Gulf War illness advocates skeptical of institute panel
USA Today
Kelly Kennedy
June 26, 2013
Veterans advocates expect a showdown between Gulf War veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs Wednesday when veterans plan to declare they have "no confidence" in new research commissioned by the VA through the Institute of Medicine, advocates say.
The Institute of Medicine will conduct its first meeting Wednesday to determine the definition of Gulf War illness, sparking concern that VA will label it as psychiatric, or, as it has done most recently, lump it into the category of "chronic multisymptom illness." That category includes veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, which is caused after exposure to trauma, or traumatic brain injuries.
"I am very concerned as an ill Gulf War veteran that IOM Gulf War committees and the board overseeing them are disproportionately made up of individuals predisposed toward views of Gulf War Illness that do not reflect current scientific knowledge, including the idea that it is fundamentally psychiatric or psychosomatic," wrote Anthony Hardie, a Gulf War vet and Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, in a letter to the institute.
VA officials "reject the notion some have put forward that these physical health symptoms experienced by Gulf War Veterans arise as a result of mental health issues like post-traumatic stress and TBI," said Josh Taylor, a department spokesman.
read more here
Showing posts with label Gulf War illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gulf War illness. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
VA Whistleblower Ignites Firestorm Over Vets’ Illnesses
Dr. Steven S. Coughlin talked about many issues our veterans face including suicide and the lack of proper care. This is what they come home to. This is what some of us already assumed but now with his testimony, we know how much worse it all really is.
Taking care of our veterans and giving them the best possible treatment is not a political thing but it is the right thing. Remember what Washington said and ask yourself if we are even coming close to living up to it.
Taking care of our veterans and giving them the best possible treatment is not a political thing but it is the right thing. Remember what Washington said and ask yourself if we are even coming close to living up to it.
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, is directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated" -- George Washington
VA Whistleblower Ignites Firestorm Over Vets’ Illnesses
Epidemiologist says VA hid and manipulated data regarding burn pits and Gulf War syndrome
American Conservative
By KELLEY VLAHOS
May 10, 2013
It’s not every day that a scientist creates such intense drama on Capitol Hill.
But Dr. Steven S. Coughlin’s charges that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials hid, manipulated, and even lied about research pertaining to Gulf War Illness (GWI) and health problems plaguing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are still causing fallout a month after his stunning testimony before a key House subcommittee.
“The implications of his testimony are profound,” declared Anthony Hardie, 45, a Gulf War veteran who serves on the congressionally appointed Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses (RAC).
Veterans and their advocates, as well as many in the scientific community, have long believed that the VA avoids responsibility for veterans’ care by downplaying or outright ignoring evidence linking wartime experiences—such as exposure to Agent Orange, chemical weapons, or toxic pollution—to veterans’ chronic medical issues back home.
Coughlin, a senior epidemiologist with the VA’s Office of Public Health (OPH), gave the VA’s critics what they say is a smoking gun: after conducting major surveys of 1991 Gulf War veterans and “New Generation” veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan, Coughlin told the committee he quit his post in December. He claims the VA is hiding important survey results about the health of veterans and that his colleagues watered-down analysis that might have shed light on whether recent vets got sick from open-air trash-burning pits on overseas bases.
read more here
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Backlog at a 20th century Veterans Administration
Backlog at a 20th century Veterans Administration
MSNBC
Jack Jacobs
03/29/2013
It has been more than two decades since the Veterans Administration was elevated to a cabinet department. But its dreary public image endures and not without reason: veterans wait a staggering average of nine months for their disability claims to be processed and the delay gets longer all the time.
In a stark departure from how he has operated until now, Secretary Eric Shinseki, who oversees the administration, is seeking to change the public perception. I interviewed him on March 27th during his visit to a veterans’ jobs fair in New York City.
Shinseki, a retired Army general, was twice wounded in Vietnam. As Army chief of staff, he incurred the opprobrium of the Pentagon’s civilian leadership in 2003 by delivering news it didn’t want to hear: A large number of American troops would be required to secure Iraq once Saddam Hussein was deposed. So, although he is a shy, modest man, he’s not necessarily a shrinking violet.
Nevertheless, amid the inability of the VA to cope with the logjam of claims, Shinseki has not been much of a visible presence outside his department. Until now.
