Agent Orange, Veterans Affairs, VAMC, Homeless Veterans, Hire A Vet

House panel to examine VA spending on extravagant conferences

"E-mails obtained by the committee show that the department’s conference planners unapologetically and recklessly wasted taxpayer dollars"” said a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee staff report. "Taxpayers deserve better. And even more so, veterans deserve to know that the VA is doing everything it can to provide crucial services".

The VA has revised its conference policies since last year to "strengthen oversight, improve accountability and safeguard taxpayer dollars"” Gina Farrisee, the department’s assistant secretary for human resources and administration, said in prepared testimony. The changes include requiring approval from senior department officials, depending on an event’s cost.

Spas and limos? VA work amounted to paid vacation for some feds, House finds

Planners at the Department of Veterans Affairs accepted thousands of dollars in meals, spas, gift baskets and limo and helicopter rides from hotels hoping to host the VA’s lavish conference business, a congressional investigation has found.

The government planners traveled to Nashville, Dallas and Orlando to check out possible locations while treating the trips as little more than paid vacations, according to an investigative report set to be released Wednesday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Memphis V.A. Medical Center Responds To Patient Death Inspections

The Memphis V.A. Medical Center Chief of Staff, Christopher Marino, went before cameras Thursday to respond to mistakes in the emergency department  that killed three veterans.

"We take these issues very seriously and we have acted to address them directly contributing to the deaths"” said Marino.

A health care inspection last  May showed patients who came in for back pain,  neck pain and high blood pressure were given drugs they were allergic to, put on oxygen and left unmonitored.

A nurse also failed to follow-up with doctors on a high blood pressure patient.

The three patients died.


 
HIRING U.S. VETERANS:  RISE AND SHINE TO A DIFFERENT ROLE CALL

As a Vet, you have something special to offer: dedication, perseverance, hands-on problem solving skills and uncommon drive. Now that you're home, you want a career with a real future. We're committed to making that happen.

Here you can find out about the many initiatives, partnerships and programs in place to help you thrive at Comcast. You'll also find links to programs that are specific to NBCUniversal. Now, explore the possibilities available to you at the intersection of technology and entertainment.

Lone wolf, lost dog have a home at last

After years of living out of a homemade camper shell on the back of his truck, Rusty Reed and his dog, Timber, now have a permanent home, thanks to a program offered by the VA and HUD.

Why is veterans' advocate Arnold Fisher angry?

Arnold Fisher is angry.

The real estate mogul and philanthropist wants know why the U.S. government isn’t doing more to help the country’s veterans in their recovery from post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

"If we can't do this, we are not a decent people"” Fisher said. "We lose that decency if we can't help those who help us"”

Agent Orange meeting draws large crowd

On Saturday, a town hall meeting was held at the American Legion Post One in Lake Charles for those exposed to Agent Orange.

Over 300 people attended the meeting, along with a group of expert panelists.

Officials said the objective was to bring together everyone affected.

But the meeting was also for family members.

"It can go down five to seven generations, so grandchildren can be having children that have maybe something that is connected to the Agent Orange disease from the very beginning," said Sandra Lopez, Chapter 215 historian.

 

Albuquerque VAMC: VA's 'PATIENT NO. 28'

Quick said he consented to become the 28th person to receive the new treatment at the VA because Schlicht told him it was safe, proven and cutting-edge.

What he wasn’t told was that the procedure for injecting his spine with the plexiglass-like cement had never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration — and that it didn’t work when tested on pigs.

At the core of Quick’s decision to try the treatment was his trust of Schlicht, who had worked at the VA since 1997.

He had no warning the cement would deteriorate in time, breaking into shards that would migrate from the disc area and slice into the nerve roots of his spinal cord like “little razor blades.” And he had no idea Schlicht, an anesthesiologist, would subsequently move from the VA in Albuquerque to Alamogordo, where his use of the technique would lead to a flood of lawsuits that would force Gerald Champion Regional Hospital into bankruptcy court.

In August, the VA said it would start a comprehensive inquiry and notify and provide care for patients whose treatment by Schlicht failed to meet accepted standards.

There are still no assurances the VA will ever give an accounting to the public.

VA hospital spokeswoman Sonja Brown said in an email last week that “processes are in place to ensure that staff physicians only perform procedures for which they are credentialed and privileged.” She has previously said Schlicht was a staff physician, and not a VA surgeon. He worked at the VA from 1997 to 2006.

“One radiologist looked at the X-rays and said, ‘This couldn’t be right, but I think that’s bone cement in there.’ ”

Quick was ultimately referred to Dr. Jim Youssef, an orthopedic surgeon in Durango, Colo., who spent more than three hours pulling shards from Quick’s spinal canal and immobilizing the area with metal screws.

Youssef has since operated on about 20 other former Schlicht patients from the Alamogordo area, Quick said, but none who had been treated at the VA.

read more

VAMC Investigations: Los Angeles says VA 'dumped' patient at shelter

The graying veteran in a wheelchair was found in the parking lot of a Westside cold weather shelter wearing hospital pants, carrying a urine bottle and screaming for help.

Senior officials at the Los Angeles city attorney's office say they believe James Boykin was "dumped" Dec. 1 at the shelter after his toe was removed at the nearby Department of Veterans Affairs medical center because of a bone infection. Moreover, according to city prosecutors, VA officials blocked an investigation that could have shed light on whether there were other similar incidents.

For Boykin, there is no doubt. "They … kicked me out," he told The Times. "I'm telling them, 'Hey, man, what's wrong with y'all? What are you going to discharge me for? Where am I going? They just pushed me out."


The Source

Atlanta VA Medical Center: Georgia vets wait for medical care

"You almost have to know someone to get a decent appointment schedule," concurred William Mitiu, a veteran who served our country 24 years and has suffered from suicidal thoughts.

According to the report, the investigation started after a "confidential complainant alleged that as a result of excessive wait times, patients may be placed at risk."

The report found that some of those veterans attempted suicide while waiting, although it stopped short of blaming the suicide attempts on delayed treatment.

The Source