allan

Good post Belle. ["If you don't know about it, they will never know about it. If you do know about it and listen to the malarkey they tell you, you'd say hell with this. I ain't doing this," McCartney said. ] http://www.wtoc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10758110 ] The whole essence of the law is to make you less dependent on others. The DVA hopes to keep the whole program a secret is true. Under reporting the funds needed & treating veterans like dirt to keep them from pursuing the benefit is the plan.

Brian, I'm curious. Have you ever requested and received a complete copy of your C-file? Between the BVA, St Petersburg and the AMC. They are notorious for loosing evidence to delay claims. You can fax your evidence to who you pin down has your c-file. They all have fax numbers. VARO's, AMC & the BVA. If your C-File is in DC. You can fax it to your NSO there & ask that it be hand carried & time stamped to whoever has it, AMC or BVA. They still lost(?) my evidence. If you want all of this to burn a hole in your brain & stomach, than worry over how long it's taking. Thats all it will accomplish. Call every few weeks to find out when you've been assigned to a rating officer. It will likely be 3 to 6 months. Your claim can take 6 to 18 months to be processed, after your assigned to someone. If the AMC/BVA decides you need another C&P, it can take a year to get one and another 6 months to have another rater assigned & make a decision. Pinning them down on whether they received evidence is a hard one unless you send it through your NSO. Even then it can fall through the cracks. When you have no more evidence to submit to the BVA, you will recieve a "FINAL" decision. Once you recieve a final, your case can go to CAVC if you request it & than you can hire an attorney to take it from there. If I could have hired an attorney in 1975, I would have had this done with decades ago.

Welcome to VFVC and OFFE live ON THE AIR! Your Host; Gene and Jere July 21, 2009 9pm Eastern 8pm Central 7pm Mountain 6pm Pacific We must send a clear message to all State and U.S. Representatives! The Veterans and the Citizens of this Nation are in CHARGE! Now monitor those that have been ELECTED! If we are to have a strong GOVERNMENT!!! By the people and for the people! Call in at: 319 648-5143 Or join If you have a voice let it be heard tonight on Welcome to VFVC live on the air! Let’s FIRE FOR EFFECT! Thank you for your continued support and dedication to veterans and their issues! !!!!! Special Guest Col. Robert Brenner This is one tough Veteran that will never forget you! Col. Brenner, has taken his stand To Fire for effect! Welcome back 9:30pm Eastern 9:45pm Eastern Dena and Claude Spivey COMING SOON! Veterans Documentary Fest Honor Concert series Join Gene, Jere and Jerald What can we all do about this “Epidemic” OF SUICIDES? We can all start right here! AFGE CRITICIZES EXCESSIVE BONUSES FOR VA EXECUTIVES (WASHINGTON) – The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) today criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for continuing to offer exorbitant bonuses to managers in VA medical facilities and benefits offices while frontline staff struggle with limited resources to meet the growing needs of the nation’s veterans. “The idea that frontline employees have to stretch resources with limited staff, while executives continue to receive large bonuses is mindboggling,” said Alma Lee, president of AFGE’s National Veterans Affairs Council, which represents 160,000 employees in the VA. “If the VA is serious about recruiting and retaining highly trained and capable staff, it should reinvest in frontline staff, not top level bureaucracy.” Two years ago when media reports exposed that the VA was doling out bonuses to executives, despite mounting claims backlogs, reports of poor patient care and suspicious deaths in VA hospitals, Congress rightly reprimanded the agency. However, despite the Congressional reproach, the agency has continued to shower executives with lavish bonuses. According to the union, these bonuses, when coupled with the already high salaries of medical and benefits executives, represent a misguided approach to compensation lacking fairness and transparency. In 2007, the media reported that VA performance review boards, which make determinations about who receives bonuses, were stacked with the same executives who were scheduled to receive the incentive payments. These members had input on bonus recommendations involving themselves, fellow members and spouses that made questionable performance claims and neglected agency problems. According to AFGE members in the field, there have been no signs that such conflicts of interest have been corrected since that time. In fact, members report that even when frontline staff members are rewarded with bonuses, the awards are disseminated arbitrarily and with favoritism. 1. The Department of Veterans Affairs, is overlooking the National Suicide Hot Line, that was implemented to service those that served and those that are now serving, this voice message, that you only hear coming from only one VA Medical Center when you should be hearing this message out of the other 1,547 facilities Why aren’t we hearing this voice message. (Maybe because the VA, is collecting their large bonuses that have cause these mounting claims backlogs and National Suicide Hot Line number to be put aside because Veterans and those that are now serving are JUST NUMBERS. ! 2. The Department of Defense should instruct all their Military Hospitals and facilities throughout the Nation, to follow these same example as well! That the VA has developed a unique and life saveing Voice Message This is just a disclaimer and OFFE, doesn’t recommend or suggest any Veteran or Military person to commit suicide in front of the Capitol or any where but to try and seek help that she or he may needs. As the President VFVC/National Chairman OFFE, I have contacted the office of U.S. Representatives and the Department of Veterans Affairs this week on these issues. (You got it no comment) “ But wouldn’t this be a shame if Veterans and Military personnel seeking help, by attempting to kill them self’s or should I say it in a political correct way and call it suicide do you as a U.S. Rep or the Department of Veterans Affairs, feel better because it sound more transparent? What about the mothers and fathers, that have given the greatest sacrifice that anyone person could give for a Nation such as OUR’S! To this good old Boy’s Government! In front of the Capitol because the only available Voice message to the National suicide Hot Line number would only be available when you called the Canandaigua, New York VA Medical Center? That is the base for the National suicide Hot line,did you all know this? At: 585 394-2000 think about it Out of the 50 states that we still occupy for now! Only the Medical Center in Canandaigua, New York Yes! New York is the only state, but this is where I am completely Pissed the F-Off one out of 1,548 has this message. Isn’t this a shame, that your son or daughter that have served this Nation, so honorably would take their own LIFE. Yes! A well pland project that can save life’s that works but it limited to only “one” VA Medical Center. The taxpayers and let’s identify them as family members as well have been suckered in once again! By those that we have VOTED in to represent this Nation. But I can say this much Our National suicide Hot Line base at theCanandaigua, NY VA Medical Center, is working hard for all those that have served and now serving. The U.S. Repersentatives , that you and I VOTED FOR ARE just as much to be blaim for these areas of concerns as the National Organizations that are charderd by congress. Veterans and family members please call VFVC and OFFE, thank you. For a job well done! Call your U.S. Representatives today at: 1866 727-4894 And ask the operater to connect you to your U.S. Reps Demand that this MESSAGE must be on all VA Medical Centers and Outpatient Clinic’s as well have the DOD, instruct their Military Hospitals and facilities to keep this uniformed message, throughout their healthcare systems TODAY! It can save those heroes’s that have given their all for this Nation, the Freedom that we enjoy everyday. Summary of VA News Table of Contents · Monitoring Faulted in Rise of Soldier Suicides - USA Today 7-13-2009 · Veterans with stress disorder appear more likely to develop dementia - Los Angeles Times 7-13-2009 · VA Offers Free Care to Vets Who Might Have Been Infected in Miami Hospital - Associated Press 7-10-2009 Monitoring Faulted in Rise of Soldier Suicides Monday - July 13, 2009 USA Today Author: Gregg Zoroya Original URL: http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-07-12-suicide_N.htm WASHINGTON — Army commanders are failing at the day-to-day task of monitoring troubled young soldiers in their barracks back home, which is helping push suicides to record numbers, the head of the Army's suicide task force says. The Army has built a fighting force second to none, says Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, but "we have young leaders who have not been trained in the art of ... just taking care of soldiers," particularly after they return home from combat. McGuire's findings come after three months spent reviewing records of Army suicides, talking to soldiers and commanders and visiting installations throughout the country, she said. The Army reported a record 143 suicides among active-duty soldiers last year, the highest since statistics were first kept in 1980. Suicides this year are on track to break last year's record, Army statistics show. Most suspected suicides are later confirmed as suicides, records show. Risk-taking is common among soldiers who are suicidal. Such behaviors include sleep deprivation, erratic conduct, excessive alcohol use and abuse, violations of Army regulations, high-risk driving, mishandling finances and infidelity, McGuire says. These behaviors can further aggravate existing mental health problems, creating a downward spiral that can end in suicide, McGuire says. Along with soldiers who engage in risky behaviors, McGuire says, the Army has a greater number of troops who entered the service with pre-existing anxiety or depression or who have stopped taking their behavioral medication in order to meet entrance requirements. Managing soldiers at home is different than in combat, McGuire says. Often, commanders can lead troops in battle but lack the skills to monitor troops closely at home. The Army's failure to police risky behaviors has made it harder to identify and seek help for the smaller numbers of soldiers who may be suicidal, she says. "(It's) talking to soldiers. 'Who's the loner? Who's isolated? What are you guys doing this weekend?' " McGuire says. About two-thirds of suicides occurred in or around installations, Army statistics show. Half are among combat veterans. The other half are soldiers who never deployed. About one-third of suicides occurred in either Iraq or Afghanistan. Army officials acknowledge that classes in how to manage troops at home get pushed back to accommodate combat training. In the past year, 7,600 staff sergeants promoted to sergeant 1st class were allowed to postpone such classes for up to 270 days, says Lt. Col. Mike Moose, an Army spokesman. Improved garrison supervision may go only so far, says David Rudd, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Utah, a leading authority on civilian and military suicides. The longer the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, Rudd says, the more likely it is that soldiers who have seen combat will kill themselves. Also, young men, in the military and civilian life, are often reluctant to seek help, he says. "There's only so many things you can do and then it becomes the responsibility of the individual" (to receive counseling), he says. ://http://www.usatoday.com/news/milita...align='center'>Veterans with stress disorder appear more likely to develop dementia Monday - July 13, 2009 Los Angeles Times Author: Jia-Rui Chong Original URL: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/07/veterans-ptsd-dementia-alzheimers-.html Older veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia as those who do not have the disorder, according to a new study presented today at an Alzheimer's disease conference. "These findings are important because PTSD has become a common consequence of combat and exposure to trauma," said Dr. Kristine Yaffe, the paper's lead author, in a statement. Previous studies had found that 15% to 20% of military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have developed post-traumatic stress disorder, but that research has not fully explored the potential risk the disorder holds for dementia, said Yaffe, chief of geriatric psychiatry at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a professor at UC San Francisco. In the study presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Vienna, Yaffe and her colleagues followed about 181,000 veterans age 55 and older in the VA's National Patient Care Database. About 30% of these veterans had post-traumatic stress disorder. The researchers found that about 11% of the veterans with the disorder developed new cases of dementia over the seven-year study period, compared with about 7% of those who did not have a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. Even when researchers filtered out for potentially confounding factors such as other brain injuries and depression, the risk remained nearly double for the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, Yaffe said, researchers do not yet understand the relationship between the two disorders. "It is critical that we identify the mechanisms," she said. ://http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/boo...align='center'>VA Offers Free Care to Vets Who Might Have Been Infected in Miami Hospital Friday - July 10, 2009 Associated Press Author: Bill Poovey Original URL: <A title=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/1135369.html href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/1135369.html" target=_blank>http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/1135369.html A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs letter pledges free medical care and treatment for former patients who have tested positive for HIV or hepatitis since being exposed to endoscopic cleaning mistakes at three VA hospitals, including one in Miami. But advocates for veterans contend the VA should also pledge disability and damage payments. Richard Cohen, president of the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates, said the VA pledge of no-cost medical care -- included in a letter received Wednesday by a congressman -- promises nothing ``that the VA wouldn't do if these veterans were not subjected to unsanitary devices.'' During a colonoscopy, a flexible tube called an endoscope carries a light and camera into the intestines to look for possibly cancerous tumors or polyps. The endoscope also has a channel that carries water to clear the vision for the camera. In some cases, the pump and reservoir that are used to move the water were rinsed after being used but were not disinfected as required, VA officials said. According to the VA's website, seven veterans have tested positive for HIV among former patients exposed to mistakes with rigging or cleaning endoscopic equipment at VA hospitals in Miami, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Augusta, Ga. Such equipment is used for colonoscopies and other procedures An additional 48 veterans among about 10,000 who have received follow-up blood checks have tested positive for hepatitis B or C. The VA and independent doctors say those rates of infection are far below what would normally be found among similar populations, and a top VA doctor has said there is no way to trace the infections to VA mistakes. John R. Gingrich, chief of staff to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, said in the letter to U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tennessee, that VA hospitals would provide plans of medical care and treatment at no cost. An aide to Gordon wrote in an e-mail that before Wednesday, ``it was unclear if infected veterans would have to pay the $50 co-payments each time they received treatment as [is] . . . normally required.'