Shinseki’s main message for the public, and his critics, is that veterans who need medical care are enrolled for treatment right away. While the quality of care varies from hospital to hospital, and veterans in sparsely populated areas need to travel some distance to a facility, there seem to be no bureaucratic impediments to timely medical care.
read more here
My comment
Thank you for adding in what was done for Vietnam veterans in talking about the backlog, however, it would have been better if you also added in what was going on when troops were coming home wounded from two wars. Less workers for more claims and then there was this piece of news. "In 2000 the VA had 578,000 claims but went to 838,000 in 2008. That same year the VA was trying to do online claims. It was also later in the year of 879,291 in backlog including 148,000 Vietnam veterans who finally filed claims in 2007."
MSNBC
Jack Jacobs
03/29/2013
It has been more than two decades since the Veterans Administration was elevated to a cabinet department. But its dreary public image endures and not without reason: veterans wait a staggering average of nine months for their disability claims to be processed and the delay gets longer all the time.
In a stark departure from how he has operated until now, Secretary Eric Shinseki, who oversees the administration, is seeking to change the public perception. I interviewed him on March 27th during his visit to a veterans’ jobs fair in New York City.
Shinseki, a retired Army general, was twice wounded in Vietnam. As Army chief of staff, he incurred the opprobrium of the Pentagon’s civilian leadership in 2003 by delivering news it didn’t want to hear: A large number of American troops would be required to secure Iraq once Saddam Hussein was deposed. So, although he is a shy, modest man, he’s not necessarily a shrinking violet.
Nevertheless, amid the inability of the VA to cope with the logjam of claims, Shinseki has not been much of a visible presence outside his department. Until now.
Shinseki’s main message for the public, and his critics, is that veterans who need medical care are enrolled for treatment right away. While the quality of care varies from hospital to hospital, and veterans in sparsely populated areas need to travel some distance to a facility, there seem to be no bureaucratic impediments to timely medical care.
read more here
My comment
Thank you for adding in what was done for Vietnam veterans in talking about the backlog, however, it would have been better if you also added in what was going on when troops were coming home wounded from two wars. Less workers for more claims and then there was this piece of news. "In 2000 the VA had 578,000 claims but went to 838,000 in 2008. That same year the VA was trying to do online claims. It was also later in the year of 879,291 in backlog including 148,000 Vietnam veterans who finally filed claims in 2007."
Friday, March 15, 2013
American Legion reacts to allegations by VA whistleblower
American Legion reacts to allegations by VA whistleblower
By American Legion
Published: Thursday, Mar. 14, 2013
WASHINGTON
The leader of the nation's largest wartime veterans service organization is expressing "great concern" over allegations that the Department of Veterans Affairs has grossly mishandled the care of Gulf War Illness patients.
In testimony this week before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, several witnesses claimed that VA has consistently failed to treat the multi-symptomatic disease known as Gulf War Illness (GWI) or Gulf War Syndrome properly. Further, VA is accused of suppressing evidence of links between GWI and environmental hazards to which service members were exposed in southwest Asia.
The latter charge came from Dr. Steven Coughlin, a former senior epidemiologist at the VA's Office of Public Health. He ended his four year career with VA last December by resigning "because of serious ethical concerns."
"If the studies produce results that do not support Office of Public Health's unwritten policy, they do not release them," Coughlin told subcommittee members on Mar. 13.
read more here
VA whistleblower slams what research results leads to
By American Legion
Published: Thursday, Mar. 14, 2013
WASHINGTON
The leader of the nation's largest wartime veterans service organization is expressing "great concern" over allegations that the Department of Veterans Affairs has grossly mishandled the care of Gulf War Illness patients.
In testimony this week before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, several witnesses claimed that VA has consistently failed to treat the multi-symptomatic disease known as Gulf War Illness (GWI) or Gulf War Syndrome properly. Further, VA is accused of suppressing evidence of links between GWI and environmental hazards to which service members were exposed in southwest Asia.
The latter charge came from Dr. Steven Coughlin, a former senior epidemiologist at the VA's Office of Public Health. He ended his four year career with VA last December by resigning "because of serious ethical concerns."
"If the studies produce results that do not support Office of Public Health's unwritten policy, they do not release them," Coughlin told subcommittee members on Mar. 13.
read more here
VA whistleblower slams what research results leads to
Thursday, March 14, 2013
VA whistleblower slams what research results leads to
Astonishing when you are aware of the simple fact PTSD has been researched for over 40 years and this is what veterans are getting after all these years.
