From: Sp5kelley2nd94th@aol.com [mailto:Sp5kelley2nd94th@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2008 11:30 AM
To: ColonelDan
Subject: VA meeting this past Friday
VA meeting this past Friday
Hi to all, I was invited to a meeting at the Atlanta VA on some follow up care with 22 other Vietnam Veterans.
I probably said too much but I think I made my points. Probably will not be invited back again!
http://www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com/Chas/VAmeeting.htm
Kelley
VHA HANDBOOK 1605.1 May 17, 2006
f. Providing Medical Opinions
(1) VHA health care providers are required, when requested and under certain limited circumstances, to provide descriptive statements and opinions for VA patients with respect to patients’ medical condition, employability, and degree of disability (see 38 CFR Section 17.38 and current VHA policy).
(2) Support of VA Benefits Claims
(a) Individuals may request statements from VHA health care providers regarding their medical conditions and/or opinions for submission in support of their claims for VA benefits.
(b) In response to such a request, VHA health care providers must provide a statement or opinion describing a patient’s medical condition.
(c) When the health care provider is the individual’s treating physician, and is unable, or deems it inappropriate, to provide an opinion or statement, such physician must refer the request to another health care provider for the opinion or statement.
(3) Medical Opinions for Non-VA Purposes
(a) Individuals may also ask VHA health care professionals for opinions to assist them in filing claims with other agencies.
(b) These opinions may be provided in the same manner and under the same restrictions as opinions furnished for VBA claim purposes.
(4) Exception. This does not include completion of SSA forms for examination where SSA would pay a private practitioner, but is prohibited from paying other Federal agencies such as VA (see 38 CFR 17.38(a)(1)(xiv)).
Meeting at Atlanta VA
This past Friday I was a member of 22 Vietnam Veterans in a meeting at the Atlanta VAMC.
Two things happened which set me off and probably will not be invited back but I gave them something to think about.
One fellow was discussing some of his issues. He mentioned his sleep apnea and the equipment. The doctor then asked how many others had sleep apnea and the equipment. Folks, about half of the group raised their hands.
When he was done I asked the doctor point blank…does this not seemed extremely high in these fellows. How many other hospitals do you think in the civilian world you could at random for something else find half the group has sleep apnea and what do you think the odds of that would be in a random sample. Does this not show some kind of connection to Vietnam Service and/or the one thing that was common in Vietnam; Herbicides. Did he know that TNF alpha, IL-6, and IL-1b been found to be associated to not only insulin resistance but also sleep apnea. Did he know that TNF alpha changes had been identified with the dioxin TCDD and our own EPA had found one of the biochemical effects of dioxin is actually the induction of TNF, IL 6, and IL 1 beta? These issues have also been identified in CFS and FMS.
Of course he did not know or at least did not admit the facts. He then said he had no idea how the VA Benefits worked. I said then until you VA doctors start standing up for us then we must conclude VA medical and VA Benefits are indeed one in the same.
Another fellow stood up (25th Inf Division soldier) after I handed out the new bill for cancers out of Congressman Kagen’s Office and discussed what the VA had been doing even on the present presumptive disorders and how we hoped that the other bill for not allowing VA to stall claims until the Veteran was dead and then the Widow had to reapply and fight for another two years on a presumptive disorders. He concluded his buddy with prostate cancer, a present presumptive cancer, had died before VA had approved his simple claim and his widow now had to file for DIC from death from a presumptive disorder. Folks, the Veterans family should never have to subsidize his own government caused mortality or disability due to planned inefficient processes at VA. Yet, this common practice results in the savings of millions of dollars per year for VA and our government and its despicable processes and treatment of these men and women who are dying from government causes.
In addition two fellows had cancers that are being denied that are included in the bill that are denied by VA as not the right kind of cancer.
Several of them wanted extra copies to take their buddies who dying from Pancreatic cancer still of course denied on our infamous list of cancers approved by the VA.
As I was leaving the building I ran into one of the fellows that had been in the meeting and he was talking to a fellow that was 100% for prostate cancer. Unfortunately for the Veteran, the Atlanta VA had cut him to 40% with no C & P at all. As it turns out the fellow had the operation but there was an area of cancer they could not get to. This area was still growing and his PSA levels where on the way back up. He went to VA Benefits and they told him he could file for the 100% but it would be sometime before they got to it because of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now this is not a complex medical decision and should be taken care of on the spot as a mistake made. It sounds like an intentional doing and not a mistake and once again in cumulative effects at VA this saves millions of dollars per year, which I am sure the VA management gets compensated.
