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allan

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  1. : [VeteranIssues] A COLA is Finally Coming FW: The Retired ENLISTED Association Washington Update for June 24, 2011Date: Jun 24, 2011 4:54 PM A COLA is Finally Coming (We Think)-The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased for the 9th straight month in May. This time it increased by 0.5%. The CPI is the basis for calculating a Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) for many programs including military retired pay, veterans’ disability pay, SBP, DIC and Social Security. If nothing changes in the next 4 months, there should be a COLA of 3.4%. But it is likely that there will be further inflation so we are expecting a substantial increase. We will continue to follow the monthly findings and pass them on to you. From: TREA's Washington Office [ Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 12:26 PM To: Dan Cedusky Subject: The Retired ENLISTED Association Washington Update for June 24, 2011 The Retired ENLISTED Association Washington Update Join TREA "Like" Us on www.trea.org DONATE: Support TREA's Programs FOR JUNE 24, 2011 This has been a very significant time for the U.S Military. President Obama announced his plan for withdrawal from Afghanistan on Wednesday; a new Secretary of Defense was confirmed on Tuesday. On Thursday the President travelled to speak to the troops at Ft. Drum in N.Y. while in DC Congress is debating our role in Libya. ******************************************* 1) A COLA is Finally Coming (We Think)-The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased for the 9th straight month in May. This time it increased by 0.5%. The CPI is the basis for calculating a Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) for many programs including military retired pay, veterans’ disability pay, SBP, DIC and Social Security. If nothing changes in the next 4 months, there should be a COLA of 3.4%. But it is likely that there will be further inflation so we are expecting a substantial increase. We will continue to follow the monthly findings and pass them on to you. 2) Panetta Unanimously Confirmed as Next Secretary Of Defense-On Tuesday the Senate voted 100-0 to confirm Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense. He will assume the office on June 30 after the retirement of SecDef Robert Gates. Mr. Panetta has been a fixture in Washington and public affairs for almost 40 years. He served for 2 years in the U.S. Army (1964-1966) leaving as a 1st Lieutenant. After first serving in the Nixon Administration he became a Democrat and was elected for nine terms as a member of the House of Representatives from California. While in the House he served on the Budget Committee and was its Chairman from 1989-1993. In 1993 he left the House to serve first as President Clinton’s head of the Office of Management and Budget and then as his Chief of Staff. He has been President Obama’s head of the Central Intelligence Agency since 2009. He received praise from both sides of the aisle. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) said: “Just a home-run choice. The president made a very wise decision.” Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY) said: “For over four decades, Leon Panetta has been an extraordinary public servant spanning several administrations.” She also noted that he had: “played an instrumental role in the successful mission to bring Osama bin Laden to justice.” We should realize and be concerned that much of the praise was directed at Mr. Panetta perceived ability to cut the Defense Budget. President Obama has called for $400 billion in DoD cuts in the next 12 years. With his history with the OMB and the Budget Committee many members of Congress think that he will be more likely to cut the Defense budget than Secretary Gates was willing or able to do. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) said: “He is the most qualified individual to tackle the huge budgetary issues.” In a similar vein Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) said: the Secretary of Defense will need to look at every military program and expense and “make the tough choices and trade-offs between our warfighters’ requirements today and preparations for the threats of tomorrow.” And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said:”In this time of tight budgets, he knows how to do more with less.” 3) SASC’s NDAA Mark Up Includes Changes To TRICARE Benefit-The Senate Armed Services Committee’s (SASC) mark-up of its version of the FY2012 followed the HASC’s lead and included several unfortunate changes in the military health benefits. The Senate bill includes an increase of $60 (for individuals) rising to $260 and an increase of a $120 (for families) rising to $520 enrollment fees for TRICARE Prime in FY2012 for military retirees under the age of 65. Like the House bill it also includes an annual enrollment fee increase from FY2013 onward equal to any yearly federal COLA increase (rather than the medical cost index that DoD was urging). It also included changes in the pharmacy copays for all beneficiaries, and forces newly enrolled members of the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP) to age out of the program at age 65 and transfer to TRICARE for Life. 4) Cutting Imminent Danger and Hostile Fire Pay-Looking for ways to lower federal spending the SASC amazingly looked to imminent danger pay. Presently, if a service member spends any time in a war zone/imminent danger area he/she receives a full month imminent danger pay. All $225 of it. In their version of the NDAA the Senate Armed Services Committee requires that the services start to prorate the pay based upon how many days the member is in the designated zone. Stopping what some have called a “combat pay windfall” is projected to save only $30 million a year! The House of Representative’s version of the NDAA has no such provision. TREA strongly urges that this miserably cheap proposal be killed during the Committees’ conference. 5) Exciting Discovery in Military Medical Program-It is said that wars lead to great medical breakthroughs and we may be seeing a new example of that. DoD has invested $70 million in researching “regenerative medicine”. The program is having some stunning successes. Marine Corporal Isaias Hernandez was just 19 when he lost 70% of his right thigh muscle in Afghanistan when an enemy mortar exploded near him as he was repairing a truck. Normally such a wound would require amputation. However in his case his doctors had Corporal Hernandez strengthen the remaining 30% of muscle. In preparation for the operation, corporal Hernandez was made to build up the remaining 30 per cent of muscle left on the damaged thigh and he was injected with a growth promoting substance extracted from pig bladders. Surgeons then sliced into the thigh, placing a thin slice of a substance called extracellular matrix. Since the growth hormone treatment the Corporal has regained most of his leg’s strength. This is considered particularly exciting since it regenerated skeletal muscle which does not normally grow back. If future results are consistent with this case it could revolutionize how numerous injuries and wounds are treated. 