Friday, June 27, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
US Senate passes veterans health package
Senate veterans affairs committee chairman Bernie Sanders sponsored the bill
The US Senate has passed a bill aimed at addressing the problems that have engulfed the nation's overwhelmed veterans healthcare system.
The bill would allow former soldiers enduring long waits for care to seek medical help from private providers and other government healthcare programmes.
A similar bill unanimously passed the Republican-led House of Representatives on Tuesday.
President Barack Obama has backed the Senate bill, which passed 93-3.
"The cost of war does not end when the last shots are fired and the last missiles are launched," Senate veterans affairs committee chairman Bernie Sanders told US media.
"The cost of war continues until the last veteran receives the care and the benefits that he or she is entitled to and has earned on the battlefield."
Criminal investigation
The Senate bill, sponsored by Mr Sanders, an independent, and Republican Senator John McCain, would authorise nearly $35bn (£21bn) in funding over three years for veterans' care.
The legislation also calls for the hiring of hundreds of doctors and nurses and provides for leases for 26 new health facilities in 17 states and the US territory of Puerto Rico.
A recent Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) audit has revealed more than 57,000 veterans had to wait three months or more for initial healthcare appointments.
An additional 64,000 veterans who requested appointments over the last 10 years never received them.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has initiated a criminal investigation of the VA.
It comes after a national uproar over allegations in April that as many as 40 veterans may have died while waiting an average 115 days for appointments at a Phoenix VA hospital or its walk-in clinics.
Since then, investigators have found long wait times and falsified records at other VA facilities nationwide.
Veterans Affairs chief Eric Shinseki resigned in late May amid the scandal, after a damning internal VA investigation uncovered "systemic" problems in delivering care to veterans across the country.
FBI TO Investigate VA Deaths For Bonuses
FBI Director James Comey confirmed Wednesday that his agency's Phoenix office is investigating criminal allegations within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Comey made his comments before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, where he said the FBI was initiating the investigation in Phoenix but will "follow wherever the facts take us."
The VA has confirmed whistle-blowers' allegations that at least 18 Arizona veterans died while awaiting care in the Phoenix VA Health Care System and that patient-wait times were manipulated for staff to receive financial bonuses.
The inspector general said in a report last month that 1,700 veterans seeking treatment at the Phoenix VA hospital were "at risk of being lost or forgotten." The VA has confirmed that at least 35 veterans died while awaiting treatment in Phoenix although officials say they do not know whether the deaths were related to long waiting times for appointments.
An audit of VA facilities nationwide confirmed similar allegations in other states. The scandal has prompted the resignations of two top VA officials, and termination actions have been against several administrators including the former Phoenix VA director.
The Senate passed legislation Wednesday to allow veterans to seek care outside the VA system and allocate money to hire more VA medical staff. The House passed a similar measure Tuesday that also would ban all VA staff bonuses through 2016.
The VA's Office of Inspector General previously had indicated that its investigators found evidence of actions that could constitute criminal activity and that it had requested assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice. While it is unclear what role the FBI is playing — Comey would not elaborate on his remarks — recent IG reports indicated that VA administrative actions in Phoenix required deeper investigation.
Comey said the inquiry began in Phoenix because that is where the original allegations were made.
He did not elaborate on the investigation, but a Justice Department official said Wednesday that the department had formally asked the FBI to investigate allegations related to the VA. The official, who said the FBI would review materials provided by the inspector general's office, spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation on the record.
Perryn Collier, a spokesman for the Phoenix FBI office, did not respond to requests for comment.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was among numerous members of Congress to call for a criminal investigation of the VA.
Richard Griffin, the VA's acting inspector general, issued a scathing report last month that confirmed allegations of excessive waiting time at VA hospitals and inappropriate scheduling practices. He recently told lawmakers his investigators were probing for wrongdoing at 69 agency medical facilities, up from 42 two weeks earlier.
The VA, which serves almost 9 million veterans, has been reeling from mounting evidence that workers falsified reports on wait times for medical appointments in an effort to mask frequent, long delays. An internal audit released this week showed that more than 57,000 new applicants for care have had to wait at least three months for initial appointments and an additional 64,000 newly enrolled vets who requested appointments never got them.
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned May 30, but the situation remains a continuing embarrassment for Obama and a potential political liability for congressional Democrats seeking re-election in November.