"They'd be better off dead" comes after they survived combat, years of service and risking their lives. Think about that. When they come home they should be glad to be alive but the conditions back home are far from what we say as a "grateful nation." They fight for this country, risk their lives for one another, prepared to suffer any outcome for the sake of someone else, so how is it we want to remain deaf, dumb and blind to their suffering back home?
Former VA researcher criticizes work on Gulf War illness; lack of follow-up with troubled vets
Washington Post
By Associated Press
Published: March 13 2013
WASHINGTON — At a hearing examining the state of health research into Gulf War illness, a former VA researcher accused the department of minimizing the problem and voiced concerns that it was not following up properly with veterans who indicated in research studies they are potentially suicidal.
Dr. Steven Coughlin, who worked at the VA until December, said nearly 2,000 participants in a recent VA study of 60,000 tracking the health of veterans told researchers they had thought they would be better off dead. However, only a small percentage got a call back from a clinician. He said he was successful in getting the VA to call back on a separate study, but only after going to higher authorities within the department and complaining to the VA’s inspector general.
read more here
"They'd be better off dead" comes after they survived combat, years of service and risking their lives. Think about that. When they come home they should be glad to be alive but the conditions back home are far from what we say as a "grateful nation." They fight for this country, risk their lives for one another, prepared to suffer any outcome for the sake of someone else, so how is it we want to remain deaf, dumb and blind to their suffering back home?
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Veterans Health Data being covered up by the VA?
Oh no! Why would they do this? No big shocker but glad someone finally came out and said it.
Researcher says officials covered up vets' health data
Kelly Kennedy
USA TODAY
March 13, 2013
WASHINGTON — Department of Veterans Affairs officials purposely manipulate or hide data that would support the claims of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to prevent paying costly benefits, a former VA researcher told a House subcommittee Wednesday afternoon.
"If the studies produce results that do not support the office of public health's unwritten policy, they do not release them," said Steven Coughlin, a former epidemiologist in the VA's public health department.
"This applies to data regarding adverse health consequences of environmental exposures, such as burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and toxic exposures in the Gulf War," Coughlin said. "On the rare occasions when embarrassing study results are released, data are manipulated to make them unintelligible."
read more here
Monday, January 7, 2013
VA doesn't know if it has enough staff to serve vets
This is a huge problem. I received an email from a wife of a veteran with PTSD. He had not been given enough medication but as bad as that was, the doctor he had was transferred and the doctor replacing him wanted to see her husband first before giving him more. The problem was, he couldn't get him an appointment soon enough.
We talk about the delay in processing claims. We talk about the delay in processing appeals. What we don't talk about is what this does to our veterans and their families.
The extra stress of fighting the VA for what veterans earned serving this country makes their overall health worse. When they are living with PTSD, it gets worse, not just because it prolongs help but they feel pushed away from it after advocates talked them into going.
We talk about the delay in processing claims. We talk about the delay in processing appeals. What we don't talk about is what this does to our veterans and their families.
The extra stress of fighting the VA for what veterans earned serving this country makes their overall health worse. When they are living with PTSD, it gets worse, not just because it prolongs help but they feel pushed away from it after advocates talked them into going.
Despite legal requirement, VA doesn't know if it has enough staff to serve vets
Watchdog report is latest in long line critical of the VA's staffing evaluations
Washington Guardian
BY PHILLIP SWARTS
JANUARY 5, 2013
The Veterans Affairs Department doesn't know whether it has enough staff at its medical facilities to give veterans the quality care they need, failing to comply with a decade-old law despite several prior warnings, the agency's internal watchdog has concluded.
A January 2002 law "mandated that VA establish a nationwide policy to ensure medical facilities have adequate staff to provide appropriate, high-quality care and services" but the agency "did not have an effective staffing methodology to ensure appropriate staffing levels for specialty care services," the VA inspector general reported Thursday.
Specifically, inspectors found that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hadn't developed staffing guidelines for 31 of its specialty care services.
"As a result, VHA’s lack of productivity standards and staffing plans limit the ability of medical facility officials to make informed business decisions on the appropriate number of specialty physicians to meet patient care needs, such as access and quality of care," the report said.