6) The Outlook for Next week-The Senate may finally start working on its Appropriation bills. Unlike the House of Representatives the Senate has said they are waiting for a deficit reduction agreement before they start working on their 12 Appropriation bills. However with negotiations continuing they have indicated that they will start taking up bills next week. First likely to be taken up is the House passed Military Construction-VA Appropriations Bill (HR2055). This passed the House with bipartisan agreement (411-5) Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), a ranking member of the subcommittee predicted that it would pass easily: “ Members generally support veterans, and Chairman Johnson [D-S.D.] and I agree on just about every provision of the bill…. “I think we’re ready for a rocket sled.” The Senate mark-up is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, June 28 and we expect it then to go to the Full Committee on Thursday, June 30. There are not many Congressional hearings scheduled for next week. The Senate Committee of Veterans Affairs will have a hearing on Wednesday June 29 at 3:00 p.m. on “pending legislation and the Senate Armed Services Committee will have a hearing on Tuesday June 28 to consider the nomination of 3 flag officers. 7) Letters to Congress-Frequently in our updates we mention bills under consideration in Congress and we urge you to write to your Senators and Representative to either support or oppose them. We also put letters on Capwiz that you can use to quickly contact your Senators or Congressman in support of, or opposition to, bills or issues. That feature is available at the bottom of each legislative update where it says: Reminder: We have pre-written letters that you can email or send to your Congressional Representatives. Go to: . However, we don’t always put letters on Capwiz for all of the bills we mention. That’s because TREA operates by resolution and not all bills are covered by our current resolutions. So if we believe our members may be interested in proposed legislation we bring the bills to your attention and urge you to take whatever action you wish to take. Recently we reported on six bills that are under consideration in the Senate: S423, S491, S696, S698, S815, and S894. We have posted letters for S423, S696, and S894. We will be posting additional letters on Capwiz. Again, please go to http://www.capwiz.com/trea/issues/bills/ to view those letters and decide if you want to send letters to your members of Congress, or you can call them, fax them or mail a traditional letter of your own. 8) Survivor of Bataan Death March Passes Away-James Downey Jr., a survivor of the 1942 Bataan Death March in the Philippines, died Monday in Gloucester, Virginia. He was 96 years old. Downey served with the Army‘s 26th Cavalry Philippine Scouts, a unit that still rode horses into battle in the early days of World War II. His mother was of Philippine and Spanish heritage and his father was from Augusta County, Georgia, a cavalry officer who fought in the Spanish-American War. In 1936 Downey had tried out for the U.S. Olympic swim team, when Japanese soldiers captured him on April 9, 1942. He was 27 years old. He was put in line with thousands of other prisoners and ordered to start walking. The rule was simple, he recalled: “if you stop, you die”. The forced march to a Japanese POW camp covered 60 miles and lasted five days. Downey’s little brother, Robert, was captured with him and survived the march but eventually died of sickness. James Downey retired from the Army in 1963 as a master sergeant. He served a stint at Fort Eustis in Newport News, Virginia, where he met his wife, Frances, who passed away in 2006. For more, see: http://articles.dailypress.com/2011-06-20/news/dp-nws-bataan-death-march-obit-20110620_1_bataan-death-march-japanese-soldiers-japanese-tank 9) U.S. Army Announces Site For Its Planned National Museum.-The open secret of the site of the long planned U.S. Army was made official this week. It will be at the North Post of Ft. Belvoir. The museum is being privately funded by the Army Historical Society. The plan is for the museum to open in June 2013. When making the announcement Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh said: “In presenting the Army’s storied 236-year history, this long-overdue facility will offer the American people a unique opportunity to connect with our soldiers and better understand and appreciate their many and glorious stories.” Presently the Army is the only service without a service-wide museum. The Navy Museum is located at the Navy Yard in Washington D.C.; the Marine Corps Museum is located at the Marine Base Quantico in Prince William County, Va.; and the Air Force Museum is located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and the Coast Guard Museum is at the Coast Guard Academy in New London Connecticut. 10) Contract Fight Between Walgreens And Express Scripts Reaches Impasse-Express Scripts, which is the contractor for both the TRICARE Retail Pharmacy and TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery, and Walgreens, the largest drug store chain in the country is having a knocked down drag out contract fight. This week Walgreen publically announced that they will stop filling Express Scripts prescription benefits on January 1. Of course there are still many months to go. Walgreens receives over $5.5 billion in annual revenue from Express Scripts plans. It makes a full 7% of their revenue. (Express Scripts is the second-largest pharmacy benefits manager in the United States and expects to handle at least 750 million prescription claims this year.) Surely we will hear more about this in the weeks ahead, TREA will watch to see if this fight may harm TRICARE Pharmacy beneficiaries and keep you informed. 11) Parris Island Gets Woman General-Last Friday Brig. Gen. Loretta Reynolds took command of the Marine’s Training Depot, Parris Island. Reynolds is the first woman to take command of the base in its 96 year history. She will also be in charge of the Marines’ Eastern Recruiting Region, which covers the 23 states east of the Mississippi River. Serving a year in Afghanistan she became the first woman Marine to hold a command position in a battle zone. She is 1 of 3 women generals in the 200,000 member Marine Corps. She graduated from the Naval Academy in 1986. In total there are 12,339 enlisted women, 108 women warrant officers and 1,224 women officers in the Marine Corps. On the Parris Island website, the service said training for men and women is identical, and that roughly 2,400 female recruits go through it every year. Parris Island graduates 20,000 Marines a year and is the only site where female enlisted Marines are trained to enter the service. National Headquarters email: treahq@trea.org Phone: 800-338-9337 Fax: 303-752-0835 Washington Legislative Office email: treadmin@treadc.org Phone: 800-554-8732 Fax: 703-548-4876 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE ARCHIVES Reminder: We have pre-written letters that you can email or send to your Congressional Representatives. Go to: http://www.capwiz.com/trea/issues/bills/ Have you checked out our Reunions listings on our website? Go to: www.trea.org -- click on Reunions/Buddies "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/
  2. Veterans Affairs addresses growing demand of women needing care http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/19/3163910/veterans-affairs-addresses-growing.html#tvg source: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/06/22/top-10-veterans-stories/
  3. Veteran trapped, like many, in disability paperwork backlog http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-06-19-veteran-disability-backlog_n.htm source: http://www.veteranst...terans-stories/
  4. you do not want to get a rubber stamp decision based on the fact that the DRO feels you have an attitude problem and forces your claim to go to the BVA. This is not supposed to happen but it does all the time. Been there, done that. It took more than a decade to go to CAVC and have it remanded right back to the BVA that completely ignored three favorable medical evaluations and say, you can't do what we know you've been doing for decades. And that is ignore and set asside favorable evidence. The Rater has to list the Drs statements and show,"WHY"they find them favorable or unfavorable in the SOC. Thats the law.
