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April 9, 2023 - Stew Peters Show

57:09

The Richard Leonard Show: The VA Caregiver Program, Smoke And Mirrors?

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	We'll be right back.
	We'll be right back.
	We've now done five episodes on the VA Family Caregiver Program.
	Robin and I have unpacked most of this timeline.
	Well, today, we're gonna try to close that out the best we can and get to talking about the skeletons in the closet of this program, maybe.
	Be it through the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Meg Cabot, or the like.
	So stick with us.
	Don't go away.
	We start now.
	Hey everybody and welcome here to the next installment of the Richard Leonard Show.
	I want to thank you for joining us this evening.
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	Okay, so today we are going to continue through the timeline of the VA Family Caregiver Program.
	I know that at times it seems like it might be a daunting journey, guys, but this stuff is very important.
	We're coming to the end of the timeline, and I promise you that either today or in upcoming shows that there is going to be some groundbreaking skeletons revealed.
	So let's not wait anymore.
	Hello Robin, how are ya?
	Good, how are you?
	I'm doing pretty good.
	We are almost through the timeline of the caregiver program.
	Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are at about the year 2020 when Meg Cabot is coming back to the VA after she left because her feelings got hurt, correct?
	We're in 2021.
	2021.
	Yeah, the video we're going to go over is February 24th of 2021.
	Okay, so let's just do that now.
	All right, folks, so we're going to switch the screen here, and we're going to see a video of our good friend Steve Tiny Tim Schwab and Meg Cabot.
	This was something they put out on their YouTube channel, and let's just check it out here.
	Listen close.
	Some important issues.
	When we released the results of our 2014 RAND study, Megan, we did that, as I said, in the East Room of the White House.
	You were there with us.
	And among the long list of recommendations that were made was for the VA, Congress, and the nation to better support our hidden heroes.
	Right at the top of that list Was a recommendation that we have a permanent position at the VA to support these caregivers and you were named then as the permanent full time national director of the VA caregiver support program.
	I knew shortly after meeting you that that wouldn't be the last place we would work together.
	Thrilled of course to see that the evolution of your work would lead to you being named as the lead.
	Of the agency review team at the VA, I believe the first time a non-veteran focused professional was put at the top of, I don't mean to say non-veteran focused professional, you are a veteran focused professional, but a social worker by background with a caregiving expertise and a veteran expertise was wonderful recognition of the holistic approach that President Biden and you and Secretary McDonough are taking We've
	worked hand-in-hand on initiatives that have changed the way caregivers, families, survivors, include Bonnie in this, have been recognized and supported at VA, but all across the country.
	And that brings us to today.
	You are the inaugural senior advisor sitting at the side of the secretary.
	This is a significant moment.
	For the populations that Bonnie and I and the organizations that are on the phone represent.
	It is not a symbolic thing that the folks who are on the phone with us, on Zoom with us today, and those that are not have a voice on the 10th floor of the central office.
	10th floor is where the leadership is, for those who don't know, advocating for the populations that we serve.
	And so part of today is celebrating that accomplishment, Meg, and celebrating the fact that there's nobody better in America to serve in this role.
	Yikes.
	Of course she's the inaugural advisor.
	She created her own dang role.
	Yeah.
	Well, Robin, let's unpack this a little bit.
	If I'm not mistaken, if I recall correctly, Meg Cabot left the VA when the Trump administration came in.
	Apparently got her feelings hurt by some meme that may or may not exist.
	She left to go to a non-government job to be an advisor to the VA for the program.
	So essentially, she didn't really lose any control or influence on the program.
	She lost control, but she didn't lose any influence on the program.
	And then when Trump left office, she comes back to the VA and the whole time she was gone, they were creating a position for her.
	So why would anybody be surprised that she's back?
	There should be no surprise.
	Steve said that the evolution of her work Is how she got that job, but she has nothing but a portfolio of failures.
	But I think that she got the transition job more so because Elizabeth Dole is buddy-buddy with Dr.
	Jill Biden.
	Oh.
	Yeah, so they had an initiative, I think in 2014, called Joining Forces, where they were putting military, I think, spouses and caregivers back to work.
	So that was during the Obama administration.
	And then when President Biden took office, they had rekindled this Joining Forces initiative to where now they are focusing on Supporting military children, the caregiver children.
	So essentially your children.
	Yes.
	Well, they're not going to have anything to do with my kids.
	Fair enough.
