Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 2-13-09

1.   Filner, Akaka Sponsor Advance VA Funding Legislation.  
2.   VA Examination Uncovers Contractor Error.  
3.   Shinseki Comes Down On VA Contractor’s Mistake.  
4.   Vet Praises Shinseki’s Mandatory Enrollment Proposal.  
5.   VA Attempting To Prevent Suicides By Altering "Soldier’s Code."  
6.   VA Patient Climbs To Top Of Snowflake Ski Hill.  
7.   VA Clinic In North Dakota Caters To Visually Impaired 
8.   Art Project For Veterans Under Way In Chicago.  
9.   New Technologies Helping Elderly Stay Safe At Home.  
10.   Official Says New VA Clinic Will Open In Georgia This September.

---

HAVE YOU HEARD?
A 75-year-old veteran who went missing at the end of September is now safe at home thanks to an alert nurse and VA’s Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). The veteran, whose memory had been “slipping in the last few months” according to family members, did not return from a visit to a Texas VA medical center and was listed by law enforcement as a missing person. In mid-November, a VA nurse saw the veteran’s photograph in a local newspaper and recognized the man as a former patient. Returning to work the next day, she and another nurse logged onto CPRS and discovered the missing veteran had been seen the day before in VA facility nearly 1,800 miles away. Fortunately, the attending VA employee at the distant facility had entered detail notes into CPRS concerning the patient. VA officials were able to pass along the information (within HIPAA and Privacy Act Guidelines) to the requesting law enforcement agency. Apparently, the veteran had traveled three days to visit a brother, only to find the brother was no longer there; the residence no longer existed and he had no place to go. The veteran checked in to the local VA medical center where he described his ordeal and was assigned a social worker. He was then referred it a veterans homeless shelter where he lived until law enforcement was able to confirm his whereabouts and arrange for his safe return. 

---

1.      Filner, Akaka Sponsor Advance VA Funding Legislation.   The Navy Times (2/13, Maze) reports, "The chairmen of the House and Senate veterans affairs committees took a major but far from final step Thursday in fulfilling the top request from veterans’ service organizations: They sponsored legislation that would provide funding a full year in advance for Veterans Affairs Department health care." Having US Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) and US Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) "on board does not guarantee the change in the budget process will take place, but it at least ensures the issue will receive high-level attention. It doesn’t hurt that" Barack Obama "said during the presidential campaign…he also supports the idea, which could help" the VA "weather Congress’ near-constant failure to pass an annual budget on time."
      Government Executive (2/13, Rosenberg) reports, "Beginning in fiscal 2011, the bill would provide funds to VA" healthcare programs "for the current and subsequent fiscal years. Akaka said the budget process now is so slow that VA has received its appropriations in 19 of the last 22 years after the start of the annual fiscal year, which is Oct. 1." Government Executive notes that Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, tried to explain what he feels is the need for advance funding when he "said he had worked with veterans who relied on clinics that are able to operate only a few days during the week because they must conserve their lean budgets."

2.      VA Examination Uncovers Contractor Error.   The second story in Joe Davidson’s "Federal Diary" column for the Washington Post (2/13, D3) notes that on Thursday, the Department of Veterans Affairs "said…one of its contractors had been a bit sloppy with medical information." The unnamed company "provides medical transcription services, but it did not comply with the VA’s standards for information technology security. Fortunately, there is no evidence that patient information was disclosed, according to an agency statement." Davidson adds, "A VA statement said" Eric Shinseki, the agency’s new secretary, "had ‘launched an intensive examination of all VA’s contracts to ensure all contractors properly safeguard information about VA patients, Veterans and employees.’" The Lake County (CA) News (2/13) runs a similar story.

3.      Shinseki Comes Down On VA Contractor’s Mistake.   In his "Federal Diary" column for the Washington Post (2/13, D3, 696K), Joe Davidson writes the "Department of Veterans Affairs said yesterday that one of its contractors had been a bit sloppy with medical information. The company provides medical transcription services, but it did not comply with the VA’s standards for information technology security. Fortunately, there is no evidence that patient information was disclosed, according to an agency statement." Davidson adds Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki, said, "VA insists that contractors, as well as our own personnel, adhere to the highest standards for protecting personal information," and added, "When we detect a problem, as happened in this case, we will quickly fix it, and we will ensure such problems are not happening elsewhere."

