Backlog at a 20th century Veterans Administration

Backlog at a 20th century Veterans Administration
MSNBC
Jack Jacobs
03/29/2013

It has been more than two decades since the Veterans Administration was elevated to a cabinet department. But its dreary public image endures and not without reason: veterans wait a staggering average of nine months for their disability claims to be processed and the delay gets longer all the time.

In a stark departure from how he has operated until now, Secretary Eric Shinseki, who oversees the administration, is seeking to change the public perception. I interviewed him on March 27th during his visit to a veterans’ jobs fair in New York City.

Shinseki, a retired Army general, was twice wounded in Vietnam. As Army chief of staff, he incurred the opprobrium of the Pentagon’s civilian leadership in 2003 by delivering news it didn’t want to hear: A large number of American troops would be required to secure Iraq once Saddam Hussein was deposed. So, although he is a shy, modest man, he’s not necessarily a shrinking violet.

Nevertheless, amid the inability of the VA to cope with the logjam of claims, Shinseki has not been much of a visible presence outside his department. Until now.

Shinseki’s main message for the public, and his critics, is that veterans who need medical care are enrolled for treatment right away. While the quality of care varies from hospital to hospital, and veterans in sparsely populated areas need to travel some distance to a facility, there seem to be no bureaucratic impediments to timely medical care.
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My comment
Thank you for adding in what was done for Vietnam veterans in talking about the backlog, however, it would have been better if you also added in what was going on when troops were coming home wounded from two wars. Less workers for more claims and then there was this piece of news. "In 2000 the VA had 578,000 claims but went to 838,000 in 2008. That same year the VA was trying to do online claims. It was also later in the year of 879,291 in backlog including 148,000 Vietnam veterans who finally filed claims in 2007."

Senator Reed Announces $4.79 Mill More Towards Ending Homelessness

Senator Reed Announces $4.79 Mill More Towards Ending Homelessness POSTED BY ALEX FERRERAS MARCH 29, 2013 (Source: Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless) – Today at the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless annual awards luncheon, U.S. Senator Jack Reed presented Sue Bodington, Deputy Director for Programs at Rhode Island Housing, with the 2013 Jack Reed Advocacy Award for her deep and abiding dedication to promoting affordable housing and combating homelessness in Rhode Island for more than 30 years.

Today, Senator Reed also announced over $4.79 million in federal funding for programs working to reduce homelessness in Rhode Island. The federal Continuum of Care (CoC) grants support 43 local housing assistance programs that offer a wide variety of services for homeless veterans, the mentally ill, families, single men, women and children. read more here

Will Vietnam Vet get justice after 3 attempted suicides?

We have Veterans' Courts today because of what happened to Vietnam Veterans and we have "programs" for PTSD because of what they fought for. This veteran is an example of what they came home to. How much do you want to bet this veteran was misdiagnosed?

Decades Too Late With Schizophrenic Vet's Suit
Courthouse News
By MARLENE KENNEDY
March 29, 2013
WASHINGTON (CN) - A schizophrenic veteran is about 25 years too late to sue for wrongful discharge and disability benefits, a judge for the Court of Federal Claims ruled.

An action must be filed within six years of a claim occurring for the court to have jurisdiction, according to the ruling. The military discharge being disputed here by Monroe Quailes Jr., however. dates back to 1979.

"Despite the court's recognition of the difficulties in seeking redress that plaintiff has encountered over the years, it is compelled to grant the government's motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction," Judge Edward Damich wrote.

Quailes served two tours in Vietnam with the Army as a quarry machine operator and a cook before returning stateside in 1972. He soon began experiencing psychiatric problems that led to a suicide attempt in 1973 and subsequent outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

A routine physical conducted before Quailes was honorably discharged in April 1975 showed "no psychiatric problems." After another suicide attempt in July that year, however, Quailes entered outpatient care at a private psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C.

Quailes nevertheless succeeded less than a year later in enlisting in the Navy - "somewhat surprisingly, in light of the indications of his troubled history," Damich noted.