Monday, June 9, 2014
VA investigation finds 120,000 vets on wait list
VA investigation finds 120,000 vets are waiting for their first medical visits
VA backlog: 57,000 veterans have been on VA waiting lists for 90 days or more, and another 64,000 vets never even got onto the waiting list, says a new audit of the Veterans Administration health care system.
This April 28, 2014 file photos shows the Phoenix VA Health Care Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Ross D. Franklin/AP/File
More than 57,000 US military veterans have been waiting for 90 days or more for their initial medical appointments, the Veterans Affairs Department said in a wide-ranging audit released Monday. An additional 64,000 who enrolled for VA health care over the past decade have never been seen by a doctor, according to the audit....The audit is the first nationwide look at America's biggest medical network in the uproar that began with reports two months ago of patients dying while awaiting appointments and of cover-ups at a VA center in Arizona. Examining 731 VA hospitals and large outpatient clinics, the audit found long wait times across the US for patients seeking their first appointments with both primary care doctors and specialists.
At a Monday evening hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Richard Griffin, the VA's acting inspector general, said he was investigating 69 agency medical facilities nationwide for possible wrongdoing, up from 42 two weeks ago.
The controversy over veterans' care could provide Republicans with an issue to criticize Democrats ahead of congressional elections in November. It is also a headache for President Barack Obama, who had to accept the resignation of the Veterans Affairs secretary, Eric Shinseki, on May 30 and is actively seeking someone to replace him after the leading candidate pulled out, citing the prospect of a bitter confirmation hearing.
Shinseki, a former general, took the blame for what he decried as a "lack of integrity" in the sprawling system providing health care to US military veterans.
The audit said a 14-day target for waiting times was "not attainable," given growing demand for VA services and poor planning. It called the 2011 decision by senior VA officials setting it, and then basing bonuses on meeting the target, "an organizational leadership failure."
The audit said 13 percent of VA schedulers reported getting instructions from supervisors or others to falsify appointment dates in order to meet on-time performance goals.
Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said the audit showed "systemic problems" that demand immediate action. VA officials have contacted 50,000 veterans across the US to get them off waiting lists and into clinics, Gibson said, and are in the process of contacting an additional 40,000 veterans.
A previous inspector general's investigation into the troubled Phoenix VA Health Care System found that about 1,700 veterans in need of care were "at risk of being lost or forgotten" after being kept off an official, electronic waiting list.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
VA News Release: More Spin?
Recent VA News Releases
To view and download VA news releases, please visit the following Internet address:
Acting Secretary Gibson Holds First Meeting with VSOs, Follows Through on Top IG Recommendation
VA Contacts All Phoenix Veterans Identified in Interim Report, Will Announce Additional Actions This Thursday in Phoenix
WASHINGTON (June 4, 2014)– At his first meeting with the leadership of Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) as Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Sloan Gibson today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has reached out to all Phoenix Veterans identified in the recent VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) interim report.
During a breakfast discussion with the American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Vietnam Veterans of America, Acting Secretary Gibson outlined immediate steps taken to respond to the interim report, including announcing travel this Thursday to the Phoenix VA Health Care System.
“No Veteran should have to wait for the quality health care they have earned and deserve. The Inspector General confirmed we have real issues when it comes to patient scheduling and access, and we have moved immediately to address those issues in Phoenix,” said Acting Secretary Gibson. “The Department has now reached out to every Veteran identified by the OIG to discuss individual medical needs and immediately begin scheduling appointments. Getting this right is our top priority, and taking care of the Veterans in Phoenix is a good place to start. The Department will also continue reaching out to Veterans nationwide to accelerate their access to care, and that is the message I intend to deliver in Phoenix, and across the country.”
Last week, OIG released an interim report on patient scheduling and access identifying approximately 1,700 Veterans in Phoenix, Ariz., awaiting health care who were not currently in the scheduling system. After accounting for duplicates and those Veterans who declined to provide contact information, VA called all 1,586 individual Veterans identified by the OIG as of 6:00 pm on Friday, May 30. For those Veterans that VA could not reach after several attempts or who had not provided phone details, VA sent letters via US Mail. VA identified that roughly 725 Veterans of the 1,700 identified by the OIG wanted care within 30 days.
