Department of Veterans Affairs

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Wounded Vets Assaulted by Mold—Again

Soldiers ordered not to talk about conditions at Walter Reed stand-in

(Newser) - In a replay of the scandalous conditions uncovered at Walter Reed Medical Center last year, an Oklahoma barracks that houses wounded soldiers has become infested with mold, soldiers stationed there told USA Today. Twenty soldiers stepped forward, saying they’d been ordered not to discuss conditions at Fort Sill, which...

Vets Used to Test Drugs Linked to Suicide

VA accused of treating troubled patients like 'lab rats'

(Newser) - Combat veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder were recruited for clinical trials of drugs linked to suicide and mental disorders, ABC reports. In a trial involving the smoking-cessation drug Chantix, the VA did not warn patients of the drug's serious potential side effects until 3 months after the FDA and the...

Busy Military Cemeteries Keep Customers Satisfied

1,800 vets a day are dying

(Newser) - With veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam dying at a record clip, US National Cemeteries are performing more than 100 burials a day—and often use assembly-line tactics to meet demand, AP reports. Despite the use of heavy machinery and the volume—1,800 veterans die...

VA Doctor Discouraged Post-Traumatic Diagnoses

Email urged staffers to save disability costs

(Newser) - A team leader at a veterans' medical center in Texas sent staffers an email urging them to avoid diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder, the Washington Post reports. "Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD...

US Sent 43,000 'Unfit' Troops to War

Soldiers deemed medically unfit deployed anyway

(Newser) - The US has sent more than 43,000 troops deemed medically unfit for combat to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, USA Today reports. Since 2003 soldiers deemed non-deployable by medical officers have shipped anyway, according to Pentagon documents, with unit commanders overruling doctors. “It is a consequence of the...

VA 'Lying About Vet Suicides'
VA 'Lying
About Vet
Suicides'
Apr 24, 2008 3:09 AM CDT

VA 'Lying About Vet Suicides'

It's 12,000 attempts a year, not 790, says secret email

(Newser) - A Democratic senator is calling for the resignation of the Veterans Administration mental health chief, accusing him of deliberately hiding the truth about suicide attempts among US veterans, the Dallas Morning News reports. A secret agency email put the number of suicide attempts at 12,000 a year—not the...

Military Families Sue VA Over Suicides

Agency doesn't do enough for veterans' mental health, suit says

(Newser) - Veterans Affairs hasn’t done enough to stem the “rising tide” of suicides and mental health problems, according to a class action lawsuit going to trial this week. Roughly 20% of deployed US troops are suffering from mental illness, a recent study shows, and an average of 18 kill...

Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals
Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals
Mar 11, 2008 9:05 AM CDT

Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals

Pesticides and nerve agents cause syndrome, says researcher

(Newser) - Exposure to chemicals and pesticides during the first Gulf War is the likely cause of widespread illnesses suffered by its veterans, a new study concludes. Some 250,000 veterans of the conflict—a third of the troops who served— suffer fatigue, muscle and joint pain, memory lapses, intestinal problems, and...

25% of US Homeless Are Vets
25% of US Homeless
Are Vets
Nov 8, 2007 3:42 AM CST

25% of US Homeless Are Vets

Many rocked by 'mental health toll' of service in Iraq, Afghanistan

(Newser) - Though they constitute only 11% of the population, veterans make up 25% of homeless people in the US, according to a new study by The Alliance to End Homelessness. The problem is not limited to older vets—former soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are increasingly showing up at...

Ex-Colleague Blasts VA Nominee
Ex-Colleague Blasts VA Nominee
Nov 2, 2007 3:00 PM CDT

Ex-Colleague Blasts VA Nominee

Peake's record as Army medical chief troubling, retired general says

(Newser) - Fixing the Department of Veterans Affairs’ medical system will take a leader who sees the big picture, a skill nominee James Peake doesn’t possess, an ex-colleague tells NPR. “When I tell you honestly what I think of him, I could lose my job,” said the retired general,...

Bush Nominates Doc to Head Veteran Affairs

James B. Peake would be first physician and general to hold post

(Newser) - President Bush today nominated James B. Peake, a doctor and retired Army lieutenant general, to head the Veteran Affairs department, the LA Times reports. With his medical and military backgrounds, Peake is the perfect choice to overhaul the nation’s system for treating wounded soldiers, Bush says. A major report...

'Antiquated' VA Ill Equipped to Care for Vets

Bush pledges massive overhaul, which requires major funding

(Newser) - Some 700,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are eligible for VA benefits, and overhauling the overburdened system is firmly in the sights of  President Bush and a bipartisan commission. Citing "fundamental system weaknesses," a GAO report last week outlined a huge bureaucracy rife with staffing and training shortfalls,...

Injured Veterans Sue US
Injured Veterans Sue US
Jul 24, 2007 4:53 AM CDT

Injured Veterans Sue US

Class action suit targets VA for 'shameful failures' in treatment

(Newser) - Two veterans groups representing troops who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are suing the US government for "shameful failures" in medical treatment, Reuters reports. The Department of Veterans Affairs is swamped with a backlog of 600,000 health claims and is "abandoning" soldiers returning home, the class-action...

Head of Veterans Affairs Quits
Head of Veterans Affairs Quits
Jul 17, 2007 3:47 PM CDT

Head of Veterans Affairs Quits

Secretary's short tenure long on scandals and other woes

(Newser) - The secretary of Veterans Affairs, the head of the second-biggest federal department, is stepping down and will be replaced by October 1, reports the Washington Post. For 2½ turbulent years, Jim Nicholson, a decorated Vietnam vet and former RNC chair, presided over a department beset by criticism and overwhelmed by...

Report Uncovered Walter Reed Problems in 2004

(Newser) - The mess at Walter Reed was detailed in a damning task force report in 2004, obtained by Salon, in which soldiers described their frustrations with outpatient care and bureaucratic nightmares. Not only was the report ignored, but the official who sat on it for three years is now up for...

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