$900,000 Ftca Award Failure To Treat

[Berta]

The Department of Veterans Affairs this month agreed to pay $900,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a Washington man who died in late 2012 after a VA scheduler failed to refer him promptly to specialized care for melanoma.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/01/24/3603545_va-settles-for-nearly-1-million.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

[georgiapapa]

I would like to know what happened to the VA scheduler who failed to schedule him for surgery at the Unversity of Washington. The scheduler should have been fired and prosecuted if criminal intent can be proven. There has to be consequences for the VA employees involved in causing harm to veterans or this type of behavior will continue and result in more settlements for VA employee neglience.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad the veteran's family received the settlement and I hope other veterans and their families receive compensation for any harm caused by VA employee negligence. However, I wonder how many more of these type of settlements are in the works. If a VA program is eliminated or reduced to offset costs for these type of settlements, veterans will suffer the consequences. If the settlement comes out of the general treasury rather than the VA's budget, the taxpayers (you and I) ultimately pay for these type of settlements. I hope Secretary McDonald has the authority and the will to rid the VA of negligent and incompetent employees. JMO

[Berta]

My settlement was with the United States of America, signed off by a lawyer from General Counsel, VA in DC, and then by me..

, and was paid directly from the Judgement Fund, US Treasury Department.

"As of mid-2014, the VA has spent more than $50 million on medical malpractice claims, according to an analysis of Treasury Department records. In the ten years after 9/11, the VA paid $200 million to nearly 1,000 families in wrongful death cases."

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/lawsuit/veteran_medical_malpractice.html#.VMUxsS7Ral0

i am not sure the blame falls entirely on this schedular.

The doctor who ordered the surgery had some obligation to continue to follow up this patient.

Although the OGC confirmed this settlement, I wonder what the real medical info revealed.

I was not allowed to obtain that inner OGC and VA medical info until after my settlement was awarded.

They had agreed with all of my SF 95 malpractice charges.

I received 3 FOIA letters from VA this week due to some FOIAS I had sent regarding their malptractice and 1151 stats.

It seems like VA OMLA is passing the buck to VACO who is passing the buck to OGC who is passing the buck back to VA Central...

They could answer my request but don't want to.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Berta

[Navy04]

Thanks for the info

[Notorious Kelly]

Anyone ever see any statements from AFGE https://www.afge.org/ about their members' involvement in scheduling/lying fiascos and other malfeasance resulting in much misery and veteran deaths?

[Vync]

I am glad the family got justice, but feel the award was far too low

[cathi1]

My husband went to a VA surgeon in 2/2014 for pain in his left shoulder. He scheduled an MRI for June 2014. By that time he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that had grown out of the lung into his shoulder. He died 7 months later. I was offered 40,000.00 under a Tort claim act but I am trying to get his pension as well, that paperwork is still pending. Does anyone know if I accept the payout will it affect the monthly check from his pension? He was receiving the pension because of Parkinsons disease was a presumptive illness from agent orange.