Veterans News Bureau

AUSTIN – A West Texas jury acquitted a former employee of a state veterans home Tuesday on a felony charge of abusing a resident in late 2007.

The 12-member jury deliberated for about 45 minutes in finding Bryson Vanderbilt not guilty, said Howard County District Attorney Hardy Wilkerson. The verdict followed a six-hour trial.

Vanderbilt, 25, was charged with injuring John Harris, a World War II Navy veteran, at the state-run home in Big Spring.

“I don’t believe the jury thought the state proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Vanderbilt’s court-appointed attorney, Wayne N. Frost.

Wilkerson said it was difficult to gauge whether the passage of time between the alleged abuse and the indictment in March had any effect on the outcome. Harris died in May 2008 at the age of 98.

Continue reading

Share

The Ohio Attorney General has ordered the U.S. Navy Veterans Association to cease fundraising in the state after finding what it says is false and misleading information in the charity’s registration.

The Attorney General’s Charitable Law Section investigated the organization and sent a letter to its listed directors outlining these violations of the state’s requirements:

* A USPS mailbox is listed as the primary business address.
* Phone numbers for the organization’s offices were not provided.
* Addresses for directors, trustees and executive personnel were not provided.

The U.S. Navy Veterans Association does not meet the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability because it failed to make financial statements available and did not respond to consumer complaints.

A six-month investigation by the St. Petersburg Times concluded there was only one operating officer in the organization –not the reported 85 — and that millions of dollars in income have gone unaccounted for.

See full article from WalletPop: http://srph.it/akQXG7

Share

Taps is sounding for old soldiers smoking at the retirement home.

Military veterans (and spouses) living at the two state-run retirement homes in King and Union Grove will have to follow the statewide smoking ban when it goes into effect on July 5, according to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We must follow the law like everybody else,” said spokesperson Sara Stinski.

Not very many veterans living at the homes smoke anymore, but the ban will be a big change for those that do, and for those who visit or work at the two homes.

More than 700 veterans live at the home in King in Waupaca County, and several hundred live at the home in Union Grove in Racine County.

Read more

Share

WASHINGTON — The superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery for the past 19 years is retiring.

John C. Metzler Jr. has worked for the government for 42 years and says his last day will be July 2.

The 62-year-old’s father was also superintendent at the cemetery outside the nation’s capital.

He said the high point of his career was expanding the cemetery for veterans and their families so it could continue to take new burials until 2060.

More

Share

The Veterans Affairs Department is good at finding waste and inefficiency, but it could be faster to take action to fix these problems, according to testimony at a Wednesday congressional oversight hearing.

Since October, the VA inspector general has issued 120 reports containing 232 recommendations for saving $673 million, said Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., the House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman. That is good news, he said, showing the VA IG is doing “high-quality” and “essential” work.

However, VA has 124 open reports with a combined 756 recommendations, including 16 reports with 45 recommendations that are more than one year old, said Richard Griffin, the VA’s deputy inspector general. The oldest open report dates back to Sept. 30, 2005, he said.

“The monetary benefit yet to be realized by these recommendations going unimplemented approaches $100 million,” Filner said.

Filner and other committee members said delays need to be minimized, especially at a time when governmentwide cost cutting is underway. “During the country’s difficult financial time brought on by the recession, the VA must realize cost savings anywhere practical,” he said. Savings from eliminating waste and inefficiency could reduce pressure to cut programs, he said.

Continue reading

Share

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – As of May 26, 2010, the one billionth TRICARE Encounter Data (TED) record was processed for TRICARE services around the world.

“The fact that one billion records have been processed reflects the value of this program in helping TRICARE provide the best possible health care to beneficiaries.” said John Arendale, chief of TRICARE Purchased Care Systems Integration. “Thank you to everyone involved for their work in creating and maintaining the TED system.”

The TED system helps civilian providers get paid promptly for the services they provide to TRICARE beneficiaries outside of military treatment facilities. Records are processed for provider payments in less than 24 hours in most cases.

The ease and speed of the TED system gives providers an incentive to participate in TRICARE. Increased participation in TRICARE networks provides beneficiaries better access to health care.

By verifying and analyzing the information in each record, the TED system allows provider payment to occur promptly and helps prevent payment of duplicate, fraudulent or erroneous claims. The information in the TED system provides data for developing health care trends and budget projections.

The TED system has processed more than $140 billion of purchased services for TRICARE beneficiaries worldwide since 2004.

Source

Share

WASHINGTON – The Fourth of July celebration in Denver takes on special importance this year when more than 500 wheelchair athletes who are all military Veterans begin competition at the 30th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. The event, presented each year by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Paralyzed Veterans of America, runs July 4 through July 9.

“Honoring those who have given so much to this Nation is appropriate on the day we celebrate America’s independence,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The National Veterans Wheelchair Games exemplify America’s commitment to its disabled Veterans and the continuing heroism of these men and women.”

The games provide an annual multi-event sports rehabilitation program that is open to Veterans who use wheelchairs for sports competition due to spinal cord injuries, amputations or certain neurological problems and who receive care at any VA medical facility. Athletes attending can be first-time wheelchair athletes or experienced Paralympians. Six of this year’s participants have previously competed at the world-class Paralympic level.

“Independence Day is the perfect day to kick off this year’s National Veterans Wheelchair Games,” said Gene A. Crayton, national president of Paralyzed Veterans of America. “For 30 years, the Wheelchair Games have helped to empower thousands of paralyzed Veterans to get back into life after serious injury, and to eventually lead full and independent lives.”

At the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, Veterans will compete in 17 different sports, including air guns, archery, basketball, bowling, field events, handcycling, nine-ball, a motorized wheelchair relay, power soccer, quad rugby, softball, swimming, table tennis, track, trapshooting, weightlifting and wheelchair slalom. This year, an exhibition event will also be held in kayaking.