	But yes, children like mine.
	But I don't think her own merits netted her that job.
	At the agency review.
	You heard Steve.
	He said that she's the first non-veteran professional to take the lead.
	I have no idea what they were thinking.
	But did you also hear Steve say that Meg was with them in 2014 when they unveiled the RAND study that, by the way, Elizabeth Dole Foundation paid for.
	And that's how she got the national director of the caregiver program job.
	Did you catch that?
	I did.
	I can't say that I'm surprised.
	I'm not surprised at all.
	But now we know Elizabeth Dole has helped her get that national caregiver job.
	They've helped her secure the senior advisor job.
	Didn't we talk last week about how Meg Cabot had talked about how these people have dragged her along to all these projects and all these organizations from Walter Reed to the VA to this to that to the other thing?
	Yes, sir.
	We did.
	So at Walter Reed, that's interesting that you bring that up.
	So the Walter Reed scandal was an issue where, and I'm not super skilled in this area, but service members were coming back and like the conditions at Walter Reed were deplorable and they weren't getting the services that were owed to them.
	So President Bush commissioned Elizabeth Dole's husband and Donna Shalala, I think I'm saying her name right.
	So he commissioned them to come up with a report of recommendations to fix that problem.
	And you'll never guess who they allowed to implement that.
	Meg Cabot.
	Well, Linda Davis from last week's episode.
	Yeah, we talked about her too.
	She implemented it and she had employed Meg Cabot as a federal recovery officer.
	So I think it's pretty safe to say that Elizabeth Dole has helped Meg Cabot climb the ranks.
	Yeah, well, clearly.
	So then why would Mr.
	Schwab be coming out publicly from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation website and YouTube page talking about the merit of Meg Cabot's work?
	Clearly...
	I mean, it's on the Elizabeth Dole Foundation website.
	Clearly, if she talked about how her friends and Elizabeth Dole is dragging her with her from here to there to the next place, it's not on her merits.
	And I agree with you.
	I'm not sure that her portfolio is full of a whole lot of life-changing successes.
	Not at all.
	It seems that in her wake, she leaves despair and problems and trouble for the people in which she says she serves.
	Yeah, I would agree with that.
	I mean, yeah.
	Jeez Louise.
	The rant report's interesting to me.
	So I have read this thing.
	Mm-hmm.
	In my opinion, it is just the biggest pile of hot garbage I have ever read.
	So I'll tell you a little story.
	When I was in eighth grade, and I'll never forget this.
	When I was in eighth grade, I had one of the wisest teachers I've ever had tell me, if you want to know about research, all you have to do is look at who funds it.
	If they have a financial interest in the results, it's probably not too reliable.
	So Elizabeth Dole commissioned the RAND company to do this report on military caregivers.
	And as we know now, she has Some pretty extravagant donors and a fancy partnership memorandum of understanding with the VA. So the RAND report, and I'm obviously not going to go over all of it,
	but what they say is that public and philanthropic Donations and support are going to waiver because the public is going to lose interest in taking care of military veterans and their caregivers.
	Therefore, these nonprofits would do well to secure formal partnerships with government agencies.
	And that these well-funded, you know, and governed bodies could then extend that support to the community that the public has forgotten.
	So I'll give you one guess which organization the Elizabeth Dole Foundation decided they wanted to partner with.
	Well, the VA. Yeah.
	Well, here's the thing.
	Let's just say, for conversation's sake, that they're right.
	The public support will waiver.
	Donation dollars will waiver.
	Okay, that's fine.
	That's why the VA is in place, right?
	I mean, it is a government entity that has Agreed and been assigned with taking care of the well-being of the men and women that fought and defended this country.
	So who cares?
	Who cares if nonprofit and donation dollars from big huge organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project, who cares if they quit donating?
	They're getting a boatload of money.
	To operate this program every year.
	So go ahead, let the donation dollars go.
	It becomes a problem for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and her fancy little dinner parties because I think, it's my opinion, that she's stuffing her pockets with money that's donated.
	And she's stuffing the pockets of Meg Cabot maybe.
	And I would say probably, certainly when she wasn't working for the VA, she's stuffing the pockets of Steve Schwab.
	She's stuffing the pockets of all these other service providers, in quotes, that are supposed to be providing services to families like yours.
	So I don't give a crap if donation dollars go away because the federal government, our tax dollars, Have been appropriated to fund the program and ensure that the services keep coming and the support keeps coming and the care for the men and women that defended this country keep coming.
