Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 4-1-09

What’s Inside Today’s Local News for Veterans

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1. VA Patient Scheduling Program On Verge Of Collapse.
2. US Army Investigating Allegations That Unfit Soldiers Are Being Sent To Iraq.  
3. Louisiana VA Secretary To Speak At American Legion Open House. 
4. American College Of Cardiology Taking Steps To Cut Costs.  
5. St. Cloud VAMC To Honor POWs.  
6. Single Veteran Inspires Winter Sports Clinic.  
7. Obama Planning To Nominate Sepúlveda For VA Post.  
8. Cisco, AT&T Hoping To Sell Teleconferencing Systems To  Government.  
9. VA Worker To Be Featured On "Trick My Truck."  
10. Veterans Forum To Be Held In Missouri.

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HAVE YOU HEARD?
A notification program began last week to alert veterans, spouses of veterans, and members of the military of a proposed $20 million settlement reached with VA in a class action lawsuit about the theft of computer equipment reported to contain personal information. On May 3, 2006, computer equipment which was reported to contain personal information of military veterans, spouses of veterans, and military personnel, was stolen from the home of a VA employee. The computer equipment was recovered on June 28, 2006 by the FBI, whose review of the equipment indicated that the data had not been accessed. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated federal law by not properly securing the information. The defendants deny that they did anything wrong and the settlement does not mean that any law was violated. Actual damages covered by the settlement include out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a direct result of the theft, including those that were used to protect or monitor personal or financial information or the result of physical symptoms of severe emotional distress. This would include the purchase of credit monitoring to protect against identity loss. Any money remaining in the Settlement Fund after paying Class Members, lawyers’ fees, costs, and expenses will be donated to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc. and The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. A toll-free number, 1-888-288-9625, has been established in the case, along with a Web site, www.VeteransClass.com, where notices, a claim form, and the settlement agreement may be obtained. 

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1.      VA Patient Scheduling Program On Verge Of Collapse.   NextGov (4/1, Brewin) reports, "An eight-year-old, $167 million project to develop a core computer application to schedule patient appointments at hospitals run by the Veterans Affairs Department has all but collapsed, and senior executives are worried about the repercussions it could cause on the Hill and in the White House, according to an internal memo obtained" by NextGov. The "Replacement Scheduling Application Development Program…’still has not developed a single scheduling capability it can provide to the field, nor is there any expectation of delivery in the near future,’ wrote Dr. Michael Kussman, undersecretary for health at the Veterans Health Administration, in a March 20 memo to Stephen Warren, acting assistant secretary for information and technology." The "patient scheduling project has ‘floundered under VHA’s leadership since 1998,’ Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement. He added the current failure exemplifies the need for VA to develop a professional cadre of contracting officers and program managers."
      Other VA IT Projects Also Said To Be Experiencing Problems.   In his "What’s Brewin’" blog for NextGov (3/31), Bob Brewin wrote, "I have a hunch that" a new patient appointment scheduling application "is just one of potentially many VA IT projects in real trouble. That hunch is based on the last page" of Kussman’s memo to Warren. Kussman "wrote: ‘The number of programs we see and hear’" about "being…delayed makes it evident that we need to be proactive by conducting immediately an end-to-end status check of all our development programs." After saying one "project that seems to need immediate attention according to Kussman is a critter called the Pharmacy Re-Engineering 0.5 Order Check Enhancement Project," Brewin noted that in his memo, Kussman also told Warren the VA needs "a clear communication plan for how we tell the story both inside and outside" the agency. Brewin added, "That probably includes informing VA Secretary Eric Shinseki of problems with the scheduling application, which Kussman said, ‘We need’" to "’do at once.’ But I’m told that as of Tuesday morning no notification had been made, 11 days after the memo was written."

2.      US Army Investigating Allegations That Unfit Soldiers Are Being Sent To Iraq.   In continuing coverage, USA Today (4/1, Zoroya) reports US Army medical commanders "are investigating allegations that medically unfit soldiers were deployed to Iraq in recent months out of Fort Wainwright in Alaska." After noting that it profiled the cases of three such soldiers in a March 23rd report, USA Today says the allegations were "highlighted in a recent petition circulated by a handful of rear-detachment soldiers at Fort Wainwright, home of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team." USA Today "also reported on March 23 that an Army inspector general’s report completed in January found that the Army’s process for deciding a soldier’s fitness for combat is confusing and increases the chances of sending ailing troops to combat."

3.      Louisiana VA Secretary To Speak At American Legion Open House.   The seventh story in the St. Tammany (LA) News‘ (3/31) "Briefs: Community Events" column reported, "The Robert H. Burns American Legion Post 16 will host an Open House April 11 at the Post Home at 2031 Ronald Regan Highway in Covington." The "keynote speaker will be Lane Carson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Louisiana."

4.      American College Of Cardiology Taking Steps To Cut Costs.   USA Today (4/1, Sternberg) reports the American College of Cardiology, which held its annual meeting Tuesday, "is taking direct steps to cut costs and improve patient care: It plans to launch a major collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, Mass., and other groups to reduce the number of heart-failure patients who need to be readmitted to the hospital by 20% by 2012. Currently, one of every five heart failure patients is back within 30 days of discharge, at a cost of $590 million each year, says Joseph Rumsfeld" of the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

5.      St. Cloud VAMC To Honor POWs.   The St. Cloud (MN) Times (4/1, Petrie) reports the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Medical Center "is hosting a recognition ceremony for former" prisoners of war (POWs) on Friday. More "than 40 POWs from around Minnesota will be honored at the ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m. in the medical center’s auditorium in Building 8." The "medical center’s Avenue of Flags will be flown to honor this special group of veterans."