Soon thereafter, he went AWOL (absent without leave) twice in August 1976, then returned to service before taking an "unauthorized absence" in October. In November, he was declared a deserter.

In December 1976, Quailes was arrested in Easton, Md., on charges of burglary and grand larceny in connection with a home break-in. A third suicide attempt while incarcerated in the county jail landed him in a Maryland psychiatric hospital.

Quailes ultimately withdrew an initial plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and pleaded guilty to the break-in in December 1977. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with five years suspended.
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Acknowledged pullout of Vietnam 40 years ago but too many never really left

I could not bring myself to post on this yesterday for a couple of reasons. The first one was that the end date on the Vietnam Memorial Wall is not 1973, but is 1975.

The youngest Vietnam KIA is believed to be Dan Bullock at 15 years old.
The oldest person on the Wall is Dwaine McGriff at 63 years old.
At least 5 men killed in Vietnam were 16 years old.
At least 12 men killed in Vietnam were 17 years old.
There are 120 persons who listed foreign countries as their home of record.
At least 25,000 of those killed were 20 years old or younger.
More than 17,000 of those killed were married.
Veterans killed on their first day in Vietnam 997 (unconfirmed)
Veterans killed on their last day in Vietnam 1,448 (unconfirmed)
Number of Chaplains on the Wall -- 16 (2 Medal Of Honor)
Number of Women on the Wall -- 8 (7 Army, 1 USAF - 7,484 served)
There are 226 Native Americans on the Memorial.
There are 22 countries represented on the Memorial.
Most common name on the Memorial "Smith" with 667 veterans.
The most casualties for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 casualties.
The most casualties for a single month was May 1968, 2,415 casualties were incurred.

On Vietnam pullout anniversary, veteran hopes war won't be forgotten
NECN.com
March 29, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was 40 years ago today that the last American combat troops left Vietnam, and one veteran hopes a younger generation won't forget the war.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund president Jan Scruggs says the war no longer resonates with most Americans, with 9/11 now serving as their seminal moment.

But as school kids stood on the National Mall gazing at the wall etched with the names of more than 58,000 U.S. troops killed in Vietnam, Scruggs was hopeful the memorial itself will keep the war's memories alive. He says it has become an educational device, and he enjoys seeing how kids react to it.

While today marks the end of the U.S. combat mission, Saigon's fall two years later is generally remembered as the end of the war.
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The other reason I couldn't do it is I was working on THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR, and facing the daily reminder of how many we lost after Vietnam to suicide, much like we are losing today. When they came home, no one thought about them even though they are the reason we know so much about PTSD today and what can be done to save their lives by helping them heal. The acknowledged pullout anniversary of the Vietnam War was yesterday but for far too many, they never really left.

Woman charged with killing husband

DC woman who worked at Walter Reed hospital charged with fatal shooting of husband in DC
By Associated Press
Published: March 29

WASHINGTON — An employee of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has been charged with fatally shooting her husband in their District of Columbia home, police said Friday.

Lalchan, who on her LinkedIn page identifies herself as a pharmacist at Walter Reed, called 911 just after midnight Thursday to say that she had shot her husband, police said. Officers found Christopher S. Lalchan lying dead on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Police said they found four unregistered weapons — two pistols, a revolver and an antique gun — in the couple’s Southwest Washington home.
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Navy SEAL Team 6 member died, another injured in parachuting accident

Navy SEAL Dead, Another Injured After Arizona Parachuting Accident
AP/The Huffington Post
Posted: 03/29/2013

UPDATE: NBC News is reporting that the Navy SEAL killed in the incident is from SEAL TEAM 6, the group that carried out the killing of Osama bin Laden.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- One of two Navy SEALs injured during parachute training in southern Arizona has died while the other man remained hospitalized Friday, authorities said.

The names of the two SEALs, both from an East Coast Naval Special Warfare Unit, weren't immediately released and military officials said the accident was under investigation.

