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COMMENTARY:
MURDER BY PTSD
(12-03-09)
Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland on the Supreme
Court's decision that capital cases must
consider PTSD from military service. |
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THURSDAY -- 03 DECEMBER 2009
COMMENTARY: MURDER BY
PTSD -- Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland on the Supreme
Court's decision that capital cases must consider PTSD from
military service.
VAOIG: 8 MORE VA
CLINICS FAIL TO MEET STANDARDS -- Community-Based
Outpatient Clinics found lacking in 19 key operational areas.
H1N1 FLU VACCINE NOW AT
SOME VA FACILITIES -- Veterans should ask their Primary
Care
Team
if the vaccine is now in stock.
VETERANS STRUGGLING AS
UNEMPLOYMENT RISES -- "I am the most educated of my
three siblings, but I am the one moving back home."
VA PUTS "STAY" ON
CLAIMS FOR NEW AGENT ORANGE PRESUMPTIVES -- Regional
Offices told to hold, or "stay," claims for ischemic heart
disease, Parkinson's and B-cell leukemia related to AO exposure.
WEDNESDAY -- 02 DECEMBER 2009
VA FUNDING RESEARCH ON
GENE THERAPY FOR PHANTOM PAIN -- Investigators have
found that gene transfer to sensory nerves using a modified
herpes simplex virus-based vector effectively reduced
pain-related behaviors.
VA AND KAISER
PERMANENTE TO TEST HEALTH RECORD SHARING -- "This
partnership demonstrates the power of a large-scale EHR that
safely connects several care systems."
NEW VA, DoD COMMAND TO
ASSIST SPECIAL OPS VETERANS -- The new unit will be able
to
confirm veterans' service, with data on classified or covert
missions, without breaching confidentiality requirements.
SUPREME COURT SAYS
CAPITAL CASES MUST CONSIDER WAR TRAUMA -- Lawyers for
clients facing the death penalty must present evidence of
post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from military service
if it is available.
VAOIG'S SEMIANNUAL
REPORT TOUTS SUCCESSES -- Identified over $2 billion in
monetary benefits, closed 530 investigations, made 286 arrests
and work resulted in 511 administrative sanctions.
TUESDAY -- 01 DECEMBER 2009
PLAYING
CATCH-UP WITH VA AND VETERANS' NEWS -- A quick look at
some of the stories you may have missed while the site was down.
HACKED VA WATCHDOG SITE
RETURNS TO WEB -- VA Watchdog dot Org now has a
new web hosting company and a faster, more powerful server.
NEWS ITEMS BELOW WERE POSTED
BEFORE THE SITE WAS HACKED.
WEEKEND -- 21 & 22 NOVEMBER 2009
FIRED PSYCHIATRIST SAYS
MARINES GOT LOUSY CARE -- "How do we help a guy make
sense of all that and heal from that when the Marine Corps is
saying to get treatment means you're weak?"
WATERTOWN, NY VA CLINIC
CONTRACT QUESTIONED BY POL -- Local hospital loses
contract to
Valor Healthcare whose executives have close ties to the VA.
STUDY: ELECTRONIC
HEALTH RECORDS NOT A MONEY-SAVER -- Even the 100 top
non-VA hospitals that are the most wired are not seeing any cost
savings nor do their electronic medical record systems make the
administration of health care more efficient.
CAN THE MILITARY
PREDICT PTSD? -- The GI sat inside a trailer, his gaze
fixed on a computer that flashed a rhythmic pulse of contrasting
images. Electrode wires dangled from his left eye and right
pinky finger.
FRIDAY -- 20 NOVEMBER 2009
PATRICK W. DUNNE OUT AS
HEAD OF VA'S BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION -- VA announces
Dunne's departure early next year as "resignation," but insiders
say exit was "requested."
FORMER ARIZONA VETERANS
DEPT. CHIEF INDICTED -- Faces eight felony charges,
including four counts of conflict of interest, one count of
fraudulent schemes and practices, two counts of misuse of public
monies, and one count of violation of procurement code.
VA TO STUDY VIETNAM-ERA
WOMEN VETERANS -- Comprehensive study of women veterans
who
served
in the military during the Vietnam War will explore the effects
of their military service on their mental and physical health.
VA RESEARCH: ERRORS IN
SURGICAL PROCEDURES AN ONGOING PROBLEM -- Poor
communication causes most mistakes in and out of operating room.
SENATE PASSES CAREGIVER
BILL, COBURN AMENDMENT REJECTED -- The Senate
unanimously passed legislation that would provide benefits to
family members who stay home to care for severely injured
veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
GAO: MASSIVE FRAUD IN
GOV. CONTRACTS FOR DISABLED VETERANS -- Companies
fraudulently collected at least $100 million in federal
contracts designated for disabled military veterans who run
small businesses.
VETS' WIDOWS FIND
STAYING SINGLE CAN COST THEM A BENEFIT -- In an absurd
quirk of federal laws on death benefits, military widows and
widowers are losing death benefits unless they take another walk
down the aisle after age 57.
VAOIG: VA'S BALTIMORE
REGIONAL OFFICE IN DISARRAY -- Baltimore VARO fails in
14 of 15 operational areas because of untrained, unsupervised
staff. Management acknowledges workload not under control.
THURSDAY -- 19 NOVEMBER 2009
VETERANS Q&A with JIM
STRICKLAND, #75 for 2009 -- Veterans' Advocate Jim
Strickland answers questions from VA Watchdog dot Org readers.
ARMY HELPS PTSD, TBI
VETERANS FIND JOBS -- "There is a stigma attached to the
invisible wounds, and it's largely borne out of ignorance.
There's a fear that somebody will go off the deep end."
SEN. COBURN LIFTS HOLD
ON VETERANS' CAREGIVER'S BILL -- Will lift his hold on
the bill in exchange for the opportunity to offer an amendment
that will address his concerns with the legislation.
NRC CITES PHILLY VA FOR
BOTCHED PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENTS -- The Nuclear
Regulatory Commission found that VA staff failed to evaluate
radiation doses or know when to report a mistake.
SERVICE DOGS FOR
VETERANS TRAINED BY CONVICTS -- A program that has
inmates training service dogs for veterans and children is
meeting with acclaim and continues to grow.
OBAMA TO NAME DR.
ROBERT PETZEL TO HEAD VETERANS' HEALTH ADMIN. -- Petzel
has had a long career with the VA. He is currently Acting
Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health.
WEDNESDAY -- 18 NOVEMBER 2009
NEW HIGH EXPECTED FOR
ARMY SUICIDES IN 2009 -- Army's Vice COS: "This is
horrible, and I do not want to downplay the significance of
these numbers in any way."
NEW DIRECTOR AT
FAYETTEVILLE VA PLANS TO WATCH AND LEARN -- "I really
want a period of observation. I don't want to rush off with
solutions and make the problems worse."
SENATE
VOTES 100-0, PASSES BUDGET FOR VETERANS PROGRAMS -- The
unanimous vote reflected the unique political standing of the
veterans budget, which has received hefty increases.
VET GETS 36 YEARS FOR
FATAL BEATING AT VETERANS' HOME -- Judge at sentencing:
"Whatever danger he poses to the community will be hopefully
diminished by then."
SENATE REJECTS SEN.
COBURN'S VETS' CAREGIVER OPTION -- Proposal would have
required lawmakers to make cuts to military construction
projects and other veterans programs to make room in the budget
for aid to disabled vets' caregivers.
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Larry Scott
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