President Picks New Secretary

[Commander Bob]

President picks new Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs... Bob McDonald

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._McDonald

[john999]

The VARO's are just criminals. They put the F-you in Fraud. I watched 60 Minutes last Sunday and there was a segment about SSDI fraud, and how so many people are getting SSDI via crooked lawyers, and judges possibly on the take. Next it will be veterans getting compensation for Tinnitus and PTSD fraudulently, and nothing about the millions of vets cheated out of just compensation for the last 70 years. The VA is a baby of congress and congress could fix it and make it really work except for possible cost, and all those jobs, research money for local medical schools and construction projects congressmen can use as rewards for their districts. If they just gave us all VA cards we could use like Tricare, Blue Cross or Medicare who would that reward besides the actual veterans? The VA as it is is just an excuse and a sham instead of a solution. However, when asked many vets seem to love the old VA. I think they are only talking about the health side to vets who probably have no other options. Any medical care is better than none. If you go to any big VA hospital you will find many vets living in squalor close to the hospital or VARO just so they can be near it. Many live near the VA hospital in Tampa even though the area is dangerous and apartments are dumps. Maybe there are VA hospitals that are good. I have not been to one.

John

[JR Reihs]

And the band played on. I have no high hopes for McDonald, Vet or not, been there done that.

I see appeasement, and within a year we are gonna joke about him not being able to spell, or the VA asking you if you want fries with that good care they just gave you

My Wife is working out of the Richmond VA, they do heart and lung transplants. She loves that job and is amazed at the quality of care and the amount of great doctors that give it.....I told her that that is great to hear, but if she ever got time, she needed to go to the other side of the VAMC where the average everyday care happens and she would tell me a different story.

When this all broke on the tube, she could not comprehend it, yet I told her things are not always as they seem when it comes to uncle sucker doing the right thing......I think she gets it now, but still a little dumbfounded about the whole thing.

[Berta]

I think they should have appointed General Petraus to fix this mess.

It will take a real kick ass SOB military person to ever get VA squared away.


Vietnam vets get appointment letter ,almost 2 years after his death:

http://nypost.com/2014/07/01/vietnam-vet-hears-back-from-va-hospital-2-years-after-death/

The US Office of Special Counsel report is here:


U.S. OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL
1730 M Street, N.W., Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20036-4505
OSC is still seeking whistleblowers and still addressing complaints they have filed.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2014/images/06/23/osc.va.letter.pdf

On page 6 of the recent VA OIG report , the VA OIG stated:

"We will provide VA with the list of the 1,700 veterans we identified as not being on any wait list
so that VA can mitigate any further access delays to health care services, and deliver higher
quality of health care. "
http://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-14-02603-178.pdf

Also I have been reviewing many DIC claims, awarded under 1151,for wrongful death , at the BVA, that were never filed in conjunction with a FTCA claim.

I havent even gotten to living veteran's 1151 awards from the BVA.

Some 1151 awards like mine, and a local vets award I helped him get never even get to the BVA.

However my BVA award in 2009 was clearly an additional malpractice issue and that award alone added about 100,000 in additional benefits to me due to direct SC death.

Also the Nehmer award I got regarded another malpracticed condition, and VA rated and paid that back to 1988.

I could not file again for wrongful death under 1151,but that is not the point.

These awards show that the negligence and malpractice statistics of VA are hidden from the public and Congress, because they do not fall under NPDB reporting requirements and thus no disciplinary action is ever taken against the doctors who caused these awards.

Oddly enough ,a settlement under FTCA with VA never really concedes to nor identifies the actual malpractice.

Under FOIA I did get the actual scathing medical reports that VA OGC based their settlement on.

But the 1151 awards (which no one ever sees) contain the actual circumstances of malpractice.

It is the fact that VA administrators are fully aware of the true picture ,that has never been added up, as to how much the VA really pays out for malpractice.

And that is what has caused a culture of complete concern and disregard for whether any vet dies waiting for proper VA health care appointments and certainly
no accountability at all for how many veterans VA has harmed or killed by 1151 documentation.

The DIC 1151 at the BVA awards obviously have a year by year amount of 1151 compensation the widow/widower has received.

Even if one takes 1,100 p/m ( this has changed. I get 1233 now p/m but started out with about 1,100) times 10 or 20 years, it is a staggering sum.....deserved by the survivor , with additional comp under 1151 for any dependent children, but unreported anywhere as to why the VA is paying this cash out.

I sure don't have time for claims question stuff here these days.

I have sent the H VAC evidence already but am compiling more , if they need it.

I thought my husband;s death had meaning when my settlement was over and that VA would prevent the same doctors from killing someone else. I was definitely wrong.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Berta

[Notorious Kelly]

With $85 Billion floating around there's no way organized crime is Not involved in the VA and no one man can fix it.

Think of the VA as a huge ship with thousands of compartments a whole team of experts couldn't inspect in a term and that's what this new captain is facing.

Window dressing on the Titanic.

That being said, I hope to see SOME positive changes and not just lip service appeasements like 'vouchers'.

[63SIERRA]

we aint takin no happy meals from ronald mc donald!!!! We demand results!!!

Edited July 4, 2014 by 63SIERRA

[63SIERRA]

They must have just planted 5.000 rose bushes at the Temple Texas VAMC, but I cant get a damned MRI.. I bet somebody made bank off those rose bushes.