The critical review comes at a time when many veterans are facing growing delays to receive their medical treatment. The Washington Guardian previously reported that wait times at some medical centers are reaching 10 hours.
read more here
Monday, December 19, 2011
Congress OKs $10M for Gulf War illness research
Congress OKs $10M for Gulf War illness research
By Kelly Kennedy - USA Today
Posted : Monday Dec 19, 2011 9:44:26 EST
WASHINGTON — Congress has approved dedicating $10 million to research the mysterious Gulf War illness. The move ends concerns from veterans’ groups that the money would disappear because of budget problems.
The spending bill passed by the Senate on Saturday and signed by President Obama includes the money for specific research into the series of ailments suffered by veterans of the Persian Gulf War. Originally, money for the research would have to come from a larger pot of money that could have been spent on other work besides studying Gulf War illness.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, led House efforts to restore the money. He told USA Today that sick veterans had called from their beds to ask members of Congress to approve the funding.
“When one out of three who served is affected, and when some veterans’ maladies are turning into long-term health problems like ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease), and when researchers are getting closer every single year to finding a treatment with this program, there is an urgency,” Kucinich said. “It’s comparatively little money that is doing an extraordinary amount of good and is the best hope we have for them.”
read more here
By Kelly Kennedy - USA Today
Posted : Monday Dec 19, 2011 9:44:26 EST
WASHINGTON — Congress has approved dedicating $10 million to research the mysterious Gulf War illness. The move ends concerns from veterans’ groups that the money would disappear because of budget problems.
The spending bill passed by the Senate on Saturday and signed by President Obama includes the money for specific research into the series of ailments suffered by veterans of the Persian Gulf War. Originally, money for the research would have to come from a larger pot of money that could have been spent on other work besides studying Gulf War illness.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, led House efforts to restore the money. He told USA Today that sick veterans had called from their beds to ask members of Congress to approve the funding.
“When one out of three who served is affected, and when some veterans’ maladies are turning into long-term health problems like ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease), and when researchers are getting closer every single year to finding a treatment with this program, there is an urgency,” Kucinich said. “It’s comparatively little money that is doing an extraordinary amount of good and is the best hope we have for them.”
read more here
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Draft Gulf War Task Force Report Is Released
Draft Gulf War Task Force Report Is Released
Report Redefines How Care and Services Are Provided
to Gulf War Veterans
WASHINGTON (Oct. 21, 2011)- Today, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that the Department's Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force has completed the draft of a comprehensive report that will outline how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) addresses the concerns of Veterans who deployed during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.
"This report provides a roadmap for our continued enhancements in our care and services we provide to Gulf War Veterans," said Shinseki. "We will be applying lessons learned from this report to Veterans of all eras."
Notification of the draft written report is published in the Federal Register, and the draft written report addresses seven areas where VA provides services for this group of Veterans.
Over the past year, the task force has examined, evaluated, designated and adjusted the initial roadmap outlined in last year's report. VA has designated steps to improve care and services to Gulf War I Veterans and these improvements are becoming a part of our culture and operations.
This year's report focuses on improvements in the delivery of health care for Gulf War Veterans. One of the most substantial additions is modifications to clinical care models used for Gulf War Veterans, which is the most critical point of service VA provides. There are better linkages between specialty knowledge and services at the basic point of care. Clinical research and development is significantly contributing new concepts and methods to clinical practice and clinical education throughout VA.
Two new positions were established in the Office of Research and Development for deployment and Desert Shield and Desert Storm health-related issues. Both positions have been filled and are enhancing research efforts for Gulf War Veterans and will continue to do so in the coming years.
VA is also strengthening partnerships and medical surveillance to address the potential health impacts on Veterans from the environmental exposures on today's battlefield. Additionally, VA continues to use social media to improve communication with Gulf War Veterans.
The Chairman of the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force is John R. Gingrich, chief of staff at VA, a retired Army officer who also served in the Gulf War.
"To ensure we are tracking the needs of our Veterans, we want to get feedback from Gulf War Veterans on this draft report," said Gingrich. "Their feedback is critical to our efforts to understand and serve their specific needs. Therefore, we hope they take advantage of one of the different opportunities to provide feedback that we have created for them."
As a first step, VA is seeking public comments on the draft written report before final publication. The public notice and instructions for how to submit electronic and comments via postal mail will be posted at www.regulations.gov, and the draft written report will be open for comment for 30 days. In addition, VA recognizes that a great number of Gulf War Veterans use the Internet on a daily basis to share their ideas and concerns, so VA has also created a public discussion board on the seven recommendations at: VA Gulf War Task Force.