Part of the motorcycle turnout at the "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Celebration Day" at California High School, in Whittier, CA on March 29, 2009

6.      Single Veteran Inspires Winter Sports Clinic.   The Washington Times (4/1, Green) reports, "In the early 1980s, Santo Trombetta, a recreational therapist in Grand Junction, Colo., befriended one of his patients, a veteran with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disease that slowly weakens and eventually paralyzes the limbs." After "months of grueling therapy and bonding between the two men, Joe played a round of golf with Mr. Trombetta, who helped Joe swing by holding him up by the belt. The two kept up their friendship, and one day Mr. Trombetta suggested they try skiing." Joe, who "rose to the occasion and mastered the slopes," became "the inspiration behind the annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, now in its 23rd year, sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans." The "weeklong clinic, which ends Saturday, brings about 400 disabled active military and veterans to Snowmass Village, Colo., for skiing; sled hockey; rock-wall climbing; snowmobiling; scuba diving and good, old-fashioned friend making."
      Vets Being Welcomed In Colorado.   The Snowmass (CO) Sun (4/1, Larson) says members of the Aspen Elks Lodge and others have put out the "welcome mat…in the Roaring Fork Valley" for veterans participating in the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic," which allows them to test themselves "on the ski hill and in a number of other adaptive sports including sled hockey, rock climbing, scuba diving, fly fishing and shooting sports. The Snowmass (CO) Sun (4/1, Fairey) also notes that actress Bo Derek has lent support to the clinic for years.
      Clinic Offers Chance For Vets To Record Histories.   The Snowmass (CO) Sun (4/1, Larson) reports, "Started in 2000, the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress collects the oral histories of war veterans and the civilian workers who supported them from World War I to the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan." And now, veterans "who come to the Winter Sports Clinic can sign up for a 45-minute video session as one of their activities." The Snowmass (CO) Sun (4/1, Fairey) publishes a separate article on this story. The Snowmass (CO) Sun (4/1, Weller) also runs a story noting that service dogs, which "have guided blinded soldiers since World War I," are now being used by the US military for veterans’ therapy.

7.      Obama Planning To Nominate Sepúlveda For VA Post.   The fourth story in Al Kamen’s "In The Loop" column for the Washington Post (4/1, A19) notes that on Tuesday, the White House "said…President Obama intends to nominate several people for top jobs, including…former Office of Personnel Management deputy director John U. Sepúlveda to be assistant secretary of veterans affairs for human resources." The Washington Post‘s (3/31, Kamen) "44 The Obama Presidency" blog also noted this story.

8.      Cisco, AT&T Hoping To Sell Teleconferencing Systems To Government.   In her "Post I.T." blog for the Washington Post (3/31), Kim Hart reported, "A combination of improved technology and pressure to cut costs across organizations is making teleconferencing look more attractive, especially in the public sector," at least according to AT&T and Cisco, it is. The two companies have "teamed up in an exclusive joint venture to provide ‘telepresence’ systems to government agencies." The "companies’ main goal is to sell this technology to the government. The Department of Veterans Affairs is piloting" Cisco’s HealthPresence system "right now to see how it can be used in a healthcare context." The VA "is setting up a link between its facility in Orlando and its" DC headquarters "to evaluate the HealthPresence system’s potential."

9.      VA Worker To Be Featured On "Trick My Truck."   The KAMR-TV Amarillo, TX (3/31, Pontius) website noted that Vietnam vet Mike Richardson, who "works for the United States Veterans Administration," is "featured in Episode 6 of this season’s ‘Trick My Truck’" series on Country Music Television (CMT). It is the show’s "first ever green episode. They say they made Richardson’s truck a clean green machine that’ll keep the environment safe." You "can see can Richardson on CMT Saturday, April 11th at 8:30 p.m. CST."

10.    Veterans Forum To Be Held In Missouri.   The Joplin (MO) Globe (4/1, Dunson) reports US military veterans "can learn more about services available to them during a free forum" Tuesday. Missouri Southern State University’s Small Business & Technology Development Center "is staging its second Veterans Enterprise Forum from noon to 3:30 p.m. in Room 109 of the Robert W. Plaster Center on the campus." The Globe notes that the Department of Veterans Affairs will be represented at the forum.

SPECIAL BUSNIESS NEWS FROM THE DVA:

Five Sites Added to "Mission Homeless" Initiative

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking qualified entities for long-term ground lease redevelopment opportunities at five VA campuses nationwide. VA’s primary objective in leasing the properties is for selected developers to establish and thereby increase the number of housing units with on-site supportive services available to homeless Veterans, including those at imminent risk of homelessness, and eligible non-Veterans. 

Campuses with property available for redevelopment include: 

• Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center – Uptown Division Campus (Augusta, GA) 
• Cheyenne VA Medical Center (Cheyenne, WY) 
• Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital (Hines, IL) 
• Connecticut Healthcare System, Newington Campus (Newington, CT) 
• Togus VA Medical Center (Augusta, ME) 

For additional information about redevelopment opportunities at these sites, please visit http://www.va.gov/ASSETMANAGEMENT/MissionHomeless/index.asp. 

The final Request for Proposals (RFP) was released on Monday, March 30, 2009 and responses are due to VA by May 29, 2009 at 12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The RFP for each campus is available for download after a brief online registration on the appropriate project website.