how many more Vets will be infected if VA tests them with unsterilized equipment when they show up to be retested again? The way it looks, you can't trust them to check your temperature without being exposed to some nasty disease. From the DOD cooking it up & exposing troops to it before they leave through vaccines, bio weapons, dioxins on base or uranium projectiles. To troops bringing it back & spreading it in hospitals. To VA not even getting their act together enough to keep their equipment sterile. VAMC's are our first line of defense against spreading something that may kill us all. This should tell you how safe we all are.

Edwards IL is just West of Peoria IL For more information please call Butch at: (309) 382-2779 or Fred at: (309) 258-9372 http://www.7circlesheritage.org/calendar.htm GATHERING of VETERANS FRIENDSHIP POWWOW i with 'Spirit of the Rainbow Singers' and 'Eagle Ridge Singers' Sep 18-20, 2009 at Seven Circles Heritage Center Click on link below for more information. Veterans PowWow 'Quilt of Tears' Will be on display courtesy of Illinois 40-8 [Click on link below for more info] Agent Orange - Quilt of Tears http://www.agentorangequiltoftears.com/OURSTORY.html http://agentorangequiltoftears.com/ Can donate via Paypal..down the page look for DONATIONS. Can make it in Honor of a Agent Orange veteran. http://www.agentorangequiltoftears.com/ThankYou.html If you would like additional information or would like to contact the staff of Seven Circles Heritage Center you may do so in one of the following methods. Contact Seven Circles at: Telephone Number (309) 637-1046 Our mailing address is: Seven Circles Heritage Center 8817 W. Southport Road Edwards, IL 61528 Email links: President - Fred Shelabarger Treasurer - Linda Lane Directions: From Peoria , take I 74 west to the Kickapoo/Edwards exit. Turn left and follow the signs toward Wildlife Prairie Park .When you reach the stop sign (just after railroad tracks in Edwards), turn left. This is State Rt. 8 (also known as Southport Rd ). Proceed east about 8/10 of a mile to the center. Turn left into drive. 5th Annual Gathering of Veterans PowWow September 19 & 20, 2009 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Fun for the whole family! ◊ Native American Dancing ◊ Drumming ◊ Art & Craft Vendors ◊ Children’s Crafts & Games, 12pm – 4pm Daily ◊ Food Vendors Including Native Food Bring lawn chairs and blankets.                                           Campers/Tipis welcome. PowWow takes place rain or shine. No alcohol or drugs allowed.                                                         Pets must be leashed. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Seven Circles Heritage Center 8817 W. Southport Road Edwards, IL 61528 (North of Wildlife Prairie State Park) Special Display of the “QUILT of TEARS†Exhibit Saturday, 11am – 10pm Sunday, Noon – 5pm Grand Entry: Saturday > Noon & 6 pm, Sunday > 1 pm Veterans–Free           Adults-$6        Seniors (62+)-$4        Children (6 -12)-$4 Weekend passes available at gate, call for group rates. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Emcee – Leonard Malatere Arena Director – TBA Head Man – TBA Head Lady – TBA Head Veteran – TBA Host Drum – Spirit of the Rainbow Singers Invited Drums – Eagle Ridge Singers & Night Eagle                                                                                                  Public Welcome ◊ Visit us at www.7circlesheritage.org            ◊ For more info call 309-637-1046 From: Gail Seward [mailto:luckycat542003@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 7:15 AM To: Colonel Dan Subject: Quilt of Tears Hi Colonel Dan, just a note from Gail in Gibson City Coming up in Edwards, Illinois Sep 19 & 20, 2009 @ Seven Circles Heritage Center 8817 W. Southport Rd The 5th Annual Veterans Friendship Pow Wow The Tazewell County 40 et 8 are sponsering the Agent Orange Quilt of Tears Display, my brother, Chris is chef de garde, and can be contacted: 1-309-242-5229 looking for donations to help with this project Also, My deceased husband, Sgt. Harrison"Bud" Seward was a Agent Orange related death & I will be presenting my quilt block to Henry & Shiela Synder, overseers of Quilt of Tears, at this Pow Wow. At present, I am taking my quilt block & using it as a tool to teach others about the project "Quilt of Tears" I'm sending this info to you because you are working a Veteran's Advocate & you may have some idea how to help raise more funds & get the word out that the "Quilts" will be here in Sep Thanks Gail Seward "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

A Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) is an engraved paper certificate, signed by the current President, to honor the memory of honorably discharged deceased veterans. General Program Requirements This benefit may not be requested for a living veteran. The veteran must have received an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. Certain National Guard and reserve members may also qualify. Commissioned Officers of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are considered to be active duty members and veterans, once discharged. Eligible recipients (those who may receive a Presidential Memorial Certificate) include the deceased veteran’s next of kin and loved ones. Requests for this benefit may only be submitted by an eligible recipient. An eligible recipient is the next of kin, a relative or a friend, or someone authorized to act on behalf of such relative or friend. Your Next Steps The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit. Application Process For more information, see the Program Contact Information below. Program Contact Information For more information about the Presidential Memorial Certificate program, please visit our web site at: http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/pmc.asp When requesting a PMC, there is no form or format to use. A simple written request will suffice. Eligible recipients or their authorized agent may request a PMC using any one (1) of the three (3) methods listed below. Please only use one method. You may: <LI style="COLOR: black" class=MsoNormal>Visit any VA regional office and speak with a representative. <LI style="COLOR: black" class=MsoNormal>Send a request by fax to 1-202-565-8054; or by mail to: Presidential Memorial Certificates (41A1C) Department of Veterans Affairs 5109 Russell Road Quantico, VA 22134-3903 Use the “Contact the VA” web link (on the bottom of the page) at http://www.cem.va.gov/pmc.htm. All written or faxed requests must include a copy of the veterans’ death certificate and a copy of the veterans’ honorable discharge. Please do not provide original documents, as they cannot be returned. Managing Agency National Cemetery Administration (NCA) http://www.cem.va.gov __"Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

http://www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressRe...sReleaseID=1020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2009 Contact: Michael Victorian (202) 639-6405 AFGE CRITICIZES EXCESSIVE BONUSES FOR VA EXECUTIVES (WASHINGTON) – The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) today criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for continuing to offer exorbitant bonuses to managers in VA medical facilities and benefits offices while frontline staff struggle with limited resources to meet the growing needs of the nation’s veterans. “The idea that frontline employees have to stretch resources with limited staff, while executives continue to receive large bonuses is mindboggling,” said Alma Lee, president of AFGE’s National Veterans Affairs Council, which represents 160,000 employees in the VA. “If the VA is serious about recruiting and retaining highly trained and capable staff, it should reinvest in frontline staff, not top level bureaucracy.” Two years ago when media reports exposed that the VA was doling out bonuses to executives, despite mounting claims backlogs, reports of poor patient care and suspicious deaths in VA hospitals, Congress rightly reprimanded the agency. However, despite the Congressional reproach, the agency has continued to shower executives with lavish bonuses. According to the union, these bonuses, when coupled with the already high salaries of medical and benefits executives, represent a misguided approach to compensation lacking fairness and transparency. In 2007, the media reported that VA performance review boards, which make determinations about who receives bonuses, were stacked with the same executives who were scheduled to receive the incentive payments. These members had input on bonus recommendations involving themselves, fellow members and spouses that made questionable performance claims and neglected agency problems. According to AFGE members in the field, there have been no signs that such conflicts of interest have been corrected since that time. In fact, members report that even when frontline staff members are rewarded with bonuses, the awards are disseminated arbitrarily and with favoritism. In addition to criticizing the current executive bonus structure, AFGE has also taken a strong position against pending legislation that would increase the maximum amount of nurse executive and pharmacist executive incentive pay to $100,000 and $40,000 respectively. Amendments introduced to S.252 would allow VA executive nurses who are not involved in direct patient care to receive a 400 percent increase in incentive pay. These amendments also move to exempt VA executive physicians and dentists from the fair pay setting process established by Congress in 2004. In 2004, with bipartisan support, Congress enacted a system for setting physician and dentist pay that relies on a panel of peers in the same medical field to set market pay (P.L. 108-445). “If the VA is serious about maintaining a secure and sustainable workforce, it should apply its rules of compensation equally,” said Lee. “The newly proposed provision would exempt healthcare executives from the same balanced process and pay standards that apply to their counterparts on the frontline, who actually provide direct patient care.” ### "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

Grappling with risks, rewards of MS drug Managing risk is part of everyday business. But how do you deal with fear? Fear management has been a key challenge at Biogen Idec for the... By STEVEN SYRE The Boston Globe Related Archive | Panel urges drug for MS be sold again Archive | Executives sold stock before multiple-sclerosis drug woes disclosed Archive | MS drug withdrawn after patient's death Archive | Biogen's troubles could infect industry Sign up for our Health newsletter Health RSS feed Managing risk is part of everyday business. But how do you deal with fear? Fear management has been a key challenge at Biogen Idec for the past four years, since a few patients taking the company's promising new multiple-sclerosis drug, Tysabri, unexpectedly developed a rare but potentially lethal brain disease. Biogen Idec shares were crushed at the time, losing 43 percent of their value in a single day. Regulators pulled Tysabri off the market until they could figure out what to do. Biogen Idec was allowed to reintroduce the drug 16 months later, but everyone continued to struggle to understand an unusual puzzle of risk and reward. Biogen Idec's quarterly financial report last week included some of its most upbeat news to date on Tysabri. Chief Executive Jim Mullen told investors the drug was developing into a certified "blockbuster." The company said total sales exceeded $250 million, putting it on track to generate more than $1 billion a year in revenues (Biogen Idec shares rights to Tysabri with Elan and claimed only $188 million of total sales in the results). Tysabri sales had increased by an impressive 27 percent during the quarter. More important, the pace of new patients starting to take the drug accelerated. About 262 patients started taking Tysabri weekly during the second quarter, compared with about 170 per week in previous periods. Those gains weren't achieved in a bad-news vacuum. Three new cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a viral brain disease known as PML, were reported among Tysabri patients in the month of June alone. A total of 10 cases have been reported since Tysabri returned to the market in 2006. Stock analyst Eric Schmidt of Cowen & Co. said the new PML cases would dampen the impact of higher Tysabri sales on Biogen Idec shares. But "it is clear that Tysabri's growth continues despite all the negative attention the drug receives on Wall Street," he wrote in a note to investors Thursday. By the end of June, 43,000 patients were taking Tysabri to treat multiple sclerosis, about half of them in the United States. They accepted a PML risk that is unlikely but very serious. How rare the complication will be over longer treatment remains unknown. Many patients take Tysabri because it makes a dramatic difference in their lives. The drug can help some patients slow the progression of disability and manage effects of multiple sclerosis, improving their lives to a degree that makes the longshot risk of PML worth taking. Biogen Idec executives work hard to help patients reach that decision. They argue the potential side effect, which has affected 13 patients, isn't as deadly as previously feared and point to treatment. They plaster the marketplace with information. "We have a significant advantage," says Michael Panzara, Biogen Idec's chief medical officer for neurology. "You're starting from a place that, despite a rare risk, you have a drug that clearly does for MS patients what no other drug can do." function ebStdBanner0_DoFSCommand(command,args){try{command = command.replace(/FSCommand:/ig,"");if((command.toLowerCase()=="ebinteraction") || (command.toLowerCase()=="ebclickthrough"))gEbStdBanners[0].handleInteraction();}catch(e){}}try{ebStdBanner0_DoFSCom mand(command,args);}catch(e){}What Tysabri needs is more time. A year from now, Biogen Idec will have more information about patients who have been on its drug for a year, or two years or three years. Larger pools of patients who have been using the drug for longer periods will help define how much of a risk Tysabri might pose. Considering all the Wall Street focus on Tysabri, you might think the drug was Biogen Idec's big-money product. Not so. The company's other MS drug, Avonex, generates much more revenue. Rituxan, which treats rheumatoid arthritis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, outsells Tysabri, too. But Tysabri is an important part of the growth story. Success would be sweet, and failure would be a serious setback. Overcoming fear of any kind is no easy proposition. The Biogen Idec experience with patients suggests it takes time and many small steps. Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company SOURCE: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/heal...btbiogen20.html

