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- VA Care Impact on Medicare Coverage ► None
- VA Annual Income Reporting ► Requirement Eliminated
- VA Advance Funding Update 05 ► Shinseki | Will not Solve Problems
- Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki
- VA Birth ► Public Law 100-527
- President Ronald Reagan signing Public Law 100-527, the Department of Veterans Affairs Act, into law.
- VA SAH Update 08 ► ALS Vets Now Presumed Eligible
- Vet Toxic ExposureMosul Update 01 ► Make Constrictive Bronchiolitis SC
- Burn Pit Toxic Exposure Update 28 ► Registry Deadline Exceeded
- VA Lawsuit Legionella ► Edward Stockley
"Asked about VA’s reported admission at the briefing that some veterans had killed themselves, the agency declined to comment on the record. Instead, its press office provided IBTimes with the results of an unrelated OPH study in which there were no proven suicides." (Jamie Reno, “Department Of Veterans Affairs And Congress Clash Over Suicide Charges,” International Business Times, 2/27/14)
“Petzel would not comment on the former employee’s claims of being fired for exposing the alleged practice of dumping records.” (Leo Shane, “Top VA health official denies dumping patient records,” Military Times, 2/26/2014) “VA did not return repeated requests for comment. The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System did not return a request for comment and for an interview with Dr. El-Saden.” (Patrick Howley, “Department of Veterans Affairs employees destroyed veterans’ medical records to cancel backlogged exam requests” The Daily Caller, 2/24/2014)
“The Pittsburgh VA, which refused comment for this story, had previously conceded that five other veterans had probably or definitely contracted Legionnaires' disease during stays in VA buildings before they died in 2011 and 2012.” (Sean Hamill, “6th Legionnaires' victim ‘probably’ contracted disease at VA hospital,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2/23/2014) "The VA got back to ABC11 with a response to a request for an interview. The statement read, "VA takes seriously its obligation to properly safeguard any personal information within our possession. VA has in place a strong, multi-layered defense to combat evolving cyber security threats. The statement did not say anything about the report ABC11 was asking about." (Jon Camp, “Department of Veterans Affairs was warned privacy breach was practically unavoidable,” ABC Raleigh, 2/21/14) “The VA is not commenting on Miller's letter or the department's decision to bar employees from talking the Legion representatives.” (Bryant Jordan, “Lawmaker Says VA Obstructed Legion Quality Review,” Military.com, 2/21/2014) For additional instances refer to http://veterans.house.gov/VAHonestyProject. [Source: http://veterans.house.gov/VAHonestyProject Mar 2014 ++] ******************************** VA Care Impact on Medicare Coverage ► None To qualify for Medicare, it involves how long you have worked and paid Social Security and Medicare taxes from your payroll check. One has to work only 10 years or 40 quarters to qualify for Medicare Part A at no cost. You have to enroll in Part B which has a premium of $104.90/monthly for 2014 this year. Being a Veteran and using a VA facility does not disqualify anyone from enrolling in and using Medicare. In fact, VA encourages Veterans to enroll in Part B, the medical/doctor part of Medicare. Granted you do not need Part B to receive medical care from the VA, but if you go outside of the VA for any medical treatment you do need Part B. For example, you might be ambulanced to another hospital that is not a VA facility for a medical emergency or you may need to go to a cancer center like MD Anderson for treatment where you will have to pay 100% of the medical charges without Part B. For care not received at the VA Part B covers 80% of the cost of all of your outpatient needs, doctor services such as office visits and even surgery, MRIs, chemotherapy and the list can go on. Without Medicare Part B, a veteran’s liability could be in the $1,000s or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Those who do not enroll in Part B when they are first eligible for Medicare and not working, must pay a “late enrollment” penalty of 10% for each full 12-month period that they could have had Part B, but did not sign up for it. For example, if you waited 55 months which is four full 12-month periods, then the Part B penalty is an additional 40% added to the current Part B premium ($164.50 monthly for 2014) for as long as you have Medicare. Not enrolling in Part D (Medicare Prescription Drug plan) is another story. Medicare considers the VA credible coverage and when you enroll in Part D at a later date, you do not get the late enrollment penalty and … guess what … no Part D donut hole! [Source: Deer Park Broadcaster | Toni King | 22 Mar 2014 ++] ******************************** VA Annual Income Reporting ► Requirement Eliminated The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is eliminating the annual requirement for most Veterans enrolled in VA’s health care system to