	So what if it goes away?
	If the VA was offering the support that Congress had authorized and already funded, we wouldn't need this extensive one-time grant that these nonprofits offer or this financial wellness that they offer.
	If the VA would just make good on their promise and Congress's promise to us, we wouldn't need these handouts that they're always trying to give out.
	I just want what my husband has earned.
	Yes.
	That's it.
	And nothing more.
	Not a penny more.
	And you know what, Robin?
	I'm an infantryman, right?
	My job was to search out and destroy the enemy by any means necessary with extreme violence and with all the tools given to us to do so.
	I'm not a scholar.
	I'm not a genius.
	But it's all right there.
	I mean, folks, if you take any time at all to dig into the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and this program and the information, it's all out there.
	You know, this video that we just watched is on YouTube.
	Connect the dots.
	This is not like...
	And it's surprising to me, Robin, because it doesn't seem like they're all that smart either.
	They just put all their...
	Crap out there.
	They've been doing this, you know, copy-paste.
	In my opinion, they've been running this scam for a hot minute.
	Yeah.
	On different government agencies, not just the VA. I think that they've been doing this.
	They just, they jump from program and department from program and department.
	You can see that they've drug-megged each place.
	You know, you say she's the yes man.
	I think so.
	I think so too.
	She's an easy to operate puppet.
	So Steve said that it's not a symbolic thing, like it's real that she's a voice for our population in the office, the 10th floor of the central office.
	So what's that voice telling everybody to do?
	Because as of right now, as it sits, over 90% of the participants in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers have been discharged.
	We're gone.
	We're booted.
	2025 comes, we're out.
	I even read today where there's a lot of hospitals saying that the legacy caregivers are just gone in 2025.
	That could be rumor, I don't know.
	But it's a real fear, and it's a reality that we face until someone fixes this program.
	And as the senior advisor for caregivers, why are you not concerned, Ms.
	Cabot, that we are going to lose our support?
	I think we'll find out later in this show, but I'd love to ask her.
	I mean, it'll be crickets.
	She won't answer me, but...
	I agree.
	I would like nothing more than to be a fly on the wall in an office where you and her can sit down and you can ask her these questions.
	Or I would like to ask her the questions, but unfortunately, I don't know it as well as you do inside and out.
	There are certainly a lot of questions that need answers.
	And in my opinion, for just the sake of your knowledge, even if nobody does anything and this program goes away in 25 and the VA, they say, hey, it's been a pleasure.
	Have a great life.
	Um-- There's still questions, I think, that need to be answered.
	The families will need closure, you know, and I think that Whether it's right, wrong, or indifferent, any time, especially when the government at any time takes things away from people without a reasonable explanation, of course there's hurt feelings.
	And of course that people are going to feel like they got shafted.
	But I think in this instance, the caregiver community is getting shafted.
	And the fact that there is no answers to any of the questions, even if they feel offended or feel like they're being pushed or bullied up on, that's irrelevant.
	Your job is to serve the veterans of this country.
	And that means answering tough questions.
	And the fact that that has never happened is...
	All they do is throw back excuses and maybe a very wisely worded insult here and there, but never have a conversation.
	You know, I mean, we can get into the fact later, but that's the whole point of their existence is to listen to the community.
	And as we've discussed prior, and maybe we'll discuss again, it just doesn't happen.
	It's atrocious to me.
	So if you fast forward the video, and we don't have time to listen to Meg say this, but the video is there.
	Anybody can go watch it.
	She says that Dr.
	Richardson will bring a whole breadth of understanding and real commitment to this program.
	She's talking about the caregiver program.
	And I would like to take a moment and agree with Meg.
	I think that Dr.
	Richardson's commitment to this program is out of this world.
	I think that anybody else that walked into that Senate hearing in 2022 and faced them with over 90% discharged, and she stuck around to do what she could after that, to try to fix that.
	You know, she's a strong woman.
	She's a veteran herself.
	So I feel bad.
	I feel bad because I've talked to her.
	I've done a listening session with her.
	She actually reached out to all of the caregivers that submitted public comment for the Federal Advisory Committee.
	And I can't remember if you and I, Richard, have talked about this or if this is something that we actually addressed on the show, but Dr.
	Richardson was not present at the last committee meeting.
