Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 12-01-08

1. VA Documents Reportedly Mishandled.  
2. VA Criticized For ‘Culture Of Lost Records.’  
3. Report Says Gulf War Syndrome Is Real And Needs To Be Treated.  
4. Duckworth Said To Be Possible VA Secretary In Obama Administration.  
5. Canine Therapy Proving Successful At Local VA Center.    
6. Holidays Said To Depress Some Vets.  
7. Injured Local Veterans Make Progress In Recovery.  
8. Expected "Wave" Of GI Bill Students Creates Challenges For Schools.  
9. Officials Concerned About Bases’ Ability To Care For Returning Vets.  
10. VA, DOD Said To Be On "Cutting Edge" Of Record Sharing.

HAVE YOU HEARD?
Today, December 1, marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. This year’s theme, "Lead–Empower—Deliver," is being embraced by providers and communities around the world, and it is especially relevant to the VA health care system. In 2007, VA provided care to nearly 23,000 veterans living with HIV/AIDS. Because of the vast experience of our providers, VHA is a leader in the field of delivering comprehensive care and treatment to persons living with HIV/AIDS. Like many other medical conditions, early diagnosis of HIV infection is an important way to ensure that persons who are infected with HIV can take advantage of life-saving treatments. Early treatment can prevent immune system damage and VHA supports a variety of efforts to encourage timely diagnosis of HIV. Please join VHA and its Federal partners in the international observance of World AIDS Day and continue to support our veterans living with HIV and those who care for them. For more information about HIV/AIDS please visit http://www.hiv.va.gov/ .

1.      VA Documents Reportedly Mishandled.   The Greensboro (NC) News & Record (12/1, Alexander) reports, "Winston-Salem’s Department of Veterans Affairs regional office is among at least 41 VA offices nationwide that improperly placed papers in bins to be shredded, records show. The papers pertained primarily to veterans’" benefit applications, "according to VA records obtained by the News & Record through the service organization Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. The papers were described in an Oct. 23 VA conference call as ‘critical,’ meaning the documents were necessary for veterans’ claims to be properly adjudicated." The "VA’s inspector general is investigating," and VA Secretary James Peake "said Nov. 17 that the department would hold those responsible accountable."
      Doctor Says Document Problems Are Symptoms Of A "Systemic Illness" At VA.   In a Washington Times (12/1) op-ed, Veterans Affairs physician Dr. Robert W. Van Boven, "director of a traumatic brain-injury-imaging research program in Texas," writes that he "was deeply saddened by the recent revelation of deceptive practices" at the VA in New York. According to Van Boven, a "Newsday article reported that hundreds of veterans’ benefit claims were misdated by the VA to make it appear that they were processed on time. This latest affront to integrity comes at the heels of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee roundtable discussion" on November 19th "regarding the VA’s shredding of hundreds of claims at other sites. These are metastatic manifestations of a systemic illness — failures of leadership and a cultural decay at the VA." Van Boven asks, "How can" the VA "tackle veterans’ doubts of integrity and transparency of the system? A new system of regional, independent oversight to provide early, proactive opportunities for central oversight by Congress could replace the reactive options left after the media unearth problems."
      VA Said To Be Plagued By A "Broken Bureaucracy."   In an editorial, Newsday (12/1) also notes the problems at the New York VA regional office, saying they represent an example of the VA’s "broken bureaucracy," which has "veterans waiting 180-plus days for claims to get fully processed." Newsday argues that the VA "needs inspiring, transformational leadership," but "leadership alone won’t suffice. The department also needs more staffing and better technology to reduce the backlogs."

2.      VA Criticized For ‘Culture Of Lost Records.’   The St. Petersburg Times (11/30, Levesque) reports that "the VA, critics say, has long operated in a veritable culture of lost paper and was losing records many years before this latest scandal. Lost paperwork sometimes leads to delayed, denied or abandoned claims for medical or financial assistance. And it leaves some questioning if workers lose it deliberately to ease workloads." But "the VA notes it is the most paper-intensive federal bureaucracy," and Mike Walcoff, the VA’s deputy undersecretary for benefits in Washington, "said it is unfair to criticize thousands of dedicated VA employees for the failures of a small minority, and said the VA is working hard to improve its performance."

3.      Report Says Gulf War Syndrome Is Real And Needs To Be Treated.   In continuing coverage, the AP (12/1, Hefling) reports, "Ground combat in the 1991 Persian Gulf War lasted just 100 hours, but it’s meant 17 years of pain and anguish for hundreds of thousands of veterans," many of whom "were told their problems were just in their head. But, recently, many of the sufferers were given a new reason to hope" when "a high-profile advisory panel to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake affirmed previous research that a collection of symptoms commonly known as Gulf War illnesses are real and require treatment." The panel, "created by Congress, said at least $60 million should be spent annually for research, but some veterans question if in these economically strapped times the money will be made available."

