THEE PEECTURES, MASTAH, THEE PEECTURES

Posted on August 11, 2012 by asknod

I’ll always remember Herve Villasanchez and his role as Tattoo with Ricardo Montalban. Keidove goosed me into printing just the picture for those of you so jaded as to not venture further than the second or third page of the OIG report. Had you persevered until page 5 you would have been rewarded with  these. Every picture tells a story. These are so over the top:

And that little bugaboo about too much live load on the floor. When we build residential, we build to 40 lbs./ft.² dead load (weight of structural components) plus a factor of 2 for actual (live) load of furniture and people (80 lbs./ft²). Commercial would be greater but I’m not familiar with it. 160 lbs/ft.² is a shitton. It’ll deflect the floor:

Notice the lean on the ones on the right? Not good. And last but not least, the piece de resistance…

Busted. Not ADA compliant. Disabled, wheelchair-bound Vet employees couldn’t negotiate these aisles nor could they climb ladders to get on top of the cabinets to access the rearmost claims piles files. As usual, more more clarity, simply hold the cursor on the picture and click twice for a birds-eye view. Magnification will show all.

I feel for the employees who have to negotiate this maze. One of my workers was recently in a ditch cave-in and it broke three ribs-one of which  pierced his liver. He was in the hospital for two weeks and after 4 months is just now returning to duty. What, pray tell, was the VSC manager thinking?  More filing cabs. Gotta get more cabs. Stack ’em on top of the other ones. Two high, good to go. It’s only temporary ’til 2015.

Posted in VA BACKLOG, vA news | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pass the household bleach?

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Laura

Imagine a lady chopping onions with a sharp knife when she accidentally slices her finger open.  It’s a deep cut.  Her blood has dripped on the cutting board, counter top, and kitchen floor.  After dressing the wound, she calls her DH to help clean up the blood.  But these  blood spills are special because the cook has an active HCV-infection.  (She didn’t respond to treatment.)  So far the rest of the family is HCV-free and they intend to keep it that way.  They’re very careful.

They know how to handle this problem because they’ve read the CDC’s HCV fact sheet.

How should blood spills be cleaned from surfaces to make sure that Hepatitis C virus is gone?

Any blood spills — including dried blood, which can still be infectious — should be cleaned using a dilution of one part household bleach to 10 parts water. Gloves should be worn when cleaning up blood spills.

The CDC does not provide any other instructions here.

Hubby is ready.  He mixes 1 part household  bleach, to 10 parts water.   Dons gloves.  Scrubs blood up with rags.  HCV vamoose!

He throws the dirty rags and gloves in the garbage and ties it up. He also throws out the porous wooden chopping block.  So, is everything fine and dandy?  Have the blood-contaminated surfaces been disinfected with the bleach/water solution?  Has the HCV been killed? Is it truly “gone?”

I emailed Clorox (the consumer branch) for answers.  I buy Clorox regular bleach because  generic bleach from dollar stores are diluted.  I asked: “What viruses does its household regular Clorox bleach kill”?

Here’s the list the company emailed to me, copied and pasted as I received it:

Viruses Clorox Bleach – Regular Scent Kills:

Rhinovirus (Type 17)
Influenza A2 (Flu virus)
Hepatitis A
Rotavirus
Respiratory Syncytial virus
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1)
Herpes simplex virus 2
Rubella virus
Adenovirus Type 2
Cytomegalovirus
Varicella zoster virus
MRSA

Impressive but not good enough for the illustration above because  HCV is not on the list!    Their professional bleaches can kill HCV and are registered with the EPA.  Their efficacy has been tested against HCV.  This is what hospitals and food service companies use to disinfect contaminated surfaces.  But even with the strong stuff, contact time is 5- minutes.

CDC 24/7:  Saving Lives.  Protecting People. (TM)?

Not with this “fact” sheet.  More like, CDC 24/7:  Save Yourself Hicks.

 

Posted in Guest authors, HCV Health, Medical News | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

WINSTON-SALEM OVERLOAD

Posted on August 10, 2012 by asknod

We can’t make this stuff up. It’s priceless. Problem? What Problem? Oh, you mean the 37,000 C-files stacked up on the file cabinets? Yeah, Bummer, huh? Relax. They’re in alphabetic order-sort of. Or they were last year. Things are a little hectic around here so the OIG should chill for a while until we get this new system in place in 2015. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know. Our building has smoke detectors and sprinklers so its not going to be like the NPRC in ’73. As for structural integrity, we’ve had twice this many laying around during the AO thingie. They do get a little mixed up when they fall over, but what the hey? We’re talking Veterans here. Who cares?