To view the report without making recommendations, please visit VA's website at Gulf War Report.
Report Redefines How Care and Services Are Provided
to Gulf War Veterans
WASHINGTON (Oct. 21, 2011)- Today, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that the Department's Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force has completed the draft of a comprehensive report that will outline how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) addresses the concerns of Veterans who deployed during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.
"This report provides a roadmap for our continued enhancements in our care and services we provide to Gulf War Veterans," said Shinseki. "We will be applying lessons learned from this report to Veterans of all eras."
Notification of the draft written report is published in the Federal Register, and the draft written report addresses seven areas where VA provides services for this group of Veterans.
Over the past year, the task force has examined, evaluated, designated and adjusted the initial roadmap outlined in last year's report. VA has designated steps to improve care and services to Gulf War I Veterans and these improvements are becoming a part of our culture and operations.
This year's report focuses on improvements in the delivery of health care for Gulf War Veterans. One of the most substantial additions is modifications to clinical care models used for Gulf War Veterans, which is the most critical point of service VA provides. There are better linkages between specialty knowledge and services at the basic point of care. Clinical research and development is significantly contributing new concepts and methods to clinical practice and clinical education throughout VA.
Two new positions were established in the Office of Research and Development for deployment and Desert Shield and Desert Storm health-related issues. Both positions have been filled and are enhancing research efforts for Gulf War Veterans and will continue to do so in the coming years.
VA is also strengthening partnerships and medical surveillance to address the potential health impacts on Veterans from the environmental exposures on today's battlefield. Additionally, VA continues to use social media to improve communication with Gulf War Veterans.
The Chairman of the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force is John R. Gingrich, chief of staff at VA, a retired Army officer who also served in the Gulf War.
"To ensure we are tracking the needs of our Veterans, we want to get feedback from Gulf War Veterans on this draft report," said Gingrich. "Their feedback is critical to our efforts to understand and serve their specific needs. Therefore, we hope they take advantage of one of the different opportunities to provide feedback that we have created for them."
As a first step, VA is seeking public comments on the draft written report before final publication. The public notice and instructions for how to submit electronic and comments via postal mail will be posted at www.regulations.gov
To view the report without making recommendations, please visit VA's website at Gulf War Report.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Anti-oxidants could ease Gulf War Syndrome, study finds
Anti-oxidants could ease Gulf War Syndrome, study finds
Published: June 27, 2011
A recent medical school study states anti-oxidant supplements significantly can reduce symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome, USA Today reports, an illness suffered by tens of thousands of veterans more two decades after the first conflict to free Kuwait after an invasion by Iraq.
The DOD-funded research, by Beatrice Golomb of the medical school at the University of California-San Diego, is slated to be released Monday to the Department of Veterans Affairs, USA Today reports.
In 2010, the VA approved $2.8 million in new research spending to fund three separate projects designed to find new treatments to the mysterious Gulf War Syndrome that has affected tens of thousands of veterans from the 1990-91 war. About 697,000 troops served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, more than a third suffer from a collection of chronic symptoms such as fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, cognitive dysfunction, persistent headaches, and respiratory conditions.
read more here
Anti-oxidants could ease Gulf War Syndrome, study finds
Published: June 27, 2011
A recent medical school study states anti-oxidant supplements significantly can reduce symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome, USA Today reports, an illness suffered by tens of thousands of veterans more two decades after the first conflict to free Kuwait after an invasion by Iraq.
The DOD-funded research, by Beatrice Golomb of the medical school at the University of California-San Diego, is slated to be released Monday to the Department of Veterans Affairs, USA Today reports.
In 2010, the VA approved $2.8 million in new research spending to fund three separate projects designed to find new treatments to the mysterious Gulf War Syndrome that has affected tens of thousands of veterans from the 1990-91 war. About 697,000 troops served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, more than a third suffer from a collection of chronic symptoms such as fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, cognitive dysfunction, persistent headaches, and respiratory conditions.
read more here
Anti-oxidants could ease Gulf War Syndrome, study finds
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Veterans for Common Sense wants to hear from Gulf War Vets
Feeling as if your war was forgotten about? Feeling as if your suffering because of what you were exposed to just doesn't matter to anyone? Take heart and know you have someone fighting very hard for you. Veterans for Common Sense has been fighting for all veterans to make sure all of you receive the "gratefulness" of this nation when you have been wounded or made ill because of your willingness to risk your life. You served this nation, doing what was expected of you and this nation has an obligation to you. This is not a "handout" but a debt the government accepted the responsibility of the day they sent you to war.
