Terri Sewell to host Fourth Annual Veterans Resource Fair
In support of those who served our nation, Alabama 7th District U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell will host her Fourth Annual Veterans Resource Fair on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Birmingham VA Medical Center Annex. The free event aims to provide assistance with issues unique to veterans including VA benefits, transportation resources, health screenings, housing options, mental health services, caregiver support, women’s services, career services, and more. Over 25 resource groups and service officers will be onsite to help attendees. The event is free and open to the public. For those unable to attend, Sewell has published a Veterans Resource Guide to help the brave men and women of Alabama’s 7th Congressional District who have answered the call to serve in our armed forces as they transition back into their communities. The guide helps our veterans obtain the proper benefits and assistance they have earned through their service.
John McCain demands accounting from VA on money for private care
Sen. John McCain is demanding a full accounting from the Department of Veterans Affairs on the financial status of its private-sector health care program after the agency said it could face another budget shortfall as soon as December. The Associated Press reported this week that the VA had acknowledged its Veterans Choice program could run out of money by year’s end despite receiving $2.1 billion in emergency funding just last month. Another shortfall could force the VA to limit referrals to outside doctors, causing delays in medical care for hundreds of thousands of veterans. In a letter to VA Secretary David Shulkin, McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he wants to know specifically when the VA expects Choice to run out of money. McCain cites AP’s report, which included a statement from VA that Choice funds could be depleted as early as December or as late as March. The letter, sent late Wednesday, calls for a VA response by the end of the week. The Arizona Republican noted that Congress was led astray earlier this year after VA provided false assurances that Choice funds would last until early 2018. After Shulkin admitted to a budget shortfall in June, McCain joined other senators to express concern to VA about possible financial mismanagement. Congress ultimately approved $2.1 billion in emergency spending for Choice that was intended to last until February. “We said at the time that it was essential, given the growing demand for care under the Choice program, that the VA immediately correct the failures that created such a serious shortfall,” McCain wrote. “It appears as if you have not done so.” In its statement earlier this week to AP, the VA said it hoped to move quickly on a proposed long-term legislative fix that would give veterans even wider access to private doctors. The proposal, under review by the White House budget office, would seek money to keep Choice running for much of next year as VA implements wider changes. Earlier this year, the VA began limiting referrals to outside doctors as money started running low. The Choice program was passed by Congress in 2014 in response to a wait-time scandal at the Phoenix VA medical center that spread nationwide. Some veterans died while waiting months for appointments as VA employees manipulated records to hide delays. The controversy spurred Congress to establish Choice as a pilot program to relieve pressure at VA hospitals. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Dems try to enlist military vets in fight for House majority
Democrats hope to enlist military veterans in another type of fight – for majority control of the House. Looking ahead to next year’s elections, Democrats are trying to recruit at least two dozen military veterans to challenge Republican incumbents, arguing that candidates with a military background on their resumes appeal to independent voters and can help the party break the GOP grip on Washington. “Veterans have had the experience of putting the country first, before personal politics” and party dictates, said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass, who did four tours of duty in Iraq, left the Marines as a captain and was elected to Congress in 2014. That tends “to attract the kind of independent voters who are looking for a good leader,” Moulton added. Several veterans already have announced their bids in some of the 79 Republican-held House districts that national Democratic Party leaders have identified as top targets. Decades ago, veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam were mainstays in Congress. In 1969-71, 398 veterans served in the House and 69 in the Senate, according to the Congressional Research Service. But the change to an all-volunteer force in 1973 sent those numbers plummeting. The extended post-Sept. 11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq helped reverse the trend, and now there are 80 veterans in the 435-seat House and 20 veterans in the 100-member Senate. For Democrats, struggling to return to the majority, military veterans provide potential candidates as the party deals with an electoral wipeout during Barack Obama‘s presidency, with the loss of more than 1,030 seats in state