| |
|
|
|
|
|
Posts Tagged ‘VA Health Care System’
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
As part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) efforts to provide veterans with complete access to their veterans’ disability benefits, 8.5 million handbooks are scheduled to be mailed out by year’s end.
Starting this month the VA will be mailing out personalized benefit handbooks to all veterans enrolled in the VA health care system. Each book will provide individual details about a veterans’ applicable benefits, local VA health care facilities, contact information for support services, and co-pay information.
The handbooks will provide a comprehensive resource for each veteran’s personal health needs and ways for them to access the benefits and resources they are entitled to. The handbook program applies to all currently enrolled veterans, as well as newly enrolled veterans. Those already enrolled with their veterans’ disability benefits will receive an updated handbook if there are ever changes to their benefits.
If you have not yet applied for veterans disability benefits or enrolled in the VA health care system you need to act quickly. Veterans’ disability claims can take months, even years to be approved, leaving you to struggle with health care on your own during the wait.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Health Care System, Veterans Disability Benefits, Veterans' Resources
Posted in General, VA News, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Friday, February 10th, 2012
There are 2 medical malpractice claims in question regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care sytem, which resulted in the death of Navy veteran Asenath German and the death of the newborn son of active duty military parents Jacqulin and Prather Price. Both of these claims are in the hands of U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard, part of the Middle District of Florida Jacksonville Division.
In the case of German, her husband, an active-duty Navy soldier, is filing the suit after doctors at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville failed to diagnose a brain hemorrhage. German sought treatment in 2008 but was dismissed with minor treatment for a migraine. A few days later she was experiencing stroke-like symptoms, which brought her to being admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.
The couple filed a lawsuit against the naval hospital and is now fighting against the Federal Tort Claims Act, which blocks lawsuits against the government by active-duty military personnel. German passed away in December 2010, but her husband is continuing the suit.
In the case of the Price family, the parents are alleging malpractice during their son Elijah’s birth that caused him to only survive an hour after delivery. The lawsuit alleges that the medical staff at the same naval hospital didn’t take into account Jacqulin’s difficulty with gestational diabetes and also Elijah’s large size prior to birth. The option for a cesarean section wasn’t allowed, ultimately resulting in Elijah death.
In the Price case, it’s again active duty military trying to file a lawsuit for malpractice against government-run hospitals. Lawmakers are arguing over whether VA hospitals and doctors should share the immunity of the FCTA or not.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: active duty military personnel, Federal Tort Claims Act, medical malpractice, Military Legislation, VA Health Care System
Posted in General, US Military Legislation, VA News, Veterans' Dependents | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
When a new veteran returns to the states and goes through one of the 61 demobilization sites across the U.S. they are given the opportunity to enroll in the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. Up until now, this process could take as long as 10 days, but a new online form system is drastically reducing that time.
The first run at Camp Shelby in Mississippi saw the wait time for establishment in the VA health care system drop from 10 days to 3 days by use of the new online VA Form 1010EZ. With the success of this trial, the VA is working on getting the new digital form available at the other demobilization sites within the coming months.
By reducing the time it takes to grant veterans access to the VA health care system it can also potentially speed up the process of applying for veterans’ disability benefits. Once in the system, veterans are eligible for 5 years of cost-free care at any VA facility for conditions related to combat service.
Veterans’ disability benefits are designed to augment this care by providing additional compensation for ongoing treatment and special needs related to service-connected disabilities. The sooner a veteran or disabled veteran can get into the VA health care system, the sooner they can get a disability rating to establish their benefits claim.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: VA health care, VA Health Care System, Veterans Disability Benefits
Posted in General, VA News, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Friday, May 27th, 2011
Vietnam veterans have high rates of cancer related to Agent Orange (dioxin) exposure. Further, they are not getting the service-related benefits they deserve, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has failed to continuously report the numbers reflecting how many veterans have specific cancers. This has made it impossible to follow cancer rates in Vietnam veterans.
The rate at which veterans exposed to dioxin suffer from various forms of cancer is shocking. Veterans have contracted brain and pancreatic cancer at rates “5-7 times higher than the civilian populations.” Those same veterans test positive for lung cancer twice as much as other veterans who served in country.
