Va Plans Massive Death Study

[Berta]

This study will sure be enlightening. I wonder who is paying for it.

Courtesy Colonel Dan the www.nextgov.com link he gave doesnt work or me.....maybe he has better access to the Nextgov site...

"February 1,
2013

The Veterans A ffairs Department has kicked off
a massive study in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Defense Department to determine the cause of veterans’ deaths
since 1979, an effort that requires matching records of 34 million service
personnel with death certificates.

Aaron Schneiderman, acting director of VA’s
epidemiology program, said the National Mortality Study will first focus on
roughly 1 million veterans who served on active duty during the Afghanistan and
Iraq wars from 2001 through 2010, which among other things will help the VA
determine the scope of veteran suicides on a national basis. These matches only
will include personal information such as name, date of birth and Social
Security number; they will not include Defense health records.

A veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes,
according to recent estimates from the VA . Suicides by active duty military
personnel in 2012 hit 349, more than the 295 Americans who died in combat in
Afghanistan.

CDC’s Division of Vital Statistics at the
National Center for Health Statistics will match records provided by Defense
with death certificate information from all 50 states contained in the National Death
Index, said NDI director Lillian Ingster. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/ndi/about_ndi.htm

The NDI is a computerized index of death record
information on file in state vital statistics offices and is used by
epidemiologists and other health and medical investigators to help determine
causes of death. Ingster said the 34 million records include everyone who has
served in the military since 1979 -- w hen the NDI went into operation. The
study will involve the largest matching exercise in which she has ever
engaged.

“This is enormous,” Ingster said. Her division
has been grinding through the data since the end of 2012, with completion of the
34 million matches expected in a matter of months. She said the veteran matching
process encountered a few hiccups as the NDI was switched from a mainframe to a
server-based environment.

Schneiderman said death certificates include
standardized sources of information on causes of deaths, including drug
overdoses and chronic diseases. Once the matches are completed, the results will
help VA determine “how to care for veterans.”

Schneiderman said once VA receives the data
match file from CDC its first task will be to conduct a mortality study of
Afghanistan a nd Iraq veterans that will include an evaluation of traumatic
injury deaths (suicides and car crashes) and poisonings (drug overdose).

He added that the study also will help VA
determine if there are factors that result in a higher number of veteran deaths
than in the general population. VA can then use information to “drive down”
particular causes of death, he said.

Ingster agreed, and said the medical research
community and VA can use the study to improve care.

Dr. Remington Nevin, a former Army
epidemiologist who left the service this fall to pursue a degree in public
health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said
Defense and VA have made a good start in developing a national veteran mortality
database, but cautioned that death certificates prepared by local coroners ̶
0;can be pretty sloppy and there is no quality control.”

Nevin said VA could get better insight into
veteran suicides if it also tapped into the CDC’s National Violent Death
Reporting System, which covers only 18 states. Ingster said CDC is not using
this system for the VA national mortality study.

If all 50 states signed on to the National
Violent Death Reporting System it would be a valuable resource to help VA
pinpoint veteran suicides, Nevin said."

By Bob
Brewin

February 1,
2013

(This will be an eye opener for sure)

Edited February 7, 2013 by Berta

[Chuck75]

Maybe the VA is hoping that the percentage of death certificates that cite such things as "cardiac arrest" will be ambiguous enough that they can squirm off the hook for widows comp, etc. Remember the way the VA works. To the veteran when it involves compensation, the VA considers the case to require "proof" as if it's the only claim of it;s kind. To the VA side in dealing with the case, it's just another veterans claim, and we need to find all the reasons to deny it, so that we can outweigh and positive evidence the veteran provides.

[Berta]

Meg, of course you are right......

However I mentioned the "dark side" of VA this AM in another reply. It is a side of VA i know very well...........I think if this study ties in somehow with some past GAO reports I have....this could become a bag of worms for the VA.

But that is my civilian PTSD kicking in......I was startled at how low will go when they are faced with FTCA and 1151 issues.

And I reminded the OGC 2 years ago of what I still am holding onto.........regarding a Mandate they broke with the Dept of HS involving my husband's malpractice.Per GAO this wasnt the first time it had happened.

They moved fast then to do what I wanted them to do.

The article says:

"He added that the study also will help VA

determine if there are factors that result in a higher number of veteran deaths

than in the general population. VA can then use information to “drive down”

particular causes of death, he said."

Sure , in theatre help immediately for mental traumas.....and TBI trauma..... and the suicide rate is horrific....

but this study might reveal things we never knew before,regarding some deaths of some veterans.....that occurred at the hands of VA...

VA saves countless lives everyday. But I proved not only initial malractice but then a major VA cover up of more malpractice..(2 VAMCs were involved).and I shudder when I think of how easy it could have been for me to never ever know what really killed my husband.

Hope I am the sole widow of a veteran in the whole US of A who can state that. But I know I am not.

[71M10]

This quote comes to mind "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics!"

Thier are reasons for this study, not all of them have been fully disclosed.

This current administration has liberalized welfare, food stamps, free cell phones, extended unemployment benefits. What have they done to just fix the VA so that it provides earned benefits in a timely, consistant, and fair manner? From my vantage point not much!

I am afraid in the science of political calculus, as a group our voting patterns are either considered unfavorable to them, or are considered unchangable!

It is unfortunate that the vast majority of our "Veterans groups" only want to play small ball on the national stage. Their are big issues , easilly explainable, that would provoke outrage if systematically presented. Media campaigns were launched to repair the statue of liberty, keep america beautiful, prevent forest fires, get WWII Vets to memorial..... How about Fix The VA! Wounded Warrior project seems to be having great success, so much so, the head of it is pulling down 300,000 + expenses (read their financials), and all thier board members have 6 digit salaries. I am not saying they arn't helping veterans, the ratio of admin expense to services provided seems high to me (but may be comparable to other "charities").

How about: We trained them, We Sent sent Them, We broke them, lets fix them! Fix the VA, before more Veterans die destitute and disrespected, during VA delays!

Or: Sgt X fought the taliban for 435 days, then he came home. He fought the VA for benefits 1300 days, lost his home. On September 15th 2012 Sgt X stopped fighting - he commited suicide. Fix the VA, We sent them lets save them!

People other than veterans need to start getting pissed off about the VA! We may need to make them feel uncomfortable about THEIR responsibility.

Best regards,