report income information beginning in March 2014. Instead, VA will automatically match income information obtained from the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. “Eliminating the requirement for annual income reporting makes our health care benefits easier for Veterans to obtain,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This change will reduce the burden on Veterans, improve customer service and make it much easier for Veterans to keep their health care eligibility up-to-date.” Some Veterans applying for enrollment for the first time are still required to submit income information. There is no change in VA’s long-standing policy to provide no-cost care to indigent Veterans, Veterans with catastrophic medical conditions, Veterans with a disability rating of 50 percent or higher, or for conditions that are officially rated as “service-connected.” VA encourages Veterans to continue to use the health benefits renewal form to report changes in their personal information, such as address, phone numbers, dependents, next of kin, income and health insurance. For more information, visit www.va.gov/healthbenefits/cost or call VA toll-free at 1-877-222-VETS (8387). [Source: VA News Release 24 Mar 2014 ++] ******************************** VA Advance Funding Update 05 ► Shinseki | Will not Solve Problems Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on 12 MAR told a Senate panel that advance funding for all VA operations would not solve all the department problems in the event of another government shutdown. Shinseki told lawmakers previously that he could not say whether advance funding – which the VA now gets for health care programs – would be a good idea. He told the House Veterans Affairs Committee last year the administration would have to look at the impact on other federal departments. On 12 MAR he told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that advance funding has worked out for VA patients and employees and would seem “to make sense for our other accounts [operations].” But then he indicated that advance funding probably would not help since other agencies that the VA must deal with do not have the same kind of protection. “In the case of veteran benefits, we can’t process a claim within our own confines,” he said. “To process a claim, we have to go to Social Security to validate other disabilities, go to the IRS to validate ... threshold income requirements. We deal with [the Defense Department]. We deal with the Department of Education [for] the GI Bill, the Department of Labor on employability issues. The best way for us to be meeting our full mission would be to have a budget for the federal government every year,” he said. “That would make all of our work much easier.” 
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki Advance appropriation for the entire VA has been backed by veterans groups and many in Congress for several years. And that support became stronger late last year when the government shutdown nearly caused the interruption of VA disability and pension checks from going out. Currently, these programs are considered discretionary. The VA leadership’s appearance before the Senate panel on Wednesday came four hours after the same lawmakers, along with their House of Representatives counterparts, convened a hearing with members of several veterans and military service advocacy groups. While there were some differences among the priorities stated by the advocacy groups, most were in agreement on one recommendation -- expanding advance year funding to all VA programs, and not only health care. Also Wednesday, the VA told senators that it anticipates treating more veterans with traumatic brain injury in coming years but at less cost, an expectation reflected in a proposed 2015 budget that sees TBI funding reduced from $232 billion to $229 billion. Dr. Robert Petzel, under secretary for health at the VA, said actual spending on serious TBI cases has gone down slightly in the past few years, even though the VA had budgeted for increases. And the department expects the decrease to continue. “We’ve had an almost 70 percent decline in the number of severely injured traumatic brain injured patients going into our polytrauma centers,” he said. “The number of people with mild or moderate TBI has continued to increase. The cost of taking care of those people is much, much less than it is providing care for the patients that end up in our polytrauma program. He also said that much of the care for mild to moderate TBI patients comes out of other parts of the budget, which are seeing increases. This includes budgeting for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems, such as depression. Petzel explained the lower budgeting for TBI during a hearing on the VA’s 2015 budget before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. The VA is seeking $164 billion next year, including $68.4 billion for healthcare spending and $95.6 billion for disability compensation, pensions and other mandatory programs. The budget also includes more money aimed at bringing down the controversial