Well, whaddaya know? It DOES seem like they've fixed a few things noted here. Thanks for checking things out, Vicki. I don't know if I, personally, had anything to do with it, because I'm sure I wouldn't have been the only one complaining.
It would be great if you (and everyone else) would just browse through the VA website for various GW issues and make a note of what isn't available, current or working. It seems to me like they should be publishing and updating these GW Reviews, Reports, and other publications at least annually (if not sooner), instead of waiting until someone complains.
I've tried to list and keep current many of the VA links in the Index of VA Resources, and that's how I frequently find out that the VA has changed something:
http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000001
So, if you see something in the Index of VA Resources that isn't working, please feel free to note it there or to send me a message about it and I'll bring it up-to-date. I really think the VA should be keeping a comparable index, instead of the one they have here:
http://www1.va.gov/GulfWar/page.cfm?pg=7&template=main&letter=K
You have to know what the name of the issue or office is to look anything up there. Most noteably, is that you have to know where that VA index link is within the VA website to begin with! There's no link to it from the main VA homepage or Gulf War page.
Then, the next thing I do when I get a list of discrepancies together is to challenge their information, noting what ISN'T mentioned in the reports, as well as what is. One example is finding that the old VA M-10 policy manuals (approx 150 pages) had been replaced with the VA Handbook 1303.2 (38 pages). Then, finding that the OEF soldiers had been eliminated from the GW Registry exams in that handbook:
(excerpt from VHA HANDBOOK 1303.2 - http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1574 )
"NOTE: Veterans who served in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) are not eligible for
GWR examinations. Information on Afghanistan or other combat areas can be accessed on
website http://vaww.vhaco.va.gov/vhahq/publicat.htm .
(2) Eligible GW and/or OIF veterans applying for treatment in a VA medical center and/or
outpatient clinic need to be encouraged to undergo an initial (i.e., “first-time”) GWR
March 7, 2005 VHA HANDBOOK 1303.2"
Also, the link (above) they've provided for the OEF veterans is broken (at least as of this date) Both, OIF and OEF veterans were at one time included in the GW Registry evaluations, and although the VA acknowledges that the OEF and OIF troops have similar health problems, the poor OEF veterans have been lost in the consideration for environmental health issues:
http://www1.va.gov/environagents/docs/EnduringFreedomVeteransNewsletterDec2004.pdf
(excerpt)
"VA Health Care Use by Enduring Freedom Veterans.
In a report issued in 2004, VA analysts found that among 43,600 OEF veterans who have separated from active duty nearly 10 percent (about 4,300) have sought health care from VA. OEF veterans have a wide range of both medical and psychological conditions. Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom veterans have experienced about the same kinds of health problems since returning to the U.S. even though they served in separate theaters of operations. Those OEF veterans examined by VA are not necessarily typical of all OEF veterans."
So, it's things like that we have to be on the lookout for because as these policies are quietly and arbitrarily changed and/or deleted, we find ourselves losing more and more benefits.
At this point, I can only ask that we make note of these things here so we can refer back to the problem(s) as they occur. You don't need to know how to interpret laws to see what's been changed or eliminated. Then, when it comes time to address these and other issues in congress, we'll have it here to look back to. It's like reviewing your medical records... You don't have to know medical terminology so much to know what's been omitted, or misrepresented by your doctor(s) when documenting your records.
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HONOR OUR VETERANS WITH BETTER CARE AND BENEFITS
Gulf War Vets Bulletin Board
If you have ever served in the Middle East this is a board you should at least look at and read if not join there are some very knowledgeable people there on VA claims and the process and already posted data and research projects I have been a member for years I am number 6 on the board and joined this new board after the old one crashed I am not part of the administrators but I post a lot there
Monday, April 6, 2009
VA website and Gulf War news and OIF/OEF
Chairman Filner Names Martin L. Herbert Majority Staff Director of Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee
NEWS FROM…
CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2009
For more information contact
http://veterans.house.gov
Chairman Filner Names Martin L. Herbert Majority Staff Director of Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee
Washington D.C. – Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA) named Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Martin L. Herbert Majority Staff Director for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. As the Staff Director, Herbert will direct oversight efforts on programs and operations that pertain to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as those of other federal agencies that pertain to veterans.