The 30th National Veterans Wheelchair Games begin on Sunday, July 4, with a quad rugby demonstration in Civic Center Park in downtown Denver. Kids Day at the games takes place Thursday, July 8, at City Park, where local children with disabilities will meet the athletes and learn about wheelchair sports. Other events will be held at Brunswick Zone, Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium, Family Shooting Center, Fishback Park, the Colorado Convention Center and other area venues. Admission is free to the public and local attendance is encouraged.

The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System in Denver and the Mountain States Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America are hosting the 2010 Games. For many injured Veterans, the Wheelchair Games provide their first exposure to wheelchair athletics.

For more information about the National Veterans Wheelchair Games or to volunteer during the week, visit the Games Web site at www.wheelchairgames.va.gov.

VA is a recognized leader in rehabilitative and recreational therapies, and operates more than 1,400 sites of care, including 153 medical centers (www.va.gov). Paralyzed Veterans of America was founded 63 years ago. For more than six decades, Paralyzed Veterans of America and its 34 chapters have been working to create an America where all Veterans and people with disabilities and their families have everything they need to thrive (www.pva.org).

Source

Share

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced today the opening of the Industry Innovation Competition by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the most recent effort under the VA Innovation Initiative. With this competition, VA seeks the best ideas from the private sector to address the department’s most important challenges.

“At VA, we are continually looking for new ways to improve the care and services we deliver,” said Secretary Shinseki. “Engaging the private sector to tap its expertise and find ways to leverage private-sector innovations, we can improve the quality, access and transparency in service to our Nation’s Veterans.”

The VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2) is a department-wide program that brings the most promising innovations to VA’s most important challenges by involving employees and the private sector in the creation of visionary solutions in service to Veterans.

“Innovation is more than simply a collection of ideas,” said Jared Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University. “It requires close collaboration between academia, industry and government to produce solutions that make a meaningful impact on society. VAi2’s programs bring about exactly that kind of fruitful collaboration.”

“Creativity in the private sector generates a wealth of technology capability that can help drive VA forward,” said Dr. Peter Levin, senior advisor to the secretary and VA’s chief technology officer. “By targeting innovations that are nearing commercialization, the Industry Innovation Competition provides a bridge between creative ideas in the private sector and real-world deployments that improve the services we deliver.”

Public and private companies, entrepreneurs, universities and non-profits are encouraged to participate in the competition, which targets advancements in:

· Innovative Housing Technology to Address Veteran Homelessness: Eliminating Veteran homelessness is a top VA priority. New design and construction techniques, materials and building technology can enable VA to use existing buildings and unused space to rapidly create highly functional, energy efficient and affordable housing.

· Telehealth: VA is a leader in telehealth implementation and currently serves many thousands of Veterans with solutions such as home health monitoring. Potential applications for telehealth solutions are broad and varied and department officials are interested in pursuing integrated solutions that improve their ability to provide the right treatment at the right place and at the right time.

· New Models of Dialysis and Renal Disease Prevention: VA currently provides dialysis for more than 10,000 Veterans annually, at both VA and community-based medical facilities. Alternative treatment strategies and dialysis technology can extend and improve our ability to provide quality care in a patient-preferred setting.

· Improvement of Polytrauma Care: VA provides comprehensive, inter-disciplinary rehabilitation care to Veterans and returning service members with multiple injuries, or polytrauma. Solutions in areas such as the application of dynamic treatment algorithms, home monitoring of diverse and complex symptoms and assistive technologies can help the broad advancement of polytrauma care.

· Reduction of Adverse Drug Events: The development and deployment of strategies to prevent patient harm from adverse drug events is an on-going priority at VA. Tools that can integrate with VA records and systems and provide an increased ability to continuously monitor for at-risk situations can enhance dramatically the quality and safety of care provided by VA.

· Integrated Business Accelerator: A wide array of services and benefits are available to assist Veterans, and Service Disabled Veterans in particular, in starting and sustaining new businesses. However, an integrated, long-term approach that assists Veterans in accessing existing resources and provides services that aid in the launch and maintenance of startup businesses can help insure the long-term success of Veteran-owned businesses.

VAi2 identifies, funds, tests and deploys new efforts that significantly improve the access, quality, performance and cost of VA services. For more about VAi2 please visit www.va.gov/vai2. Please go to www.FedBizOpps.gov to learn more about federal opportunities for businesses.

Share

WASHINGTON — Veterans and others with Parkinson’s disease who undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS) may benefit from research co-sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and published recently in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

“VA is proud to partner with the National Institutes of Health on this research, the largest trial of its kind to date,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This and other ground-breaking research on Parkinson’s disease ensure we provide the best care possible for Veterans with this common, debilitating disease.”

VA cares for about 40,000 Veterans with Parkinson’s disease. DBS is often recommended for people who no longer respond well to medication alone.

The new report shows DBS is equally effective at either of two sites in the brain. Earlier results from the landmark study appeared last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, indicating that DBS overall is somewhat riskier than carefully managed drug therapy but may hold significant benefits for appropriate patients.

In DBS, surgeons implant electrodes in the brain and run thin wires under the skin to a pacemaker-like device. Electrical pulses from the battery-operated device jam the brain signals that cause motor symptoms such as stiffness and tremors. Thousands of Americans have seen successful results from DBS, but questions have remained about which of two stimulation site in the brain yields better outcomes.

The new analysis finds both sites roughly equal for patient outcomes relating to movement symptoms. There were subtle differences between the sites in terms of cognitive skills and mood, but the clinical significance of the differences is not clear.

Researchers will follow the study participants several more years to examine the relative benefits and risks of each DBS approach.

The study was sponsored by VA’s Cooperative Studies Program and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Source

Share