VA will schedule all Veterans requesting care at the Phoenix VA Health Care System. If the Phoenix VA Health Care System is not able to promptly provide care using VA providers, VA will identify providers in the community through the VA’s non-VA care program.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Heroes Sacrifice Lives For Bergdahl In Vain?
Hero: Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews died in a Taliban ambush on Sept 4, 2009, after he tried to save colleagues who had been injured in an IED explosion. Top brass had told his parents that he died searching a Taliban commander. Now former comrades have come forward to say they were really looking for Bergdahl
EXCLUSIVE - 'A cover up just like Benghazi': Outraged parents of officer who died hunting for 'deserter' POW Bergdahl lash out at Obama over 'LIES' they were told about how their hero son died
- Lt Darryn Andrews, from Dallas, Texas, died at the age of 34 on Sept 4, 2009 during his second tour of Afghanistan
- Top brass told his parents, Sondra and Andy, that he had been looking for a top Taliban commander
- But former comrades have now claimed the truth is that he was looking for Bowe Bergdahl
- Said to be one of six soldiers who died looking for the POW
- Father said: 'For his family it’s good to get him back but we will never be able to get our son back because of the actions of this guy'
- Lt Andrews' parents revealed their son thought Bergdahl was a 'deserter'
- Lt Andrews was posthumously given a silver star for his bravery
- At time of his death his wife Julie, 30, had already given birth to their son, six. Their daughter was born three-and-a-half months after he died
- Father Andy against trade with terrorists
- The Facebook group 'Bowe Bergdahl is NOT hero!' has 5,400 members
- Bergdahl e-mailed his parents saying he 'was ashamed to be an American'
The furious parents of an officer who they claim was killed while searching for freed Taliban prisoner Bowe Bergdahl today said that they have been lied to as part of a ‘cover up just like Benghazi’.
The mother and father of Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews are angry that they have been told different stories about how their son died.
First his commanders said that their son was blown up while hunting a Taliban commander - but only now that Bergdahl has been freed after five years in captivity are they learning the truth.
Hero: Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews died in a Taliban ambush on Sept 4, 2009, after he tried to save colleagues who had been injured in an IED explosion. Top brass had told his parents that he died searching a Taliban commander. Now former comrades have come forward to say they were really looking for Bergdahl
Cover-up: Mr Andrews claimed soldiers said they had 'to sign a letter saying that they would not discuss this', but now they have approached the family to tell the 'truth'. He added: 'I have no way of proving that apart from what they said. We cannot tell you how devastated we are that the government would do this. They lied to us'
Fury: ‘It’s a big cover-up like Benghazi, just like everything Obama has done. We want the truth to come out’
Family man: At the time of his death Lt Andrews had a young son and his wife Julie gave birth to their daughter three months after the attack that took his life
Lt Andrews’ parents told MailOnline that their own son branded Bergdahl a ‘deserter’ before he was killed.
In an exclusive interview his father Andy Andrews told MailOnline: ‘For his family it’s good to get him back but we will never be able to get our son back because of the actions of this guy (Bergdahl).
‘I think people need to be aware that the guy was not a hero and American lives have been lost trying to save this deserter’.
Lt Andrews was one of six men who died while apparently searching for Bergdahl, who is said to have voluntarily left his post in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.
His release was brokered with the Taliban in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees and has ignited fury among many whose lives were changed forever as a result.
‘It’s a big cover-up like Benghazi, just like everything Obama has done. We want the truth to come out’
- Andrew Andrews
During the months-long hunt for him vital resources were re-deployed to help with the hunt and scarce surveillance drones and helicopters were assigned to the task instead of other duties.
Former colleagues of Bergdahl claim that this put them at risk - and led to lives being lost.
What is undisputed is that Lt Andrews, who was from Dallas, Texas, died at the age of 34 on September 4, 2009 while serving with the 25th Infantry Division on his second tour of Afghanistan.
At the time his family say they were told that his men were hunting a Taliban commander and that the truck at the front of their group ended in a hole after being hit by an Improvised Explosive Device.
As the men got out to try and move the truck, a Taliban fighter with a rocket propelled grenade emerged and fired at them.
Lt Andrews was the only one to see it and tackled three of his men to prevent them being hit. He took a direct hit and died.