4.      Vet Praises Shinseki’s Mandatory Enrollment Proposal.   In a letter to the editor of the Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser (2/13), veteran Link Savoie writes, "One new proposal that…Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki" has "floated" is "that all active-duty military members, upon discharge or retirement, should be mandatorily enrolled in the VA health system." Such an approach would "make things easier for all concerned, including spouses. Looks like this new VA secretary will be veteran friendly."

5.      VA Attempting To Prevent Suicides By Altering "Soldier’s Code."   In continuing coverage, the KTVU-TV (2/5) website aired footage of an interview with "Chris Galloway, Ph.D.," Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The interview focused on a recent Pentagon announcement that "as many as 24 active duty soldiers killed themselves last month." According to Dr. Galloway, the VA is "trying to address" the stigma in the military that keeps soldiers from wanting to talk about suicidal thoughts. KTVU said the VA "wants to add to the soldier’s code that it takes the courage and strength of a warrior to ask for help."

6.      VA Patient Climbs To Top Of Snowflake Ski Hill.   The Westby (WI) Times (2/12, Jasperson) reported, "On Saturday, Feb. 7," 57-year-old veterans Randy Williams "climbed over 360 steps, to the top of the Snowflake Ski Hill, one year after suffering a stroke and 44 years after skiing off the hill in 1965." Williams "attended the 86th annual Snowflake Ski Tournament in Westby with 13 other military patients" from the Veterans Affairs hospital in Tomah. The group of patients "was admitted to the event for free, thanks to a donation from Logistic Health in LaCrosse, which provided veterans a free commemorative button and the $20 admission fee."
7.      VA Clinic In North Dakota Caters To Visually Impaired.   The Marshall County (SD) Journal (2/12) said a new clinic operated by the Sioux Falls Veterans Affairs Medical Center "is offering special services for veterans that have vision loss or macular degeneration." Services offered by the clinic include "low vision evaluations" and "activities of daily living assessment."

8.      Art Project For Veterans Under Way In Chicago.   The Chicago Journal (2/12, Adams) noted that Matt Ping, "who spent 16 months in the mountains of northeastern Afghanistan," is participating in the Vet Art Project, a "month-long series of workshops at the Chicago Cultural Center." The project, which "will culminate with a Feb. 23 performance that is open to the public," allows "artists, veterans and the public…to establish new outlets for battle-scarred" veterans.

9.      New Technologies Helping Elderly Stay Safe At Home.   In a front page story, the New York Times (2/13, A1, Leland) reports, "Increasingly, many older people who live alone" are "being watched by a flurry of new technologies designed to enable them to live independently and avoid expensive trips to the emergency room or nursing homes." But the devices "remain largely unproven and are not usually covered by the government or private insurance plans." Stuti Dang, "who directs dementia care for the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and uses monitoring systems to track the vital signs of 400 patients, said one unforeseen consequence" is "that ‘it somehow absolves their kin of the responsibility.’" Dr. Dang added, "As a provider, I don’t want to be responsible for my patient 24 hours a day."

10.    Official Says New VA Clinic Will Open In Georgia This September.   The Newnan (GA) Times-Herald (2/12, McRae) reported, "A long-awaited and much-needed" Veterans Affairs "medical clinic will open in Coweta County in September, according to VA officials. ‘We’ve been working on this for a while, and we’re very excited that better care is coming soon to all veterans in Coweta County and surrounding areas,’ said Tom Badger, coordinator of the VA’s Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) program for northwest Georgia." Construction "on the…10,000 square foot clinic will begin later this month at the Oak Hill Professional Park, located on Highway 34."

      Nonprofit Teams Up With VA For Concert Series.   The American Forces Press Service (2/11) reported, "A nonprofit organization" called Help Hospitalized Veterans "and officials from four" VA hospitals have "joined forces" to put on "four free ‘Valentines for Veterans’ concerts" this week "to show appreciation to veterans and their families. ‘Our hope is that the concerts will boost awareness of local VA medical centers, increase understanding of the issues facing severely wounded veterans as well as their families, and encourage people to visit hospitalized veterans or consider volunteering at their local VA,’ Mike Lynch, executive director of Help Hospitalized Veterans, said." AFPS added, "In addition to the Valentines for Veterans concerts, Help Hospitalized Veterans sponsors several other national events" with the VA, including the "National Veterans Creative Arts Festival and the National Veterans Golden Age Games."