VA Settles on a Single Map of the US in an Effort to Simplify the Agency

After several reports on the horrendous customer service of the Department of Veterans Affairs toward veterans in 2014, the VA is now celebrating some “good news” on that front for 2015: VA officials have settled on a single map of the United States.

Pop the Champagne for bureaucratic progress!

It should be noted, the Department currently uses at least nine maps of the US, which divides the country into dozens of regional networks and administrative duties for its hundreds of programs.

Later this year, all VA agencies will be on the same page, looking at the same map, coordinating efforts along the newly drawn five regions to allow veterans a single point of entry for a host of office offerings.

However, VA officials skimmed past specific details on what they called "the biggest organizational change in VA history," but said the work will not immediately mean cuts to the 340,000-plus workforce.

The new VA Secretary, Bob McDonald, has touted the MyVA program as an overall push to improve customer service toward veterans by trimming layers of bureaucratic waste and duplication, which has caused many a veteran headaches. 

To its credit, the program has improved signage at hospitals and given more independent authority to call center operators on veterans benefits issues. The map change, officials said, could potentially improve communication and coordination between offices that previously had little interaction, creating more one-stop shops for veterans.

But don’t hold your breath quite yet, as details on exactly how this change will all play out won’t be decided for months. (Agreeing on one map was hard enough.)

The Regional Offices, which oversee benefits processing, home loan awards, and health care services, among other items, will each have to decide how to realign their operations in light of the new map.

On a briefing call earlier this week, VA officials said the map announcement was intended to provide an update on the overall MyVA simplification efforts and to reassure veterans that work is taking place.

Secretary McDonald said in a statement that this is the "first step in empowering veterans to interact with one VA" and a way to "improve the veteran experience by enabling veterans to more easily ... access their earned care and benefits."

VA expects to have plans in place to ensure their structures are aligned within the new map by the end of June.

Read more on this story in the Military Times:

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/benefits/veterans/2015/01/26/myva-new-map-simplify-regions/22358125/

VA Research: Diabetes & TBI

Jim Fausone

Veteran Disability Attorney

VA Healthcare does a tremendous amount of research and works to get that information out into the public.

As part of an effort to inform Veterans and others about their risk for developing the disease, Timothy, of VA's Office of Research and Development, appeared on The National Defense, a syndicated radio program provided to radio stations nationwide by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

According to Dr. O'Leary, type 2 (adult onset) diabetes affects nearly 20 percent of Veterans who use VA health care, compared to about 8 percent of the general public.

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney, disease, and amputation in the United States, and that up to 80 percent of patients with diabetes will face a heart attack or stroke. Dr. O'Leary said that VA is finding that group therapy is proving to be a successful method to help people control their blood sugar levels; that using pedometers encourages physical activities to help keep diabetes under control; and that coaching and counseling is an important aspect of managing the disease.

If you are a veteran and have diabetes you should get treatment.  The VA may be able to help and you may be entitled to disability compensation.  Do not ignore this condition.

Veterans exposed to blasts may still have brain damage even if they have no symptoms, according to a study led by researchers at VA's Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) in Durham, N.C., and Duke University. The results of the study were reported on in U.S. News and World Report and a number of other publications.

The research suggested that a lack of symptoms of traumatic brain injury after a blast may not indicate the extent of brain damage caused by the blast.

In the study, researchers divided 45 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans into three groups: those who had been exposed to blasts and had symptoms of TBI; those who'd been exposed to blasts and had no TBI symptoms; and those with no blast exposure. The participants underwent scans to look for damage in the brain's white matter, as well as tests to assess their mental abilities. Veterans who were exposed to blasts but had no symptoms had brain damage similar to that seen in those with symptoms of TBI.  So this contradicts a position taken by VA Benefits that a lack of symptoms in service means no injury. 

http://www.research.va.gov/pubs/varqu/spring2014/spr14-11.cfm#3

Michigan Veterans Not Using Services

Michigan has a significant concentration of resident veterans – around 700,000.  However, in December, it was revealed that Michigan also has the lowest percentage of veterans who utilize benefits and services available to them.

According to a report released by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, only 142,260 veterans use services available to them such as health care and education resources. This number accounts for just 20% of Michigan’s veteran population.

So why aren’t more Michigan veterans taking advantage of these services and opportunities? 

The disparity can be partly attributed to poor information and lack of an organized method for distributing information about these programs.  With no central database for this information, many veterans aren’t even aware of the benefits available to them.  Additionally, the disparity is partly due to a shortage of trained and on-staff service officers necessary to meet the needs of the growing number of veterans leaving the armed forces and taking up residence in Michigan.