There are no cancer registries specific to veterans, even with the VA. The VA is not required to report such instances of cancer to the national registry, and they do not report such numbers. This makes it impossible to accurately follow what types of cancer Vietnam veterans are developing, and which ones are related to Agent Orange exposure. Further, when the VA does report to the registry, those reports are often miscoded.
According to the VA, the miscoding as well as the underreporting are done to protect the privacy of the veteran-patients. The veterans are the ones suffering, however, as the VA’s actions likely end up preventing veterans from receiving their earned, service-related benefits.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Agent Orange, Cancer, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VA Health Care System, Veterans disability, Vietnam veterans
Posted in Veterans' Disability | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Multiple Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers neglected safety and sterilization protocols and consequently risked the health of thousands of veterans. Recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their investigatory report, which highlighted still existing weaknesses in the VA system. The report concluded some VA medical centers were still putting veterans’ safety at risk.
The timing was not good for the VA. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee was in the middle of pushing VA officials to answer questions regarding the slack sterilization issues and accusing VA representatives of avoiding answering them. Lawmakers became angry at having to have these type of hearings multiple times with the VA about the same issues.
Improperly cleaned medical equipment is the one issue that has plagued multiple VA medical centers across the country for the last 2 years. The GAO report found 6 clinics still lacked clear guidance for sterilization training and as a result were putting more veterans at risk.
Those VA medical centers were:
- Miami, Fl.;
- St. Louis, Mo.;
- Detroit, Mich.;
- Palo Alto, Calif.;
- Albany, NY; and
- Cheyenne, Wyo.
The VA acknowledged they are not doing a “perfect job,” but they are on the right path. Additionally they have made significant progress since reports first surfaced of unclean medical equipment. Congress took issue with the VA’s apparent leadership problems at many facilities and strongly suggested the VA make fixing that one of their priorities.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Medical Sterilization, VA Health Care System, Veterans disability
Posted in Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is conducting a massive overhaul of its healthcare operations. If it goes as planned, the VA health care system will be more user-friendly and will thrive because it centers on patients.
The Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT) program, which starts the changes with primary care services in every VA medical center across the nation, will ultimately filter down to every facet of patient care. The idea for the changes originated in the private sector, and the VA started making some of these changes for the last 2 years.
These changes are not a luxury but a necessity for the successful continuation of VA healthcare. The VA’s plan is to address many existing issues, such as:
- ease of access;
- coordination of care;
- patient safety and approval; and
- creating and implementing computerized medical records.
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) plans on adding a licensed practical nurse position to their care teams. In addition to focusing more on involving veterans and their family in their own healthcare planning, the VHA plans on becoming more proactive in performing follow-up care with veterans who are chronically ill.
The VA will make telephone access easier and will improve upon their online presence. There will also be an effort made to improve management of care when patients transition from in-patient to out-patient status.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), The Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT), VA Health Care System, Veterans disability
Posted in VA News, Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Monday, March 28th, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been studying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and how to manage the disease for some time. A randomized trial in 2009 resulted in a series of deaths and put an end to the research program, which was to last 4 years. Nobody however, saw fit to alert anyone outside the VA that the trials were no longer being performed.
The trial was named BREATH (Bronchitis and Emphysema Advice and Training to Reduce Hospitalizations). Researchers had hoped to establish if educating patients and providing tailored disease management would result in fewer hospitalizations and hospital re-admissions for COPD.
At the time the VA stopped the research, they had less than 50% of the amount of participants they hoped to enroll. They also made no public announcement that they were halting the program. Started in 2006 and originally slated as a 1 year pilot study,the COPD study was extended to cover 22 states within 12 months.
After 2 years of study participation, it was discovered the patients receiving comprehensive case management along with standard care suffered from “higher all-cause mortality and possibly other ‘indicators of safety.’” Those issues lead to the committee monitoring the study to recommend and end further interventions and new enrollments in February, 2009.