	For good reason, she was doing site visits at my VA hospital, but she had informed the Federal Advisory Committee twice in writing that she wasn't going to be able to attend.
	She informed them in December.
	They still went forward with the meeting.
	So she felt obligated to take time out of her very busy schedule and meet with us one-on-one.
	Well, not one-on-one, but in kind of a town hall setting with just the caregivers that had submitted comment.
	Just her willingness to listen was more than we have ever seen from Ms.
	Cabot.
	I think in order to get Ms.
	Cabot to respond, you have to CC your congressman on there.
	And even then, it's hit and miss, from what I've heard.
	But as for a breath of understanding, let me be completely clear that The caregiver.
	I'm really passionate about this, so I might fumble my words a bit, but I'm speaking directly to you, Ms.
	Cabot.
	We are a very large group of caregivers, and we understand all too well that you have ignored, you and the VA have ignored 273 public comments saying that these regulations, the new expanded regulations, are garbage.
	Your number two, Elise Kaplan, implemented them anyways.
	You finalized these rules before Dr.
	Richardson even arrived.
	This program was implemented before she even came.
	She's doing her best to navigate this, in my opinion.
	I just...
	We understand.
	It seems like...
	Dr.
	Richardson should probably be in the office Meg Cabot now occupies.
	Yeah.
	She sees the problems and she has solutions to fix them.
	But nothing at VA is done by one person.
	But at least, Robin, she's willing to have a discussion, even if it's a tough discussion.
	She's willing to sit there and get hammered by the firing squad, so to speak, about all the issues that are going on in the program and the concerns of the family members or the spouses or whoever that has chosen to take care of these veterans at home.
	It seems to me that that is exactly what somebody in a leadership role for a program like this should do, and that's who she should be.
	And so, the fact that all these things go unaddressed, but yet this lady who seemingly has no power, she's got, you know, she's playing the game very well, but at the end of the day, she's not going to be able, even if she's willing, to make changes, to address concerns, and to talk about it publicly.
	A senior advisor could, and she doesn't.
	Right.
	Right.
	And so now what?
	So do we have to get Dr.
	Richardson to, you know, go public and talk?
	It's probably not going to happen.
	But there's no doubt about it.
	Meg Cabot needs to go.
	And somebody like Dr.
	Richardson needs to sit in that seat.
	Stick with us, folks.
	We'll be right back.
	Hey folks, thanks for joining us here.
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	And also, when you talk to them, tell them the Richard Leonard Show sent you.
	Hey folks, and welcome back here to the second segment of the show.
	When we ended the last segment, we were talking about Dr.
	Richardson and how she might be a better fit to be in the office that Meg Cabot now occupies.
	I was up on my soapbox.
	I have come down off my soapbox.
	So Robin, what are we going to get into next?
	Let us know.
	Yeah, so we're going to hear what the senior advisor, Ms.
	Cabot, is using her voice for in this new office.
	Okay, so we're going to check out a little bit more of the video that we saw in the first segment.
	So here we go.
	Check it out.
	Mike, we received a number of comments from caregivers who have been denied their application for the Program for Comprehensive Assistance.
	What's your advice to them and what can they do right now to get help?
	I think there's a lot of different things to do.
	As I said earlier, there are an awful lot of caregivers out there who are doing a lot of caregiving 24-7 who are not going to qualify for the program of comprehensive assistance for a variety of different reasons.
	I think it's important to note that There are so many other services that VA offers.
	I think it's important to note that the Program of Comprehensive Assistance is really focused on supporting that caregiver, but sometimes the best way to support that caregiver is to give that caregiver a break.
	So VA offers a lot of different kinds of respite services.
	And the Elizabeth Dole Foundation through partnership with CareLynx and AARP and the Wounded Warrior Project And VA as well has a respite relief program where caregivers can get access to respite, where they can take a break or frankly they can just get some help around the house.
	You know, some housekeeping, some grocery shopping, those kinds of things.
	So I think it's important not to There's always been a lot of focus on the program of comprehensive assistance, and that's for good reason.
	And, you know, VA does have work to do in making that program more streamlined.
	Inconsistent across the country and they've done a lot of things over the past couple years to do that and there's more to do.
	But that being said, I think there's a lot of ways that caregivers can support one another.
	There's lots of different communities out there.
	I know the Elizabeth Dole Foundation has a hiddenheroes.org, I believe, where caregivers can interact with each other.
	The Red Cross has a collaborative Online space as well.