I also heard from one of our Marines that the court ordered all his documents to his lawyer and his comment was you would not believe what these folks say about you in their files. Of this I have no doubt as they are nothing but gutless wonders hiding behind undisclosed process that even congress cannot find out what it is they are doing. Of course they have no guts to say it to your face from the clerks to middle management, management, and RO’s with the IQ of turnip; and probable enjoy that fact in their protected agency.
Like the Veteran in Iowa that sent me a sworn to statement that the VA out there said he would die before they approved his claim and any benefits.
I am sure that is why my simple claim will never be resolved because I am outspoken but I refuse to bow down to a lying federal agency like this. Many have told me that and I have no doubt it is true. VA avenging angels take their toll, you can count on that. But then if we all did bow down then we would not be winning some of these battles.
Any of you listening on SVR last Wednesday remember when Linda called in and said that the VA doctor did not want to (refused) write a report on her deceased husband. Many times I get the same thing in e-mails from other Vets and widows. In fact the real rule is stated below from the VHA Handbook. In fact she recanted the VA thanked her for educating them but still the cancer was not on their list of presumptive disorders. So a list put out by the Secretary of the VA overrules real science, studies, and medical facts. Christ how despicable and fraudulent is that?
I am also quite sure that VA frowns on their doctors following their own stated philosophy and rules.
I had some questions on BVA and how that works or "does not work" and will post that later.
Kelley
Monday, August 18, 2008
VA Doctors don't like to write medical opinions but they are required to
West LA Veterans Land
Subject: An Open Letter To Three VSO's re: Bill # S.1043 & Bill # S.1417
Respected Veteran Representatives,
The land-use situation at the BIGGEST AND BUSIEST VA health care facility in the nation, the "HOME" at VA, WLA, is out of control. Further, the terms conditions, spirit and intent of the Grant Deed of 1888 that created that "HOME", to "permanently maintain" a health care community for returning Veterans, are under siege! This is a plea to have YOUR respective organizations address this matter, immediately!
The dangerous precedent that HAS ALREADY been set must be realized and, with YOUR HELP, the situation must be resolved, undone and reversed!
We The Veterans have put together this factual information for
your widest distribution to all Veteran lists, however, for obvious reasons described herein, it is the National offices of AMERICAN LEGION, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS (Mr. Ed Monroe accepted our paperwork at the National Las Vegas Convention) and VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS that are being asked to expedite action to resolve the huge and complex challenge described herein.
Saturday, August 16Th, Information from my AMVETS Post 2 meeting described that the VFW National officers had called to use the Wadsworth Theater at VA, WLA, a theater created specifically for Veteran use, and it was told that it could not use it.
We The Veterans, a Veteran watchdog/advocate group based in WLA, can prove that Richmark Entertainment Corporation, a non-Veteran for-profit entity has complete control of this building (plus the Grand Lawn and the only other remaining theater on the facility). This corporation's "thugs-in-suits" security even assulted a Veteran advocate who was gathering information about a private party. That matter went to court and the DA, in his summary, stated that Veterans, love them as we do, are like children and have to be disciplined sometimes.
National VSO's and the entire Veteran community need to know that this typifies the occupation of the gifted "Home" land, like the Russians in Georgia, by non-Veteran entities.
We can show that local VA bureaucrats at the "Home" have not been helpful in exposing this fact and that they act more like real estate agents than health care providers. We can also show that the wealthy, powerful, politically well-connected and NIMBY-minded Brentwood Community (the president of the home owners is the president of Veterans Park Conservancy, VPC) has, with the help of some Veteran representatives who live in this area and political staffers, held questioning VSO's and Veteran advocate groups at distance from exposing the truth about "land-grab".