Gentle Readers-take your protein pill and put your helmet on. You are going to see and read something phenomenal. We always suspected things were this haywire. Here’s my favorite from the “memorandum”:

We are concerned about the number of claims folders stored at this VARO, located in the Hiram H. Ward Federal Building at 251 North Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC. The volume of folders and inadequate storage seems to indicate the VARO has exceeded the capacity to store files. This over-storage creates an unsafe environment for the employees, overexposes many claims folders to risk of fire/water damage, inadvertent loss and possible misplacement, as well as impedes VARO productivity by reducing access to many folders in a timely manner. We observed files stored approximately two feet high and two rows deep on top of file cabinets. File cabinets were placed so closely together that file drawers could not be opened completely. We estimated that approximately 37,000 claims folders were stored on top of file cabinets. We also observed files stored on the floor and stacked, as space permitted, in boxes along walls. The attached photos provide illustrations of the excessive and unsafe file storage at this VARO.

The pictures at the end of the report are worth their weight in gold. vA has for years said we embellished our stories of finding other Vet’s records mixed up in our files. This puts paid to that fabrication. How many of them accidentally find their way to the shredder  room when they spill out on the floor?

Now for the kicker. How many other VAROs look like this? You think this is unique to one Regional Office alone? Do you know where your C-file is tonight? The cat is getting out of the bag here. Expect more of the same in the future. And thanks for the heads up, Bob.

Email this to your Veteran friends in North Carolina and give them Heartburn. Backlog? Hell, this is light years past backlog. Notice the Veterans Service Center manager’s solution? More file cabinets. What happened to the new paperless file system that is just around the corner? Not.

Posted in All about Veterans, vA news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

STARDUSTRADIO.COM– FIREBASE ADRIAN

Posted on August 10, 2012 by asknod

Patricia has graciously wrangled me a spot on Stardust Radio‘s Sunday night  1900-2000 hrs EDT edition of Firebase Adrian hosted by Rick Townsend.  I reckon that I’ll be talking about my new book. I think the credit lies in Patricia’s court for providing the original AskNod format. My wife is certainly a big part of it too. Women. Can’t live with them or without, I’m afraid. Seems to me, being single would be like fishing without any lures. Of course, being married means you’ll never catch anything but Hell but its a nice kind of Hell all the same.

Posted in ASKNOD BOOK, NEW BOOK | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

WALMART SENIOR GREETER

Posted on August 10, 2012 by asknod

I received this also from Chip. It is a heartwarmer.

Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn’t seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their “Older Person Friendly” policies.

One day the boss called him into the office for a talk.

“Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job when you finally get here; but your being late so often is quite bothersome.”

“Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it.”

“Well good, you are a team player. That’s what I like to hear.

Yes sir, I understand your concern and I will try harder.

Seeming puzzled, the manager went on to comment, I know you’re retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say to you there if you showed up in the morning late so often?”

The old man looked down at the floor, then smiled. He chuckled quietly, then said with a grin,

 
“They usually saluted and said, Good morning, Admiral, can I get your coffee, sir? 
Posted in All about Veterans, Humor | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

THE ART OF THE APOLOGY

Posted on August 10, 2012 by asknod

Member Chip sends us this important “How to” on a sincere apology. Since this site advocates a strong DIY (do it yourself) philosophy, how to’s are always an interest of note to many.

 

Apology letter 

Hi, Sweetheart!

I am sorry about getting into an argument about putting up the Christmas lights.  I guess that sometimes I feel like you are pushing me too hard when you want something.  I realize that I was wrong and I am apologizing for being such a hard-headed guy.  All I want is for you to be happy and be able to enjoy the holiday season.

Nothing brightens the Christmas spirit like Christmas lights! 

I took the time to hang the lights for you today and now I will be off to the hockey rink.

 

 

 

Again, I am very sorry for the way I acted yesterday.  I’ll be home later.

Love you,

 

Jack

Her response 

Hi Honey, 

Thank you for your heart-felt apology.  I don’t often get an apology from you, and I truly appreciate it.

 


I, too, felt bad about the argument and wanted to apologize.  I realize that I can sometimes be a little pushy.  I will try to respect your feelings from now on. Thank you for taking the time to hang the Christmas lights for me.  It really means a lot.

 


In the spirit of giving, I washed your truck for you and now I am off to the mall.

 


I love you, too!

Barbara

Jack- formerly SSGT Jack ________________, USMC-(fast thinker)

 

Barbara-acerbic humorist; former member of Soroptimist Society; soon to be divorced from former loving Marine husband of 25 years.

“For those who understand, no explanation is needed.  For those who don’t understand, no explanation is possible.”

 

Posted in Humor | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

VA Aspire: Data indicates to speed up a claim, the Vet should die.

