1200 Vets Victimized By

[Berta]

http://dailymail.com/News/200908240456

I regret that UPS ad popped up in the post-dont know how to delete it-

Denise Nichols is a relentless GWV advocate-I imagine her group was overwhelmed.

This is terrible!

ALS is fatal disease and these vets were told they had it-but didnt-

They should file for anxiety comp caused by the VA-of course that wont work and I dont think they could sue-

The VA seems incapable of doing anything right!

This stuff only supports what we have said for years- the VA employs incompetent workers.

News

Monday August 24, 20091,200 veterans wrongly told they have ALSby The Associated PressAdvertiservar ipt = "ipt";var rnd = Math.random()*99999999;document.write('');document.write('');CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- At least 1,200 Gulf War veterans across the country have been mistakenly notified by the Veterans Administration that they suffer from a fatal neurological disease.

National Gulf War Resources Center Vice President Denise Nichols says panicked veterans from Alabama, Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming have contacted her group.

The letters dated Aug. 12 were intended to notify veterans who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, of disability compensation benefits available to them.

Calls to the VA were not immediately returned Monday.

Nichols said the VA is blaming a coding error for the mistake.

ALS is a rapidly progressive disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- At least 1,200 Gulf War veterans across the country have been mistakenly notified by the Veterans Administration that they suffer from a fatal neurological disease.

National Gulf War Resources Center Vice President Denise Nichols says panicked veterans from Alabama, Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming have contacted her group.

The letters dated Aug. 12 were intended to notify veterans who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, of disability compensation benefits available to them.

Calls to the VA were not immediately returned Monday.

Nichols said the VA is blaming a coding error for the mistake.

ALS is a rapidly progressive disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles."

[Commander Bob]

http://dailymail.com/News/200908240456

...ALS is fatal disease and these vets were told they had it-but didnt-

They should file for anxiety comp caused by the VA

Just when you think the VA can't possibly mess up any more than it has, we hear something like this. The Gulf War Vets and their families have gone through a personal shock. How cruel, even though it was "just" another VA snafu. Can you imagine the day the ALS death letters were received. I can assure you, if a vet files a claim for anxiety due to this tragic personal experience. It will be denied, and the rater will get a bonus for the expeditious clearing of claims.

[Testvet]

Gale Reid is the veteran that basically runs the BB at Gulf War vets and she is one of the 1200 who got the letters, her story is in the Air Force Times there are also a few posts at

http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ubb/ultimatebb....=7;t=000093;p=2 the post

http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php the board

Just when you think the VA has gotten about as bad as it gets then something like this happens

[Commander Bob]

Gale Reid is the veteran that basically runs the BB at Gulf War vets and she is one of the 1200 who got the letters, her story is in the Air Force Times there are also a few posts at

http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ubb/ultimatebb....=7;t=000093;p=2 the post

http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php the board

Just when you think the VA has gotten about as bad as it gets then something like this happens

I remember in 1992, I started getting letters from GW vets and family members. As a State Commander, at the time, I joined forces with other veterans service organizations to hold meetings and lobby congress to look into the mysterious illness being reported by vets and family members. I created the first Gulf War veterans advisory committee in our state. DOD & VA denied everything, back then. How are we suppose to believe them now? Thanks for the link Testvet. I read some of the pathetic excuses the VA gave the vets and family members involved. One of the VA employees even blamed the vet for misreading the ALS letter. Did the VA Sec. ever give an apology and explanation as to why the "tech." problem happened? Didn't I read that the the VA tech. employees are suppose to get another bonus this year? $24 million in the last two years.

[BoonDoc]

Here's a link to some info I found researching Gulf War illness:

http://gulfwarvets.com/

The lady who started the site was a Cpt. in the Air Force, and came down with it herself.

BoonDoc

[Testvet]

this has all happened since the 19th I don't think the VA main office has had time to really investigate how it happened or WHO caused this mess, it has taken a few days to get into the news

I knew I was going to have problems with the VA because of all the messes I had been involved in over the years, AO in Korea on the DMZ, the chemical weapons and drug experiments at Edgewood Arsenal in 1974, GW1 1991 & 1992 and sure enough they fought me for over 7 years before I "won" the benefits I deserved I am still debating over to fight with them for Dec 2002 - Dec 2003 back pay since they are ignoring a informal benefits request submitted to Principi in Nov 2002.

They can't claim they didn;t get the letter, for some reason they had the Director of Montgomery Ala VARO reply to the letter, why I have no idea, I was living in Augusta Ga but was getting ready to move to Columbia SC and used my mother in laws address to file my claim....

[Commander Bob]

I called a VARO and spoke with a supervisor . I was referred to Ms. Katie Roberts at the VA Central Office in D.C. I believe she is the press secretary. Her phone number is 202-461-4982. Her email address is katie.roberts@va.gov She is not at her desk right now, but if you would like to leave her a message today, please do so. A phone call tomorrow from some of our GW vets will get the Secretary of Veterans Affairs' attention.

[retiredat44]

My VA medical records stated I have AIDS. I found out about it during an exam recently. Some doctor (unknown) had put that in my file. I do not have AIDS. I was tested several times for aids while I was hospitalized last year for 6 months. They tested me 3 times because they kept losing the tests/results. The doctor removed that info because I told him that was wrong and to look up my test an dreults. He then looked it up and found evidence that my test result was negative. I never did anything that would have given me aids ayways. But the point is someone errouneously put that in my file.

[broncovet]

While I certainly agree that these 1200 letters are a boondogle of massive proportions, I disagree that it was one or more incompetent employee's faults. I think this, and other VA scandals, are management issues, most likely in the highest levels of Va management.

To put the blame on a few incompetent employees means that management can continue to plod along with their ineffective leadership style and repeatedly simply place the blame on incompetent employees at the next VA scandal.

It is really really bad for a leader to blame his followers when ever anything goes wrong. Altho this is the VA way, it needs to change.

If incompetent employees are the problem, then it is up to management to either get rid of them, or put them in a position where they cant harm others.

It is kind of like the parents blaming their children...who is supposed to be watching over them?

It is time VA management took responsibility for its past mistakes, and make REAL corrective changes instead of this same mumbo jumbo..

...it was an isolated incident...(this means the problem is widespread, and they are unwilling/unable to deal with it)

..VA management have taken corrective action..(this means they are trying to cover it up)

..VA management denies that it has happened (until they can find a scapegoat to blame it on)

Puleeze..dont blame your helpers!

VA's motto, "If you cant fix the problem, then fix the blame" needs to be scrapped.

Edited August 26, 2009 by broncovet (see edit history)

[cannoncocker]

"To put the blame on a few incompetent employees" I really despise beating a dead horse but since when has it ever been any different in any bureaucracy. You seldom if ever see the people in charge being held accountable for anything. Can you say plausible deniablity? The big dog feeds the little dog and then keeps on rolling, at least in public view. That is how the system is set up and will not change in my lifetime.

Of course it is managements fault. Why else do they have the power and influence?

IMHO

[Testvet]

I saw my PCP doc today, he told me I have diabetes according to my records, yet I have never been treated for it, I DON'T have it, someone entered something wrong on my records about 4 years ago, now he is trying to get them to purge my file so I don't have to keep having the yearly tests for diabetes rofl he really does NOT have to look at my feet like the diabetes list contains.......There is no way I can blame this error on management some doctor or nurse entered it....

[Pete53]

Ha. I think that the VA has a lot more than a few incompetents.