Richmark Entertainment Group, Inc, was guilty of serving alcohol and sponsoring lavish private parties adjacent to long standing Veteran rehabilitation programs and did not stop until We The Veterans called this to the attention of Senator Feinstein's office. We know that this Richmark sharing agreement, like most all others on the facility, ignores the congressional mandate for a master plan, a plan that would make Veterans the main stake holders, and that it perpetuates the negative impact that has taken over the facility. While the first of three housing buildings for homeless Veteran programs are subject to over a year's wait, exotic bird sanctuaries memorandums-of-understandings are being given freely.
The delays created by this form of "land-grab" beucracy has cost immeasurable hours and effort to treat an ailing Veteran community. Older Veterans are flocking to seek the assistance of an institution that bares the name "Veterans", and, younger wounded warriors with record claims for PTSD, head trauma and gender specific issues demonstrate the real cost of war.
It was Senator Feinstein, at a press conference four months ago, held on the facility, who stated "imagine what can be done here [for Veterans]" when she was "embarrassed" to be told by We The Veterans that her name had been used to endorse a public park on the property.
It is time to stop with the politics and time to make the "HOME" what it was intended to be.
URGENT! VPC, a so-called Veteran group, boasting lobbiests, a memorandum-of-understanding, a sharing agreement and, most damaging, a letter of endorsement on the California Department of American Legion stationery, is about to execute a sharing agreement for a 16 acre public park onto this land that was specifically gifted as a place for returning Veterans to heal by Grant Deed in 1888.
When We The Veterans managed to educate certain Veteran representatives within the American Legion, Department of California, it, at its latest Bakersfield Convention, passed a resolution, submitted by District 21, that would rescind any endorsements of this park idea and prevent any other such endorsements.
The bureaucrats at VA, WLA, continue to ignore the questions of Veteran advocates because we are not VSO's. We are Veterans who are passionate about service to Veteran patients and we take our advocacy seriously. Now, however, we must rely upon YOU, the VSO's, to press the issues as described here.
American Legion and Disabled American Veterans, DAV, as stated on their respective websites, admit to have been monitoring the following legislation for over a year:
'A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a report to Congress on proposed changes to the use of the West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California.'
Bill # S.1043
Original Sponsor:
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Cosponsor Total: 1
(last sponsor added 03/29/2007)
1 Democrats
About This Legislation:
3/29/2007--Introduced. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress on the master plan of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) relating to the use of VA lands of the West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California, as originally required under the Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998. Requires an alternative report, on the development of the master plan, if the master plan does not exist as of the date of enactment of this Act. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing any portion of the master plan until 120 days after its receipt by the congressional veterans' and appropriations
**************************************************************
American Legion, Website:
Congressional Legislation
West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Preservation Act of 2007
Bill # S.1417
Original Sponsor:
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Cosponsor Total: 1
(last sponsor added 05/17/2007)
1 Democrats
About This Legislation:
A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a report to Congress providing a master plan for the use of the West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California, and for other purposes.
National Commanders and leaders, please direct your respective legislative staff officers to use the muscle that Veterans have "on the Hill"! Please call for a moratorium on all leases at VA, WLA, until the honorable Secretary Peake makes good on the existing legislation (described above). Further, We The Veterans requests that you review and endorse the attached DECLARATION OF ENFORCEMENT. We The Veterans created this no-nonsense document to perpetuate the terms, conditions, spirit and intent of the Grant Deed of 1888, a grand document that, unfortunately, has lost all respect by the VA.
If not you, whom? If not now, when?
Sempre Fi,
F Juarez
Co-Director,
We The Veterans
**************************************************************
DAV, Denvel D. Adams National Service and Legislative Headquarters
807 Maine Ave SW
Washington, DC 20024
(202) 554-3501
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Obama gets support for honoring military
Obama gets support for honoring military
August 14, 2008
Why did I change my voter registration so I could vote for Barack Obama?
One of the reasons I support Obama for president is his support of our military personnel. He voted to provide counseling on post-traumatic stress syndrome and other related mental-health issues for our returning veterans. He supported the recent G.I. Bill, which provides tuition and other expenses at a four-year public college for our returning servicemen and -women.
Obama honors our military by voting to support them in the various bills that come before the Senate. The other candidate for president speaks of supporting the veterans, but his votes don't reflect his words.
All of our military personnel (returning vets and retired veterans) deserve the support of our commander in chief. That's one reason I'm voting for Barack Obama.
