| VA Health-Care Applications |
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Despite On-line Application, VA Backlog Grew
In an August 18 AP story appearing in the Air Force Times, the number of backlogged veterans' health-care applications grew, despite an online program the Veterans Administration introduced in 2010 and touted as a quick, easy way for veterans to apply for benefits.
Read story here |
| As Reported by Atlanta Journal–Constitution |
Vets Seeking Care Died in VA Limbo
In an August 15 Atlanta Journal–Constitution article, Brad Schrade reports that by July 2012, the backlog of veterans whose applications were in so-called pending status had grown to 848,699, according to an internal VA analysis. VA's backlog of pending health-care applications had festered for more than a decade, and the new online applications made the problem worse. As part of that review, a program analyst based in Atlanta discovered a troubling revelation: As many as 47,786 veterans whose applications languished in the pending application pool had died, according to the VA's own records of deceased veterans.
Read article here |
| As Reported by Washington Examiner Watchdog |
VA Sec McDonald Apologizes for "Lack of Clarity" in Preventable Deaths 
In an August 18 Washington Examiner Watchdog article, Mark Flatten reports new VA Secretary Robert McDonald acknowledged that Congress and the public were misled in a report released in April, which tied the deaths of 23 patients due to gastrointestinal cancers to unacceptable delays in getting colonoscopies and other procedures at VA hospitals nationwide.
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| From The Veterans Health Council |
VA Amends Rating Schedule
In the August 4 Federal Register (Vol. 79, #149), VA published an Interim Final Rule that amends the portion of its Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD) dealing with mental disorders and its adjudication regulations that define the term ''psychosis,'' effective August 4.
The VASRD refers to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM–IV), and VA's adjudication regulations refer to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM–IV–TR). DSM–IV and DSM–IV–TR were recently updated by issuance of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM–5). This rulemaking removes outdated DSM references by deleting references to DSM–IV and DSM–IV–TR and replacing them with references to DSM–5. Additionally, this rulemaking updates the nomenclature used to refer to certain mental disorders to conform to DSM–5.
The most important point of this amendation is: "There will be no effect on the rating criteria in the VASRD or the manner in which VA applies the VASRD criteria to the medical evidence of record. In order to provide a global measure of disability, DSM–5 recommends using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule, Version 2; this assessment can also be used over time to track changes in a patient's disabilities.…" |
| As Reported by Stars and Stripes |
Retired Army General Named NYC's Vets Commissioner
In an August 18 Stars and Stripes article by AP reporter Verena Dobnik, retired Brigadier General Loree K. Sutton, who was the Army's highest ranking psychiatrist, was named as New York's veterans affairs' commissioner, promising she'll use her expertise in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder to serve the city's 200,000 veterans.
Read article here |
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| From a CFPB August 14 press release |
USA Discounters' Servicemember Fee Scam Shut Down
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has put an end to a servicemember fee scam run by USA Discounters, Ltd., a company that operates a chain of retail stores near military bases and offers financing for purchases. USA Discounters tricked thousands of servicemembers into paying fees for legal protections servicemembers already had and for certain services that the company failed to provide.
The CFPB has obtained more than $350,000 in refunds for servicemembers harmed by this scam, and USA Discounters will pay an additional $50,000 civil penalty.
Read details here |
| Veteran Research Study |
Vietnam Vets Sought for Research Study
A doctoral student at Palo Alto University (CA) is seeking Vietnam veteran participants for a research survey study, entitled "A Study of Courage Among Military Personnel and Veterans." For more information, contact: Mr. Uri Kugel at ukugel@paloaltou.edu
NOTE: This study's I.R.B. documentation has been filed and reviewed by VVA's I.R.B. research officer and judged to be in compliance with all applicable human subjects research guidelines. |
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