In an effort to increase communication and awareness of these available programs, the Veterans Affairs Agency has launched pilot programs in Wayne County and Grand Rapids.  Part of these programs include increasing staff levels to generate demand.

If you are a veteran and have questions about what benefits you are entitled to, contact the experienced professionals at Legal Help For Veterans.  Our team of lawyers and professionals are experts on veteran benefits and can help you get the help you need.  Contact us at 800-693-4800 or online at www.legalhelpforveterans.com.  

Veterans Disability Attorney Comments on Shrinking Disability Benefits Backlog

In an address to disabled veterans, President Obama announced that the backlog of disability claims was shrinking. At the Disabled American Veterans annual meeting earlier this year, Obama stated that the backlog of disability benefits claims had shrink by as much as 20 percent in the past five months. But, he conceded, a new wave of claims was coming in to the Veterans Administration. Some of those claims are from service members who served in Vietnam and are looking for care for ailments they believe stem from their decades-past exposure to Agent Orange, as well as veterans most recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and physical injuries.

"Any efforts to decrease the extensive backlog of disability claims are greatly needed and appreciated," commented James Fausone, a veterans disability attorney. "Many of the service members who have filed disability claims have been waiting for a shockingly long time just to get their claims processed, much less disbursed."

The White House is committed to boosting the amount of spending available for vet services to attend to their education and job prospects as well as the physical and mental health and homeless issues so many vets face, Obama said. There is also a push to better support additional hiring of vets at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and increase overtime pay to clear up the backlog of claims.

According to the VA, 64 percent of claims still pending are supplemental claims filed by vets asking for additional benefits. Though the sequestration cuts took effect in March 2013, veteran spending was exempted, allowing funding to go to decreasing the countless disability benefits currently backlogged at the VA.  Obama stated that Congress needed to work together to reduce the deficit and to keep the promises of support ad benefits to veterans.   

Though World War I's last U.S. veteran died more than two years ago, Obama said to the 34,000 attendees, survivor benefits are still going to the descendants of the men who fought then, and in the Spanish-American War. Benefits are even going to a Civil War veteran's daughter. Benefits will also be going to the descendants of this wave of service people. 

Source

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/us/obama-assures-disabled-veterans-they-will-get-aid.html?_r=0

Native American Veterans to Obtain Help

Brig. Gen. Carol Ann Fausone (ret.)

As I have traveled the country helping veterans, one group that is underserved are Native Americans.  My friends in western State Veterans Affairs departments have told me of the issues these Native American veterans face.  So it is with some pleasure that I learned the VA is going to focus on these veterans. 

Native Americans have the highest rates of enlistment into the armed services and that there are well over 500 sovereign tribes. The VA has initiatives  such as the 2010 VA-IHS Memorandum of Understanding in which the VA and Indian Health Service (IHS); the 2011 Tribal Consultation Policy in which the VA continues their discussion with tribes; and the 2012 Reimbursement Agreement, in which the VA more easily reimburses IHS facilities for the benefit of Native vets.

No veteran should be left behind.  Our Native American veterans deserve all the benefits to which they are entitled.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/07/04/veteran-affairs-expanding-access-and-visibility-native-vets-150277

VA Accused of Hiding Veteran Health Data

Jim Fausone

Veteran Advocate

  

A scientist is alleging that the Department of Veterans’ Affairs is hiding data.

According to a scientist for the VA, the agency’s Office of Public Health has been hiding research which indicated that vets have been affected by exposure to toxins since the Persian Gulf War.

Steven Coughlin quit working at the VA in late 2012 due to what he called “serious ethical concerns.” He testified to the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations that the VA's public health office is invested in hiding evidence of illnesses attributed to the Gulf War. Evidence that has been released, alleges Coughlin, has been recalibrated to look "unintelligible.” He also said that his office did not release their findings as part of a study which cost as much as $10 million and which found exposure to oil well fires, pesticides and other toxins for as many as 60,000 Iraq and Afghan war veterans.

Coughlin also stated that a study which was congressionally mandated regarding Gulf War vets and family was not released, and alleges that he was told the results of the study were "permanently lost.” He said that research which points to Gulf War illnesses as neurological was unlikely to be released, and that one of his supervisors threatened to retaliate against Coughlin when he did not want to intentionally leave out data.