— Dena Wood, Salem
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I see I am NOT the only military type (disabled vet) that appreciates Senator Obama's strong support for the troops and especially disabled veterans
Theft After Death
Theft After Death
Many government benefits claimed after beneficiaries die.
Story by Ann Ali
Email | Bio | Other Stories by Ann Ali
When the Social Security Administration or the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board issues a monthly payment, some recipients' family members think the checks are supposed to keep coming forever and someone should always benefit.
When the beneficiaries of government programs die, the benefits are supposed to stop, but many times they don't.
U.S. attorney Charles Miller announced three grand jury indictments earlier this summer charging relatives of beneficiaries of government programs with fraudulently taking the benefits after the death of the beneficiary.
And the public that fills the government coffers suffers each time money is improperly awarded from those programs.
One of Many Forms of Fraud
While the death of a government beneficiary spurs action from a variety of agencies, inspectors say it's just a fraction of the fraud.
"It's difficult to quantify," said Jonathan Lasher, deputy counsel of the Inspector General in the Office of the Inspector General with the Social Security Administration in Baltimore. "When you're dealing with a series of programs that pays out billions of dollars every year, you do the best you can to protect it."
Lasher said his agency sees cases in which individuals try to receive benefits to which they're not entitled, cases in which someone claims to be another person and cases of Social Security employees committing fraud.
"There's a lot of ways to get a hold of government money you're not entitled to," Lasher said. "We investigated last year a total of about 10,000 cases, and that's all of our cases, not just the deceased payee cases."
Lasher said about 10 percent of Social Security fraud is the misuse of a number and about 2 percent is employee fraud, but most cases involve people conspiring to receive benefits from Social Security they're not entitled to.
Lasher said 13 percent of the cases for fiscal year 2007 were deceased payee cases.
Lasher said there also is a difference between Social Security paying out money to a deceased payee -- which it shouldn't -- and SSI money being stolen.
"A deceased payee case, that's money that was not rightfully paid out," he said. "But if we send you a benefit check and someone comes along and thumps you on the head and takes it, that's not a theft from the government any more.
"It's important to note that the victim in these cases is SSA, which is why we investigate; when benefits are paid to a living beneficiary and then stolen by a third party, such a theft would not generally be within our jurisdiction."
At the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, benefits fraud ranges from stolen and exaggerated disability claims to stolen identity and education benefits fraud.
"We investigate when someone makes a false claim for benefits based upon either completely fabricated or grossly exaggerated experiences," said Jim O'Neill, assistant inspector general for investigations with the VA. "We also obviously would be interested in anybody who was not a veteran but claimed to be and was getting benefits.
"Frequently, but not exclusively, it's a family member or friend -- somebody who knows enough about the person to convincingly portray the person."
He also said if a widowed spouse is due compensation and he or she remarries, it must be reported to the VA because that person no longer is eligible, and often fraud occurs if the VA isn't notified of the new marriage.
O'Neill said his office has a responsibility to investigate every felony committed against the VA and its programs, which is a tremendous responsibility, and limited resources make it hard to drop everything and go after each deceased beneficiary case.
How it Happens
While investigators can only pursue what they know is out there, death records usually are the first stop on the way to potential criminals.
"We match VA monetary benefits with Social Security's death file," O'Neill said. "We assign these out to agents, and when time permits they investigate."
Lasher said the office of vital statistics and audits from the Inspector General's Office "further tighten that net to be sure deaths don't go unreported."
"There's a number of ways we find out about a death," Lasher said. "Social Security receives death information from multiple sources -- funeral homes, state agencies, other family members -- so it's not as easy as it might sound to continue receiving the money.
"Your parent passes away and you think, 'If I don't tell Social Security, I'm going to keep getting the money,' but it's not that easy."
O'Neill said the VA also matches its records against the SSA's death index file and then checks first if payments are just piling up because the veteran had no survivors and no criminal intent is involved. In that case, he said, the VA simply recovers the money.
He said the VA has arrested 275 individuals for theft of deceased beneficiary benefits since 2000, which is a small fraction of the 800 to 1,000 people they arrest each year.
Tips and complaints are treated very seriously when going after fraud.
Lasher said the most allegations to Social Security are reported by law enforcement, followed by SSI employees, with "citizens" and "anonymous" rounding out the categories.