legislatures, governor’s mansions and Congress. Moulton and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who lost both legs and partial use of an arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq, have spoken to veterans in districts ranging from obvious Democratic targets to places where the path to victory isn’t as obvious. The party needs to pick up 24 seats to reclaim a House majority next November. In the Philadelphia suburbs, former Air Force officer Chrissy Houlahan is challenging two-term Republican Rep. Ryan Costello in one of 23 districts where Democrat Hillary Clinton topped Trump in November. Outside Denver, former Army Ranger and combat veteran Jason Crow, a onetime campaign adviser to Obama, is running for the seat held by another veteran, five-term GOP congressman, Mike Coffman. Both mentioned President Donald Trump as factors in their campaign. “All the bravado and the wailing and gnashing of teeth isn’t the way we conduct ourselves as professional service members,” Houlahan said of Trump’s rhetoric. Said Crow: “I’m deeply troubled by President Trump and what he’s trying to do to country and our democracy.” Dan McCready, a former Marine who attended Harvard Business School alongside Moulton, steered clear of Trump as he announced his bid to win the more Republican-leaning North Carolina district of three-term Republican Rep. Robert Pittenger. But all three candidates, along with Moulton, agreed that veterans offer voters an approach rarely taken on Capitol Hill. “We know what it’s like to serve the country in non-political ways, and we’re standing up to say that the system is broken,” said Crow. He added that any military unit brings together “Republicans, Democrats, unaffiliated, every different background, every part of the country, urban rural, every rung of the economic ladder, and they have to come together very quickly … or the mission fails.” Democratic veterans have run notable campaigns in recent years. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a West Point graduate and former Ranger, emphasized his record to attract enough voters in a conservative state. In Missouri last year, former Army intelligence officer Jason Kander drew national attention for his U.S. Senate campaign ad in which he assembled an AR-15 rifle while blindfolded. He lost by 3 percentage points, but got 230,000 more votes than Clinton, who lost the state by 18 points. Seth Lynn, who runs the nonpartisan Veterans Campaign, an organization that trains veterans running for office, says research suggests veterans running against a non-veteran get “about a 2-point bump” on average. Lynn isn’t yet tracking exact numbers of veteran candidates, but says he’s seen a “noticeable uptick” among Democrats. Some of that, Lynn says, is the usual clamoring by the party out of power: Republican veterans arose in 2010, the first midterm under Obama, and Democrats’ boasted a large slate in 2006, amid opposition to the Iraq war during President George W. Bush‘s second term. Those veteran candidates did not all win, of course. But those midterm years marked the last two times voters tossed out the House majority in favor of the other party. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Feds investigate dozens of thefts of opioids, other drugs at VA facilities
Federal authorities are investigating dozens of new cases of possible opioid and other drug theft by employees at Veterans Affairs hospitals, a sign the problem isn’t going away as more prescriptions disappear. Data obtained by The Associated Press show 36 criminal investigations opened by the VA inspector general’s office from Oct. 1 through May 19. It brings the total number of open criminal cases to 108 involving theft or unauthorized drug use. Most of those probes typically lead to criminal charges. The numbers are an increase from a similar period in the previous year. The VA has pledged “zero tolerance” in drug thefts following an AP story in February about a sharp rise in reported cases of stolen or missing drugs at the VA since 2009. Doctors, nurses or pharmacy staff in the VA’s network of more than 160 medical centers and 1,000 clinics are suspected of siphoning away controlled substances for their own use or street sale – sometimes to the harm of patients – or drugs simply vanished without explanation. Drug thefts are a growing problem at private hospitals as well as the government-run VA as the illegal use of opioids has increased in the United States. But separate data from the Drug Enforcement Administration obtained by the AP under the Freedom of Information Act show the rate of reported missing drugs at VA health facilities was more than double that of the private sector. DEA investigators cited in part a larger quantity of drugs kept in stock at the bigger VA medical centers to treat a higher volume of patients, both outpatient and inpatient, and for distribution of prescriptions by mail. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said AP’s findings were “troubling.” He urged Congress to pass bipartisan accountability legislation he was co-sponsoring that would give the agency “the tools needed to dismiss employees engaged in misconduct.” The Senate is set to vote on the bill June 6. “The theft and misuse of prescription drugs, including opioids, by some VA employees is a good example of why we need greater accountability at the VA,” Rubio said. In February, the VA announced efforts to combat drug thefts, including employee drug tests and added inspections. Top VA officials in Washington led by VA Secretary David Shulkin pledged to be more active, holding conference calls with health facilities to develop plans and reviewing data to flag problems. The department said it would consider more internal audits. Criminal investigators said it was hard to say whether new safeguards are helping. “Prescription drug diversion is a multifaceted, egregious health care issue,” said Jeffrey Hughes, the acting VA assistant inspector general for investigations. “Veterans may be denied necessary medications or their proper dosage and medical records may contain false information to hide the diversion, further putting veterans’ health at risk.” Responding, the VA said it was working to develop additional policies “to improve drug safety and reduce drug theft and diversion across the entire health care system.” “We have security protocols in place and will continue to work hard to improve it,” Poonam Alaigh, VA’s acting undersecretary for health, told the AP. In one case, a registered nurse in the Spinal Cord Injury Ward at the VA medical center in Richmond, Virginia, was recently sentenced after admitting to stealing oxycodone tablets and fentanyl patches from VA medication dispensers. The nurse said she would sometimes shortchange the amount of pain medication prescribed to patients, taking the remainder to satisfy her addiction. Hughes cited in particular the risk of patient harm. “Health care providers who divert for personal use may be providing care while under the influence of narcotics,” he said. AP’s story in February had figures documenting the sharp rise in drug thefts at federal hospitals, most of them VA facilities. Subsequently released DEA data provide more specific details of the problem at the VA. Drug losses or theft increased from 237 in 2009 to 2,844 in 2015, before dipping to 2,397 last year. In only about 3 percent of those cases have doctors, nurses or pharmacy employees been disciplined, according to VA data. At private hospitals, reported drug losses or theft also rose – from 2,023 in 2009 to 3,185 in 2015, before falling slightly to 3,154 last year. There is a bigger pool of private U.S. hospitals, at least 4,369, according to the American Hospital Association. That means the rate of drug loss or theft is lower than VA’s. The VA inspector general’s office said it had opened 25 cases in the first half of the budget year that began Oct. 1. That is up from 21 in the same period in 2016. The IG’s office said the number of newly opened criminal probes had previously been declining since 2014. Michael Glavin, an IT specialist at the VA, says he’s heard numerous employee complaints of faulty VA technical systems that track drug inventories, leading to errors and months of delays in identifying when drugs go missing. Prescription drug shipments aren’t always fully inventoried when they arrive at a VA facility, he said, making it difficult to determine if a drug was missing upon arrival or stolen later. “It’s still the same process,” said Glavin, who heads the local union at the VA medical center in Columbia, Missouri. The union’s attorney, Natalie Khawam, says whistleblowers at other VA hospitals have made similar complaints. Criminal investigators stressed the need for a continuing drug prevention effort. The VA points to inventory checks every 72 hours and “double lock and key access” to drugs. It attributes many drug loss cases to reasons other than employee theft, such as drugs lost in transit. But the DEA says some of those cases may be wrongly classified. “Inventories are always an issue as to who’s watching or checking it,” said Tom Prevoznik, a DEA deputy chief of pharmaceutical investigations. “What are the employees doing, and who’s watching them?” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Agreement reached on stalled VA accountability bill
Congressional Republicans and Democrats have reached agreement on a bill to make it easier for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire its employees, part of an accountability effort touted by President Donald Trump. The deal being announced early Thursday could smooth the way for final passage on an issue that had been largely stalled since the 2014 wait-time scandal at the Phoenix VA medical center. As many as 40 veterans died while waiting months for appointments as VA employees created secret waiting lists and other falsehoods to cover up delays. The Hill deal followed a fresh warning from the VA inspector general’s office of continuing patient safety problems at another facility, the VA medical center in Washington D.C. After warning of serious problems there last month, the IG’s “rapid response” team visited the facility again on Wednesday and found a patient prepped for vascular surgery in an operating room, under anesthesia, whose surgery was postponed because “the surgeon did not have a particular sterile instrument necessary to perform the surgery.” The team also found “surgical instruments that had color stains of unknown origin in sterile packs,” according to the IG’s letter sent Wednesday to the VA. The IG again urged the department to take immediate action to ensure patients “are not placed at unnecessary risk.” The new accountability measure, led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., softens portions of a bill that had passed the House in March, which Democrats criticized as unfairly harsh on workers. Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Johnny Isakson of Georgia, the top Democrat and the Republican chair on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, agreed to back the new bill after modifications that would give VA employees added time to appeal disciplinary actions. House Veterans Affairs’ Committee Chairman Phil Roe, sponsor of the House measure, said he would support the revisions. “To fully reform the VA and provide our nation’s veterans with the quality care they were promised and deserve, we must ensure the department can efficiently dismiss employees who are not able or willing to do their jobs,” Rubio told The Associated Press. It comes after Trump last month signed an executive order to create a VA Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, with an aim of identifying “barriers” that make it difficult for the VA to fire or reassign bad managers or employees. VA Secretary David Shulkin had urged the Senate to act quickly to pass legislation. The GOP-controlled House previously approved an accountability bill mostly along party lines. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., argued the House should embrace language instead from a bipartisan bill by Isakson from last year with added due process protections for workers. The Senate bill to be introduced Thursday adopts several portions of that previous Isakson bill, including a longer appeal process than provided in the House bill — 180 days vs. 45 days, though workers would not be paid during that appeal. VA executives would be held to a tougher standard than rank-and-file employees for discipline. The Senate bill also codifies into law the VA accountability office created under Trump’s order, but with changes to give the head of the office more independent authority and require the office to submit regular updates to Congress. Conservative groups praised the bill. “These new measures will disincentivize bad behavior within the VA and further protect those who bravely expose wrongdoing,” said Dan Caldwell, policy director of Concerned Veterans for America, pointing to a “toxic culture” at VA. The agreement comes in a week in which Senate Democrats are standing apart from Trump on a separate issue affecting veterans, the GOP bill passed by the House to repeal and replace the nation’s health care law. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., warned the House measure would strip away explicit protections to ensure that as many as 8 million veterans who are eligible for VA care but opt to use private insurance would still receive tax credits. Many veterans use a private insurer if they feel a VA facility is too far away, or if they don’t qualify for fuller VA coverage because they have higher incomes or ailments unrelated to their time in service, said Duckworth, a combat veteran who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm during the Iraq war. A group of GOP senators is working to craft their own health bill. “Trumpcare threatens to rip health care out of their hands,” Duckworth said at a news briefing this week. “The question left is what will Senate Republicans do?” Congress has had difficulty coming to agreement on an accountability bill after the Phoenix VA scandal. A 2014 law gave the VA greater power to discipline executives, but the department stopped using that authority after the Obama Justice Department deemed it likely unconstitutional. Critics have since complained that few employees were fired for various VA malfeasance, including rising cases of opioid drug theft, first reported by the AP. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
VA limiting new hiring as it aims to widen private care
Despite the lifting of a federal hiring freeze, the Department of Veterans Affairs is leaving thousands of positions unfilled, citing the need for a leaner VA as it develops a longer-term plan to allow more veterans to seek medical care in the private sector. The order by VA Secretary David Shulkin is described in an internal April 14 memorandum obtained by The Associated Press. The VA indicated it would proceed with filling open positions previously exempted under the hiring freeze. Noting that the White House had ordered all departments to be leaner and “more accountable,” the VA indicated that more than 4,000 jobs would still be left vacant unless they were specially approved “position by position” by top VA leadership as addressing an “absolute critical need.” These positions include roughly 4,000 in the VA’s health arm and 200 in benefits, plus more than 400 information technology positions and over a 100 human resource positions, according to VA data provided to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee earlier this month. Government auditors have previously faulted the department for recent shortages in IT and HR, which it said had hurt its ability to recruit and hire key staff department-wide. Major veterans organizations also worry this could be a sign of future tightening at the VA, coming after the department