes [at USPS], pursued in the heat of the brutal pandemic and economic
crisis, is now impacting our veterans’ access to prescriptions,” the House
members wrote. “This is completely unacceptable.” The letter was led by Rep.
Mark Takano, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. It
was signed by one Republican, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn. There are efforts in
Congress to provide the Postal Service with enough money to cover its revenue
losses and operational expenses stemming from the pandemic. Some senators are
pushing for the measure to be included in the next coronavirus relief bill, but
prospects of another relief package passing through Congress remained uncertain
Friday. Trump said Thursday that he opposed funding for the Postal Service
because he doesn’t want to see it used for mail-in voting in November. Trump
has long criticized mail-in voting, alleging it leads to rampant voting fraud.
Later Thursday, Trump downplayed his remarks and said he would not veto a
relief bill just because it included funding for the USPS.
^ This is beyond disgusting. Politics
is determining which Veterans get their medicines and which do not. Either the
Postmaster General needs to resign or he needs to be fired and his political “cost-cutting”
measures need to be reversed. The USPS should receive more Federal Funding so
it can do its job correctly. Trump is taking away its funding so he has an
excuse when he loses in November, but all he is really doing is making Veterans
pay with their lives when they don’t receive their medicine in time. I've dealt with TriCare and their mandatory home delivery prescription system and it was difficult to use and get the right amount of medicine filled - I can't imagine how much harder it is now to both deal with TriCare and the chaotic USPS. ^
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