"I know they have, in a number of years, done projects with folks over a certain age," he said. "They go confirm the person receiving benefits, and it's hard to claim innocence once you're caught."
Lasher said cases get harder when deaths go undetected, such as a murder with a hidden body, that vital statistics or a funeral home doesn't know about.
"Most of our cases aren't about stealing someone else's benefits; it's about stealing benefits you aren't entitled to," he said. "It's hard to have someone pass away without Social Security aware of it, and when it does happen, we will act and investigate."
Lasher said there have been enough deceased payee cases that the Office of the Inspector General made a national project code years ago to detect and investigate those cases.
R. Booth Goodwin, assistant U.S. Attorney and chief of the economic crime section for West Virginia's southern district, said many people try to justify benefits fraud, saying their parents promised them or they just didn't know better, but nearly everyone should know better.
William Tebbe, assistant inspector general for investigations within the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board's Office of Inspector General, said once the Board is aware of a death, it contacts the surviving spouse to adjust the benefits, making it hard for him or her to continue collecting full benefits.
Tebbe said once the agency receives information about someone who has been paid benefits and shouldn't have, it conducts an investigation or gets it to the point where an allegation is substantiated. The agency then takes the case to the U.S. Attorney, whose office then decides whether to prosecute the person the agency has identified and the courts take over.
Who's on the Case
Benefits fraud cuts through all agencies and states, so federal investigators place all hands on deck to tackle it.
"As apparent from the indictments handed down ..., theft of government funds is not isolated to one program or agency," Miller said in a news release. "Many people rely on these benefits; each of these agencies has dedicated special agents charged with investigating theft of the funds they administer, and with my office, we are united in combating the threat to these programs and the beneficiaries they serve."
Goodwin said individuals call suspicions in to his office, and while it's not their place to investigate since they could eventually serve as the prosecutors, they're happy to field the calls.
"They should call here because it's very likely you could be dealing with a (U.S.) Railroad Retirement Board matter, and if you look in the front of the phone book, there's no number for the board, so we'll help sift through it," Goodwin said. "We are the central place where these matters are brought to a head."
He said West Virginia has a substantive federal presence, and most agencies have their "feet on the ground," but even the ones that don't can keep in touch, thanks to the age of e-mail and teleconferences.
"It is generally a cooperative effort among all federal and state agencies," Goodwin said. "Often, these sorts of cases are exclusively the jurisdiction of the Office of the Inspector General for each of the agencies, and while postal inspectors or FBI agents can investigate these sorts of crimes, they've got a lot of other crimes to investigate as well, and that's why these agencies have dedicated agents."
Tebbe said about 10 percent of his agency's cases are jointly worked with other agencies, because of overlap, and while the U.S. Postal Service follows any fraud that's done through the mail, its interest in benefits theft has decreased.
"We don't work those kinds of cases very often since most of those benefits are direct deposit," said Cathy Cantley, West Virginia's public information officer for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "We just don't see that much of it because usually they're defrauding specific agencies, and every agency has its own investigators."
What We're Out
Goodwin said theft of government benefits is not isolated to just one government program, but Social Security is the biggest one.
"From a taxpayer point of view, the more money that is being spent to prevent or detect or prosecute this type of crime is money that is not being spent elsewhere," Lasher said. "Not only do we, all of us, pay into the Social Security fund, but the businesses pay into it, and they match as well."
According to the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General's semi-annual report to Congress from October 2007-March 2008, the agency made more than $38 million in SSA recoveries, restitution, fines settlements and judgments and participated in multi-agency investigations that resulted in more than $18 million in savings. The report also projected more than $162 million in savings from investigations resulting in the suspension or termination of benefits.
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board's semi-annual report to Congress for the same time period said 13 civil judgments resulted in more than $2.5 million in monetary accomplishments.
Goodwin said one $20,000 fraudulent case may not seem like much, but three of them eventually will catch the public's eye.
"A lot of it relies on honest people because you just can't police everything," he said. "Our hope was to highlight the problem because it is a significant problem that directly affects the demographic profile of our state.
"As with any place, we have people who try to cheat the system, and that's no different here than it is in New York or Wyoming."