Mr. Herbert retired from the United States Army in July 2005 after a distinguished military career of 20 years. LTC (Ret) Herbert commanded soldiers in combat during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-2004. Before coming to Capitol Hill, he served as a Homeland Defense Analyst in the Office of the Undersecretary for Defense for Booz Allen Hamilton. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and also holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development from Webster University.
“I am proud to work with this talented and dedicated individual,” said Malcom Shorter, Staff Director for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “I am confident that the Members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee will greatly benefit from his counsel and experience.”
“Marty Herbert’s record of military service and experience allows him to fully understand the wide-range of challenges faced by veterans,” said Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Elmo, John Mayer, and Queen Latifah look to help families of soldiers on PBS
Elmo, John Mayer, and Queen Latifah look to help families of soldiers on PBS
COMING HOME: MILITARY FAMILIES COPE WITH CHANGE Wednesday night at 8, PBS
Elmo and some of his "Sesame Street" pals move to prime time Wednesday night with a special to help children understand that sometimes, when Daddy becomes a soldier, Daddy can come home hurt.
Presumably that's also true for Mommy if Mommy is a soldier, but all the wounded vets who join Queen Latifah for this serious but ultimately hopeful show Wednesday night happen to be men.
Put together by "Sesame Street" and David Letterman's production company, "Coming Home" is part of a wider campaign called "Talk, Listen, Connect." As the name suggests, it urges everyone to be open and honest about how they're affected by a life-changing injury in the family.
To punctuate the point, John Mayer does an acoustic performance of the theme song toward the end of Wednesday night's program.
"Coming Home" is similar to the Linda Ellerbee specials that break down complex, grownup issues into simple terms, with a sprinkling of actual kids and a general tone of reassurance.
The show features several soldiers who suffered severe injuries in Iraq and have returned to their families. Now they are adjusting to the new rules of their lives.
The most reassuring part is that they don't feel the important things in their lives have changed. They may not be able to play wide receiver in the family pickup football game, but once they are confident they can still play with their kids, or simply pick them up and walk them across the yard, the rest seems easier to live with.
Accordingly, the most heartwarming sentence in "Coming Home" is spoken by a young girl who, when asked about her father, says, "He's the same Daddy," even though he now buckles on his leg in the morning.
Another vet talks about how he had hoped to regain function in a wounded hand. But it isn't happening, so he's going to have it amputated and replaced with an artificial model. He explains how he prepared his children for this, a process that doesn't happen with one conversation.
The tougher injuries, of course, aren't the ones that take away a limb. They're the ones that affect Daddy's behavior and demeanor, so he yells when he doesn't mean to, or you can't always tell what he's going to do next.
This special includes one vet in that situation who talks about the long path he's slowly taking to overcome that frustrating affliction.
"Coming Home" isn't all upbeat and doesn't promise all happy endings. But it does assure its audience that if they are patient and understanding, the most important pieces can usually be put back together.
dhinckley@nydailynews.com
Congressman wants Troops to Teachers expanded
Congressman wants Troops to Teachers expanded
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 6, 2009 10:36:18 EDT
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Tom Petri of Wisconsin is pushing legislation to make more schools eligible for a program that recruits veterans as teachers.
The Troops to Teachers program has placed more than 11,500 veterans in American schools since it started in 1994. The program gives veterans a $5,000 stipend to help them obtain teaching certification in return for three years of teaching in a “high-need” school.
In 2005, the federal government defined “high need” in a way that excluded many rural and small communities from the program and focused efforts on poor, urban areas. The number of eligible school districts in Wisconsin dropped from 395 to nine.
Petri says many veterans who would like to participate in the program now can’t because no schools in their area qualify.
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Information from: The Post-Crescent.
Army: No plan to move sea-dumped munitions
Army: No plan to move sea-dumped munitions
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 6, 2009 10:01:17 EDT
HONOLULU — Several thousand World War II-era chemical munitions have been found by deep-diving submersibles under a joint Army-University of Hawaii team.
So far, no large cache of weapons has been discovered.
The U.S. military dumped some 2,500 tons of weapons containing lethal mustard, cyanide, lewisite, cyanogens and chloride at three deep-sea sites several miles off Oahu. More than 16,000 individual bombs were dumped there.
Over 17 days, a $3 million effort involving remote devices and the university’s two submersibles found several thousand bombs at depths of 1,500 feet by using sonar. The examined area totaled 240 square miles.