  5. Subject: [VeteranIssues] Old Blue Water AO Claim, Up Held, FW: Great outcome to story I sent you re: disabled BW veteran C. CooleyDate: Jun 19, 2011 7:43 AM A big thanks to all of you that passed on the previous story I sent about Vet having his VA $$ being shut off..and to those that raised H’ll with your congress man..you helped get the VA’s attention... I know of at least one Senator I alerted who called the VA on it A worker in the VA public affairs office saw the stories online and alerted his supervisors, according to Sue Malley, director of the VA's New York Regional Office. Previous story sent June 7th to you: http://poststar.com/news/local/article_3a1107e2-8f27-11e0-a387-001cc4c03286.html Glens Falls, NY 12801 Cooley served on a destroyer, the USS Lynde McCormick, deployed along the Vietnamese coastline for six months in 1964. The VA's July 2009 decision to cut off his benefits says, "According to the evidence received there is no indication that the McCormick ever berthed in Vietnam, thereby giving the crew an opportunity to actually step on land." http://poststar.com/news/local/article_0888c432-992a-11e0-b39d-001cc4c002e0.html The VA review found a December 2009 rating board decision to sever Mr. Cooley's benefits was made in error. Cooley had asked for a board hearing to be postponed because he was ill, but, instead, the board issued its decision without a hearing. The hearing should have been rescheduled, Logalbo said. Logalbo's review also found the original determination that Cooley's diabetes were connected to his military service cannot be revisited, because he has been suffering from diabetes for longer than 10 years. Once the 10-year threshhold has been passed, a service connection cannot be severed except in cases of fraud. The many others The reason the VA rating board gave for cutting off Cooley's benefits last year was that he is a blue water veteran who served in the Navy off the coast of Vietnam but never set foot on land. The Agent Orange Act of 1991 covered all Vietnam veterans suffering from diseases linked to the poisonous herbicide. Cooley first qualified for benefits in 2001, so was unaffected by a narrowing of the act in 2002 to exclude Air Force and Navy veterans who could not prove they had set foot in Vietnam or cruised its inland waterways. But when he sought an increase last year, the VA applied the new standards to his case and cut him off. Applying changes retroactively, as was done to Cooley, violates federal policy, according to a training letter sent out last fall to all VA regional offices by Thomas Murphy, head of the agency's Compensation and Pension Service. John Rossie, director of a national advocacy group, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association, unearthed the training letter a few weeks ago and pointed out its relevance to Cooley's case. Rossie said the VA will often respond if you can prove rules were not followed. "If they get caught doing something and we can point it out by regulation, they do their turnabout," he said. "But, unless you've got something like that to lean on, it's an arm-wrestling contest." From: BSim756679@aol.com [mailto:BSim756679@aol.com] Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 1:59 PM To: colonel-dan@sbcglobal.net Subject: Great outcome to story I sent you re: disabled BW veteran C. Cooley http://poststar.com/news/local/article_0888c432-992a-11e0-b39d-001cc4c002e0.html Berta Simmons __._,_.___ "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky
  6. Myoclonus is a neurological disorder. Myoclonus Fact Sheet http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/myoclonus/detail_myoclonus.htm
  7. Subject: [VeteranIssues] FW: El Toro Marine Awarded 100% Disability - Salem-News.ComDate: Jun 11, 2011 4:38 PMAttachments: image001.jpg http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june102011/marine-disability-ro.php As part of his VA claim, Sue put together the following career time line and exposures’. The VA doesn’t require this step, but it’s obvious that it’s an excellent tool for documenting a disability claim. -----Original Message----- From: Robert P Walsh [mailto:rpwalsh@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2011 11:20 AM To: Charles E. Brown Subject: El Toro Marine Awarded 100% Disability - Salem-News.Com http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june102011/marine-disability-ro.php Bob: I thought maybe you know Jim Brooks. Bob Walsh __._,_.___ "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky
  8. Subject: [VeteranIssues] TESTIMONY CONCERNING THE UNDER-PERFORMING VA RODate: Jun 11, 2011 4:29 PMAttachments: NOVA%20Testimony%20HVAC%20Subcommittee%206-2-2011%20final.pdf Attached PDF file BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TESTIMONY CONCERNING THE UNDER-PERFORMING REGIONAL OFFICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS June 2, 2011 RICHARD PAUL COHEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF VETERANS’ ADVOCATES, INC. 1425 K STREET, NW, SUITE 350 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20005 (202) 587-5708 "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky NOVA Testimony HVAC Subcommittee 6-2-2011 final.pdf
  9. Eliminate processing ambiguity relating to PTSD claims Date: Jun 10, 2011 9:09 AMhttp://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/06/fearbasedptsdcriteriaexplained /#ixzz1OplsLIlE http://www.scribd.com/doc/56836424/CPServiceBulletinApril2011 Go to web site A recent VA Compensation Service Bulletin sought to eliminate processing ambiguity relating to PTSD claims. Regional Offices nationwide have been largely critiqued because of erratic application of rating criteria. The current bulletins are intended in part to decrease the overall 23 percent of botched claims processing. Anyone paying attention to veterans' issues has heard horror stories from veterans who attempted to gain service connection for PTSD despite possessing medals and records showing their unit came under hostile fire in Iraq and Afghanistan. My friend Jim is one of these. Once denied, many of these veterans give up on the appeals process because it forces them to revisit the trauma every time the issue is revisited. If you are one of these veterans or know one who is, here's what you need to know about the bulletin and how it can affect your claim for disability compensation. First, the 2010 change to the VA regulation governing PTSD disability claims is intended to encompass all PTSD situations from military service. This means veterans who were assaulted, either sexually or physically, while on active duty may be eligible for this benefit if the stressor is documentable or contained somewhere within their service medical records. The regulation, 38 CFR 3.304(f)(3) also allows for the veteran's lay statement to satisfy the establishment of an "occurrence" under specific criteria. The occurrence must be: . "related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity, and . a VA psychiatrist or psychologist, or contract equivalent, confirms that