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Bottom line quit stealing government benefits you are NOT entitled to
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
PUBLISHED REPORT: LITTLE ROCK VA TO COME UNDER
PUBLISHED REPORT: LITTLE ROCK VA TO COME UNDER FIRE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH VIOLATIONS
The
Washington Times reports: VAOIG will document
failure to report deaths of 105 veterans, lack of
consent forms, missing signatures from consent
forms, HIV research done in secret and more.
Story here... http://www.washingto
ntimes.com/news/2008/aug/05/violations
-rife-in-hospitals-studies-on-veterans/
Story below:
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Violations rife in hospital's studies on veterans
Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
An investigation of research conducted at an Arkansas veterans hospital has uncovered rampant violations in its human experiments program, including missing consent forms, secret HIV testing and failure to report more than 100 deaths of subjects participating in studies.
The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on Tuesday will release its findings in a report on human subject protection violations at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock. The studies involved thousands of veterans who had volunteered for behavioral and drug experiments.
The investigation, which began last August, reviewed more than a half-dozen human experiments - including studies of colon, breast and prostate cancer - that had been conducted since 2006.
It found that entire consent forms were missing, signatures were missing from consent forms, HIV testing was conducted without documented consent, and research officials failed to obtain witness signatures in a study involving patients with dementia.
Additionally, the investigation found that researchers had failed to report "serious adverse events" during the experiments, including the deaths of 105 veterans. The researchers were required to report such events, regardless of whether they were accidental or linked to the experiments, to the Internal Review Board.
The board, which conducted oversight of the experiments, had been implemented and operated by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences but was transferred to the VA after the investigation began. The VA created a review board and halted all new experiments involving human subjects.
"The issues at the VA medical center in Little Rock were detected by VA employees, revealed through investigations by [the Food and Drug Administration] and VA's Office of Research Oversight, and ultimately referred to VA's Office of the Inspector General," said VA spokesman Matt Smith. "This is an example of VA detecting and fixing its own problems.
"The issues cited in VA's Inspector General report are being addressed through an aggressive action plan. The Little Rock research program is under heightened scrutiny to ensure no recurrence," Mr. Smith said.
"VA strives to provide world-class health care to its patients and that includes observing the highest professional standards in protecting people who agree to participate in medical research," Mr. Smith said.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences did not respond to calls for comment.
The VA employs strict guidelines for consent forms and witness signatures for experiments involving veterans to ensure that volunteers are fully informed of all risks and possible side effects associated with the experiments.
When a veteran signs a consent form, the principal research investigator is supposed to sign the form as well. However, the inspector general (IG) found that in one test the researcher did not sign nearly 200 forms until two months later. In four studies reviewed by the IG, times, dates and witness signatures differed on 103 consent forms.
In a review of several cancer studies involving 1,400 veterans, investigators randomly sampled the files of 105 patients and could locate only 20 consent forms.
The findings are being released on the heels of July 9 IG report prompted by a Washington Times/ABC News joint investigation that the VA failed to pass on new drug warnings and risks in a timely manner to more than 200 participants in a smoking-cessation study who were also taking the drug Chantix. The eventual warnings of hallucinations and possible suicidal behavior were issued too late for James Elliott, who was subdued by police with a stun gun during a psychotic breakdown.
The IG said researchers in the smoking study "did not ensure that patients involved in the smoking cessation study were notified of the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in a timely manner."
The IG also said it could not confirm whether warning letters reached the intended study participants, and more than half have not signed and returned amended consent forms advising that the drug may cause hallucinations or psychotic or suicidal behavior.
In Arkansas, the IG report found fault with the IRB operated by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, saying it "failed to identify and address severe and continuing noncompliance."
"Every protocol [study] discussed in this report was audited and deficiencies were identified and communicated to the IRB," the IG said. "The IRB did not suspend or terminate any of them prior to outside inspections."
In addition, the IG said there was a failure to ensure researchers had required skills and training to conduct the clinical trials, and that unlicensed research personnel performed some medical procedures it described as "minimally invasive."
One study to determine the success rate of heart surgeries required a cardiac catheterization one year later to see how open the arteries remained, but the procedure was performed on only one out of 70 patients.
In another study reviewed by the IG, the principal researcher told the IRB that no subjects were enrolled in the experiment, but told the Office of Research and Development that 47 veterans had been recruited for the study. The IG found that $138,000 had been spent on study-related expenses.