No hero: Lt Andrews' parents revealed that their son told them before he died that he thought Bergdahl was a 'deserter'
Desertion charge for Bowe Bergdahl?
Gen. Dempsey: Army may still pursue desertion charge for Bowe Bergdahl
Joint Chiefs chairman says Army might prosecute Bergdahl
Army may consider desertion charges against Bergdahl
Is Bergdahl a hero or deserter? Army investigating
The Army may consider pursuing an investigation of possible charges of desertion or other violations by Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was freed Saturday after nearly five years in Taliban custody, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.
Army Gen. Martin Dempsey noted that U.S. military leaders "have been accused of looking away from misconduct.” Dempsey said that was "premature" in the case of Bergdahl, who has been accused of desertion by former members of his unit in Afghanistan for abandoning his post during a combat deployment.
The remarks, in a telephone interview with the Associated Press, were Dempsey’s first public comment on Bergdahl since he was freed Saturday in exchange for the transfer to Qatar of five Taliban commanders held at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In a separate posting on Facebook, Dempsey said of Bergdahl:
"Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty. Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred."
Any decision on disciplinary measures will be up to the Army, Dempsey said in the interview. He said he does not want to pre-judge Bergdahl or say anything that might influence Army commanders.
In the Facebook post, Dempsey said in response to "those of you interested in my personal judgments about the recovery of SGT. Bowe Bergdahl, the questions about this particular soldier’s conduct are separate from our effort to recover ANY U.S. service member in enemy captivity."
He added: "This was likely the last, best opportunity to free him."
Several members of Congress have criticized the prisoner swap, described as a "transfer" by the Obama administration. Critics said the administration caved in to Taliban demands and raised the ransom price for any future U.S. service member captured by insurgents, and also failed to properly notify Congress of prisoner releases.
Dempsey said he had not spoken to Bergdahl or his parents since the soldier’s release. The military is expected to learn more about the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance and captivity by questioning him.
He is undergoing evaluation at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, and has not had direct contact with his parents in Idaho.
Bergdahl, 28, left a small observation post in eastern Afghanistan in the early morning hours of June 30, 2009, without informing anyone, three former members of his 30-man platoon said in interviews Monday. In his one-man tent, they said, they found Berghdahl’s rifle, helmet, body armor, night-vision goggles and other gear neatly stacked.
The former soldiers said Bergdahl had expressed disillusionment with the way the Army was conducting the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan and had made off-hand comments about walking into the mountains or walking to India.
Calling Bergdahl a deserter, the soldiers said he should be held accountable for possible violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. They contended that several U.S. service members died in direct or indirect connection with the massive 90-day search for the missing sergeant.
The Pentagon has not confirmed that any deaths were related to the search for Bergdahl.
In the Facebook post, Dempsey said: "I want to thank those who for almost five years worked to find him, prepared to rescue him, and ultimately put themselves at risk to recover him."
Dempsey said in the interview that Bergdahl, a private, who was promoted to sergeant during his captivity, will no longer be automatically promoted to staff sergeant because he is now free.
Soldiers missing in action are normally promoted on the same schedule as their peers. But for Bergdahl, "his status has now changed, and therefore the requirements for promotion are more consistent with normal duty status," Dempsey said.
Bergdahl could face court-martial if the Army uncovers sufficient evidence of desertion, said Eugene Fidell, who teaches military law at Yale Law School. The Army might also decide to separate Bergdahl from the service through administrative procedures.
Any physical or psychological trauma could make Bergdahl unfit for continued service, Fidell said. If so, the Army would likely begin the process of arranging for retirement, medical care and other benefits.
Because the U.S. is not formally at war with the Taliban — Congress authorized military force against terrorists — a soldier serving in Afghanistan would not face the death penalty if convicted of desertion, Fidell said. The maximum penalty under these circumstances is five years in prison and a dishonorable discharge for "intent to avoid hazardous duty or shirk important service," Fidell said.
The maximum penalty for a soldier absent without leave for less than 30 days is six months in prison. The penalty is one year in jail (or 18 months if the soldier has to be apprehended) and a dishonorable discharge for AW0L more than 30 days Fidell said.
Fidell said the military may decide that, regardless of any offenses Bergdahl may have committed, he suffered nearly five years in enemy custody and should not be punished further.
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