	The VA Caregiver Support Program has a mentor program where individuals can talk to each other and support each other.
	VA works with the Roslyn Carter Institute to offer Operation Family Caregiver, which provides some Some peer support as well.
	So there's so many different things to do.
	My suggestion and my advice would be to not just focus on the program of comprehensive assistance and really, you know, take advantage of all of the other things that may be available.
	Thank you so much, Meg.
	Yeah, thank you so much, Meg.
	That was fantastic.
	Robin, let me ask you, who in the hell does Meg Cabot think she is trying to tell you or any other caregiver that you need a break?
	First of all, I think it's offensive.
	It suggests to me that They feel or she feels or whoever feels that you don't take this responsibility seriously and you just need a couple days break.
	Now, I will say that having a respite type program probably is good for those who maybe do need a break.
	But why is the decision not yours, first of all?
	Second of all, I don't know, knowing you and a few of the other caregivers through conversation and doing the show, I don't know that you guys have a problem with peer support.
	It seems to me that the caregiver community is extremely supportive of each other.
	There's groups on social media, you guys talk, you meet when and where you can.
	I don't know that the VA needs to offer you peer support.
	Because first of all, I'm sure that the VA pays a pretty penny for that.
	And also, I have no doubt that the Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the first one to put their hand out to take government dollars to be able to refer you to a peer support program.
	This whole three minutes or whatever, I mean, you could see it.
	She was choking on her own crap.
	Yeah.
	I want to know if 24-7 caregivers don't qualify, who the hell does?
	Right.
	And what are the variety of reasons, Meg, that this awful lot of caregivers don't qualify?
	Because we all receive blanket denials.
	We don't need...
	The veteran does not qualify for PCSC because they don't require six continuous months of caregiving services.
	That doesn't tell us anything.
	Mm-hmm.
	So when we appeal, which we're appealing to the same people that That's like asking your mom, hey, mom, can I go out with my friends?
	No, you can't.
	And then five seconds later, going back and asking your mother again.
	She's still going to tell you no.
	But I think Dr.
	Richardson actually changed that to now where you can see why you qualified or why you were denied.
	And so you have a means to kind of something you can chew on and figure out how to appeal with.
	I almost died when she said the best thing that she could offer us is a break.
	Girl, I think you mispronounced purge.
	You gave us a permanent break.
	Right, exactly.
	The best thing she can offer you is to vacate her job.
	That's the best thing she could offer.
	And so she says, you know, do a little house, get a little housekeeping, you know, get a little grocery shopping.
	But like, to me, that sounds like wifely duties.
	And remember, the caregiver program does not compensate.
	It wasn't designed to compensate for wifely duties.
	But we're going to pay CareLink's respite workers to do it.
	And mind you, I found an email where Steve Schwab is bragging about the RISPA hours and what they cost is astronomical.
	So they're like, when you do the math, if his math is correct, and I wouldn't...
	I'm gonna hope his math is correct.
	$25 an hour for these respite workers.
	And if you look at what Sarah Verardo of the Independence Fund, so she testified at the Senate meeting in March of 2022, and she says that caregivers earn anywhere between $6 to $11 an hour is what we are compensated for our time.
	So we are going to pay CareLink's providers $25 an hour for wifely duties, or what they call wifely duties.
	But you're not gonna compensate the family caregiver to provide those services for a disabled veteran?
	That doesn't even make sense.
	Well, I mean, since we're on the topic of money, and I've said from the beginning of this, I think that if we really want to uncover the culprit, if there is one, which I believe that there is, you follow the money.
	And so if part of the reason that these purges and all this stuff is happening is that the caregivers cost the VA money, well, so do the respite workers clearly at a lot higher dollar per hour rate.
	So, if you want to look into this, I found an article about these CareLinks by shared care providers.
	It says, through its network of over 450,000 tech-enabled caregivers, CareLinks delivers intermittent, on-demand personal care services in people's homes.
	With an exclusive offering for AARP members and key partnerships with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and three of the largest health plans in the United States, over one million Medicare Advantage members have access to CareLinks through their health plans, providing services across the continuum of care, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
	So they basically offer everything from companion services all the way up to skilled specialty providers.
	So the differences between a Program of Comprehensive Assistance Family Caregivers participant and these CareLinks by shared care providers is that you have to be hands-on for the caregiver program, whereas CareLinks captures all the people that were discharged and only require a phone call to take their medicine or a phone call to remind them, hey, you have a doctor's appointment.