disability claims backlog and ending chronic veteran homelessness – two goals set by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki when he took over the job in 2009. Both goals are supposed to be met by the end of 2015. Shinseki told Senators that the department has reduced its backlog by 40 percent and has an accuracy rate of better than 90 percent among claims it has processed – contentions that even veterans groups supportive of the VA have questioned. Members of the Senate panel did not dispute the claims, though that may be owed to the fact ranking member Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) was absent from the hearing. Burr has previously questioned the VA’s numbers. Shinseki told the Senators that before he took over the VA in 2009 there was no such thing as a backlog – defined now as an initial claim that has not been adjudicated within 125 days. “Five years ago we had no standard,” he said. “We established one and have not changed it.” [Source: Military.com | Bryant Jordan | 13 Mar 2014 ******************************** VA Birth ► Public Law 100-527 In 1930, President Herbert Hoover created the Veterans Administration by consolidating three existent organizations - the U.S. Veterans Bureau, the National Homes for Disabled Soldiers, and the Bureau of Pensions-into an organization of 54 hospitals, 31,600 employees and 4.7 million Veterans, many of whom had served in World War I, others who had fought in the Spanish-American War, and some even in the Civil War. Nearly 60 years later, President Ronald Reagan signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 1988, elevating the former administration to a cabinet-level department. President Reagan explained, then, that the "bill gives those who have borne America's battles, who have defended the borders of freedom, who have protected our Nation's security in war and in peace-it gives them what they have deserved for so long: a seat at the table in our national affairs." On March 15, VA celebrated the 25th anniversary of President Reagan's executive action. This year's celebration coincided with their ongoing commemoration of the American Civil War-the most divisive and devastating conflict in our nation's history. President Abraham Lincoln's charge to all Americans in 1865 has defined America's covenant with its Veterans - "to care for [those] who shall have borne the battle, and for [their families and survivors]." 
President Ronald Reagan signing Public Law 100-527, the Department of Veterans Affairs Act, into law. Today, VA operates 151 medical centers, 135 community living centers, 103 residential rehabilitation treatment programs, 820 community-based outpatient clinics, 300 Vet Centers, 70 mobile Vet Centers, 56 benefits Regional Offices, and 131 national cemeteries. They keep faith with Lincoln’s covenant by serving those whose lifetimes connect us through the centuries—from the last surviving child of a Civil War Veteran, to those of the Spanish-American War, to the families of World War I, to the “lions” of our greatest generation, to the youngest Veterans of our latest generation. [Source: Vantage Point | Eric K. Shinseki | 14 Mar 2014 ++] ******************************** VA SAH Update 08 ► ALS Vets Now Presumed Eligible Veterans and active-duty military personnel with service-connected amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, are now presumed medically eligible for grants up to almost $68,000 to adapt their homes, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today. "VA is committed to eliminating barriers that keep Veterans and Servicemembers from the benefits they have earned," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "This change will make it easier for some of our most severely impaired Veterans to receive speedy assistance adapting their homes to their unique needs. " The change affects recipients of VA's specially adapted housing grants, which helps pay for the costs for building, buying or adapting a home, up to a maximum of $67,555. Under the change, Veterans and Servicemembers with service-connected ALS will be determined medically eligible for the maximum grant. The program provides grants to eligible service-connected disabled Veterans and Servicemembers to construct or modify a home to meet their unique housing needs. Grants are also available to help eligible individuals purchase adapted homes or pay down mortgages on homes that are already adapted. VA estimates this change will save approximately 12 months in the overall process of a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant. "This change automates and shortens our SAH grant delivery process for Veterans and Servicemembers living with ALS,' said Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey. "SAH is an important benefit giving beneficiaries the ability to adapt their homes and create a barrier free living environment- expanding their independence in their own homes." In 2008, VA established a presumption of service connection for ALS for any Veteran who develops the disease at any time after separation from service, making them