the claimed stressor is adequate to support a diagnosis of PTSD, and . the veteran's symptoms are related to the claimed stressor." This solution seems relatively straightforward; however, the jury is out as to how well the VA is implementing the criteria. Second, the process may prove lengthy because the VA has implemented a casebycase review of the facts surrounding each claim. The VA claims representative will need to verify that the facts given by the veteran are true, including duty locations and service or campaign medals, prior to the veteran being scheduled for an exam. Thus, certain medals are now sufficient to schedule a PTSD examination. For example, VA Compensation has concluded that a veteran's receipt of the Vietnam Service Medal or Vietnam Campaign Medal is sufficient proof that the veteran service in a hostile military environment. This also includes veterans aboard ships in "blue water." Therefore, veterans with either of these medals should be able to pass the first threshold of proving the occurrence. Once the claim is verified, an examination should be scheduled. Third, veterans who have already been denied service connection for PTSD, but who have evidence similar to that discussed above may wish to reevaluate their initial claim and/or denial. Those veterans with old disabilities may want to revisit their condition for an increase. Either way, the process starts by knowing what is within your claims file. See "Beat Denials & Lowball Ratings" to begin researching your own claim. The first step is filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for your file. The second should be finding a quality Veterans Service Officer or Veterans Law attorney in your area who you trust. Read more: http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/06/fearbasedptsdcriteriaexplained /#ixzz1OtAG2nl9 MilitaryAdvantage.Military.com Read more: http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/06/fearbasedptsdcriteriaexplained /#ixzz1Ot8eZhVQ MilitaryAdvantage.Military.com From: Fletcher, Robert Sent: Friday, June 10, 2011 10:08 AM To: Colonel Dan Subject: FW: PTSD claims (UNCLASSIFIED) Subject: PTSD claims __._,_.___ "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky
  10. Homeless in Calif, I need to update you on an important issue... Date: Jun 10, 2011 6:52 AM From: DON HOLLAND From: Burns Strider <bstrider@eleisongroup.com> Subject: Veterans, I need to update you on an important issue... To: "Burns Strider" <bstrider@eleisongroup.com> Date: Thursday, June 9, 2011, 6:42 PM “Los Angeles veterans sleep on the streets outside chained gates to this VA campus given to house them. Meanwhile, the theaters built for them are rented to private companies; the recreational fields they used for rehab are leased to private schools and their land and buildings are used by hotel chains and car rental companies. The government does not say how much these companies are paying or where the money is going.” Colonel Hal Donahue http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hal-donahue/la-lawsuit-against-va-dem_b_873147.html Dear Friends, I need to bring you into the loop on an issue that is taking off. Colonel Donahue (the excerpt, above, from his blog) says it well. This week, a group of Veterans filed suit against the feds for misuse of 400 acres of land deeded in 1888 to the government for the sole purpose of housing disabled Veterans. But, as noted in today’s New York Times, instead of serving Veterans this 400 acres houses “athletic fields, theater stages, hotel laundries, rental-car and bus storage, even oil wells and a dog park… but no home for veterans…” Yep, businesses flourish on federal land committed, by law, for Veterans. Veterans are on the street. We can change this with your voice… all of our voices, together. For example, U.S. Rep. Waxman, Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Committee, represents the district where this is happening. We know the impact his hearings can have on important issues. THIS is important so call on him to hold hearings. The press is really starting to roll with this story. See links to coverage below including complete NYT’s op-ed. We need to keep the pressure on. Please disseminate this to your contacts, post on Facebook, Twitter, etc. When tweeting, use the hashtag #honorourvets. Push this story to anyone you know in the local press and if you can get a letter to the editor published send it our way to rjohnson@americanvaluesnetwork.com. Let me remind you that this problem has gone on for decades and is not a Republican or Democratic problem… but the ANSWER is purely AMERICAN. We can make it so. Forward, Burns Read all about it (and more at the end): Veterans Affairs accused of misuing La land for homeless vets – ABC News Veteran Org’s suing VA for failing homeless vets – Public Radio Homeless vets deserve more – LA Times Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – Wall Street Journal Class-action lawsuit ties VA to plight of homeless veterans – The Washington Post http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/opinion/09thu2.html?ref=opinion – New York Times, Read Full Op-Ed: Editorial, Housing for the Wounded Published: June 8, 2011 The federal government should not have to be sued into giving veterans with mental illnesses and brain injuries the care they need so they don’t end up living in the street. But it has come to that. A lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Federal District Court in California seeks to force the Veterans Affairs Department to carry out a long-stalled plan to build permanent housing for disabled veterans on property it owns in Los Angeles, which is thought to have the nation’s largest concentration of homeless veterans. The class-action suit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California on behalf of disabled homeless veterans, makes a powerful claim of discrimination and dereliction of responsibility by the government. It notes that the land, nearly 400 acres in a prime section of West Los Angeles, was deeded to the federal government in 1888 expressly for use as a home for disabled soldiers and sailors. Yet no such housing exists there now, though a large veterans hospital with short-term treatment beds occupies part of that land. A wide array of other features, like athletic fields, theater stages, hotel laundries, rental-car and bus storage, even oil wells and a dog park, has also been built on the sprawling campus — but no home for veterans with mental health problems. The plaintiffs argue that the lack of housing discriminates against these veterans. The government is legally obliged to give them the same access to care as other sick veterans, the plaintiffs say, but effective care is impossible when the veterans have no homes. Their argument is based on a well-established view among medical and social-service providers that the only sure way to give these vulnerable patients effective, consistent access to care is to house them first. Only later, with stability in their turbulent lives, can