April 1, 2010 - Veterans for Common Sense asks you for your opinion about VA's new proposed policies for Gulf War veterans.
Yesterday, VA formally announced a huge, new effort VA hopes will address the needs of our 210,000 Gulf War veterans who suffer from illnesses nearly 20 years after widespread exposures to many poisons and toxins in Southwest Asia.
Here is background information about this important issue.In August 2009, VCS wrote new VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and asked him to reform how VA had mishandled healthcare, research, and benefits for Gulf War veterans.
In response, VA set up a Gulf War Task Force chaired by VA Chief of Staff John Gingrich, a Gulf War veteran.
Last week, VA announced the agency would begin providing benefits for 9 diseases suffered by Gulf War veterans, a positive move supported by VCS.
A few days ago, Gulf War veterans Anthony Hardie and Paul Sullivan wrote an op-ed published by TruthOut praising VA's new policy as steps in the right direction. The veterans are still advocating for additional pragmatic solutions for veterans who urgently need healthcare -- vital healthcare denied for nearly 20 years because VA often blocked research, treatment, and benefits.
Yesterday, VA announced the release of the highly-anticipated Gulf War Task Force report. You have an excellent opportunity to tell VA how to fix the problems facing Gulf War veterans.
Today, VCS wants your response -- especially from Gulf War veterans and families -- about VA's Task Force report. All of our VCS comments are due by April 30, 2010, so send your response soon.
Your voice is important and urgently needed. Please send your thoughts to contact@veteransforcommonsense.org.
Your comments will allow VCS to present a robust response to VA from the perspective of veterans, family members, and supporters of veterans.
Our goal is to work with VA to get it right for our Gulf War veterans who have waited too long for answers, healthcare, and benefits.
While VA has made several positive first steps for veterans in the past 14 months, our advocacy will make sure VA keeps going in the right direction.
Please send your comments to contact@veteransforcommonsense.org
Thank you, Veterans for Common Sense
Friday, July 17, 2009
VA wasted millions on faulty Gulf War Illness Study
VA wastes millions on faulty study, IG says
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 17, 2009 15:09:56 EDT
After the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a report Wednesday stating that a university had violated a contract for research on Gulf War Illness — and that VA had wrongfully awarded the contract in the first place — a lawmaker called for canceling it entirely.
“I ask that you look into this matter immediately and implement the Inspector General’s recommendation to terminate the contract for default so VA’s funds can be directed to research projects that will help those veterans affected by Gulf War Illness,” wrote Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, in a letter to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki dated Thursday.
The contract confusion has wasted more than two years and millions of dollars that could have been used to help veterans, according to the report.
read more here
VA wastes millions on faulty study, IG says
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 17, 2009 15:09:56 EDT
After the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a report Wednesday stating that a university had violated a contract for research on Gulf War Illness — and that VA had wrongfully awarded the contract in the first place — a lawmaker called for canceling it entirely.
“I ask that you look into this matter immediately and implement the Inspector General’s recommendation to terminate the contract for default so VA’s funds can be directed to research projects that will help those veterans affected by Gulf War Illness,” wrote Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, in a letter to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki dated Thursday.
The contract confusion has wasted more than two years and millions of dollars that could have been used to help veterans, according to the report.
read more here
VA wastes millions on faulty study, IG says
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Why didn't McCain take care of the Gulf War POWs
When I posted this yesterday, there was something that stuck out and I haven't been able to get over it. The nagging question is, why wasn't McCain a champion for these POW's? The nauseating reminders of what McCain claims on his web site about how much he has fought for veterans, instead of the reality he's fought against them, is only magnified by this simple fact, he didn't do what he should have.
McCain should have been screaming at the top of his lungs when the law suit was shut down by Bush, but by then he was already standing so close to Bush's side that there wasn't much difference between the two of them at all left to be noticeable.
Whenever veterans were needed to support McCain, they were always there for him with their money and their votes but when they needed him, he was either nowhere to be found or stabbing them in the back by voting against what they needed. Yet in all of this if you fail to look up his record and only read his website, you think what a fine man he is, loyal as the day is long to our veterans instead of a user of them.
Now here is the point. There is John McCain, ex-POW, disabled veteran, yet does not serve on any veteran's committee.