Many VA on-site researchers were not told why the disease management intervention was ending. The VA apparently cited “safety concerns,” but did not go into detail as to what those concerns were. According to the VA, this is standard operating procedure as their findings have yet to be published.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: BREATH (Bronchitis and Emphysema Advice and Training to Reduce Hospitalizations, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VA Health Care System, Veterans disability
Posted in General, VA News | No Comments »
Monday, March 7th, 2011
The last couple of years have seen many veterans petitioning for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept and financially support Cognitive processing and prolonged-exposure therapies. Finally, following a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the VA has chosen to offer both these therapies at VA medical facilities.
Estimates vary but generally average around 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans return to the United States suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The unfortunate problem with PTSD is that it can affect individual soldiers uniquely and not all treatments work for all PTSD sufferers.
That same GAO report indicated the U.S. government spent $24.5 million in 2009 solely on PTSD research. Comparatively, they only spent $9.9 million in 2005. The need for treatment is growing with no indication that need will slow any time soon.
The two therapies at issue have been controversial, yet to date have been shown as effective. Prolonged-exposure therapy operates by having patients meet their scary memories head on, as opposed to avoiding them. Cognitive processing therapy is slightly different in that it is fixed in the concept that PTSD itself forms out of stress, which is rooted in a divergence of the soldiers’ beliefs; one from before the traumatic event and one following the event. Soldiers then write about the event as much as possible and then read those writings to their group and in private, forcing them to address their issues.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Cognitive Processing Therapy, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Prolonged-Exposure Therapy, VA Health Care System, Veterans disability
Posted in General | No Comments »
Thursday, February 17th, 2011
A year ago it was dirty dental equipment that put the John Cochran Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital in the news. Improperly sterilized dental equipment lead to the John Cochran VA possibly exposing 1,800 veterans to HIV with their contaminated equipment. Now, the John Cochran VA Hospital is in the news again because of another potential contamination issue. According to the hospital’s medical director, surgical tools that appeared to be dirty forced the VA hospital to cancel and reschedule 35 surgeries.
The canceled surgeries were the last, although very necessary step. The John Cochran VA has been suffering a series of complaints focusing on the hospital’s allegedly unsanitary and detrimental conditions. Once the potentially contaminated surgical equipment was discovered, hospital personnel examined and tested all the other surgical equipment throughout the entire facility as well as any piece of equipment that could even come into contact with a surgical environment.
There have been hundreds of complaints made about the hospital, and a full investigation is planned concerning the possibility for infection the dirty surgical tools caused. Although VA hospitals boast of their superior health care, two contamination issues under a year in the same hospital scream of incompetence. Guaranteeing top-ranked health care for veterans is something for which every VA medical center should always strive.
It is not known how many veterans could have been affected by this latest possible contamination issue. The VA is working with those veterans whose surgeries needed to be rescheduled to make sure everything is as smooth as possible. There is no indication as to when the hospital will be back to performing surgeries.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Contaminated Surgical Equipment, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), John Cochran VA Hospital, VA Health Care System, VA hospital investigation, Veterans Health Care
Posted in General | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
The electronic health record initiatives (EHR) put forward by both the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) are falling short on both an individual agency level as well as being a combined effort, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a congressional investigatory agency. It its most recent review, the GAO found problems with both the VA’s and the DoD’s EHR models at a basic level. Without immediate attention to these problems, very little future progress will be possible.
Instead of working together to form a single EHR, the VA and the DoD are each developing and implementing their own. Seemingly, they plan on integrating these two programs into a single EHR. Further, both agencies see this integration as happening “seamlessly.” To this point, however, neither agency can put forth any method or means for how they will employ information technology (IT) to solve universal problems within health care systems.
The final, single EHR initiative will place certain IT demands on both agencies, but many of those demands will need to be handled by both agencies working together. Neither the VA nor the DoD has been able to express any detail as to their final policies or procedures for addressing these demands. The GAO also identified a lack of strong steps by both agencies to identify a design that will serve as a guide for “joint I.T. modernization efforts.”
Why the agencies decided to go this path instead of designing a single EHR was not addressed in the GAO’s report. Neither agency has even made a simple plan showing how they will transform from their current I.T. design to where they will need to be in their joint effort. Whatever they plan on doing, it has to work to the benefit of both agencies or the transition will not be as seamless as they think.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Electronic Health Record (EHR), Joint EHR Initiative, VA Health Care System
Posted in General | 2 Comments »
|
| |
|
|
|