they benefit from mental health and addiction treatment, and job training and education to help them regain their independence. No politician has ever failed to profess his or her allegiance to wounded warriors, and that includes President Obama; the veterans affairs secretary, Eric Shinseki; and California politicians like Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representative Henry Waxman. But there is a yawning gap between their earnest pledges and their continuing failure to provide a roof and beds for homeless veterans. This housing plan, long a cause of Bobby Shriver, a City Council member and former mayor of Santa Monica, would respond to a great need with an obvious solution. The Los Angeles area has more than 8,000 homeless veterans, about 8 percent of the 107,000 or so across the country. It also has a huge government-owned property waiting to be built upon. It’s simple, really. TV/Radio: Veterans Affairs accused of misuing La land for homeless vets – ABC News Veteran Org’s suing VA for failing homeless vets – South California Public Radio Original Articles/Blog posts: Housing for the wounded – NY Times Editorial Homeless vets deserve more – LA Times Homeless veterans sue over neglected campus – NY Times Suit alleges misuse of Los Angeles VA facility – LA Times Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – Wall Street Journal Class-action lawsuit ties VA to plight of homeless veterans – The Washington Post ACLU lawsuit against the VA is a step in vet’s recovery – LA Times LA lawsuit against VA demands accountability and treatment – The Huffington Post ACLU sues Department of Veteran’s Affairs over land use – MarVista Patch VA Sued for Misuse of West LA Property – Santa Monica Mirror VA misusing west LA campus by not providing permanent housing, suit says – Neon Tommy Homeless vets sue VA alleging inadequate housing and treatment at West LA campus – LA Times US accused of misusing land for homeless veterans – PressTV Quote of the Day: Homeless Vets – Sign on San Diego Why Wounded Warriors Sleep in Dumpsters – Wall Street Journal Lawsuit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – Stars and Stripes VA Accused of Misusing Land for Homeless Vets – Navy Seals Blog Suit: VA misusing land meant for homeless vets – Navy Times CNS Story Repeated: Homeless Vets Sue Veterans Affairs Over Housing – Beverly Hills Courier Homeless Vets Sue VA Over Housing – NBC LA Washington Post Story Repeated: Lawsuit blames VA for plight of homeless veterans – Boston.com AP Story Repeated: Lawsuit claims federal government misusing Los Angeles property donated for homeless veterans – The Washington Post Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – wpxi.com Lawsuit claims federal government misusing Los Angeles property donated for homeless veterans – Newser Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – Ktar.com Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – Seattlepi.com Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – The Wall Street Journal Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – CNBC Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – JournalStar Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – FoxNews Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – Forbes.com Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – SFGate Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – GoogleNews Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – North County Times Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – The Sacramento Bee Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – Daily News LA Suit: VA misusing LA land meant for homeless vets – MercuryNews.com __._,_.___"Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky
  11. Traumatic Injury coverage changed..retro to Nov 2001, regardless of where the injury occurredDate: Jun 5, 2011 7:32 AM ALL service members, Can now receive the same traumatic injury benefits as those who served in OEF and OIF. Such injuries did not have to occur while on active duty or active duty for training. http://www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/TSGLI/TSGLI.htm Every member who has SGLI also has TSGLI effective December 1, 2005. This coverage applies to active duty members, reservists, National Guard members, funeral honors duty and one-day muster duty. This benefit is also provided retroactively for members who incurred severe losses as a result of traumatic injuries incurred between October 7, 2001 and November 30, 2005, regardless of where the injury occurred, and regardless of whether they had SGLI coverage. http://www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/TSGLI/Schedule/Schedule.htm List of covered injuries "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky
  12. To: Veteran Issues by Colonel Dan <VeteranIssues@yahoogroups.com> Subject: [VeteranIssues] Feres Doctrine, Rule shielding military doctors from liability faces legal battleDate: Jun 7, 2011 1:15 PM http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/05/23/gvsd0523.htm Rule shielding military doctors from liability faces legal battle Opponents of the 60-year-old doctrine want it overturned to allow servicemen and women to pursue negligence claims against the government. By Alicia Gallegos, amednews staff. Posted May 23, 2011. · The U.S. Supreme Court will decide in June whether to hear a case challenging a decades-old doctrine preventing military members from suing the federal government for medical negligence. If the Feres Doctrine is reversed, experts predict that the government will face hundreds of millions of dollars -- if not billions -- worth of medical liability claims. The family of Air Force Staff Sgt. Dean Witt sued the government in 2008, claiming that his death was the result of carelessness by military health center staff. Witt was admitted to the David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in California for a routine appendectomy in 2003, according to court records. The suit alleges that after the surgery, he was left in the postoperative care of student nurses who failed to re-establish his airway after a laryngospasm. Hospital staff also allegedly used pediatric equipment on Witt when adult equipment was available and placed an endotracheal tube down the wrong part of his throat, the lawsuit alleges. Witt had serious brain damage from hypoxia and died in 2004 after being taken off life support. In 2009, a trial court dismissed the family's lawsuit, ruling the court was bound by the Feres Doctrine. The doctrine stems from the Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946, which allowed claims against the government for certain negligent acts but prevented lawsuits by military members for combat-related injuries. A 1950 Supreme Court decision in the case of Feres v. United States expanded the exclusion to bar lawsuits over any injuries "incident to military service." Witt's case falls under that definition because he was an active duty serviceman receiving care through the military health system. Opponents