U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Kenneth McGraw said the SEALs were practicing "routine military free-fall training" when the accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. MST Thursday.
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Problems with VA claims, more of the same, they wait

I am trying diligently trying to finish THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR, that I still hope to finish before April, a couple of days away, and getting really aggravated with the recent reports about how bad it is for our veterans. The issue with me is, not that it isn't happening, but that it has been happening all along. Some talking heads on TV get all hot and bothered about all of this for a while then they just move on to other things. The veterans can't just move on. Their problems do not go away just because reporters don't talk about them anymore and if we don't finally, once and for all, get this right, then we will read more bad reports like we did 7 years ago.

Lawmakers address problems with VA programs
CHRIS ADAMS
Mercury News
Mar 03, 2006

The VA's disability compensation program sends checks to 2.7 million veterans for injuries suffered during military service. Yet high error rates, lengthy appeals, backlogs and wide regional inconsistencies mean many veterans wait years for decisions. One result, detailed by Knight Ridder: Thousands of older veterans die with their claims still pending.

Although the Bush administration expects the backlog to continue rising, its 2007 budget proposal calls for decreasing the staff that directly handles such cases - 149 fewer workers, from the current year's 6,574.

The VA has long wanted to reduce its backlog to less than 250,000 claims. But the department's most recent projections have it rising to nearly 400,000 by the end of 2007.

In addition, the average time to process claims, which the VA had said would drop to 145 days, or 125 days, or even 100 days, is projected to increase this year and next, to more than 180 days.

Democrats and Republicans on the committee say the administration also needs to beef up its appeals division, generally the source of the longest waits for veterans. In 2005, the average response time for a board decision was 622 days - well above the department's goal of 365 days.

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) June 16, 2006
"With an estimated one third of the 1.3 million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan facing mental health challenges upon their return, I am concerned that they are not getting the services they need," Murray wrote. "It is unacceptable that they are encountering VA waiting lists that render mental health care 'virtually inaccessible.'

More than half of troops discharged treated at the VA

Iraq, Afghan wars will cost $4 trillion to $6 trillion, Harvard study says
By Alan Zarembo
Los Angeles Times
Published: March 29, 2013

Of the 1.56 million troops that have been discharged, more than half have received treatment at Veterans Affairs facilities and filed claims for lifetime disability payments, the study found.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will ultimately cost between $4 trillion and $6 trillion, with medical care and disability benefits weighing heavily for decades to come, according to a new analysis.

The bill to taxpayers so far has been $2 trillion, plus $260 billion in interest on the resulting debt. By comparison, the current federal budget is $3.8 trillion.

The costs of the wars will continue to mount, said the study's author, Linda Bilmes, a public policy expert at Harvard University.

The largest future expenses will be medical care and disability benefits for veterans, Bilmes predicted. "The big, big cost comes 30 or 40 years out," she said.

The wars, taken together, will be the most expensive in U.S. history — and not just because of their duration. The government has greatly expanded the services available to veterans and military personnel over the last decade. Compared with past conflicts, a far greater proportion of returning service members are seeking medical care and benefits.
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Car dealer charged with mistreating Alabama National Guardsman

Car dealer charged with mistreating guardsman
By The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Mar 29, 2013

“Just because this boy joined the National Guard is no reason for him not to pay me,” Nuss said.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A north Alabama car dealer was indicted on federal charges of refusing to lower the interest rate in a vehicle deal with a National Guard member who was sent to war.

Carl Ralph Nuss, 74, of Cullman was indicted on two counts of violating a federal law that mandates breaks for service members who are called to active duty, federal prosecutors said in a statement Thursday.

Nuss, who owns North Alabama Wholesale Autos, denied doing anything wrong and claimed the guardsman’s family was trying to get out of paying for a vehicle.

Authorities said a 22-year-old service member bought a Ford Sport-Trac from Nuss in 2011 and was later called to active duty in Afghanistan. The guardsman requested a reduction in his 25 percent annual interest charge to 6 percent, as required by the law, but Nuss refused, said the statement from prosecutors.