10. VA Doctors Said To Face Ethical Challenge When It Comes To Troubled Soldiers. The Seattle Times (7/20, Bernton, 197K) reports that when Iraq veteran Tim Juneman, who hanged himself in March, "went to a Department of Veterans Affairs psychiatrist" two months earlier "to talk about his recurrent thoughts of suicide," his "biggest worry, according to notes taken by the VA psychiatrist, was a looming call back to active duty by the Washington National Guard," an order that "would have sent the specialist back to Iraq. A VA psychiatrist hospitalized Juneman but never notified the National Guard unit of his patient's distress over redeployment." Juneman's "death underscores an unsettling new reality for VA health-care providers. Unlike in decades past, they now often treat veterans headed back to war," and "this can pose an ethical challenge for VA doctors if they think PTSD, traumatic brain injury or other unhealed wounds could put a patient or others at greater risk on the front line." Jacqueline Hergert, "Juneman's mother, says the VA should have contacted the National Guard about her son's plight," but VA "officials say they must comply with privacy rules and are not required to share a veteran's health status with the Defense Department, according to a statement released by the VA in response to a Seattle Times inquiry." SOURCE: http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8010

Gulf War Veterans Think about Military Planes Bleed Air and Tanks too? Posted on July 20, 2009 by DSNurse by Denise Nichols, Staff Writer "A specific chemical of concern is tricresyl phosphate," he said, a chemical compound used in nerve agents and pesticides. "Historically, there have been some neurotoxic health consequences from high human exposures to [tricresyl phosphate]." ]."Clement Furlong, a research professor in the epartments of medicine and genome sciences at the University of Washington, has worked since 2005 to develop a simple blood test to determine whether a person has been exposed to contaminated bleed air. He says he's getting close. Toxic plane air sickens flight attendant, suit says Story Highlights A flight attendant claims a cabin 'fume event' on a plane left her chronically ill Product liability suit blames Boeing for not having filters, sensors in place Since April 2007, she's suffered from chronic migraines, tremors and vision loss Suit follows years of recommendations about 'bleed air," which Boeing says is safe By Jessica Ravitz The last time Terry Williams can remember being headache-free was in December. A chronic migraine has plagued her ever since. So have balance and vision problems, a tremor in her left arm, a prickly sensation in her feet and a loss of childhood memories. The ailments, she says, began April 11, 2007. Williams, then a veteran American Airlines flight attendant of 17 years, noticed a "misty haze type of smoke" on Flight 843 as it taxied toward a gate in Dallas, Texas. That "fume event," as it is known, and the physical maladies she felt afterward drove Williams, 40, to file a product liability lawsuit late Tuesday in Seattle, Washington, against Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, aircraft manufacturers linked to the MD-82 aircraft she was on. Her claim: Toxins in the cabin's air made her sick, and a design flaw -- the lack of filters and sensors -- left her unprotected. They "knew or should have known that toxic nerve agents, contaminates, and dangerous fumes could bleed into the plane's ventilation system, causing serious and irreversible health effects," her attorneys said in a written statement. Boeing spokesman Todd Blecher said he was "aware of the lawsuit" but couldn't "discuss details of it at this time." He then added, "Regarding the issue that the suit appears to raise, I can say that we believe that the air in airplane cabins is safe." Watch Williams discuss her suit » McDonnell Douglas is no longer in business. It merged with Boeing in the late 1990s to form the Boeing Co., so Blecher said he spoke on behalf of both entities. "Since we're not named in the suit and it was just filed, we have no comment at this time," said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American Airlines. "We'll watch the lawsuit as it progresses." The 'same color as antifreeze' Between a tickle in her throat, cough and headache, Williams thought she had the start of a common cold when she stepped off the flight in question. But she says the symptoms grew worse and included a nasal discharge she described as "neon green, the same color as antifreeze." Within several weeks, Williams says, she had to make repeated visits to emergency rooms before a neurologist told her she'd been the victim of toxic exposure. Since the early 1960s, air in passenger jets has typically combined re-circulated existing cabin air with air bled off the engines. The air pulled into the engines is cooled and compressed before it is pumped into the the plane. It is this "bleed air" that Williams' suit claims was contaminated. See how "bleed air" enters a plane's ventilation system » Leaks in the seals that keep engine oil in place could cause chemically laden fumes to enter the air stream, said William Nazaroff, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at University of California, Berkeley. "A specific chemical of concern is tricresyl phosphate," he said, a chemical compound used in nerve agents and pesticides. "Historically, there have been some neurotoxic health consequences from high human exposures to [tricresyl phosphate]." How often "fume events" happen, and how often they are reported, is disputed. A National Research Council report in 2002, using data from three Canadian airlines, said that on one aircraft model, nearly four out of 1,000 flights had a fume event. The Committee on Toxicity in the United Kingdom, a group made up of independent experts who advise government agencies, said in September 2007 that pilots reported events in 1 percent of flights and that maintenance inspected and confirmed incidents in 0.05 percent of flights. "These frequency estimates may all sound low, but consider that there were 10.65 million flights on U.S. registered aircraft in 2008. Even 0.05 percent of flights translates into about 14 events per day," said Judith Murawski, an industrial hygienist with the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, who has studied the issue for more than nine years. Most of the flying public has never heard of "fume events," and employees, especially in this economy, may stay mum for job security reasons, Murawski said. Flight attendants who become too sick to work -- and Murawski estimates that there have been hundreds -- usually file a workers' compensation claim, which Williams has also done. 'Bleed air' research spans decades The Federal Aviation Administration does not dismiss the possibility of fume events and the potential health dangers. "The concerns are reasonable and are being investigated," the agency said in a written response to CNN's questions about the issue. "These symptoms" -- including memory loss, vision impairment, tremors, headaches and vomiting -- "have been attributed to exposure to tricresyl phosphate (TCP) and other breakdown products of hydraulic fluid, fuel, deicing fluid and engine oil," it said. The statement also said, however, that the same symptoms occur as a result of other neurological conditions. The FAA said researchers at seven universities involved in Airliner Cabin Environment Research are trying "to assess the level of exposure to toxic chemicals in aircraft and to correlate any verified exposures with crew and passenger symptoms." The first known written report about exposure to toxins on airplanes -- entitled "Human Intoxication Following Inhalation Exposure to Synthetic Jet Lubricating Oil" -- was submitted in 1977 by a team of doctors, including those affiliated with a pulmonary-toxicology lab at a VA Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their investigation focused on a case of a "previously healthy" 34-year-old military pilot who became "acutely incapacitated" while flying after being exposed to "aerosolized or vaporized synthetic lubricating oil," the doctors wrote in the report. They said further investigation was "definitely warranted." In 1986, the National Research Council, an operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, conducted -- at the request of Congress -- an independent study and produced a report entitled "The Airliner Cabin Environment: Air Quality and Safety." In this, the council raised myriad concerns about air quality in cabins, including exposure to contaminants. The research council was enlisted again by Congress about 15 years later. The result was the 2002 report "The Airliner Cabin Environment and the Health of Passengers and Crews." In its own language responding to the NRC's recommendation regarding air quality and ventilation, the FAA said it "has not kept pace with public expectation and concern about air quality" and cannot guarantee protection from contamination "because no airplane design incorporates an air contaminant monitoring system." In its statement to CNN, the FAA said it "supports all of the NRC's recommendations and continues to monitor the development of data on cabin air contamination to ensure the health of the flying public." Christiaan van Netten, an environmental toxicologist in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, devised a simple device to measure air quality on planes. Seventy-five of the hand-held monitors were used in a study conducted by the Occupational Health Research Consortium in Aviation, a project that was funded by the FAA. Van Netten says he's not at liberty to talk about the results because this report was submitted last month and is being reviewed by the FAA. But he said more comprehensive and transparent air-quality testing would only help the industry. "When you don't have access to real information, people go from one extreme to another," he said. "By not addressing the facts, you open yourself up to all sorts of wild speculation." Others also report exposure Tristan Loraine, an English pilot who said he was forced to retire because contaminated bleed air made him sick, thinks the airline industry is more concerned about profits than protecting passengers and employees. His experience drove him to create a documentary titled "Welcome Aboard Toxic Airlines." He and others say it's difficult for doctors to diagnose exposure and that the effect on individuals -- based on differing immune systems, enzyme levels, medications -- varies dramatically. For this reason, there's a chance Williams alone may have reported a reaction to the fume event on her flight. Clement Furlong, a research professor in the departments of medicine and genome sciences at the University of Washington, has worked since 2005 to develop a simple blood test to determine whether a person has been exposed to contaminated bleed air. He says he's getting close. "If we have 10 boxes to check to be there, we've checked off nine," he said. Terry Williams is not the only person claiming ill effects of bad cabin air. Her attorneys also represent twin sisters, 45, who say they were sickened on a Southwest Airlines flight in January -- one that was diverted for what they called an "unexplained malfunction." A spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines, Brandy King, confirmed that the flight had been diverted but would not say why and would add only, "We are actively collecting information and reviewing the sequence of events." Another aviation attorney out of Chicago, Illinois, represents 20 U.K. passengers who say they became sick two years ago on a charter flight to Orlando, Florida. "There's been enough research to show that indeed this is a problem, and it's now time to implement solutions," said Christopher Witkowski, director of air safety, health and security for the union AFA-CWA. The issue gained traction in the mid-1990s, Murawski says, because by then most airlines had banned in-flight smoking and people began noticing other smells and hazes. But after September 11, she says the industry's priorities turned full-throttle to an entirely different safety issue. Changes on the horizon Those concerned about fume events point to recent developments that give them hope. The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, set to roll out soon, does not use bleed air and instead compresses atmospheric air from outside the plane. Blecher, the Boeing spokesman, said electrical system advances that improve efficiency -- and not concerns over bleed air -- inspired the change. Meanwhile, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009, which passed in the House and is now in a Senate committee, calls for research and development of sensor and air cleaning technology to remove "oil-based contaminants from the bleed air." The Australian government's Civil Aviation Safety Authority set up an Expert Panel on Aircraft Air Quality to review this issue. And on Wednesday, the United Kingdom Parliament held a debate about aircraft air quality, specifically discussing design flaws that might expose people to toxic fumes. Williams, who lives outside Seattle and has 3- and 4-year-old boys, said she's pursuing the lawsuit because she doesn't want others to suffer. "I'm often unable to play with my children. I feel like I'm depriving my kids of a mom and my husband of a wife," she said, her voice cracking. "I walked off that plane and have never been the same. ... If I can educate anyone and help raise public awareness to stop this from happening, hopefully changes can be made to keep people healthy." SOURCE: http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?n...le&sid=8023