	The caregiver program compensates for each time an ADL is performed, or constant continuous care.
	The care links providers do, you know, occasional.
	And it's just, I mean, the list just goes on and on.
	So everybody that is not covered underneath the caregiver program as it operates now can be captured underneath these care links.
	And I think that this is where we're going with the caregiver program.
	I think that everybody's moving into this care links by shared care.
	This telecare, whatever.
	Telehealth, I think they call it.
	Well, I'm going to...
	Sorry, I want to really like pound home guys that they're not saying that your veteran doesn't need a caregiver.
	They just don't want you to be that paid caregiver anymore.
	The VA pulls the support from you as the caregiver and they provide the veteran with the services they need, but you're still there.
	You're still managing the appointments.
	You're still fussing and fretting over everything because that's what you do.
	But guess what?
	Now that you're ragged from doing twice the amount of work, you're going to need some place to go and you're going to need some of that peer support offered by the Dole Foundation.
	Well, you know, here's the problem in my eyes.
	I think that this whole telehealth thing, just for conversation's sake, if I get a daily call from some nurse in Duluth, Minnesota, and I live in a suburb of St.
	Paul, they're four hours away, to remind me to take my medication, and I don't want to take it, I'm going to lie to them.
	Yeah, I took it.
	Yeah, no problem.
	Thanks for calling.
	Have a good day.
	And meanwhile, we're paying twice the amount of money for that dumbass phone call when I can promise you that my wife would hand it to me and stand over me until I took it.
	If it was necessary for my well-being, a phone call is not adequate.
	Not at all.
	And I guess...
	I don't understand the logic, Robin.
	I don't understand why all this is becoming a thing.
	The only thing that makes sense to me is it's about getting paid.
	Why on God's green earth would we cut out the people that are taking care of veterans, such as yourself...
	Pay more for strangers to do it and not have any better results.
	If you ask me, telehealth and share care and all this other crap is going to cause a whole lot more problems in the lives of these veterans.
	It's going to cost us as taxpayers a whole lot more money.
	But what it does...
	Is stuff money into the pockets of non-profits?
	Elizabeth Dole so she can throw her dumbass fancy dinner parties?
	I mean, in my opinion, there's really no other explanation that makes any sense.
	I don't get it.
	Why?
	Does it make sense?
	It doesn't make any sense.
	When you lose that continuity of care and the veterans suffer, these should be the things that we should be talking about, not if we need a break.
	Yes.
	Yes.
	We have been thrown in this role, and we not only survived, we thrived.
	We figured out how to make it work, with no help from you, Ms.
	Cabot, but we don't need your suggestions, nor do we want your break.
	We want what was Authorized and paid for by Congress.
	That's what we want.
	And to be left alone.
	To do it.
	Yes.
	Thank you.
	Yes.
	I mean, just provide the benefit that we were told that we earned and leave me alone.
	I mean, it's not rocket science.
	I don't...
	So...
	I don't know.
	I'm almost at a loss for words about how stupid this whole thing is.
	Because in my opinion, Robin, the answer is extremely simple.
	The thing is laid out there.
	The program has been working for years, albeit the last five or six not very well.
	But before that, as you said in the first or second show that we did about this topic, it was great when it started.
	Yeah.
	I think that it really tanked about the time that the Elizabeth Dole Foundation decided that Meg should be the...
	The national director.
	Their RAND report helped her secure that position.
	Purges started happening.
	Nothing's changed.
	She's been in control then.
	She's in control now.
	It's still a hot mess.
	That's not rocket science.
	That's gosh dang math!
	Right.
	I mean, and so here's the thing also.
	If part of the reason that, if they're going to claim that part of the reason that all this is happening is because I imagine that there's some claims of, you know, people not doing the job right and they're taking advantage of the stipend and this and that and the other thing.
	Well, then why don't we put money into investigating that?
	Right.
	And those people who are falsely using the program, if any, then get them out.
	Why don't we invest in better checks and balances to alleviate anybody who's being less than truthful and taking advantage of the program?
	Why would we kick out the folks?
	I'm sorry, we shouldn't use kicked out.
	That's probably insensitive.
	Why would we purge the caregivers and veterans from the program who are doing the right thing?
	Because somebody's taking advantage of it.
	That doesn't make sense to me either.
	Millions of dollars going out to pay more for the same services that you're providing your family.