Posted on August 9, 2012 by joeaveragevet

Yep.  That is what it amounts to.  Since death claims are paid by vA insurance in 2-3 days, if the Veteran wants to speed up his claim, he should die or else wait 253 days and then have to appeal his claim 85% of the time by vA compensation.

Yesterdays article on Aspire  pointed out that the speed in which VA (Life) Insurance claims are processed indicates the backlog problem is highly solvable with a little “motivation” on the part of vA Executives, noting that we do not get complaints from VA execs that their bonuses were 253 days late.

This “motivation” would be that vA execs compensation be tied to the backlog.

Clearly, the vA management does not want to “sacrifice” their own pay or  bonuses to eliminate the backlog for Veterans claims, as this “performance” link has yet to be implemented by vA management.   Where is the “performance” in a “performance bonus” for VA execs?

It amazes me that the same computer”glitches” that cause 253 day delays for Veterans are corrected immediately for VA employees since the VA has accomplished its goal of 100% accuracy with employee compensation with “zero”  late days back in 1808 when the vA was called the Bureau of Pensions under the Secretary of War.

However, there is something amiss in the Aspire program.

Did anyone notice that vA Insurance keeps records of ” high client satisfaction rate” but vA compensation does not?  Why no “client satisfaction rate” with vA compensation?   The “high client satisfaction rate” for vA insurance   is 95.2%, which actually exceeds their goal of 95%.

This means that in order to achieve the Aspire vA insurance goal of 95% satisfaction rate, vA insurance would need to piss off at least .2% of Veteran “clients”.

I can suggest how this be accomplished.  Simply  Transfer these ” vA Insurance  clients” to “vA compensation” , where they will wait at least an average of 253 days for their widows death claim check, which is currently accomplished in 2-3 days.   If a widow waited more than  8 months on her death claim check from vA, (similar to the wait injured Veterans endure now)  surely she would not be a “highly satisfied client”.    Further, if about 85% of these widows had to endure  years of appeals to obtain their death claim check, many of them would be as angry as Veterans who endure these waits for their just compensation.

No, I am not recommending forcing widows wait 253 days for their death claim check, nor am I recommending 85% of these being denied requiring the widow to appeal her death claim check for years.  Instead, I can not see that Veterans who were injured serving our country deserve less than widows, and can not see why the vA compensation is not “upgraded” to be on par with widows death claim checks from vA insurance.

I will speculate the reason the vA does not keep records of “client satisfaction” for vA compensation is that they dont want us to know how bad it is.   I think most homeless Veterans already know how slow vA compensation is, but do they know that if they died, the widow would get a check in 3 days, according to aspire?

This would seem to be the vA’s answer to solving the backlog problem. If the Veteran  simply dies the family will get the insurance check in 3 days, and not have to wait for the long appeal process.

Posted in Guest authors, VA BACKLOG | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

ASKNOD– BOOK EXCERPT.

Posted on August 8, 2012 by asknod

Member Courtney of recent Air Force fame asks me for a book excerpt before she buys it.

I’ll bite. How about this:

Continuity

I don’t know if any of you have ever visited a movie set. There is a group of people labeled “Continuity.” Their assigned task is to keep everything in place from one shooting of a scene to the next. Every fork on a table must stay put, so they don’t jump around or disappear if the scene has to be reshot. Likewise, your claim must have continuity. A timeline must be constructed and verified for accuracy. It wouldn’t do to say you started to come down with this when you felt puke sick and reported to sick call in June 1978. What if the service medrecs show you went in for it in February 1979? VA will imply that your memory can’t be trusted back that far and will cite this as evidence of it. They usually do it the tricky way and say, “The records are silent for any entries in June 1978.” What they never say is that it shows up as February 1979. This is how they work. I’m serious. You will lose, and it will take a very long time, if ever, to fix it. Most Vets shrug and give up. They are not expecting it. Would you?

Continuity applies to the whole shooting match. Doctor’s names, places, dates, and more will be tested for a seamless tapestry of uniformity that agrees with your version. Complete this ahead of time. Construct the timeline on paper in a synopsis form. The more you recall it, the more you will be able to “relive” it and remember even more.

This may not be the most important thing you do in life, but it will have enormous financial rewards sooner if it is done by the numbers. You will start having dreams about this era of your life. Keep a notebook handy to write down a friend’s name that comes back to you or a place. Lucid moments are often like waking up from a dream. You will remember them briefly, so write them down before you lose them again.