GULF WAR VETERANS ALREADY SUFFER Now THE REST of Population AT RISK? Posted on July 20, 2009 by DSNurse Swine Flu Vaccinations Could Prove More Deadly Than the Swine Flu By Bill Lindner Austrian Investigative Journalist Jane Buergermeister (Bürgermeister) who recently filed criminal charges against the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (UN) and several high-ranking Goverment and corporate officials concerning bioterrorism involving Swine Flu vaccines that could prove to be more deadly than the disease was fired from her job -- writing for Renewable Energy World -- earlier this week, apparently because she filed those charges, and that is unacceptable. Readers wishing to help her can read more about that on her blog. Evidence that many organizations as well as Pharmaceutical companies such as Baxter and Novartis who merged with Chiron are part of a system controlled by a crime syndicate responsible for funding the development, manufacturing and release of artificial viruses with the intention of justifying mass vaccinations with a bioweapon substance to eliminate the people of the U.S. and to gain control of North America's assets and resources was produced by Burgermeister. Burgermeister says the crime syndicate sets its goals using the Trilateral Commission and Bilderberg meetings, identifying the 'Illuminati,' a mafia-like group with family dynasties -- a global crime syndicate based in off-shore banking centers -- that employs international organizations such as the WHO and the UN. The lawsuit filed by Burgermeister alleges that the Swine Flu pandemic was manufactured as part of a long term plan by the crime syndicate, who built large numbers of FEMA concentration camps with incinerators and prepared mass graves in states that include Indiana and New York to quarantine people and dispose of bodies of the people killed by the bioweapons attack. Information on funding for the crime syndicate can be found in this article from InfoWars. Burgermeister also contends that there is evidence that Baxter AG, an Austrian subsidiary of Baxter International, deliberately sent 72 kilos of live bird flu virus, supplied by the WHO in the winter of 2009, to 16 laboratories in 4 countries. More on her charges can be found in this 'Swine Flu Outbreak or Bioterrorism and Intent to Commit Mass Murder?' article. Number of Deaths does not Justify a Pandemic A recent report by Dr. Russell Blaylock highlights dangers of the Swine Flu vaccine about to be thrust upon the world courtesy of the outbreak of the Swine Flu in Mexico this past April when President Obama -- who is also named in Burgermeister's lawsuit -- visited there. The Swine Flu outbreak, according to Dr. Blaylock's figures, eventually affected 4,910 Mexican citizens and resulted in 85 deaths. Once the flu spread to the U.S. -- due to air travel and the failure of health officials to control travel from Mexico -- it caused primarily mild cases of flu-like illness. Now the virus has been spread worldwide. Contrary to predictions of a massive amount of deaths and the WHO's manipulations making it possible for them to call it a pandemic, the virus has remained relatively mild, as happens each year with flu epidemics. There have been 311 deaths worldwide out of 70,893 cases diagnosed. The U.S. has had 27,717 cases that have resulted in 127 deaths. It's sad that people have died from this virus, but such low numbers do not come close to being pandemic and should not be the basis of implementing egregiously draconian government policies. As noted by Dr. Blaylock, it's helpful to recall that the Centers for Disease Control, with the collusion of the media, constantly tells us that 36,000 people die from the flu each year, a figure that has been shown to be a lie. With the Swine flu, we're talking about a little over 300 deaths for the entire world. It's also interesting to note that the WHO said that the H1N1 flu pandemic is moving around the globe at an 'unprecedented' speed but stopped giving figures on numbers affected. Scandal-ridden Companies Hurriedly Creating Pandemic Vaccine Extensive analysis of the swine flu virus revealed that it contained the original 1918 H1N1 flu virus, the avian (bird) flu virus and 2 new H3N2 virus genes from Eurasia, meaning that it had to be genetically created in a laboratory. Both Baxter Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Pharmaceuticals -- recently acquired from scandal-ridden Chiron vaccine company -- have agreements with the WHO to come up with a pandemic vaccine. Baxter Pharmaceuticals has been involved in a few deadly scandals in the past couple decades. In 1996 hemophilia components were contaminated with HIV virus and injected into tens of thousands of people, including thousands of children. Even when the contamination became known, Baxter continued to release the HIV contaminated clotting substance. Baxter has had a couple of major scandals because of Heparin. Earlier this year Baxter Pharmaceuticals was caught in what appeared to be an attempted worldwide release of a weaponized version of the H591 Avian Flu Virus that had been mixed with seasonal H3N2 flu viruses. It was shipped to at least 18 countries, despite the fact that it's virtually impossible for that type of contamination to mistakenly occur. It appears to have been intentional. Despite the scandals and the deadly events, WHO has an agreement with Baxter to produce pandemic vaccine to be used worldwide. Immune Adjuvants Found to be Deadly to Animals Celvapan, the vaccine created by Baxter, uses a new vero cell technology that utilizes cultured cells from the African green monkey -- the same animal tissue that transmits the HIV virus, among a number of other vaccine-contaminating viruses -- has had fast track approval. According to Dr. Blaylock, the terrifying thing about these pandemic vaccines is that they contain ingredients called immune adjuvants -- pharmacological or immunological agents used to modify the effect of other agents -- that a number of studies have shown cause devastating autoimmune disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus. Animal studies using this adjuvant were found to be deadly -- when 14 guinea pigs were injected with the special adjuvant, only 1 animal survived -- not once, twice. Both studies had the same deadly outcome. Numerous studies have shown that squalene can trigger the autoimmune disorders mentioned above. Swine Flu Vaccinations Could Prove More Deadly Than the Swine Flu The deadly ingredient in the immune adjuvant is called squalene. The Chiron company, maker of the deadly anthrax and flu vaccines makes an adjuvant called MR-59 that contains squalene and gp120. Several vaccines have used Chiron's MF-59 adjuvant, including tetanus and diptheria, that has been frequently associated with adverse reactions. Squalene has been attributed strongly to Gulf War Syndrome too. In the summer of 1991 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs admitted that soldiers who were vaccinated with anthrax vaccine from 1990 to 1991 had a 200 percent increased risk in developing a deadly disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Courtesy of the U.S. government, soldiers were also recipients of a number of debilitating and life-shortening diseases. Dr. Blaylock reviewed several studies -- a number of which appeared in 'prestigious' medical journals claiming that it was a very safe adjuvant for humans -- on MR-59 and found, to no great surprise, that a great number of the studies were done by Novartis Pharmaceutical Company and Chiron Pharmaceuticals. A great number of studies done by independent laboratories and research institutions all found strong links between MF-59 and autoimmune diseases. Results of the Pharmaceutical studies are misleading, primarily because their results are based on one to two week time frames, when in reality, it can take years for the deadly reactions of the vaccines to manifest. Taking that vaccine could result in a lifetime of crippling illness and early death. Some of the deadly dangers of Squalene -- the main ingredient in MF-59 -- can be found in Dr. Blaylock's article. The vaccines being rushed to market by these large pharmaceutical companies who stand to make billions of dollars in profits from the WHO as well as the U.S. and numerous other governments could kill a hell of a lot more people than the Swine Flu. One thing to keep in mind, as noted by Dr. Blaylock, is the fact that there is little you can do to protect yourself -- at least with conventional medicine -- once you receive an injection of the vaccine. Dr. Blaylock recommends a good diet, higher doses of vitamin D3 and selective immune enhancement using supplements to protect yourself from the Swine Flu virus. A CBS "60 Minutes" expose that was only shown once looks at the great, falsely manufactured, Swine Flu scare of 1976 when 46 million Americans took the vaccine and 4000 ended up seeking damages that amounted to $3.5 billion due to neurological problems and death should serve as a precaution, not to mention evidence of how the government fraudulently and falsely creates disasters to intentionally scare the masses while killing an untold number of people. The last eight and a half years of U.S. government malfeasance also serves as a perfect example of why NOT to trust the government. Goverment propaganda causes many deaths. The quick elevation of this 'swine flu outbreak' to pandemic status with such low death numbers makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. More background on the alleged pandemic and why to be suspicous of it can be found in this 'swine flu outbreak or bioterrorism and intent to commit mass murder?' article. It appears that this pandemic is an example of history repeating itself, but this time the results will probably end up being a lot worse because the swine flu vaccinations could prove more deadly than the swine flu. SOURCE: http://www.veteranstoday.com/article8020.html

Brian, did your claim go to the AMC, BVA or CAVC?

Shark. Clownman gives good advice. It's very difficult to get the VA raters at any level, to apply much evidential weight to any medical treatise. They don't even look at the ones you just send in. A Dr must give their opinion as to how the treatise applies to your issues specifically. These VA raters are not there to connect the dots for you. They have thousands of claims in piles everywhere, that they're motivated to dump in a trash bin & get paid for it. If you want your claim to win, it must stand out as having every thing it needs to win or you'll spend years(decades) in denials, NOD's & remands.

Viral/Vertigo Connection by Dr. Gerald H. Smith Vertigo Resolved by Bio-Frequencies There are two basic types of vertigo: objective and subjective. Objective vertigoexists when the external world revolves around the individual. Subjective vertigo manifests when the individual perceives them-self revolving in space. Vertigo is a result of a disturbance of equilibrium. It can be caused by middle ear disease; cranial distortions, dental malocclusion; toxic conditions caused by aspartame, mercury poisoning, silicylates (aspirin), cocaine, alcohol or the antibiotic streptomycin; sunstroke; under-active adrenals, postural hypotension; or toxemia caused by such things as food poisoning or infections (viruses, bacteria or fungi). Case Study. K.W. was referred to my office in November of 2005 for evaluation of vertigo. K.W. stated that her first episode of objective vertigo started in April of 2004 three days after contracting a flu virus. Since April of 2004, she experienced periodic episodes where every thing was spinning around her. Examination by an ENT medical specialist produced no positive findings. The physician put her on the medication anti-vert, which did nothing to modify the spinning sensations. Examination of the patient revealed a neurological occlusal (tooth discrepancy), which adversely caused weakness in K.W.'s neck. Although upper cervical distortions do have the potential of causing equilibrium problems, this imbalance was not the source of this patient's vertigo problem. Direct Resonance testing revealed the presence of cytomegalovirus in both ears. The patient supplied the clue when she gave a history of the vertigo starting three days into a flu episode. Since viruses are not affected by antibiotics, the patient was treated with bio-frequencies for the cytomegalovirus. At the completion of the half-hour treatment, K.W. stood up without any symptoms of the room spinning. When K.W. first walked into our office, she wore dark sun glasses and literally was holding onto the walls because every thing was spinning around her. The before and after videos show the dramatic change that took place after a half-hour of vibrational frequency therapy. Since the beginning of November , 2005 there has been no reoccurrence of vertigo. In my professional opinion, I believe the cytomegalovirus infiltrated the endolymph fluid which is encased in the balancing labyrinths of the inner ear. Within these labyrinths are small hair-like structures which move with changes in motion. My theory is that the virus attached to the hair-like sensors and the toxins produced by the CMV virus disrupted the normal proprioceptive function causing faulty signaling into the central nervous system. The dramatic results came when the virus was immediately destroyed by the treatment frequencies. This technology has been available since the early 1930's but was suppressed because it was too effective and would have destroyed the pharmaceutical companies as they existed in the 1930's. (800) 272-2323 • International Center for Nutritional Research, Inc. • © 1996-2008 SOURCE: http://www.icnr.com/cs/cs_26.html

<H2 class=date-header>Saturday, July 18, 2009</H2><H3 class=post-title><A href=http://vnvets.blogspot.com/2009/07/obtaining-and-using-documents-to.html">Obtaining and Using Documents to Support Your Claim [VA and SSA] - Repost http://vnvets.blogspot.com/2009/07/obtaini...cuments-to.html</H3>