had previously warned it would need “hiring surges” to address a rapidly growing disability backlog. The groups have cautioned against any “privatization” efforts at the VA that could expand private care for veterans while reducing investment in the VA itself. “It seems to be a reversal of what they have been saying, and it’s disappointing,” said Garry Augustine, executive director of Disabled American Veterans’ Washington headquarters. Carlos Fuentes, legislative director of Veterans of Foreign Wars, said his group was concerned the VA would overlook positions that didn’t directly affect health care, such as staffing of its suicide prevention hotline. The VA said in a statement Wednesday that the hiring restrictions were needed to “streamline VA’s corporate structure and administrative positions.” While President Donald Trump‘s budget blueprint calls for a 6 percent increase in VA funding, the memo indicated that the government’s second-largest agency with nearly 370,000 employees was no different from other departments that needed to improve “efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.” It left open the possibility of “near-term” and “long-term workforce reductions.” Shulkin is also putting together a broader proposal by fall to expand the VA’s Choice program of private-sector care. “This memo lifts the federal hiring freeze. However, this does not mean business as usual for hiring,” stated VA chief of staff Vivieca Wright Simpson. She said VA leadership aimed to proceed in the coming months with “deliberative hiring strategies” as it seeks to build “a future VA of Choice.” The memo comes as the Trump administration seeks to highlight accomplishment and accountability at the VA. During the 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly criticized the VA as “the most corrupt” and pledged to expand private care. Trump planned to sign an executive order Thursday at the VA to create a new Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. The head of the office will report directly to the secretary to help VA officials identify “barriers” that impede the reassignment of employees who are no longer deemed fit to work at the department in the service of veterans, Shulkin said at a White House briefing. Existing employees will staff the office. Shulkin said he didn’t have an exact figure on what the office would cost. Shulkin also has signaled, without naming specific locations, that underutilized VA facilities will have to close. “There are some parts of the country where facilities are sitting empty, and there is no sense in keeping them empty,” he has said. The Republican-led House last month approved legislation to make it easier for the VA to fire, suspend or demote employees for poor performance or bad conduct. But the measure has been slow to move in the Senate after Democrats and unions cast it as an attack on workers’ rights. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump extends private-sector health care program for vets
President Donald Trump has signed a bill extending a program that lets some veterans seek medical care in the private sector. The extension will give Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin time to develop a more comprehensive plan to allow veterans to more easily go outside the VA health system for care. The new law allows the VA to operate its Choice program until its funding runs out, expected early next year. Trump says veterans have “not been taken care of properly” and the bill will extend and improve the program so they can see any doctor they choose. The Choice program was put in place after a 2014 scandal over long wait times for vets at the VA medical center in Phoenix. The program was to have expired in August. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Senate agrees to extend VA’s program of private-sector care
The Senate on Monday approved legislation that would extend a troubled program aimed at widening veterans’ access to private-sector health care, the first step in an overhaul of programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill passed by voice vote. It would allow the VA to continue operating its Choice program until its money runs out, expected to occur early next year. Without legislation, the program will expire on Aug. 7 with nearly $1 billion left over in its account. The VA says that money can provide stopgap care until a broader revamp is designed. The Choice program was put in place after a 2014 wait-time scandal at the Phoenix VA medical center in which some veterans died. Intended to provide veterans more timely care, the Choice program allows veterans to go outside the VA network in cases where they had to wait more than 30 days for an appointment or drive more than 40 miles to a facility. Yet it often encountered long wait times of its own due to bureaucratic glitches and other problems. The Senate bill calls for fixes in the program to address some of those concerns, by helping speed up VA payments and promote greater sharing of medical records. It now goes to the House, which was expected to easily pass the measure Wednesday. “This bipartisan legislation cuts some of the red tape that slows down veterans’ access to care in their communities,” said Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “I’m proud that Republicans and Democrats in Congress worked together to provide these solutions for veterans.” Tester sponsored the bill along with Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Johnny Isakson of Georgia. Major veterans’ organizations and Democrats were not opposed to continuing the Choice program as a stopgap. But they are closely watching the VA’s subsequent overhaul, after President Donald Trump‘s transition team signaled last year that it would consider a “public-private” option in which veterans could get all their medical care in the private sector, with the government paying the bill. Veterans groups generally oppose that as a threat to the viability of VA medical centers. While VA Secretary David Shulkin has promised not to privatize the department, he says he wants to build stronger partnerships with the private sector to improve VA care. A newly formed White House Office of American Innovation led by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is also now examining ways to improve the VA. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama delegation honors America’s veterans
On Veterans Day, Americans across the country salute our brave men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much for our nation. Today, in honor of Veterans Day, members of the Alabama congressional delegation are paying tribute to their selfless service and sacrifices. Here’s what the Alabama delegation is saying in honor of Veterans Day: Sen. Richard Shelby: Each year, friends and neighbors across the country pause to honor our nation’s military heroes who selflessly sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Veterans Day is an important time to remember that freedom does not come free, and that we owe a great debt of gratitude to the men and women of our Armed Forces for their extraordinary service. Ala. 1st District U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne: Earlier this week, we held an election to pick our nation’s next leader. That is an honor we all have thanks to the sacrifice and service of our nation’s veterans. These men and women put their lives on the line in order to keep us safe and protect the freedoms we all hold dear. Be sure to take time today to say thank you to a veteran, but let’s not just honor our veterans one day a year. Let’s honor our veterans each and every day. Their service demands nothing less. Ala. 2nd District U.S. Rep. Martha Roby: All we are as a nation – the freedom and opportunity we enjoy as Americans – we owe to the men and women who have put on the uniform and defended our country in times of conflict. Thank you to all veterans and their families for your service and sacrifice. Ala. 4th District U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” – Ronald Reagan Ala. 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks: On this #VeteransDay2016 and every day we honor our nation’s military members for their selfless service in defense of America. It’s a privilege to represent #AL05 and support our veterans, active duty military personnel, and their families. Ala. 6th District U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer: As American citizens, we enjoy and exercise our freedom daily. But such privilege does not come without a steep cost. The valiant men and women of our Armed Services bravely defend our great nation daily from threats against our freedom, and they have thwarted off all enemies for well over 240 years. Without their service and their sacrifice, America would not be the great country it is today. I send my deepest thanks to every member of the Armed Forces, past, present and future. You are what makes America the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. God Bless America and God Bless our veterans. Ala. 7th District U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell: Today, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who have laid down their lives to keep our country safe. These individuals – men and women, fathers, wives, sons and daughters – have fought and died to protect the values we hold dear as a nation. We owe them a sincere debt of gratitude for their tremendous bravery and selfless sacrifice. That is why it is critically important for Congress to continue to support and provide needed resources to the Veterans Administration (VA) to ensure that our veterans and their spouses or widowers have access to quality health care, good-paying jobs, affordable housing, and other benefits they have rightly earned. We should not deny the very liberties to these American heroes and their families that they have fought to protect.
Email Insights: Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton has failed America’s vets
