These are all the Blogs posted today: Monday, 19, 2008.
MARINE CORPS TIMES: SHOULD GIS WITH PTSD BE AWARDED PURPLE HEART?
Open Letter To Senator Akaka and Congressman Filner
42 recommendation(s).
+Recommend this blog Downgraded Diagnoses
To: Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Chairman, Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans Affairs Honorable Members of Both Committees From: Kurt Priessman, MSgt, USAF (Ret), B.A., M.B.A., Veterans Advocate The Veterans of this Great Nation from All Wars Subject: This is not an Isolated Incident Chairman Akaka and Filner, Ranking Members, honored members of the Committees on Veterans Affairs, interested Senators and Representatives, ladies and gentleman of the presenting panels, Veterans and Citizens of the United States of America, Today is a special day, a day not for exercises in obfuscations or excuses, nor grandstanding or indignation, but a day to shed light on a system that is broken, a corporate culture rife with adversarial processes, denials, cover-ups, and rule-making ad infinitum. This country’s veterans deserve better. Suicides and PTSD among veterans are nothing new; they have just become more prevalent in the media which has covered them more attentively. Veterans today are faced with combat unlike any before, where the enemy is vicious and use the populace as shields, where human suffering seems unending. And unfortunately the suffering does not end after the battles in the Afghan mountains, or the streets of Sadr City or Basra, it continues in the constant bureaucracy, outlandish, outrageous procedures and requirements of proof, and trivial excuses of a system that is forced to cover-up statistical information that verifies its own failures. Eighteen Veterans die each day from suicide, seventeen more a day die while waiting for their claims to be adjudicated. It is becoming increasing clear from internal e-mails that the practices described herein are insidious, prevalent, and long-standing. This is not about anything other than a total failure of leadership gone too long, without anyone’s accountability. I submit to the Congress that the following practices come from the highest levels of the Department of Veterans Affairs, through Secretary Peake, Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield and Dr. Michael Kussman, conveyed through internal memorandums and e-mails to Regional and Medical Center Directors, to Program Administrative Officers in every line of the Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits Administration. The practice of not documenting, downgrading, and denying applicable diagnoses is prevalent in the Veterans Health Administration and also in the Department of Defense. From real experience I will give you two actual instances. The first was a discussion with my VHA primary care provider about my military health record, in which an inch worth of visits only reflected one instance of blood pressure and temperature taken in twenty years although it was standard practice that these were taken at the onset of every visit to a military clinic, thus making my claim of service connected hypertension unproveable. My provider responded, "Yes, I know, I had a patient walk in the other day with blood pressure of 235/178 and no diagnosis of hypertension. I called the physician of record, and he asked me if I hadn't heard about not documenting diagnoses, especially if they were compensable." The next instance was the result of a C&P exam. I was hit by a truck while serving in Thailand and was nearly killed. I escaped through quick reflexes, as I turned my thigh towards the vehicle and stood on my tiptoes. I was flipped high in the air over the truck, rather than being run over, which saved my life. I was in the hospital three days. Shortly thereafter I began experiencing continued knee pain, back pain and back spasms. When the C&P exam took place, the exam showed degenerative disk disease of the spine, degenerative joint disease of the spine, knee, hips, and iliac joints and arthritis. Yet the examiner stated that due to a lack of treatment it was unlikely my condition was related to the accident although I had never injured my back at any other time and my primary care provider attempted to schedule both CT scans and a MRI for three years before she finally got approval from the clinical line’s Administrative Officer. Thus denial of expensive diagnostic tests (CT scans, MRI), is another ploy used to deny benefits.The doctor I got for an independent medical opinion, a renowned radiologist, stated that my spinal injury was common in traumatic accidents of this kind (with medical citation), and then asked the VA examiner that if she felt it was less likely than not the accident caused the condition, what did? The answer is obvious, but unfortunately it is not medically related. The answer is that denial of nexus for service connection is just another ploy used by the Department Of Veterans Affairs. In an arrogant manner, the Department denies Veterans. They do not have to provide or explain a reason even when that reason is ungrounded by any evidence. Additionally, although required by law, re: The Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 1991, paragraph 5103 A(3)(b) and (c), when I requested assistance in finding retiree medical records from the USAF (a governmental department) with specific information as to where and when, help was not provided. Yet the examiner cited the fact that records did not reflect treatment during that specific time period. This is exacerbated by the failure of the Department of Defense and other government to release evidence that would substantiate Veterans claims. It thus becomes obvious that another ploy to deny benefits is not to assist veterans in compliance with the law.Another ploy is the arbitrary and capricious disregard of its own rules and regulations. Despite a requirement to give Veterans the benefit of the doubt, this is always denied and not usually remedied until a case is taken to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims seven years later. The answer is tied to money, an unscrupulous corporate attitude, and a prevailing attitude among Republicans in Congress and the White House that the benefits given to Veterans are entitlements. As a career military man, I feel that this abhorrent attitude is beyond belief. Veterans who have served and continue to serve earn every dime of every benefit the law provides. Until the attitudes towards these benefits changes in the Administration and Congress, Veterans will be faced with being nothing more than chattel, “volunteers” lining up to give their lives, only to be dismissed and left to die. Please think! The health care, disability payments and pensions, burial, educational, rehabilitative and home loan guarantees are not entitlements, are not entitlement programs, they are earned benefits.I am sure the Secretary will state that the e-mail in no way reflects the attitude of the Department and is an isolated incident. Or that it should be obvious from their outstanding PART Report that they are the best of the best. As a former civil servant, involved in the formulation of this report for another Department, I remind you that these reports, their criteria and results, are nothing more that self initiated assessments meant to reflect positively and that negative criteria are weeded out and dismissed. In conclusion, I ask Congress not to believe for an instant that the administrators of the Department of Veterans Affairs have not instituted "unwritten rules" intended to deny benefits to Veterans. Veterans across this country would be more than willing to testify to Congress on their experiences and if given impunity from retaliation, so would responsible providers and employees of the Department. With sincerest thanks for your continued efforts and support, Kurt PriessmanKurt Priessman, MSgt, USAF (Ret0 900 Ross Street, Apartment 1304 Vernon, Texas 76384-4167 (940) 552-2331 Proud Vietnam Veteran, Proud Father of an Iraq/Afghanistan Veteran For those Senators copied, I would appreciate you providing copies of these suggestions to your respective committees: Members of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Daniel K. Akaka 141 Hart Senate Office Building Jay Rockefeller 531 Hart Senate Office Building
Patty Murray 173 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2621 Fax: (202) 224-0238 Barack Obama 713 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202) 224-2854 Fax: (202) 228-4260 Sherrod Brown 455 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2315 Fax: (202) 228-6321 Jon Tester 204 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-2604 Phone: (202) 224-2644 Fax: (202) 224-8594 Jim Webb 144 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-4024 Fax: 202-228-6363 Bernard Sanders 322 Dirksen Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-5141 Fax: 202-228-0776 Richard Burr 217 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3154 Fax: (202) 228-2981 Arlen Specter 711 Hart Building Washington , DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-4254 Johnny Isakson 120 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3643 Fax: (202) 228-0724 Lindsey Graham 290 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-5972 Kay Bailey Hutchinson 284 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4304 Phone: (202) 224-5922 Fax: (202) 224-0776 (FAX) 202-224-5903 (TDD) Roy Wicker 487 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-6253 Fax: 202-228-0378
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Straight talkin' McCain??????
42 recommendation(s).