On the armed services committee, here is the list of names on it. You would think that if they served on this, they would have voted to make sure that Walter Reed was taking care of the wounded or the rest of the DOD problems were taken care of, but, well, he wasn't involved in fixing any of it. He wasn't involved in making sure they had the time between deployments either. One more thing to notice is that while the DOD was missing billions of tax payer funds, he never seemed to care about any of that at all. You'd think he would but then again, you'd also be just as wrong to think that McCain really cared at all until you notice what's missing from all of this.
So why wasn't McCain standing up for these other POW's when he had the chance?
McCain should have been screaming at the top of his lungs when the law suit was shut down by Bush, but by then he was already standing so close to Bush's side that there wasn't much difference between the two of them at all left to be noticeable.
Whenever veterans were needed to support McCain, they were always there for him with their money and their votes but when they needed him, he was either nowhere to be found or stabbing them in the back by voting against what they needed. Yet in all of this if you fail to look up his record and only read his website, you think what a fine man he is, loyal as the day is long to our veterans instead of a user of them.
Now here is the point. There is John McCain, ex-POW, disabled veteran, yet does not serve on any veteran's committee.
Committees:
Armed Services, Ranking Member
Commerce, Science & Transportation, Member
Indian Affairs, Member
Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, Member
Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety, Member
Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism, Member
Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation, Member
Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, Member
On the armed services committee, here is the list of names on it. You would think that if they served on this, they would have voted to make sure that Walter Reed was taking care of the wounded or the rest of the DOD problems were taken care of, but, well, he wasn't involved in fixing any of it. He wasn't involved in making sure they had the time between deployments either. One more thing to notice is that while the DOD was missing billions of tax payer funds, he never seemed to care about any of that at all. You'd think he would but then again, you'd also be just as wrong to think that McCain really cared at all until you notice what's missing from all of this.
MEMBERS
Sen. Daniel Akaka (Democratic-HI) Member
Sen. Evan Bayh (Democratic-IN) Member
Sen. Robert Byrd (Democratic-WV) Member
Sen. C. Saxby Chambliss (Republican-GA) Member
Sen. Hillary Clinton (Democratic-NY) Member
Sen. Susan Collins (Republican-ME) Member
Sen. John Cornyn (Republican-TX) Member
Sen. Elizabeth Dole (Republican-NC) Member
Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican-SC) Member
Sen. James Inhofe (Republican-OK) Member
Sen. Edward Kennedy (Democratic-MA) Member
Sen. Carl Levin (Democratic-MI) Chair
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Independent Democrat-CT) Member
Sen. Melquiades Martinez (Republican-FL) Member
Sen. John McCain (Republican-AZ) Ranking Member
Sen. Claire McCaskill (Democratic-MO) Member
Sen. Bill Nelson (Democratic-FL) Member
Sen. E. Benjamin Nelson (Democratic-NE) Member
Sen. Mark Pryor (Democratic-AR) Member
Sen. John Reed (Democratic-RI) Member
Sen. Jefferson Sessions (Republican-AL) Member
Sen. John Thune (Republican-SD) Member
Sen. John Warner (Republican-VA) Member
Sen. James Webb (Democratic-VA) Member
Sen. Roger Wicker (Republican-MS) Member
JURISDICTION
(1)Committee on Armed Services, to which committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects:1. Aeronautical and space activities peculiar to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems or military operations.
2. Common defense.
3. Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force, generally.
4. Maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, including administration, sanitation, and government of the Canal Zone.
5. Military research and development.
6. National security aspects of nuclear energy.
7. Naval petroleum reserves, except those in Alaska.
8. Pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and privileges of members of the Armed Forces, including overseas education of civilian and military dependents.
9. Selective service system.
10. Strategic and critical materials necessary for the common defense.(2) Such committee shall also study and review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to the common defense policy of the United States, and report thereon from time to time.
So why wasn't McCain standing up for these other POW's when he had the chance?