of the Feres Doctrine say that interpretation has caused untold harm for military members and their families, and that the original tort claims act never was meant to be applied so broadly. As part of its dismissal of the Witt case, the lower court was critical of the Feres Doctrine and called for the Supreme Court to revisit its validity. "We join the many panels of this court that have criticized the inequitable extension of this doctrine to a range of situations that seem far removed from the doctrine's original purposes," the court said. The judges added, "Now is the time to revisit the Feres Doctrine. Otherwise, Feres will once again have led to a result that can only be characterized as unfair and irrational." An appellate court affirmed the case's dismissal. The family appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In early May, the high court selected the Witt case, along with two other cases that call for the overturning of Feres, to discuss during a June 16 judicial conference. The court is considering taking up the cases but has not said whether it will hear arguments. "I think the time has come for [the doctrine] to be overturned," said Jamal Alsaffar, attorney for the Witt family. "We're asking people who give up their lives for this country to give up the basic rights we're asking them to defend." A spokesman for the Dept. of Justice declined to comment on the case. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, where the case originally was filed, also declined to comment. The officials also would not comment on the Feres Doctrine. Decades of controversy The Witt case is one of numerous legal and legislative attempts to overturn the Feres Doctrine during the last 60 years. The Supreme Court largely has avoided the doctrine debate, despite widespread criticism from lower courts and others, said Jonathan Turley, a professor of public interest law at George Washington University who has written legal articles on the Feres Doctrine. "The Supreme Court has never had the courage to admit to this horrific error," he said. Turley noted the strong dissent of Justice Antonin Scalia in a 1987 case in which the court reaffirmed a military hospital's protections under the doctrine in a 5-4 ruling. Scalia called the doctrine "wrongly decided." Legislative efforts, including a 2009 bill introduced in the House, also have failed to reverse the doctrine. Some lawmakers have said overturning the rule would open the military to myriad lawsuits and benefit trial attorneys more than military families. Turley said this budgetary concern has kept Congress from defeating the doctrine. Not only would reversing the rule lead to a large number of liability claims against the government, he said, it also would force the military to make changes to what he called its substandard health care system. "Currently military personnel make cheap negligence victims," he said. "It's very clear -- you would never see these practices tolerated in the private medical realm." However, the argument that military health care is of insufficient quality is unfounded, argued George Anderson, MD, MPH, a retired major general in the U.S. Air Force and executive director of the Assn. of Military Surgeons of the United States. AMSUS is a specialty society seated in the American Medical Association House of Delegates. "We're doing better than ever," he said. "There's been huge advancements in military medicine, and that care has improved along with the care of [private] citizens in the U.S. I challenge anyone who wishes to create the impression that there is substandard care." Dr. Anderson practiced under the Feres Doctrine during his 30 years as an active duty member. The doctrine is about more than medicine, he added. The rule prevents military members from suing their commanding officers for injuries they sustain on the battlefield. "I see the wisdom of having this doctrine in place," he said. "I don't see the burning need to change it." But if the Supreme Court reverses the doctrine, Alsaffar said, military members who are injured during combat still would be prevented from suing the government, and only noncombat injuries would be subject to legal recourse. "The [tort claims] law doesn't exclude this claim -- that's why it's so hard to apply legislative action," he said. "There's nothing wrong with the way it's written. ... The Supreme Court created its own law." "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky
  13. Subject: [VeteranIssues] Agent Orange was leaking in April 1972 on Johnston Island. FW: In Memory, My Health, Our Day in VA Appeals CourtDate: May 30, 2011 10:41 AM From: Paul E. Travis [mailto:poppy0200@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, May 30, 2011 12:32 PM Subject: In Memory, My Health, Our Day in VA Appeals Court Importance: High We probably all know someone in the Military that gave the Ultimate Sacrifice for our Country. This may have happened in some far off place, or back home from their wounds, exposure to God only knows what (AO or other deadly contaminants) or even suicide due to PTSD. Also don't forget those that were contractors and those in USO Tours that were supporting our troops! Many are fighting deadly diseases due to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam and elsewhere. Every year in Washington DC, the Rolling Thunder Ride takes place with thousands of Motorcycles that rides through DC to honor our fallen Vets. For the last few years, some of my sons and my grandsons take part in this ride and proudly displays the US and MIA flags (could be t-shirts or flags) on their ride. Just their way of saying THANKS to our Veterans! To ALL Veterans and Families, from all eras, Thank You For Your Sacrifices For Our Country!! ============== Many of you already know that on April 28th a growing tumor (3.7 x 3.7mm) was found during a follow-up PET Scan. This tumor was significantly larger than the previous PET in Oct 2010, but was confusing because the nuclear isotopes didn't "light up". Not surprising because liposarcoma's are extremely hard to detect and determine the size using any current technology (MRI, CT, PET). In the past, every time that a tumor was found and a surgery performed, the surgeons found additional tumors and/or much larger tumors. The 1st one in 1999, CT and MRI indicated a large tumor, but when the surgeon went in, the liposarcoma weighed 26 lbs and was the size of 2 footballs. This was the 1st time I was asked if I was exposed to Agent Orange. My Oncologist sent me to a top rated Oncology Surgeon to see if the liposarcoma could be removed. After meeting with a special Medical Tumor Board, they decided that a further MRI scan was needed. They were also confused as to the size that showed up in the PET scan films. Then another Tumor Board evaluation. The following Tuesday, 5-24-2011, we seen the Surgeon again. The tumor is extremely large, attached to my back muscles again, extending high up in my left side and down into my pelvis. It also encases a large portion of what is left of my small