+Recommend this blog http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/80433/ About Cheney's remarks . http://www.alternet.org/election08/85744/ Video shows McCain contradicting himself and caught on tape also on McCain: http://therealmccain.com/ http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/12958-tpmtv-john-mccain-vs-the-video-tape War on greed: http://warongreed.org/dreams.php Read more | 0 comments
VA not ready for G.I. Bill overhaul, officials tell lawmakers by RICK MAZE
42 recommendation(s).
+Recommend this blog I cannot locate the link to this article yet at federaltimes.com but I did receive it in print by mail on Saturday: VA not ready for G.I. Bill overhaul, officials tell lawmakersBy RICK MAZE A Veterans Affairs Department warning that it is not ready to implement radical changes in G.I. Bill education benefits has done nothing to slow efforts in Congress to attach the 21st century G.I. Bill of Rights to a war related funding bill. Congressional leaders are intent on including the G.I. Bill overhaul as a writer to the 170 billion wartime supplemental spending bill, a move that puts improvements and veterans education benefits on a fast track for passage. And, leaders hope, it might also attract additional votes to find continued operations in Iraq and Afghanistan at a time when many lawmakers are worried about how that might look to war weary voters. Testifying May 7th before a Senate committee, a senior VA official warns that the bill lawmakers are rushing to pass could be difficult to administer and cause benefits to be distributed unfairly. “VA does not now have a payment system or the appropriate number of trained personnel to administer the proposed program, Pedigo said." He predicted it would take two years to develop a new system that can make the payments automatically. One difficulty, he said, is that the benefits under the 21st-century G.I. Bill would not be the same for every full-time student, as they are now. To keep a promise of providing G.I. Bill benefits that cover a full tuition at a four-year public school, the proposal would set a maximum payment equal to the in-state tuition and fees at the most expensive public school in each state, which would require a more complicated payment process then is used to now. Pedigo said a second difficulty is that the proposal calls for payments to be made in a lump sum directly to the school, not in monthly payments to the student, as is the case under current law. While this would reduce the potential for fraud and also eliminate the need for a student to pay tuition up front and then wait to be repaid in monthly installments, Pedigo said it would take time for the VA to change the pay system. He also noted that if the student drops out, VA could end up overpaying. Senate aides have been working with VA to try to reduce the start of problems, Pedigo acknowledged. In addition to problems with the payment of basic benefits, Pedigo raised other concerns about the G.I. Bill proposal that was first introduced by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va, and now has 57 Senate and 249 House cosponsors. One of the big improvements in the bill is a stipend for living expenses on top of the basic benefits, which Pedigo said some students could use to an unfair advantage. Because the stipend, which will be equal to the military's housing allowance for an E-5 with dependents, will be paid based on the location of the College rather than the student's residence, Pedigo said some veterans could enroll in an online learning programs offered by schools in high-cost areas just to get more money. The G.I. Bill improvements in Webb's legislation, S 22, would cost an estimated $65.2 billion over 10 years. _______________________________________________________ And my point here being-- while this 21st-century G.I. Bill does need to be passed now-- administration wise, it will take two years before it can be done properly administration wise. NOTE: even if fully funded the VA medical faculties’ would still be understaffed just like the civilian medical facilities. As it presently stands there is no such thing as a quality education for an overmedicated Veteran. The very words; Veterans quality education and Overmedicated do not belong in the same sentence. Being overmedicated defeats the purpose of a quality education. Kurt, You are very welcome. Do you remember almost two years ago when it was said; it will take at least 18 months to two years before any noticeable improvements will be seen at the VA medical facilities? Well in the last year I've seen some much needed improvements occurring, with the potential for much more. As someone who trained harness race horses may I say some improvements’ is literally putting the cart before the horse. FINANCE This practice has gotten worst instead of better. When new veterans return home creditors are tripping over each other for their signatures on high interest credit for that much needed vehicle. And the article states that there is suppose to be a 32% cap on the interest allowed to be charged to a veteran. How is a 32% cap on interest a favor/protection? And I asked this before and no-one knew the explanation: How does someone pay 800% interest? Read more | 4 comments
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