House Allows Gulf War POWs to Sue Iraq Over Torture
House Allows Gulf War POWs to Sue Iraq Over Torture
This is how it started
E. Jr. USAF Jan. 17, 1991 POW 03/04/91RETURNED PRISONERS OF WAR
FROM GULF WAR I --1991
NAME SERVICE DATE OF CAPTURE CARRIED AS RELEASE DATE
Acree, Clifford M. USMC Jan.18, 1991 POW 03/05/91
Andrews, William USAF -- MIA 03/05/91
Berryman, Michael C. USMC -- MIA 03/05/91
Cornum, Rhonda USA -- * 03/05/91
Dunlap, Troy USA -- * 03/05/91
Eberly, David W. USAF Jan. 17, 1991 POW 03/05/91
Fox, Jeffrey USAF Feb. 19, 1991 POW 03/05/91
Griffith, Thomas
Hunter, Guy L. Jr. USMC Jan. 18, 1991 POW 03/05/91
Lockett, David USA Jan. 20, 1991 MIA 03/04/91
Roberts, Harry M. USAF Jan. - 1991 POW 03/05/91
Rathbun-Nealy, Melissa USA Jan. 30, 1991 MIA 03/04/91
Slade, Lawrence R. USN Jan. 21, 19915,3 POW 03/04/91
Small, Joseph USMC Feb. 25, 1991 MIA 03/05/91
Sanborn, Russell A.C. USMC Feb. 09, 1991 MIA 03/05/91
Stamaris, Daniel USA -- * 03/05/91
Storr, Richard Dale USAF -- MIA 03/05/91
Sweet, Robert J. USAF Feb. - , 1991 MIA 03/05/91
Tice, Jeffrey Scott USAF Jan. -, 1991 POW 03/05/91
Wetzel, Robert USN Jan. 17, 1991 MIA 03/04/91
Zaun, Jeffrey Norton USN Jan. 17, 1991 POW 03/04/91
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Pill used to "protect" Gulf War Vets suspected in illness
Pesticides, Nerve-Gas Pills Tied to Gulf War Illness (Update1)
By Rob Waters
March 10 (Bloomberg) -- A pill given to U.S. soldiers to help protect them against nerve gas, and pesticides sprayed in the air and used to treat their clothes, may have triggered the cluster of symptoms known as Gulf War illness, a study found.
Scientists, U.S. government officials and veterans' groups have long debated why tens of thousands of soldiers who served in the Gulf War in 1991 developed a cluster of symptoms that became known as Gulf War illness. The symptoms include chronic fatigue, headaches, dizziness, loss of muscle control, memory and attention problems, and muscle and joint pain.
For many years, U.S. officials contended that Gulf War symptoms were caused by psychological stress, not chemical exposure. Today's review of more than 20 studies, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, led to the ``ineluctable conclusion'' that the high rate of symptoms in the soldiers was due to their exposure to any or all of the toxins, said study author Beatrice Golomb of the University of California, San Diego.
``This provides triangulating evidence from inside and outside the Gulf War arena supporting the causal connection'' of the chemicals to the soldiers' syndrome, Golomb said in a telephone interview on March 7.
The key ingredient is acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, or AChEis, which act in the body to blunt the effect of an enzyme that regulates a brain chemical called acetylcholine. That substance helps neurons to fire. When the enzyme that regulates this chemical is blocked by an inhibitor, it causes the neurons to fire excessively, Golomb says.
go here for the rest
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=ahNEhgssqjkM&refer=home
By Rob Waters
March 10 (Bloomberg) -- A pill given to U.S. soldiers to help protect them against nerve gas, and pesticides sprayed in the air and used to treat their clothes, may have triggered the cluster of symptoms known as Gulf War illness, a study found.
Scientists, U.S. government officials and veterans' groups have long debated why tens of thousands of soldiers who served in the Gulf War in 1991 developed a cluster of symptoms that became known as Gulf War illness. The symptoms include chronic fatigue, headaches, dizziness, loss of muscle control, memory and attention problems, and muscle and joint pain.
For many years, U.S. officials contended that Gulf War symptoms were caused by psychological stress, not chemical exposure. Today's review of more than 20 studies, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, led to the ``ineluctable conclusion'' that the high rate of symptoms in the soldiers was due to their exposure to any or all of the toxins, said study author Beatrice Golomb of the University of California, San Diego.
``This provides triangulating evidence from inside and outside the Gulf War arena supporting the causal connection'' of the chemicals to the soldiers' syndrome, Golomb said in a telephone interview on March 7.
The key ingredient is acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, or AChEis, which act in the body to blunt the effect of an enzyme that regulates a brain chemical called acetylcholine. That substance helps neurons to fire. When the enzyme that regulates this chemical is blocked by an inhibitor, it causes the neurons to fire excessively, Golomb says.
go here for the rest
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=ahNEhgssqjkM&refer=home
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