Prosecutors said the dealer then hired two men who repossessed the $9,700 vehicle.
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Bravo Company 1978 and Hep C Germany veterans seek justice

UPDATE
Artie is starting a support group for all veterans with hepatitis c so we can help one another deal with the virus and over time prove it was transmitted by air gun and needle while in service.

This support group is for all veterans and any that wish to get it started with me please have them contact me at my email arthurfryer2beking@yahoo.com or my home (3520503-2569). If they leave a message I can call them back at the end of the day.

Earlier today I received a phone call from a veteran about what happened to him in Germany because of the some of the Hepatitis C posts I have up.
Vietnam veterans and Hepatitis C jet gun delivered
Bush shafts Hepatitis C veterans
Hepatitis C Cases Appearing More In Vietnam Veterans and this one about a Florida veteran winning his lawsuit after a colonoscopy

I told him a couple of things he could try and one of them was getting his story more out in public so that maybe, just maybe he could get some justice for himself but he wanted to do it for other veterans more. That's right! As soon as I said it could help other veterans, he agreed right away. So here is his story along with a couple of responses he received from other veterans.

Kathy, in Dec 1978 I was stationed with the 1st bn 39th mechanized infantry 8th infantry division Baumholder Germany with Bravo company from sept 19 1977 to sept 26 1980.

In dec we received a flu shot in the basement of Charlie company from the medics and it was alive vaccine. When we got there for the shot they switched to a needle since the air gun stoped working just before we got there.

They took the needle and inserted into the vial vaccine and one after the other gave us the shot. In line in front of me was a guy named cagola,red and roy and not long ago I talked with roy who informed me he had hepatitis at the time of the shot.

I was later that evening taken to the infirmary since I eneded up with the flu and had a temp of 104.6 and was labled patient #52 with many still coming in after me.

The medical staff were short of people and when they could not get my temp down they started a IV which was already used on another patient.

A guy in Charlie company who I believe was a medic was supposevely murdered in jan 1979 but when I checked on it the soldier they said was killed by the bieder meinhoff gang also known as the red faction army killed the guy with a ice pick and took his id. I checked and found that soldier was killed in 1985 long after I was there but the guy in Charlie company was a medic and thios was the story they spred about his death.

I have found out besides myself that six others in my unit endedup with hep c and 2 alone were in my platoon ,one was from csc company and at the time I was told we were quarantined due to tb breakout and after talking with others found out it was hepatitis.

I have the proof to prove it happened and hope some is willing to listen on the facts that it can be spred my air gun innoculations and my fondest hope is to help all veterans past and present. My home number is 352-503-2569. Im sending a pic of me and my girlfriend so you know what I look like. god bless artie

He received this reply

I for sure do NOT have it, but remember that 1/39 was deemed Non Combat Ready for a period of time over this. That's why we were warned in formation. I have about 6 friends on facebook that were in my company back then that may remember it. If you would like to try to contact them I could see if any remember this incident.

and this one from another veteran

I am doing well thanks. Hope all is well considering your medical condition. I do remember the outbreak of hepititis in the 1/39 Infantry. I don't remember exact year, but I was in Baumholder from 1978-1982. What I remember was my medical platoon sergeant was totally again the air gun for innoculations. But also in that same time frame, I don't know if it were 1/39th Infantry or the 1/87th Inf there was a medic(s) that got into the safe that store narcotics that were to be used in war time. The medic(s) used needles and syringes to break through cellophane and draw the narcotics out. Those narcotics were inventoried monthly by a disinterested person and inspected annually by the division surgeons office. Why I mention this to you as there was discussion that possibly some folks contracted the hepititis virus as some folks shared needles when using the narcotics. In fact, the virus was found in a medic who died of overdose.

If there is something I can help you with I will. Of course, it's been 35 yrs ago or so, so my memory isn't the greatest....but I do remember that out break.

If it happened to you too, get your story out there and give lawyers a chance to fight for you. You shouldn't have to fight for what you have been dealing with, but you are not fighting alone.