With no holds barred and in one of his lengthiest campaign emails to date, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump goes for the jugular on his opponent Hillary Clinton’s history with veterans, saying under her “failed leadership, too many of our nation’s finest died waiting to receive medical help from injuries suffered protecting our country.” Lumping Clinton and the Barack Obama administration together, Trump cites several examples of how he believes veterans have been mistreated and ignored the past eight years. Pointing out Clinton’s “refusal to acknowledge the ‘widespread’ and ‘systemic failures’ that exist in our VA is only intensifying the problems.” Read Trump’s entire email below: The Clinton/Obama era has been disastrous for our nation’s veterans. Under their failed leadership, too many of our nation’s finest died waiting to receive medical help from injuries suffered protecting our country. Clinton’s refusal to acknowledge the “widespread” and “systemic failures” that exist in our VA is only intensifying the problems. As Americans we need to demand more from our public officials to serve our heroes as they served us. The Clinton/Obama way of enriching bureaucrats who fail our veterans is wrong. THE VETERANS AFFAIRS SENATE REPORT SHOWS “SYSTEMATIC FAILURES” AT VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTERS In May, A Senate Investigation Revealed Widespread “Systemic Failures” By The Veteran Affairs Inspector General’s Review of the Veteran Affairs Medical Center In Tomah, Wis…” “A Senate investigation of poor health care at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah, Wis., found systemic failures in a VA inspector general’s review of the facility that raise questions about the internal watchdog’s ability to ensure adequate health care for veterans nationwide … One of the biggest failures identified by Senate investigators was the inspector general’s decision not to release its investigation report, which concluded two providers at the facility had been prescribing alarming levels of narcotics.” (Donovan Slack, “Senate Investigation finds ‘Systemic’ Failures at VA Watchdog,” USA TODAY , 05/31/16) The Probe Found The VA’s Inspector General “Discounted Key Evidence and Witness Testimony, Needlessly Narrowed Its Inquiry and Has No Standard For Determining Wrongdoing.” “The probe by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee found the inspector general’s office, which is charged with independently investigating VA complaints, discounted key evidence and witness testimony, needlessly narrowed its inquiry and has no standard for determining wrongdoing.” (Donovan Slack, “Senate Investigation finds ‘Systemic’ Failures at VA Watchdog,” USA TODAY , 05/31/16) “One of The Biggest Failures” Was That The VA IG Failed to Release an Investigative Report That Would Have Forced VA Officials to Publicly Address the Excessive Prescription of Narcotics at The Facility. One of the biggest failures identified by Senate investigators was the inspector general’s decision not to release its investigation report, which concluded two providers at the facility had been prescribing alarming levels of narcotics. The facility’s chief of staff at the time was David Houlihan, a physician veterans had nick-named ‘candy man’ because he doled out so many pills. Releasing the report would have forced VA officials to publicly address the issue and ensured follow up by the inspector general to make sure the VA took action. Instead, the inspector general’s office briefed local VA officials and closed the case.” (Donovan Slack, “Senate Investigation finds ‘Systemic’ Failures At VA Watchdog,” USA TODAY , 05/31/16) The Chief of Staff at A VA Facility Was Nick-Named “Candy Man” For Prescribing So Many Pills. “The facility’s chief of staff at the time was David Houlihan, a physician veterans had nick-named ‘candy man’ because he doled out so many pills. Releasing the report would have forced VA officials to publicly address the issue and ensured follow up by the inspector general to make sure the VA took action. Instead, the inspector general’s office briefed local VA officials and closed the case.” (Donovan Slack, “Senate Investigation finds ‘Systemic’ Failures at VA Watchdog,” USA TODAY , 05/31/16) The Investigation Raised Concerns That The VA’s Watchdog Is Able to Ensure “Adequate Health Care For Veterans Nationwide.” “A Senate investigation of poor health care at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah, Wis., found systemic failures in a VA inspector general’s review of the facility that raise questions about the internal watchdog’s ability to ensure adequate health care for veterans nationwide.” (Donovan Slack, “Senate Investigation finds ‘Systemic’ Failures at VA Watchdog,” USA TODAY , 05/31/16) According to The Report, In Three Months “The VA Investigated And Substantiated A Majority Of The Allegations That The VA OIG Could Not Substantiate After Several Years.” “‘In just three months, the VA investigated and substantiated a majority of the allegations that the VA OIG could not substantiate after several years,’ the committee report notes.” (Donovan Slack, “Senate Investigation finds ‘Systemic’ Failures at VA Watchdog,” USA TODAY , 05/31/16) AN INTERNAL VA INVESTIGATION ALSO FOUND WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS An Internal Department of Veterans Affairs Investigation Found That Schedulers Routinely Misreported When Patients Actually Wanted to See a doctor or Receive Care, Making It Impossible to Track Delays. “An internal Department of Veterans Affairs investigation found that schedulers in Texas routinely misreported when patients actually wanted to see a doctor or get some other type of care, making it impossible to track delays in the care they received.” (Will Weissert, “Internal VA Report Finds Misleading Wait Time Data in Texas,” The Associated Press , 3/10/16) The Report Tracked Problems in