intestines (remainder my large intestine were removed in 1999). The surgeon then told Sandy and I that he was sorry, but there was nothing he could do as the tumor is inoperable. We went to see our Oncologist's Nurse with our news and we have started the process of getting Medicare and Tricare to pay for chemo. Chemo may start late this week or next week. We believe the tumor is rapidly growing, around a foot long and Stage IV. We know that again, God has stepped in and will STOP this Tumor!!! ============== We want to THANK EVERYONE that helped us with our fight with to get VA to recognize that Agent Orange was leaking on Johnston Island starting in April 1972. Our VA Appeals Court date was on 5-26-2011. This is a synopsis of what we used during our presentation to the VA Judge. Scott, An American Legion VSO prompted us on questions that we had already decided on using. After reviewing our documentation, he indicated it was one of the strongest cases of proof for a win he had seen. I was on JI, an island 1/2 mile wide by 2 miles long, Nov 1972 thru Nov 1973. Impossible to get away from dangerous conditions. As those of us hunting for others that were on JI in the early 70's we found out that most were gone, primarily because of AO on Johnston Atoll. I hope we can get this information to their families, plus others still here and fighting AO. We remember Harvey Hollister, a very close friend that we fished and worked together. He went to be with God last year. Another of Harvey's, Richard's and my close friend, is Wilbur Bubb. He was the Protestant Chaplin on JI and has proved that it pays to be one with God -- he has no illnesses from AO. VA states that AO did not start leaking on JI until 1974 (based on Alvin Young's documentation), and then only a minimal amount. I had a Alvin Young document where he took 200 samples on JI in 1972 and found TCDD as high as 47 u/ug (ppm, gets deadly on anything over "parts per trillion"). With Gods help finding documentation from all over, we found a Johnston Atoll History document that included proof from Contractor Holmes & Narver (they managed the Agent Orange storage) that 8,990 55-gal drums of AO were leaking in April 1972 on Johnston Island. We used another strong Johnston Island (JI) History document that Richard put together a few years ago that proved AO, deadly nerve and mustard Gas, asbestos and radiation were everywhere, including AO in our potable water. We used three VA Appeals Court wins by other JI Vets that proved our living quarters were near the AO storage area, an open Pit of AO 75' by 100' (probable re-drumming area) of AO and the 3rd, just granted AO Exposure. We used Charlie's VA DRO win document and Richard's VA DRO win documents (with their permission letters). We used a strong Buddy Statement from Richard who has leukemia and 100% due to AO on JI. He was on the Rock at the same time as me and we worked together in the Comm Center, the AFRS radio station with Harvey Hollister and photography. We were both there on the day in the late summer of 1973, that Capt Alvin Young told us not to worry about AO in our water, they only found traces. They never documented the water contamination until the later 1970's. We used another strong Buddy Statement from Norbert and a "Reverse Osmosis" study document that proved AO could get through the RO process (from scientists in Australia). Norbert is 90% with 100% UI because of JI. We used a NOAA document that proved Hurricane Celeste hit Johnston Island on Aug 19, 1972 with winds measured at 105 kn. All people were evacuated from JI before it hit. This blew AO from the open to all over the Atoll. We used a www.cancer.gov document that stated Soft Tissue Sarcomas come from primarily Radiation or Herbicides, and that cancer can take up to 30 years to develop. Govt's own website. Used an VA Agent Orange Registry Exam results letter that stated "liposarcoma is a Agent Orange disease". Lesli provided a Congressional Research document on VA Presumptive exposures of AO. I also found and used many documents from VVA, Neils' Johnston Island website, Col Dan, Charles Kelly's website, Chuck and Chuck who provided lots of help, and so many more who is part of the fight with VA and Congress to provide real help for the ill Veterans. When I arrived on JI in Nov 72 and when Richard arrived in Jan 73, we could smell a strong odor we later found out to be Agent Orange. We were more worried about the reasons we were issued a Gas Mask and Atropine to be carried 24x7 (for protection from nerve and mustard gas leaks). We also noticed lots of rabbits, who would 1st react from leaks. At the end of our presentation to the VA Judge, she Thanked us for a great presentation and we stated we would send all of our proof to them, even though we had some duplicates from my VA File (our 3 1/2 inches of documentation is easier to go through than the 2 1/2 feet of my VA file). Our VSO stated that he was 99.99% sure that we won our case, even without providing our documentation, just based on our testimony. We are also sure we won because of God's help!! Remember the Vietnam people who are ravaged with diseases many generations after being exposed to AO. Thanks to all , family and friends and strangers, from all over that Prayed for my health!! Couldn't be here without you!! Again, Thank You to all who has helped us in our fight!! God Bless!! Paul and Sandy..... AGENT ORANGE -- The Unwanted Gift From The Govt, That Gives Until Death !! __._,_.___ "Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky
  14. Subject: [VeteranIssues] From War Zones to Jail: Veteran Reintegration ProblemsDate: Jun 4, 2011 10:29 AM http://www.cjcj.org/files/From_war.pdf Long article, study The article’s Abstract states: When individuals return home from war they are not the same individuals who left for war. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been on-going since October 2001, and nearly two million service members have been deployed to these wars – many have been deployed multiple times. When military personnel return from war, and are discharged from military service, they are issued the label of veteran. Initially, this term has little meaning or significance to individuals recently released from military service. As they begin their process of reintegrating back into the civilian culture the term veteran begins to develop meaning for many veterans. That meaning is influenced by factors such as interpersonal relationships, education, and employment/unemployment experiences. Depending upon the level of influence that the Military Total Institution has had on the veteran, which includes the veteran’s combat experiences, many veterans find themselves confronted with mental health issues, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is an artifact of her or his combat experiences. A significant number of veterans with PTSD symptoms have turned to alcohol as a form of self-medication. Many veterans with PTSD say that alcohol reduces nightmares and difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS). In