eligible for monthly VA disability compensation benefits. VA amended its disability rating scale in January 2012, to assign a I 00-percent disability evaluation for any Veteran who has service-connected ALS. ALS is a rapidly progressive, totally debilitating, and irreversible motor neuron disease that results in muscle weakness leading to a wide range of serious disabilities, including impaired mobility. VA adapted its rules so Veterans with service-connected ALS no longer have to file multiple claims with VA for increased benefits as their condition progresses. Prior to the new SAH regulatory change, many Veterans and Servicemembers who were rated by VA for service connected ALS, but who did not yet have symptoms debilitating enough to affect their mobility to the degree required for SAH grant eligibility, were unable to begin the process of modifying their homes to accommodate their often rapidly progressing conditions. VA’s SAH program provides grants to eligible service-connected disabled Veterans and Servicemembers for the purpose of constructing or modifying a home to meet their unique housing needs. The ultimate goal of the program is to provide a barrier-free living environment that affords a level of independent living that the Veteran or Servicemember may not otherwise enjoy. Visit http://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/adaptedhousing.asp for more information, [Source: VA News Release 19 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Vet Toxic Exposure~Mosul Update 01► Make Constrictive Bronchiolitis SC Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) wants the Veterans Affairs Department to make a rare lung disease found in some Iraq and Afghanistan veterans service-connected, meaning having the condition automatically would rate compensation and care from VA. Rep. Bishop wrote VA Secretary Eric Shinseki on 12 MAR urging him to designate constrictive bronchiolitis a service-connected condition. The Social Security Administration in 2012 added the condition to its “compassionate allowances” list, meaning it is among conditions expedited through the claims process because they are “so serious they obviously meet disability standards,” according to the administration. “I commend the Social Security Administration for making it a little easier for our nation’s veterans to access the benefits they have earned through their service; it is now time for the Veterans Administration to do the same,” Bishop said. Constrictive bronchiolitis, also called obliterative bronchiolitis or bronchiolitis obliterans, is characterized by the narrowing or obstruction of the lung’s smallest airways, the bronchioles, by scarring or fibrous tissue. At least 38 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, including a number exposed to fumes from a sulfur mine fire near Mosul, Iraq, in 2003, have been definitively diagnosed with constrictive bronchiolitis. But more could have the disease. Since diagnosis only can be confirmed by a surgical lung biopsy, which many military physicians believe is too invasive, and the illness bears similarities to other conditions like asthma and exercise-induced bronchospasms, determining its prevalence among troops has been difficult. Some veterans experiencing respiratory problems following combat deployments blame the military’s use of open-air burn pits. The pits operated around the clock and were used to incinerate waste ranging from plastics and Styrofoam to batteries, body parts, ordnance and petroleum products, according to military sources. Citing studies including a 2011 one by the Institute of Medicine that concluded there is not enough evidence to link burn pits with troops’ respiratory problems, the VA remains firm that burn-pit use did not result in long-term health problems. Under a congressional mandate, however, it is developing a registry for veterans exposed to burn-pit fumes and other airborne hazards to document their exposure and health issues. Legislation requiring VA to establish a registry was signed in January 2013 but VA is months late in implementing a plan. [Source: ArmyTimes | Patricia Kime | 21 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Burn Pit Toxic Exposure Update 28 ► Registry Deadline Exceeded Two U.S. senators insisted 18 MAR that Veterans Affairs Secretary Erik Shinseki reveal why his agency is nearly three months late in creating a legally-mandated registry of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans potentially poisoned — some lethally — by exposure to toxic trash-fire trenches. “In an effort to address this failure, we ask that you provide Congress with information on the current status of the Open Air Burn Pit Registry, an accounting of problems that have arisen during the development of the registry, detailed information on remaining benchmarks to be completed before the Open Air Burn Pit Registry will become fully operational, and any information on how Congress can help to expedite the implementation of this critical program,” the letter stated. The so-called "burn pits," scattered throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, spewed