Woman accused of stealing from Harley Davidson suspended from veteran's charity board?

Woman accused of stealing from local business suspended from veterans organization board

WPSD 6 News
Krystle Callais
Jan 14, 2020

MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY -- A woman charged with stealing from a McCracken County business, has been suspended from her position on an veterans organization's board.

Marie McGruder McCracken County Sheriff's Department

Marie McGruder was arrested Monday on theft charges.

She was accused of using a company credit card while an employee at Four Rivers Harley Davidson to buy things for herself.

She allegedly spent about $40,000 on things such as vacations, groceries, pet supplies, and electronics.

On Tuesday, ProjectDieHard in Paducah said they were suspended McGruder from their board.
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Lawsuit filed against the VA after female West Point Cadet committed suicide

Family of former West Point cadet who died by suicide alleges death resulted from Portland VA Medical Center’s negligent health care

The Oregonian
By Maxine Bernstein
Jan 14, 2020

Before she got the medication from the VA hospital, Darneille never expressed thoughts of self-harm, according to the suit. She remained positive and had plans to become a pilot, her family said.

Emylee Therese Darneille, a 24-year-old Lewis and Clark College graduate, died by suicide on July 5, 2015, in Seville, Spain. Her mother has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, alleging "medical negligence'' contributed to Darneille's death.

A 24-year-old woman who injured her ankle as a West Point Military Academy cadet ended her life due to medical negligence after she was treated at Portland’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center for chronic pain and associated anxiety, her family alleges in a federal lawsuit.

Emylee Darneille was discovered dead in Spain on July 5, 2015, two months after she was prescribed an anti-depressant called fluoxetine, a generic form of Prozac, at the medical center. She had seriously injured her ankle as a cadet in 2008 and over the next seven years developed a complex regional pain syndrome marked by prolonged severe pain. She underwent numerous surgeries and physical therapies.

Darneille quickly began experiencing suicidal symptoms and reported them to her doctors repeatedly, the suit alleges.

Darneille’s mother, Cherylee Bridges, contends that her daughter’s suffering and death resulted from “negligent health care” provided at the VA hospital. She’s seeking $5 million in compensation for the family’s grief, anguish and loss in a wrongful death suit filed against the U.S. government.

The suit alleges the medical center failed to manage Darneille’s medication, investigate the cause of her increased suicidal thoughts or give her appropriate care.
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Veterans can video chat with VA doctors from anywhere

Telehealth system cuts down on wait time for veterans to see VA doctors

KATV News
by Kaila Lafferty
January 15th 2020

One of the key benefits of these systems is providing care to patients who live far away from a VA medical center. "We're changing the way that we address our patients." RN Clinical Manager, Teresa West

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — A new telehealth system is helping patients at the VA receive treatment for everything from refills on prescriptions, to check-ups and even care for PTSD.

As part of the system, veterans can video chat with doctors from anywhere.

Iraq war veteran Chris Durney met with his doctor through the system called, VA Video Connect.

"I can use this and set up an appointment, talk with my own doctor, my own provider and get those things done," said Durney.

RN Clinical Manager, Teresa West, had a patient experiencing symptoms of PTSD. He used VA Video Connect to see West face-to-face.

She talked him through his breathing, and immediately saw results. "His blood pressure came down, and he was amazed, it was 130/80. And he said, 'Oh this is incredible, I can't believe this,’" West explained.

Durney also saw the benefits of the system while dealing with his own PTSD, "Loud noises do make me cower a little bit, they affect me," he said.

He can make an appointment and speak with a specialist whenever and wherever he needs. "It's really great to be able to see a mental health professional almost at any time," he said.

Doctors with the VA are seeing the benefits as well. "I think the concept is wonderful, I think it works great. It's really easy to get into and I think it's an asset that we have as physicians to continue the care that we want to provide to our patients," said Dr. Jacqueline O’Donald.
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Stolen Valor: Gregg Ramsdell, 61, of Columbus, Ga faked PTSD for benefits...and job

Army veteran faces federal prison time, fines for Stolen Valor and lying about PTSD

Army Times
Todd South
January 14, 2020

Ramsdell later admitted to FBI investigators that he lied about having PTSD at all.

The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 makes it a criminal offense for individuals to falsely claim military status and awards to claim service-connected benefits. (Arsenis Spyros)

An Army veteran faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine in a March sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to lying about a fake tour in Afghanistan and Purple Heart and Silver Star Medals he didn’t earn.

Gregg Ramsdell, 61, of Columbus, Ga. pleaded guilty in early December to one count of false statements and one count of violation of the Stolen Valor Act. He’s scheduled for sentencing on March 23.

In 2014, Ramsdell claimed to officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs that he “witnessed horrible atrocities” while deployed to Afghanistan from October 2008 to March 2009, according to court records.

The investigation also found that Ramsdell had listed both the Purple Heart with Cluster and the Silver Star Medal on his application for a civilian job at Fort Benning, Georgia in 2017.

He got the job of logistics management specialist with a base salary of $53,137.
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Veterans forced to sue because military has failed to meet deadlines on disability claims

Veteran Group Sues Military Leaders, Claiming Yearslong Delays on Benefits Decisions

Military.com
By Richard Sisk
14 Jan 2020

Stichman said the class-action suit represents a mix of veterans either requesting upgrades of discharges to entitle them to benefits or requests from honorably discharged veterans for corrections to their records.

A group of veterans watches the Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, November 11, 2016. (U.S. Army/Sgt. Cody W. Torkelson)

The military has failed to meet deadlines set by Congress for rulings on veterans' requests to correct records blocking them from receiving benefits, according to a federal class-action lawsuit filed last month.

The suit brought by the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) charges that delays in processing the requests by the Boards for Correction of Military Records of the service branches amount to a denial of the due process rights of thousands of veterans.

In an interview and in statements, Bart Stichman, executive director of NVLSP, said that rulings on "lifetime benefits" for disability and retirement are at stake in the lawsuit, which names Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett and acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly as defendants.

"Veterans who seek a correction of an erroneous less-than-honorable discharge or a wrongful denial of disability retirement benefits are paying a high price for the ongoing delays at the Correction Boards," he said.
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