See comments I posted on their web site... below that see article and link to report -----Original Message----- From: Dan Cedusky [mailto:colonel-dan@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2009 6:30 AM To: cebp-feedback@highwire.stanford.edu Cc: colonel-dan@sbcglobal.net Subject: Cancer Incidence in the U.S. Military Population: (CEBP Feedback Form) ------------------------------------------------------------ Comments sent via CEBP Feedback Page ------------------------------------------------------------ NAME: Dan Cedusky EMAIL: colonel-dan@sbcglobal.net PREVIOUS PAGE: http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/reprintsi...2F18%2F6%2F1740 ------------------------------------------------------------ COMMENTS: This study is so flawed. Review all the death certificates of veterans over the past 40 years. Many were diagnosed, and died outside the VA & DOD health systems. I can personally say that of all my high school friends, class of 1963, that served in the military in the 60's. majority are now deceased. The majority that did not serve. are alive. This research Paid for by the Govt? Follow the current soldiers for next 40 years...you have no way of truthfully doing it... far too many will die...while the Govt, DOD & VA will deny. And that doesn’t even include the DOD civilians that worked on the bases. http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/reprint/18/6/1740 A recent study of Department of Defense (DoD) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) statistics shows that active-duty military personnel may have lower risks of developing certain kinds of cancer compared with the general public. These findings came to light after a group of researchers from the Military Health System and the National Institutes of Health compared cancer rates between members of the armed forces and the general U.S. population. Cancer risk may be affected by multiple factors. It is known that certain behaviors or exposures such as tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, obesity, radiation and certain chemicals are associated with cancer. Researchers hypothesize that the military population may be different from the general population in its exposure to these factors, which could contribute to the differing cancer incidence rates. The study examines the effects of cancer on military members by comparing the frequency of six kinds of cancer—lung, colorectal, prostate, breast, testicular and cervical—between military and civilian populations. It focused on adults aged 20 to 59 years old who were diagnosed with one of the six cancers between 1990 and 2004. Data were taken from two databases: the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program of the NCI, and the DoD’s Automated Central Tumor Registry (ACTUR). The research team found that certain cancers – colorectal, lung and cervical – appeared less frequently in the military population than in the general population. They also found that breast cancer among women and prostate cancer among men are more common in the military than in the general population. Testicular cancer appeared to affect both military and civilian populations equally. An article about the studies’ findings was published in the June issue of Cancer, Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/18/6/1740 "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

http://www.va.gov/oig/54/reports/VAOIG-08-00038-152.pdf also see the number of beds for mental health at the facilities visited In Healthcare Inspection: Review of Veterans Health Administration Residential Mental Health Care Facilities, the VA's inspector general concluded that some inpatient psychological and psychiatric programs lacked adequate staff, oversupplied patients with potentially harmful medications and failed to monitor patients' adherence to treatment plans both in the hospital and after discharge. No facilities are named in the report on the investigation, which was prompted by a number of overdose deaths among patients of a Los Angeles VA mental care program during 2006 and 2007. To reach the findings and recommendations, Inspector General George J. Opfer and his staff reviewed 933 patient records, visited 20 facilities and surveyed all residential mental health programs. Among the findings were that five Veterans Integrated Service Networks failed to offer services in every recommended category, only about one-fourth of surveyed programs offered services specifically geared toward the needs of Iraq War veterans, and nearly half of patients left residential care without verifiable plans for the safe use of medications such as narcotic painkillers. Additionally, 11 percent of patients received prescriptions for up to a month of medications with a high likelihood for abuse when those patients were supposed to receive only seven-day supplies of medications. The report made 10 recommendations for improving the deficiencies, with which VA's Acting Under Secretary for Health Dr. Gerald M. Cross concurred. "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

Veterans with stress disorder appear more likely to develop dementia 11:30 AM, July 13, 2009 http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_sh...lzheimers-.html Older veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia as those who do not have the disorder, according to a new study presented today at an Alzheimer's disease conference. "These findings are important because PTSD has become a common consequence of combat and exposure to trauma," said Dr. Kristine Yaffe, the paper's lead author, in a statement. Previous studies had found that 15% to 20% of military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have developed post-traumatic stress disorder, but that research has not fully explored the potential risk the disorder holds for dementia, said Yaffe, chief of geriatric psychiatry at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a professor at UC San Francisco. In the study presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Vienna, Yaffe and her colleagues followed about 181,000 veterans age 55 and older in the VA's National Patient Care Database. About 30% of these veterans had post-traumatic stress disorder. The researchers found that about 11% of the veterans with the disorder developed new cases of dementia over the seven-year study period, compared with about 7% of those who did not have a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. Even when researchers filtered out for potentially confounding factors such as other brain injuries and depression, the risk remained nearly double for the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, Yaffe said, researchers do not yet understand the relationship between the two disorders. "It is critical that we identify the mechanisms," she said. -- Jia-Rui Chong "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

VETERANS AND THE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE DEBATE Posted on July 19, 2009 by gordonduff http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.phpvar addthis_pub = \'peapolzmedia\'; FEW VETERAN FAMILIES ARE COVERED BY ANY INSURANCE HEALTH CARE RATIONED IN AMERICA BY MONEY By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER As a 100% Disabled Veteran, I qualify for full VA health care, including dental and optical. It hasn't been a perfect relationship. I got glasses a decade ago. They were broken and didn't fit when I got them in the mail. The VA has sent me to private dentists as they have not had qualified people available. It has cost me thousands. Specialist referrals are never made or have had year long waits and most problems or illnesses have been misdiagnosed. The point? The VA is batting about the same as our wonderful civilian health care system but it is getting better, endlesssly better than it was. The VA is crippled from a few directions that, we hope, will not hamper a national system: The Bush administration saw DVA health care as an entitlement to cut rather than a right earned by those that served their country. A totally unaccountable bureaucracy, tied to conservative VSOs, is in place insulating the DVA system from serious improvement. This group stresses an organization that places patient interests last, contrary to mandated legal ethics. (In Bed With the Enemy) In some, perhaps many, areas, doctors and nurses face retaliation for supporting patient rights. Veterans come in 3 health care categories with many subcategories. Retirees with Tricare 100% Permanent and Total Disabled Veterans whose families have CHAMPVA All other categories with no family coverage or dental and optical. Category 3 is huge. It assumes that these vets are employed or retired with full health care covering their families. The VA assumes that the Veterans insurance carrier will cover co-pays and fees also. The problem with this is that the number of people in the US with health insurance is plunging rapidly. Not only that, but those with coverage are watching that increasingly restricted with severe limitations on treatments and drugs. Additionally, it has built a system tied to scamming money. The classic case is the endless number of new drugs being pushed onto the market that are either useless, if you are lucky, or totally dangerous. Unnecessary drugs are used because doctors are inundated with "drug pimps" and falsified scientific data. Can an entire country have "erectile dysfuntion?" If Congress is any indication, I would think we may have some fakers out there. I have experience with the health care systems in Europe and find them superior to those in the US. Many say the French system is the best. Seeing a doctor in Britain didn't take more than 5 minutes, receiving treatment was frighteningly easy and they barely asked my name. When I took out a credit card to pay, they seemed insulted. They said, "Health care is a right, not a product." It is my belief that we can get the DVA system on track, reform the medical ethics problem and deal with the disability pension problem that is both inundated with claims and totally mismanged. We can do this the moment the VSOs step aside and a few key members of Congress get their own mental health issues taken care of. Current attitudes about veterans health care, in Congress and even Executive level show clear signs of delusion. Perhaps those involved have previously existing personality disorders. I wonder if their insurance covers that? In the interim, the vast majority of veterans have families either without insurance or at risk of losing coverage. Imagine a veteran running down to the local DVA medical center to receive treatment that he can't afford for his own children. http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?n...le&sid=8002