acrid smoke while breaking down damaged Humvees, ordnance, mattresses, rocket launchers, and even amputated body parts. Some were ignited by jet fuel. Perhaps the largest such dump was in Balad, Iraq, spanning the length of 10 football fields. The plumes produced have been dubbed "this generation's Agent Orange." On Jan. 10, 2013, President Barack Obama signed a law giving the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs one year to create and maintain the Open Air Burn Pit Registry, meant to identify and monitor veterans who inhaled the pollutants. The VA also was directed to later report its findings to Congress. "While the necessity for some delay is understandable, the VA has failed to adequately explain why the delay has occurred, which steps remain to be completed before the registry is available for the use of our veterans, and provide specific information on when the registry is expected to be completed," wrote Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Tom Udall (D-NM). "This delay is deeply concerning ... The lack of urgency and communication from the VA is even more troubling," the senators wrote. The registry's launch has been postponed to spring 2014 to allow adequate time to develop and test the system's software and hardware as well as to ensure data security and accessibility, said Victoria Dillon, a VA spokeswoman. Once the index goes live, veterans can join without being enrolled in VA health care, Dillon said, adding the agency "encourages all veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, and the Gulf War to participate." Dillon added that veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti and the 1991 Persian Gulf War can sign up now for a Defense Department Self-Service Logon, or DS-Logon) at a DoD website to prepare for the registry launch. "The Department of Veterans Affairs is committed to caring for veterans who have lung and other health conditions possibly related to their deployment," Dillon said. Meanwhile, veterans groups are unsure how many troops were exposed or have fallen ill due to inhaling the vapors. A private, veteran-run website, BurnPits360.org, lists 16 Iraq and Afghanistan vets who served near the dumps and later died from a variety of cancers and lung ailments. [Source: NBC News | Bill Briggs | 18 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* VA Lawsuit ~ Legionella ► Edward Stockley A Vietnam veteran who volunteered at the Veterans Affairs' University Drive hospital contracted Legionnaires' disease, the man says in a lawsuit filed 17 MAR in federal court. Edward Stockley, 64, of Baldwin and his wife, Paula, are suing the government for negligence and loss of consortium. Stockley, a cook who retired after 35 years with the H.J. Heinz Co., applied to do volunteer work in November 2011, the lawsuit says. During his visits to the Oakland facility to fill out the application and undergo medical tests, he used the hospital's water fountains while taking his diabetes medication, the lawsuit says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease occurred at facilities in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System from February 2011 to November 2012. The CDC traced the problem to bacteria-contaminated water at the Oakland and O'Hara campuses. The outbreak killed at least six veterans, and 16 others probably or definitely acquired Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia. Stockley was admitted to the hospital on Nov. 29, 2011, and subsequently tested positive for Legionella, the lawsuit says. He reported to the hospital with chills, nausea and vomiting, and an X-ray revealed he had fluid buildup in the lungs. He was in the hospital for nine days and since then, “his health has not been the same,” according to the lawsuit. A Justice Department spokesperson could not be reached for comment. Families of two World War II veterans — John J. Ciarolla, 83, of North Versailles and William E. Nicklas, 87, of Hampton — have pending wrongful-death complaints against the federal government. Both men died during the outbreak. Kenneth Jordan, a homeless veteran who sought help at the VA, filed a federal suit in February. Jordan said in the lawsuit he contracted Legionnaires' during the time period of the outbreak and sustained lung and kidney damage. [Source: Pittsburgh TribLIVE | Brian Bowling | 17 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2014 2014 -> For want of a nail 2014 -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 2014 -> Ihbb asian Championships 2014 middle school bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> Ihbb european Championships 2014 Bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> International History Bee and Bowl 2013-14 Asian Division Question Set Bowl Round Six 2014 -> United states patent and trademark office 2014 -> Coffs harbour eisteddfod vocal syllabus 2014 -> Listen News Programs Schedule pledge now 2014 -> Slow club announce third album complete surrender Download 0.52 Mb. Share with your friends:
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