Clinics and Medical Facilities in Central and South Texas. “The report released Tuesday by the VA’s Office of Inspector General tracks problems in clinics and medical facilities in central and South Texas.” (Will Weissert, “Internal VA Report Finds Misleading Wait Time Data in Texas,” The Associated Press , 3/10/16) According to The Report, Schedulers Listed the First Available Date That a Patient Could Be Seen as The Date That a Patient Had Wanted to Be Seen. “According to the report, schedulers often listed the first available date that a patient could be seen as the date that a patient had wanted to be seen. This meant there was no way to track how much longer those seeking care waited to get it.” (Will Weissert, “Internal VA Report Finds Misleading Wait Time Data in Texas,” The Associated Press , 3/10/16) VA Employees Reported That They Sometimes Engaged in Misleading Scheduling at The Behest of
VA Secretary Robert McDonald: Disney doesn’t measure wait times, neither should VA
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald compared the length of time veterans’ wait to receive health care from the VA to the length of time people wait for rides at Disneyland, and said that Disney doesn’t keep track of wait times, so Veterans Affairs shouldn’t either as it’s not a valid measure of one’s overall experience. “When you got to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what’s important?” McDonald asked reporters Monday during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast. “What’s important is, what’s your satisfaction with the experience? And what I would like to move to, eventually, is that kind of measure.” The comparison brought swift disapproval from Republicans and veterans organizations alike who were none too pleased with Secretary McDonald’s analogy in light of the scandal that exploded two years ago when it was revealed that the VA was attempting to cover up long wait times. Republican Presidential front-runner Donald Trump took a moment to try to gain political traction, saying he would “take care” of America’s vets. Obama’s VA Secretary just said we shouldn’t measure wait times. Hillary says VA problems are not ‘widespread.’ I will take care of our vets! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2016 Wisconsin Republican and U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan ripped into McDonald with a series of tweets saying unlike Disneyland, the VA “is not make-believe.” This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary. Veterans have died waiting in those lines. https://t.co/OxfT3AYzTi — Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) May 23, 2016 The happiest place on earth? Secretary McDonald compares #VA lines to #Disneyland. Seriously. https://t.co/SmvIKqxGKW — Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) May 23, 2016 There’s no Fast Pass at the #VA. #Veterans seeking medical attention don’t have that luxury. https://t.co/SmvIKqxGKW — Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) May 23, 2016 Concerned Veterans for America called the remarks offensive. “It also shows that he doesn’t even view long wait times and secret wait lists as real problems in need of a fix,” said John Cooper, a spokesman for Concerned Veterans for America. “To compare veterans’ experiences waiting weeks and months for care to tourists waiting in line to see Mickey Mouse demonstrates just how out of touch the secretary is with the struggles many veterans deal with while waiting for care at the VA.” McDonald’s controversial comment was in response to a question as to why the VA won’t publish the average time a veteran has to wait from the day he or she calls and asks for an appointment, known as the “create date.” Instead, the VA publishes its average wait times based on the “preferred date,” or the day a VA scheduler actually puts an appointment time on the books. McDonald went on to explain that the “create date” was not a “valid” measure of the VA’s success.
For veterans, Birmingham ranked one of America’s worst cities
Veterans Day is just around the corner, where America will stop and salute all of those who have served proudly — our veterans. But pride and gratitude don’t change the facts on this national holiday. There are 19.3 million veterans living in the United States and close to 422,000 of them are struggling to find work. In honor of those who fought bravely in the name of American freedom, personal finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2015’s Best & Worst Cities for Veterans in order to help veterans find the most livable cities to call home. According to their study, one Alabama city ranked as one of the worst large cities in the country for veterans to live in. Birmingham ranked 85 overall, making it the 15th worst city for veterans. WalletHub analysts compared 100 of the most populated U.S. cities across 18 key metrics — including the veteran unemployment rate, housing affordability, number of homeless veterans, educational opportunities, number of veteran benefits,the availability of Veterans Affairs health facilities — to determine their rankings. Source: WalletHub As for how neighboring cities fared, Birmingham came up short — Nashville ranked 62nd, New Orleans ranked 66th and Atlanta ranked 69th. Only Memphis came up worse, ranking an abysmal 93rd.