	Every program is going to have fraud, but even if you have these veterans and caregivers that are not doing what they're supposed to be doing, it still would probably cost less to allow them to stay in this program than what it would be to pay these commercial caregivers to come in and do a half-assed job, in my opinion.
	I don't disagree with you.
	So, you know, Meg says the best advice is to not focus on the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers and take advantage of other things like peer support.
	But I think you remember me telling you about the...
	Red Cross Military Veteran Caregiver Network Facebook group that Linda Davis was at the Rays Council talking about how they were in their social media scraping to gather the data on the caregivers.
	Why would Meg be sending us to go to a place like that?
	Like, that is extremely intrusive.
	That doesn't feel good at all, but You know, it's even more concerning.
	So I'm not a member of the Hidden Heroes community.
	I just never wanted to get involved with that.
	But I know quite a few people that are involved or were involved.
	And there was...
	A time last year where a veteran tragically completed suicide and his widow came to that community and she made a post looking for support.
	She didn't know where to go or what to do, I imagine.
	And she went there and the moderators for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation Facebook page deleted her post.
	Why?
	Immediately deleted it.
	The caregivers were, they were livid and They claimed, so Roxana Delgado came in And she did damage control.
	And she claimed that talking openly about suicide is more harmful than good.
	And that the Elizabeth Dole took proper action in deleting the post.
	And that they will support that caregiver.
	And that by them supporting that caregiver, it will have a greater positive impact than 100 plus Facebook comments ever could have.
	What?
	Yeah.
	Who the hell are they?
	Hold on.
	Who the hell are they to say what's best for a family member that just lost their loved one to suicide?
	Why not both?
	Why can't she get the support from the caregiver community via social media?
	They could have put resources right up there in that post to help everybody that that was affecting.
	Absolutely.
	Absolutely.
	Yeah.
	Nope.
	Just deleted it.
	Gone.
	Gone.
	They made the post hidden.
	They made it hidden.
	But that's what they do.
	That's the real meaning of hidden heroes.
	That's the real meaning of hidden helpers.
	Silence us.
	Shut us up.
	And then they say what they want us to think and feel.
	And I'm not hidden.
	My kids are not hidden.
	And I'm just...
	It's awful.
	They keep us hidden, so we can't speak up.
	So I thank you, and I appreciate you allowing me to use your platform.
	Absolutely.
	So, like...
	The caregivers got on there.
	They were really mad.
	There was one caregiver in particular said...
	They had asked for help from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation during the first purge.
	And the Elizabeth Dole Foundation denied that there was even anything going on in the caregiver program.
	I mean, we know different because they had congressional hearings asking why you were purging the caregivers.
	But that's what the Elizabeth Dole Foundation does, is that they pause and pass, as Steve says.
	They pretend it's not happening, and then they move on.
	And so Roxy Delgado is extremely interesting to me, like really interesting.
	So she's a former Dole Fellow.
	She's currently employed at the Elizabeth Dole Foundation as a research advisor for the Campaign for Inclusive Care.
	And for those who don't know what that is, that is a campaign that is designed, poorly designed, mind you, to Educate doctors about caregivers and, you know, help include them in the care.
	And so she's also an investigator at the VA Dole Center of Excellence.
	So she does research.
	Yeah.
	So this research that's done, you know, I'm sure it's used to justify that partnership that the Elizabeth Dole Foundation has with the VA for this campaign.
	Mind you, this campaign's been implemented.
	It was implemented in 2017.
	And they've been running this Trainwreck since.
	They have a partnership with the VA. USAA funds it.
	Heck, Meg Cabot wrote the gosh dang grant proposal for it for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
	I don't know what business she had in 2017 writing grant proposals for nonprofits as a national director of the caregiver program, but she was.
	I'll give you that email.
	So I think it's...
	I'm sorry.
	I don't mean to chuckle, but this is also blatantly obvious.
	It's just all out there.
	Yes.
	All anybody has to do is take the time to look.
	Folks, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation is becoming more clear and clear to me than ever before through the course of this conversation doesn't give two shits about the veterans or the caregivers in which they claim to serve.
	To find out, for you to tell me, Robin, that there was a grieving family member who just lost their loved one, had no idea where else to go but to this community, which she thought was safe, that she could get some support from others who may have been through this or may fear that they're going to go through this, and then just have it deleted, and for these assholes to say that we know better.