4.      Duckworth Said To Be Possible VA Secretary In Obama Administration.   The Buffalo News (12/1, Michel) profiles disabled Iraq veteran Tammy Duckworth, who "has become one of the nation’s leading advocates for veterans." There is also "growing speculation that she could" be appointed Veterans Affairs secretary in President-elect Barack Obama’s Cabinet. Duckworth "says she has not discussed the…post with Obama, but said she would ‘always welcome the opportunity to serve.’" The News adds that Duckworth "has her own thoughts about what the VA should be doing for vets. She believes it needs permanent, not discretionary, funding; national rules on how to gauge the level of a veteran’s disabilities, and reductions in the long waits for rulings on disability pensions."
      Brown Among Those Reportedly Being Considered To Head VA.   The Baltimore Sun (12/1, West) reports, "A Cabinet that looks like America" has "been the goal for recently elected presidents as they put together their administrations. Barack Obama’s team is coming into focus in a slightly different light: It looks, to a remarkable degree, like him." Obama "is expected to name the first African-American attorney general, Eric Holder, and is said to be considering Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown" for secretary of Veterans Affairs. The Washington Post (11/30) also noted that Brown is being considered for the VA post.
      Edwards Says He Will Not Be Obama’s VA Secretary.   In his "In The Loop" column in the Washington Post (12/1, A15), Al Kamen notes that Chet Edwards, the "conservative Democratic congressman from Texas," has "been mentioned as a possible" VA secretary. Not "happening, he says. ‘I believe I can do more for our military troops, our veterans and their families in my present position than I could as secretary of veterans affairs,’ Edwards told the Houston Chronicle."
      Principi Says Obama Is "Surrounding Himself With A Lot Of Smart People.   In his Norwich (CT) Bulletin (11/30) column, Ray Hackett discussed Obama with former VA Secretary Anthony Principi, who said, "Washington can be a brutal place," but Obama is "a smart guy and he’s surrounding himself with a lot of smart people. I think he’s going to be OK."

5.      Canine Therapy Proving Successful At Local VA Center.   The Tuscaloosa (AL) News (11/30, Seabol) reports the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which "has been using dogs for therapy for about two years. … The dogs, who belong to VA therapists, are part of a movement to make the VA’s long-term care center more homelike." According to the News, "the dogs have proved their benefits; patients who engage with the dogs improve their social behaviors, are less lonely or agitated and have lower blood pressure."

6.      Holidays Said To Depress Some Vets.   In his column in the Modesto (CA) Bee (11/30), Jeff Jardine wrote, "Being in combat during the holidays creates a life-changing void, said John Middlesworth, a readjustment counseling specialist at the Vet Center in Modesto." Middlesworth, a former Marine, said, "Thanksgiving and Christmas" are the "two times out of the calendar year when we think about being home and they’re thinking about us. If you’re going to get depressed, those are the days, and it stays with you. It’s the most emotional time of the year," and vets "can go literally into a six-week lockdown. I start counseling them in October for the holidays." Jardine, who noted that the Vet Center "will hold a Christmas party…for" vets "and their families Dec. 11," said staff at the facility hope the event will help veterans confront their "demons head-on."

7.      Injured Local Veterans Make Progress In Recovery.   The Ventura County (CA) Star (11/30, Crary) profiles "three among the tens of thousands of US service members to return from the war in Iraq needing intensive, expert help to get their lives back on track. Each has made progress after arduous regimens of therapy or counseling at the Veterans Affairs health center in Palo Alto and each knows more challenges lie ahead." One veteran "hopes to get a college degree and then do counseling for the VA, offering the kind of help that he received from a parade of VA employees," while another "assists needy and homeless veterans as an employee of the chaplains’ office at the Palo Alto VA."

8.      Expected "Wave" Of GI Bill Students Creates Challenges For Schools.   The Palm Beach (FL) Post (11/30, Miller) reports on "a wave of tens of thousands of vets, driven by the new GI Bill, to seek an education in Florida’s universities and colleges," noting that "schools are rushing to prepare for them." And many of the veteran students "will need tutoring, flexible class schedules, and latitude on meeting enrollment deadlines," along with "things that are less easily administered patience from faculty and students, support adjusting from a strictly regulated schedule to a looser environment with more social time, understanding from school officials who may see anger erupt more quickly from everyday frustrations, and counseling for issues such as coping with a mental or physical disability."

9.      Officials Concerned About Bases’ Ability To Care For Returning Vets.   The AP (11/30) reports on concerns about "a surge in brain injuries and psychological problems among those troops" returning from Iraq soon. Faced with the sudden influx of injured soldiers, and the even greater number of those suffering from stress-related disorders, officials are "worried the military will not be able to find enough health care providers to deal effectively with the troops needing assistance," particularly since "many…military bases are near small or remote communities that do not have access to the number of health professionals who might be needed as a great many soldiers return home." According to the AP, "one solution under discussion is the formation of mobile medical and psychological teams that can go to Army bases when they are expecting a surge in activity from returning units."

10.    VA, DOD Said To Be On "Cutting Edge" Of Record Sharing.   In his weekly column, published by the Tacoma News Tribune (11/30, Philpott, 113K), Tom Philpott writes that "a revolution is well under way in the sharing of electronic health records between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Their progress also is serving as the cutting edge of a nationwide effort to make electronic health records transferable between any hospital, clinic or caregiver across the country."