57tom, your denial is typical from the VARO level. ["Review of your service treatment records were negative for any complaints, treatment, or diagnosis of MS during your military service."] You can expect the VARO level to play this card every time, unless you point out in a NOD or appeal that you only need to have a showing of "symptoms" during service & 7 yrs following. They know it. But if you don't call them on it they will continue to use it to deny you. ["There is no medical evidence showing the date of the confirmed diagnosis of MS. Therefore, service connection for MS is denied since this condition neither occurred in nor was caused by service nor manifested to a compensable degree within any applicable presumptive period." (I thought you just had to prove you had symptoms within 7 years after discharge not a confirmed diagnosis. I'm confused.)] 1) you must prove symptoms during service or 7 yrs following. 2) you must prove you have a "current" diagnoses of MS. 3) you must have a nexus or link connecting the two. A C&P examination or medical opinion should do it. Medical records are generally kept 5 yrs at facilities. Some keep them 10 yrs. If you have "NO" medical records during service or the seven yrs following service showing MS, than you will not likely win your claim. Don't worry about the dates you throw out that are not accurate. The VARO raters & some BVA raters will play on it, but it won't likely stand. Everything they denied on, you must counter attack in your NOD or appeal. A strong favorable medical opinion is what you need along with records to support it. Have you checked for eye examination & hearing loss records along with medical treatment records? There are many eye conditions associated with MS & Optometrists may keep their records longer. My service records show I had vision loss, than gained it back, than lost it again. Fluctuating vision, blurred vision, double vision, occular inflamation are all symptoms of MS. Check your SMR eye records carefully. Also your hearing examinations during service. Maybe you worked somewhere or had insurance examinations that may have some records. If your symptoms did not show at all until the seven yr period following service & you have no records to submit to support your claim, it's not likely the VA will grant. You must have the records.

Victimization of Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury or Other Disabilities: A Fact Sheet for Professionals http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/FactSheets/Vi...ofessionals.htm

Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury http://www.traumaticbraininjury.com/conten...ausesoftbi.html TBI - Causes http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/Causes.htm What is Traumatic Brain Injury? http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/TBI.htm

Ear, neck disorders can cause vertigo, just like TBI's. TBI's can be caused by trauma(concussion, projectals, etc.)and toxins.

[Attachment(s) from Colonel Dan included below] Contact him for info; RetAirForceMan@aol.com From: RetAirForceMan@aol.com [mailto:RetAirForceMan@aol.com] Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 9:06 PM To:; colonel-dan@sbcglobal.net; Subject: I SPRAYED AGENT ORANGE, AGENT WHITE AND OTHER HERBICIDES ON GUAM Senator McCain, Congressman Higgins, Senator Cathy Young, When will Congress stop high level officials in the Defense Department and the government from lying to them about the use of Agent Orange, Agent White and other herbicides on Guam, Okinawa and other areas besides Vietnam during the Vietnam War ? I was stationed on Guam from 1968 through 1978 and personally prepared, mixed and sprayed these herbicides with a 750 gallon tank trailer behind a five ton tractor truck while assigned to the Fuels Division of the Supply Squadron at Anderson AFB, Guam. The spraying included the perimeter security fences at all of the fuel tank farms, flight line areas, hydrant pump houses, fuel valve pits and etc . It also included the off base fuels facilities for the Air Force and the Cross Country Pipeline which I was in charge of for many years. I have attached the Letter from the Under Secretary of Defense which denied the use of these chemicals on Guam and also have attached my Airmen's Performance Reports which you can clearly see I performed their vegetation control program which as I mentioned above was mixing and spraying these herbicides. Please once and for all clear up this obvious mistake and oversight. Give our nation's veterans the service connection for these dispicable diseases which they have incurred while in the military service and honor them with your word to stop this injustice NOW. i will have to send the Airman's performance reports one page at a time as the file i made is far too large to send. I can send by fax to any number you would like it sent to of the documents I have described and the denials from the VA over the years when there was clearly no call for the denial. I am still being denied service connection for the herbicide exposure on Guam and the correct dating of my claim for the spinal disease first diagnosed in feb 1988. I firmly believe without a doubt without any mental reservation that the evidence in this email is clearly evidence to support the fact that Agent orange, Agent white and other herbicides were used on Guam and I am here to tell you I was there and I was preparing, mixing and spraying the stuff that is killing me. I have fought the VA for over twenty years and have been denied at every opportunity by the VA for as they put it lack of evidence. I believe that every man and woman that have put on the uniform of our country deserve to be treated far differently than I was treated. I have been spit on at San Francisco Airport by the orange robed hairy chrisna, i have been yelled at by flower children swearing at me and calling me baby killer, i have been passed by on the highway in unifrom carrying my duffel bag trying to get home just for a day as it was worth it to me to see home again just one more time, I must tell you that I am proud of what it means to be a veteran of our armed forces fighting for the freedom of all who live here and in the world. I just expected a little thank you for over twenty years of honorable and decorated service. I just thought that Congress should expect the VA to honor the promises made in writing to me during all of those hard times. I just thought just for once that my country would not turn it's back on me. I was so disappointed when Congress took my GI Bill from me while I was still on active duty and then made me ineligible for the new Montgomery GI Bill all because I was one of the old timers from the Vietnam war era and they just snatched up my only future from me especially after being denied employment by the US postal service in buffalo ny because of my spinal disease that the VA denied me for all the way to 2007, twenty years later and then only go back three years instead of back to the day I was denied employement. unemployable as they put it now. Wow .....no job, no educational benefits, no no no.....everywhere i turned....even denied me medical care......wow.....and i had all this disease in me. Wow....what did I do to deserve that kind of treatment? Another Case Confirms AO On Guam Tuesday, 26 May 2009, 4:36 pm Press Release: si Debbie Quinata "The decision issued by the Department of Veterans on April 16 was the fourth case won by veterans who were deployed to Guam in the 1960s. All four cases confirmed dioxin contamination at Anderson AFB." See "Brown Death" on Guam. FINDINGS OF FACT 2. Diabetes mellitus is related to the veteran's active service. CONCLUSION OF LAW Diabetes mellitus was incurred in service. 38 U.S.C.A. §§ 1110, 5102, 5103, 5103A (West 2002); 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.159, 3.303 (2004). REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION Analysis of Claim [during] his personal hearing, the veteran alleged that he developed diabetes mellitus as a result of his exposure to herbicide agents while serving on active duty in Guam. His military occupational duties as an aircraft maintenance specialist allegedly required him to work in an air field, the perimeter of which was continuously brown due to herbicide spraying every three months. The veteran also alleges that he recalls seeing storage barrels at the edge of the base, which he now knows housed herbicides. Following discharge, Anderson Air Force base in Guam, where the veteran was stationed, underwent an environmental study, which showed a significant amount of dioxin contamination in the soil and prompted the federal government to order a clean up of the site. Service connection may be granted for disability resulting from disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by service. 38 U.S.C.A. § 1110 (West 2002); 38 C.F.R. § 3.303 (2004). Service connection may also be granted for any disease diagnosed after discharge when all of the evidence, including that pertinent to service, establishes that the disease was incurred in service. 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(d). [For] the showing of chronic disease in service there is required a combination of manifestations sufficient to identify the disease entity, and sufficient observation to establish chronicity at the time, [When] the fact of chronicity in service is not adequately supported, then a showing of continuity after discharge is required to support the claim. 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b). In some circumstances, a disease associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents will be presumed to have been incurred in service even though there is no evidence of that disease during the period of service at issue. 38 U.S.C.A. § 1116(a) (West 2002); 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.307(a)(6), 3.309(e) (2004). For the complete excerpt, please click here regarding "service-connection." LeRoy G. Foster 100 % Service Connected Disabled Life member of the DAV of New York State -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snoop, Lil Wayne, Lady GaGa -- land the tix you need for this summer's biggest tours. Tourtracker.com __._,_.___ Attachment(s) from Colonel Dan 1 of 1 Photo(s) scan0002.jpg2 of 2 File(s) Congressman Bob Filner on Agent Orange exposure on Guam.rtf OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE TO THE HONORABLE LANE EVANS.pdfMessages in this topic () Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

Thanks Pete. Not sure why the link didn't work.