	We're going to take better care of this person than this whole community of caregivers ever could, but then you're going to get on the internet on this stupid video and talk about how you should focus more on peer-to-peer support.
	Well, you just took it away from them.
	They want to put us in there because it's heavily policed, it's heavily monitored.
	Everything, everything down to a T is scripted.
	They don't give a shit, Rob, and they do not care.
	They care about the money coming in.
	They care about the partnerships, because you know what?
	That provides money.
	I wonder why out of all people, Miss Delgado jumped in and chimed in on that.
	You know, she has her own nonprofit.
	She has her own non-profit that is in partnership with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
	And I'd want to know if the support she receives from Dole is dependent upon her research findings.
	Well, what did we say about research when we were talking about the RAND study?
	Right?
	Yeah.
	Who benefits the most financially from said research?
	Like I said, it's becoming so much more clear.
	And I think that Elizabeth Dole, you crooked old lady, you and all your little cronies have a lot of answering to do.
	And I'm sure that the little tiny Richard Leonard show will never get any answers.
	But the American people deserve it.
	The people that you're spending our money to...
	I can't even speak.
	I'm so pissed off.
	Anyway, we'll be right back.
	Hey everybody, welcome back.
	Sorry we ended the last segment abruptly, but I gotta say, I have, this is probably the most upset I've been filming this show in just over a year.
	Anyway, Robin, we got about four minutes left, so I'm gonna give you the floor to say whatever it is you'd like to say.
	So I would like to encourage everybody to follow Veteran Warriors on Facebook and Twitter to join in the fight for advocacy on both of these platforms.
	Veteran Warriors has a wealth of information, and it's not just about the caregiver program.
	They handle everything, all different topics that affect veterans, caregivers, and survivors.
	And if you have not already, reach out to your representatives.
	Encourage them to please write some legislation using the suggestive language from Veteran Warriors website.
	We will link that in the description.
	And ask them to vote no on the Dole Act.
	It is a duplication of services and will essentially gut the caregiver program.
	And the last little bit I would leave you with is if you felt inclined Write the Dole Foundation.
	Reach out to them publicly on social media, whether that be Facebook or Twitter, and ask them.
	Why did you support Meg Cabot in these various roles that she's had at the VA? Because she obviously is not working in our best interest.
	You heard her say, an awful lot of caregivers will not qualify for the caregiver program anymore.
	But she's offering us a partnership, Care Links by Share Care, with the Dole Foundation.
	So ask those questions, guys.
	Let's see if we can't get some answers.
	And that's what I've got.
	I think that...
	Man, I'm almost speechless, which hardly ever happens.
	You can ask my wife, she'll confirm it.
	I think that in a time where our society seems to be falling apart and this country is so damn polarized that there's this type of thing just hits a little harder, right?
	Like, the whole idea that this type of thing is even happening After all the information, Robin, that we've talked about, it just hits harder.
	There is absolutely no reason in my mind that I can come up with other than money, power, and control.
	That this whole thing is even happening.
	The idea that...
	We are going to, in an already failing economy, spend more money to essentially duplicate the service that you provide at a much lesser amount.
	It flabbergasts me.
	And the idea that one of the key contributors to this program, they say, key contributor, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, will cut off The peer support that Meg Cabot was saying that you should take part in when this woman was going through an extremely tragic time in her life to just cut her off and then tell
	the peer support network that, well, we'll do a much better job than you guys reaching out through this network to support this woman.
	And contracts and dragging people from job to job to job.
	Elizabeth Dole has set up her own empire of money-making bullshit.
	And the thing that really, really bothers me is that it doesn't seem like anybody else besides robbing you and the other caregivers and me and a couple others Nobody cares.
	And so I hope that I'm wrong.
	And I hope, folks, that there are some of you out there or many of you out there that will do something to help these families.
	Because at the end of the day, it's not about Richard Leonard.
	It's not just about Robin.
	It's not just about a few individuals.
	It's about thousands of veterans receiving the care that they have earned through their blood, sweat, and tears in service to this country.
	Well said.
	And there's no reason why they should be left out in the cold to get some other bullshit service for what?
	So some crusty old lady can put money in her pocket.
	Maybe I'm wrong.
	And like I said before, if I'm wrong, I'll own it.
	But on the surface, that's what it looks like.
	Anyway, we've ran out of time.
	Thank you for joining us.
	We really appreciate you watching and contributing any way that you can.
	Have a great night.

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