The chief of the VA’s public health and environmental hazards office, Victoria Davey, has stated that her office maintains strict analysis and publishing guidelines, but she did not address directly the allegations made by Coughlin. The VA has issued a statement that the VA Office of Research Oversight will be reviewing the claims put forth by Coughlin, and that they took every opportunity to seriously and fully pursue allegations of malfeasance.

Coughlin's claim includes allegations that he was told to not examine data on the number and type of medical visits and hospitalizations as part of his research on burn pits and health issues among troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraq and Afghanistan war vets reported a number of debilitating respiratory issues many believe may be the result of inhaling trash burn pit smoke located in combat zones. Coughlin stated that he was threatened after informing his supervisor that he would not continue his research project with redacted information.

Gulf War vets returned to the States after 1991, and have reported numerous medical issues. While the VA has recognized some medical issues as the result of Gulf War service, many vets have been told their medical issues are psychologically based.  The VA formally recognized nine illnesses resulting from Gulf War service in 2010.

The VA has spent an estimated $120 million on research since 2002 to determine the origins of Gulf War illnesses, but some researchers allege that a portion of the funds never made it to back the research. They also allege that ten million dollars from the fund went to the “Gulf War Biorepository Trust,” a brain bank for vets with ALS. But of the 60 brains in the bank, all but one was from older vets, not ones who served in the Gulf War.

Source

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/03/14/whistleblower-va-hiding-veteran-health-data.html?col=7000023435630&comp=7000023435630&rank=1

New Bill to Support Post-9/11 Vets

Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer
  

The House of Representatives has passed HR 4057, a new bill designed to help student veterans. HR 4057 will allow post-9/11 student vets one comprehensive place online to find information about their applications for various colleges and institutions, and track any issues that may arise. The bill instructs the Veterans Administration to launch a website for this purpose and also to offer educational counseling to the student vets.

The bill will include education counseling, extensive information about schools, programs, financing, school retention and graduation rates, transfer credit opportunities, and what academic, technical and support services are available to them. The overall plan to make the Post-9/11 GI Bill easily accessible to all who qualify for it.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill includes education and housing financial support for military personnel with 90 or more days of service after September 10, 2001, and for individuals who were discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. Students must have been honorably discharge in order to receive the benefit the benefit covers as much as 36 months of expenses if they are education-related and approved, and can be used as late as 15 years after active duty has ended.

Another veterans-based bill sent to the President is the Dignified Burial and other Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2012, which allows provisions for burials for veterans who leave behind few or no resources and no family members to oversee their burial. The bill includes instruction for a registry which would track the service-related symptoms and illnesses of vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who were exposed to toxic contaminants.

Both bills have been designed to provide support for veterans, from educational opportunities to comprehensive civilian transition programs to services that allow them burial with dignity.

The Dignity bill authorizes the VA to: provide a casket or urn, if needed; follow the wishes of next of kin regarding the funeral or memorial service; claim unclaimed or abandoned veteran remains for proper burial; use $5 million for a military cemetery in the Philippines; and establish an "open burn pit registry" to track vets who were exposed to probable toxic materials from Middle East open burn pits, and track their ongoing health concerns and explore treatment options.  Additionally, the bill authorizes the VA to provide transportation of vets to and/or from counseling, vocational and rehabilitation treatment and care.

Source

http://www.gop.gov/bill/112/2/s3202

 

Hearing & Tinnitus

Jim Fausone

Veteran Disability Lawyer

We receive hundreds of emails a month from veterans, many of them claim hearing loss or tinnitus (ringing).  The problem is always connecting the disability to service.  VA traditionally looks only to certain types of jobs or combat status as contributing to hearing loss or tinnitus. 

Among veterans, tinnitus and hearing loss are the most common service-connected disabilities, with more than 1.5 million veterans receiving compensation for those problems at the end of 2011. Of about 805,000 veterans who began receiving disability compensation that year, nearly 148,000 were for tinnitus or hearing loss, according to a recent VA report. By comparison, the next most prevalent disability was post-traumatic stress disorder, for which about 42,700 veterans began receiving compensation in 2011.

The VA, which has become the nation’s largest consumer of hearing aids in recent years as policy changes have allowed it to provide devices to nearly every veteran who needs them at little or no cost.  The VA is recognizing that multiple military occupations may result in hearing loss, not just the most obvious.  The advice to veterans is to continue to push for these disabilities even if the VA initial denies the claim.  An excellent article on the problem is in Stars and Stripes.

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/veterans-quietly-manage-ear-pain-1.203470