To give you an example, I couldn’t remember the name of my pilot I was flying with when I was wounded. It was forty years ago. I could remember his first name—Chuck—but his last name escaped me. The harder I tried to recall it, the more it eluded me. One day I was driving up Meadowlark Street and turned left onto ENGLEwood Avenue, and there it was! Chuck Engle, First Lieutenant USAFR. Unfortunately, he was dead and unavailable to testify, but it was important evidence in the claim. Put your brain in neutral and let it idle. Your subconscious mind will retrieve it and post it on the desktop.

 

 

Posted in ASKNOD BOOK, NEW BOOK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Aspire: How is the VA doing?

Posted on August 8, 2012 by joeaveragevet

As many of you know the VA keeps records with a system called Aspire.

You can also look at the individual RO’s Aspire, here.

I looked at the data for the past 13 months, which is all that is available through Aspire.  If I am incorrect, and any of you know how to access data from Aspire older than 13 months, please feel free to comment or contact Ask Nod.   Based on the VA’s numbers for the past 13 months, this is how the VA is doing:

1.  Veteran Homelessness.   Its getting worse.  It took the VA 96.1 days to process homeless Vets claims in May 2011, while in June, 2012 it had worsened 25.9% and takes 121 days.  It is unclear why Shinseki boasts that Veteran homelessness was reduced, when this would appear to show that it was getting worse, fast.

2.  Rating Claim Processing Time.  In May 2011 it took 170 days for the VA to process a claim. 13 months later:  253 days.  This worsened by 48%, so there is no good news there,  either.

3.  Insurance.  ******  Without a doubt the VA’s (life) insurance program is the best managed, fastest turnaround, in all the VA.   The VA actually improved the insurance program. Where it used to take 3.8 days to process a SDVI claim, 13 months later this was reduced to 2.6 days.  You are reading it right.  Insurance claims are processed in 2-3 days, while comp claims take about a hundred times longer.    And, look at the accuracy numbers…all well above 90% for VA insurance.

The big question is why the VA insurance program is sooooooo much better and faster than VA comp?  Do Veterans widows deserve their compensation faster than the Vets themselves?

I will admit that at least part of this is less complex with insurance than compensation.  After all, have you ever met anyone 30% deceased?    I sure hope I don’t get a 0% deceased rating, or would that be good after all?  A 0% compensation rating means that you have to appeal to get any benefits.

Yep. 100% deceased. Pay the Widow

However, the complexity would not be the whole reason.  After all, if someone had a leg blown off  via a bomb in Iraq, would that not be as obvious as if he were killed?  Why can’t that claim be processed in 2 or 3 days?

4. VA Executive compensation and bonuses.   I actually heard, once, back in the early 1970’s, where government employees pay was delayed because of a computer glitch. The delay was a weekend.  The following Monday…the VA execs made sure it would never happen again.   My question is why can’t we apply whatever the VA execs did to the employees who got their payroll out late to apply to Veterans compensation?   It seems simple enough to base the VA executive compensation times on how quickly the employees process VETERANS compensation.   No more 253 days..but zero days late.   The VA backlog problem really is resolvable .It is simply that there is no motivation for the VA Executives to get the job done, since they get bonuses for poor performance as well as good.

300+ days to rating to prevent fraud in case he’s faking it. May require field investigation to makes sure he’s not gainfully employed

Yep. No flies on VA.

Posted in Guest authors, Uncategorized, VA BACKLOG, vA news | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

FOOTLOCKER–SNAKE BITE KIT (AirAm ISSUE)

Posted on August 8, 2012 by asknod

Rooting through my reloading cabinet I found this. I swear I’d thrown it away forty years ago but it was with my hunting gear. We have no poisonous snakes here in Western Washington but I must have kept it for hunting east of the mountains. These kits were standard issue on all the Hueys we had up country in Laos. They were on the wall right beside the Morphine Styrets as part of the very limited medical kit. I know. That’s where I requisitioned mine from.

The Air Force Jolly Green HH-53 BUFFs  had them too but they were in O.D. Green cans with some M-21A4 designator and probably cost $150 more  for each.  We had Malaysian Pith Vipers and of course the dreaded Krate in RVN nicknamed the two-step for its lethality. It was said you kicked in 45 seconds from the Krate. I don’t know. I never saw one of those but the reason I have tinnitus is because my boss annihilated a viper by shooting over my shoulder to kill it in 70. My ear bled-a lot. The barrel was about a foot away.

The modern version is simple. “If bitten by poisonous snake, try to keep patient subdued and comfortable. Call 911. Use cel phone camera to take picture of snake for future identification purposes. Do not attempt to detain the snake.”

P.S. Whaa-oh! No gloves or eye/face protection from blood spatter? VA would not be able to explain this in the context of everything being peachy clean and sanitary while we were out playing soldier. This is classic evidence of how things got transmitted from one to another in a military environment back in my day.

Posted in From the footlocker | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment