diabetes Roanoke- Disgraceful

[Berta]

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/mili...stakes_012010w/

Rick Maze -of Army Times summarized the IG report here- I have had problems finding the right report at VA Watchdog-

will check later-

I think this deficient work is becoming the status quo at many ROs and I wonder what-if anything- could result from these findings- are the vet's informed their claim can be re opened due to errors?

The DM II CAD vet who was initially denied because they didn't "properly consider" his IMO- does the IG realize that too is SOP for MANY MANY vets and widows.

I am outraged by this stuff and I know you all are. We are literally being victimized by incompetents.I also wonder what follow up the IG will do as to their findings and recommendations to Roanoke.This is one big reason that vets should never give up their claims as there could have been many errors that -if they had not occurred- would have possibly generated an award.

I get livid over AO vets denied due to errors-I told NVLSP 2 weeks ago I fully believed that VA was still starting to deliberately manipulate AO claims in order not to pay them as they got caught doing in the late 1990s.They know how this was done in my case recently but I sure cant be the only one-But what motivation could they have? or are they just plain dumb.

With medical proof of a documented AO disability and proof of exposure- an AO claim could take mere seconds to be decided and then follow through with the award paperwork.

AO is one sole chemical entity that has disabled and caused the deaths of thousands and thousands of vets.For Decades-since the war. The VA has no other single disability I know of except may for PTSD that has caused so much damage (as well as serious additional complications and medical issues) as AO has caused to exposed veterans.What motivates the VA to award AO comp to a vet who wasn't exposed to AO at all and then try to steal comp from a real AO vet.

Steal is a strong word-

but if you deliberately take something that legally belongs to someone- that is theft in my book.

It almost sounds like they made a deal with a SO on this situation- as hard as that would be to believe.(yeah right-some of these errors have got to stem from collusion -as an SSOC I have- revealed in my opiniopn and I made a stink with OGC on that.

I wonder if these IG reports actually get results on the specific claims they find have been done wrong.I guess I should ask the IG directly about that (and ask when they are coming to inspect the Buffalo VARO)

In part the article from Rick reads:

"Investigators looking at claims processing at the VA regional office in Roanoke, Va., found that 25 percent of the case files they closely studied had serious mistakes. Some veterans were denied benefits they deserved, and disability compensation was given to others who were not eligible"

"In one case, a veteran was underpaid $21,857 because the claims staff did not properly consider a physician’s opinion that coronary artery disease was a complication of service-connected diabetes.

In another, a veteran was overpaid $15,640 for a diabetes-related amputation below the knee that he said was related to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. His claims folder contained no evidence that he had served in Vietnam, the IG report says."

"The report, released late last week, found similar problems with claims involving traumatic brain injuries."

<a name="ygrp-msg1">

<a href="http://" target="_blank"></a> "Thirty percent of the desks inspected contained information that should not have been left unsecured. Investigators found six boxes of unsecured returned mail, about 4,200 pieces in all, containing personal information on veterans"

Edited January 21, 2010 by Berta

[broncovet]

Deviant...

A similar thing happened to me..my claim was supposed to be on appeal, and low and behold it is a "new claim". James Breckenridge addressed this issue in one of his posts. In a nutshell, this is probably good for the Veteran because:

1. As slow as the RO is, it is still faster than the BVA. Veterans for common sense says the RO takes 6 months for a decision while the BVA takes 4 years.

2. This gives your claim to ONE MORE PERSON who can possibly approve it.

3. The downside of this, of course, is that you are put on the "hamster wheel" and if the RO does not approve your claim, you have to again appeal it, and you have wasted at least 6 months of the RO monkeying around with it.

By doing this the RO is saying, "We will give you another chance, but we are going to delay your appeal for 6 more months." I am not sure that there is much we can do about that, but the RO can/does delay our claims for six months or more without giving us another chance at a favorable decision.

[Pete53]

QTC is better than some 80 year old retired Doc whohas been who thinks that his job depends on making it hard for Veteran to win their claim.

[broncovet]

Pete..well this is an awful choice for the Vet to have to make:

a. Do you want a comp and pen examiner who works for QTC and gets bonuses based on his "denial" opinions, or

b. Do you want a old VA doc who thinks the VA is going to fire him unless he gives a "denial" C and P medical opinion?

This is like offering a choice between electrocution, or death by lethal injection, and, unfortunately, the above is often the choices the Veteran gets for C and P docs. This is why I think the Vetran should be able to choose his c and p doc, not the VA. Do Vets not at least have some say on who takes out their gall bladder or treats their ED? Why should the VEt not also have a choice on who examines them for a benefit decision potentially affecting their income for the rest of their life?

[Pete53]

Well that is sort of the way the deck is stacked but I guess at least QTC may be more professional

[jerrbilly]

I'm appalled by what's happening with the RO's but as far as out medical system I personally have nothing to complain about. I've had nothing but professional treatment. I don't understand where you're coming from saying they are using dirty H1N1 needles. I had my shot this thursday and every needled is pre-packaged so they break open the package each and every time they give a shot.

It's very easy to go a little overboard on this stuff and then start a whole thread bashing everything about the VA.

Jerr

I agree with Vync. The VA wants us to lower our expections throughout the VA: Claims done on time? Lower your expectiations..count on it taking 10 years or more. Medical Care: Whenever you visit the VA, go to a private doctor to confirm that the VA doc didnt infect you, for example, with Hep B by using dirty equipment for a colonoscopy.

If you go to the VA to get an H1N1 vaccine, you had better make an appointment with your private doc to make sure they used a clean needle and didnt infect you with whatever the last guy had. If you go to most VA medical centers, expect to be discharged sicker than when you went in. If you go to a VA pharmacy, expect that they wont give you pain pills because lots of medication "disappears" from VA's pharmacy inventory. If you apply for GI bill education benefits, lower your expectations in line with what the Va will produce...many months of waits.

However, if you are a QTC contractor, or VA executive, you can expect full payments on time, every time plus bonuses for "good work"....that is, as long as you follow Va guidelines of stating that the Veteran is sick, but it wasnt caused by military service.

[jerrbilly]

My personal choice would be lethal injection. :D

This is like offering a choice between electrocution, or death by lethal injection