All research by one physician was suspended after it was discovered he was reviewing the medical records of 678 veterans for a study that never received approval.
As of March 18, the hospital was conducting nearly 300 active research projects, 200 of which used human participants and 55 that were evaluating investigational drugs. The IG recommended that the VA determine whether human subject research should continue at the hospital and to take appropriate administrative action.
In addition to creating the internal review board, the VA has since hired new officials to take over as chief of staff, assistant chief of staff for research and development and a new medical center director.
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posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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This is as outrageous as the human experiments conducted at Edgewood Arsenal between 1955 thru 1975, so much for complete and thorough oversight on human research projects, and the VA wonders why I refuse to "volunteer" for any of their new research projects, sorry once was enough for me, the government is no longer believeable when it comes to safety for human trial subjects.
Veteran ordered imprisoned for defrauding VA
Veteran ordered imprisoned for defrauding VA
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A federal judge in East St. Louis says an Air Force veteran from the Metro East must spend 10 months in prison for defrauding the U.S. government of benefits.
Forty-five-year-old Randall Timmons of Waterloo pleaded guilty in March to concealing material information from the Social Security Administration and making false statements to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Prosecutors say Timmons collected disability benefits after sustaining a back injury related to his time in the Air Force in the 1980s.
By 2001, with the help of spinal fusion surgeries, Timmons was well enough to go back to work.
But he never apparently told the Social Security Administration of his medical improvement and continued to collect benefits by insisting he was still disabled.
Bill to Add Cancers of the GI Tract as Herbicide Associated
Bill to Add Cancers of the GI Tract as Herbicide Associated. HR 6798
Yes, that is correct see link below. I can only say it is about time.
http://www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com/Chas/GITractCancers.htm
Bill to Add Cancers of the GI Tract as Herbicide Associated.
YES YES YES YES YES YES………………………………………YES!!!!
I received e-mail this morning from Mr. Peter Holstein of Congressman Kagen’s Office of which I am just ecstatic that finally the money, time, and the research time I spent is paying off for all Vietnam Veterans and Widows. In spite of my personal set backs on my claim; I am just thrilled to get this e-mail this AM.
E-mail as follows:
"Mr. Kelley, this is Peter Holstein in Congressman Kagen’s office. I wanted to let you know that my boss has introduced a bill to add all cancer of the GI tract to the AO presumptive list. The bill number is H.R. 6798. Of course, this is by no means a full solution, but it’s a start.
As you know, I’ve been working on this since last year, and sitting in with you on your meeting with Mr. Filner was catalyst. Thank you for continuing to pass on information on AO.
Please keep in touch, and let me know if you think your community would be interested in helping us get other members of Congress to cosponsor H.R. 6798 (right now we have two, Mr. Baca and Mr. McDermott).
Thanks again and keep up the hard work.
Peter Holstein"
Peter D. Holstein
Congressional Aide
Rep. Steve Kagen, WI-08
1232 Longworth HOB
(202) 225-5665
The link is at: http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_6798.html
On that link you can slide down to where it says read the bill. So far it is not posted there as of yet.
Now Mr. Holstein is asking for our help and we need to help him and Congressman Kagen as well as the two co-sponsors and ourselves and our widows.
Please please please call your DISTRICT congressperson and your two STATE senators and demand they support this HR 6798. In fact, I would ask them to sign on to co-sponsor the bill “as soon as possible” to support the Herbicide Veterans.
As you know the data has been there for some time without VA admitting the “increase in all site cancers is associated,” especially the GI tract. While this does not cover “quote ALL SITE CANCERS end quote”, it will cover GI Tract Cancers, which the GI tract is from the mouth to the anus.
Since it is going to committee it is imperative that you call all of the Congressional folks on the House Veterans Affairs Committee almost immediately.
As the cable guy says Let’s Git..er Done – NOW!
Show our support for this long overdue recognition of gastro cancers that are rampant in dioxin exposure victims and that must include "Herbicide Veterans."
Thank you so much for you help and please follow up on this as soon as you can with phone calls and letters.
This means all of you including spouses/widows/offspring and your separate Veterans Groups please you should also call in and send letters of support.
Thanks
Kelley