Water and sediment samples also were taken near the bombs that were found. The Army has no plans to remove the munitions.
Several Army enlistment bonuses slashed
Several Army enlistment bonuses slashed
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 6, 2009 9:50:12 EDT
The Army has reduced or eliminated a number of enlistment bonuses offered to new soldiers, following similar cuts to re-up bonuses.
The changes were effective March 1. Here is a look at some of the key changes, as provided by Recruiting Command.
• The Army Advantage Fund pilot program, implemented in February 2008, has ended. The program set aside up to $45,000 as a tax-free payment that soldiers could spend on items such as a down payment on the purchase of a home or seed money for a business.
• A $20,000 bonus is no longer being offered for eligible non-prior service applicants who enlist in the active Army for two years plus training, followed by four years in the National Guard or Army Reserve in certain military occupational specialties.
• A seasonal bonus of up to $20,000 for non-prior service recruits in select MOSs who enlist for two years and agree to report for basic training within 30 days has been reduced to a maximum of $15,000.
Depending on the MOS, the bonus can range from $3,000 to $15,000.
Qualified recruits who report to training within 31 to 60 days can earn a $3,000 bonus.
• Qualified non-prior service recruits with an associate, bachelor’s or higher degree who enlist for three or more years in select MOSs now can earn $5,000 instead of the previous high of $8,000.
• The Army is no longer offering bonuses to prior-service recruits.
The exceptions are those who enlist in the Army Reserve and former 09L interpreter/translator soldiers who enlist in the active Army for at least four years. Those 09Ls may be eligible for a $15,000 bonus.
Prior-service soldiers who enlist in a critical skill position in the Reserve can earn up to $15,000 for six years or $7,500 for three years.
Apart from these changes, other enlistment incentives remain in place: Active Army recruits who enlist for four or more years still can earn up to $40,000 through a combination of bonuses, and Reserve recruits still can earn a maximum of $20,000 in enlistment bonuses.
Recruits who earn more than $10,000 in cash bonuses will receive their initial payment of $10,000 when they complete basic training. The remaining bonus amount will be paid in annual increments of up to $10,000 a year until they are paid in full.
Bonuses totaling less than $10,000 will be paid in one lump sum when the recruit completes basic.
Medical Journal Praises VA Electronic Health Record
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
Medical Journal Praises VA Electronic Health Record
VA Continues to Lead Health Care Industry
WASHINGTON (April 6, 2009) - A recent study in the prestigious New
England Journal of Medicine singles out the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) for its successful implementation of a comprehensive system
of electronic health records.
The study's authors, led by Dr. Ashish K. Jha of Harvard University,
noted that VA's use of electronic health records has significantly
enhanced the quality of patient care. They also found that only 1.5
percent of U.S. hospitals have comprehensive electronic health records;
adding VA hospitals to the analyses doubled that number.
"VA hospitals have used electronic health records for more than a decade
with dramatic associated improvements in clinical quality," the study's
authors wrote.
VA clinicians began using computerized patient records in the mid-1990s
for everything from recording examinations by doctors to displaying
results of lab tests and x-rays. Patient records are available 100
percent of the time to VA health care workers, compared to 60 percent
when VA relied on paper records.
Dr. Michael J. Kussman, VA's under secretary for health, said VA has
"one of the most comprehensive and sophisticated electronic systems" for
patient records in the nation.
"VA's electronic health record system has largely eliminated errors
stemming from lost or incomplete medical records, making us one of the
safest systems in the health care industry," Kussman said.
The authors of the NEJM article are the latest to praise VA for its
technology and commitment to patient safety. In 2006, VA received the
prestigious "Innovations in American Government" Award from Harvard's
Kennedy School of Government for its advanced electronic health records
and performance measurement system.
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Since they quit using paper records at the VA and went digital veterans health care has been improved, I have extensive healthcare issues, regardless of where I go, my entire treatment record is available to the VA doctor I am seeing, it is a vast improvement over what used to be, prior to the creation.
I will be happier when they improve the ability of the veteran to get lab work, doctors appointments etc online, via MyHealthvet being able to order prescription refills is a major advance but they need to take it to the next step and make HealthQuest or Ask a nurse or even your primary care or mental health doctors an e mail away.