many instances the experiences of war, PTSD, alcohol, combined with lethargic civilian attitudes of the problems veterans confront provides the ingredients of a recipe designed to accelerate the probability of increased veteran incarceration. This article addresses the aforementioned issues by analyzing the data collected during a study of 162 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans during a 15-month period, and spanning across 16 states. The data strongly suggest that veterans with PTSD and alcohol use/dependency issues related to combat increase the probability of veteran criminal justice entanglements. A few para’s extracted Nine to 60 months after demobilization many veterans began to go through changes. They notice - often for the first time - growing apathy, alienation, depression, mistrust, cynicism, and expectation of betrayal, as well as difficulty in concentrating, insomnia, restlessness, nightmares, up rootedness, and impatience with almost any situation or relationship nearly all participants who went to the VA for mental health issues expressed dismay and disgust at the services and treatment they received. the Institute of Medicine noted: In going around the country, the committee gathered qualitative data. It heard the same problems repeated on the West Coast and the East Coast, in the North and South, by health care providers, by active duty service men and women, and by veterans: there are not enough mental health providers to meet the demand, case managers and providers are overwhelmed, wait times are too long for appointments and between appointments for those in need of mental health and other services, confidentiality and stigma associated with seeking care for mental illness is a significant concern of active duty service members, job training and loss of jobs due to multiple deployments are issues, the ability to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries is a problem, and medical care for National Guard and reserve forces is an issue as they transition between active duty and civilian life (Institute of Medicine, 2010: xiii __._,_.___"Keep on, Keepin' on" Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan" See my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/ http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky
  15. As long as they keep processing only the claims they can use the top sheet to approve with, in order to keep their qoata's and bonus's up, there will be a high backlog of claims. Mine was remanded by the CAVC simply due to raters completely ignoring what was favorable and Dr shoping for the opinion that wasn't. Two of the medical examinations they never bothered to comment one way or the other. One was a C&P from the VA's Dr specifically ordered by the rater to clearify if my issues were service connected or not. The rater simply made a false statement that they never recieved an answer and went to someone that never examined me for an IMO. It isn't just top sheeting claims and processing the easiest of the easiest in order to get a check thats increasing the backlogs. It's down right decieving vets in order to get their check. They're allowed to because it's perfectly exceptible practice. Read the CAVC cases. Many of them should have never left the VARO with the kind of error's that are so obvious. yet they take the decade or two trip to the CAVC before they're caught? I just love hearing,'It's those claims with multiple issues". BS So vets need to loose out in order to make "your" job of denying claims easier? If you can't process a claim with multiple issues, you need to stay away from all federal agencies, state, county and health care. Try washing dishs for a living. It doesn't require much thought. Maybe it will open the door for those who don't mind giving their work some thought before signing their name to it.
  16. Pete, could you post a link to Jim Stricklands Writ of Mandamus information? Been looking but can't seem to find it. My SO advises against it, but if I haven't recieved an SOC in 60 days I'm sending in the written notice i'm filing the writ. Not going to let them string me out for decades like they've been doing. It's not complecated. All they have to do is rate the loss of range of motion they failed to rate the first time around 15 months ago. I've already had the C&P and MRI on the shoulder. This was remanded by the BVA to rate in May 2009. They still can't get it together.
  17. So Veterans with say multiple sclerosis or tbi who have multiple medical issues to claim, just go to the bottom of the pile? No wonder the evidence gets zero weight. Might get it processed faster if just MS were claimed and take the 30%. Than spend the next 20 years fighting for the remaining issues simply because a rater couldn't take the 60 seconds to look up what the symptoms of MS or TBI are and associate it with the evidence submitted. I think I've learned something today.
  18. I agree with Pete. Since the VARO's like to top sheet claims and continue to ignor or view evidence in claims. It's more like 80%. Theres a backlog for a reason. "ERRORS"!!!!!!
  19. Once remanded to the AMC, they may process it or hold on to it for up to a year, than pass it off to a VARO to rate. Expect any needless delay if the AMC gets their hands on it.
  20. It's been 15 months since I filed the NOD and had a C&P. No SOC has been issued yet. Was informed it would take 3 years before I receive an SOC.
  21. I would add that if it gets down to you having to file a writ in order to get your claim moving from a lengthy delay, say 14 to 16 months. Than you must notify them in writing, that you "will" be filing a writ in 30 days. The written warning is sometimes enough. If not, file that writ.
  22. Veteran's Benefits Administration not giving veterans proper benefits; refuses to correct mistake http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/189478/8/Investigation-VA-cheating-veterans-with-outdated-forms
  23. Average is more like 3 to 5 yrs. Mine was at the BVA for 11 yrs and 3 yrs at the CAVC. Since it's now been remanded by the CAVC stating the BVA has to actually read and except the favorable medical evidence in my folder, no telling what will happen now. Not sure if VA has anyone that reads the evidence. Might half to wait another decade for VA to train their raters to read. Why is there a backlog of claims again?
  24. After wating a year and a half for the DRO to get my SSA records, I went to the SSA myself. They wrote me a letter stating my records had been destroyed since my file was inactive for so long. The DRO would have stalled the claim as long as he could using this stall tactic. Get those records yourself, or be prepared to have your claim stalled for years.
  25. Veterans ‘charity’ scams flourish http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110517/LOCAL0201/305179986/1037/LOCAL02 SOURCE: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/05/18/top-10-veterans-stories-in-today%e2%80%99s-news-187/
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