VET COMP. & PEN–CAVEAT EMPTOR

Posted on January 13, 2017 by asknod
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Kathleen

Meet Miz Kathleen. New Sleuth on the prowl. I asked her if she would be so kind as to “sniff out” the bona fides of a certain outfit in Florida that purports to be run by former VA Personnel with the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)-those who perform Compensation and Pension Examinations on Veterans to aid in determining  service connection for claims we file. 

Several days ago, I put up this report and Kathleen commented on it with numerous links to the outfit in question. I emailed her and asked if she’d be interested in researching such a valuable asset to Veterans-if it were indeed true. And, true to her word, I present her diligent work.

Caveat Emptor …”let the buyer beware.”

As defined, “Caveat Emptor is a Latin term that means “let the buyer beware.” Similar to the phrase “sold as is,” this term means that the buyer assumes the risk that a product may fail to meet expectations or have defects.”

Caveat Emptor…that’s my sentiment about the consulting firm mentioned in VA NEXUS LETTERS–FINALLY A GO-TO SOURCE? .  You may or may not feel the same way as I do about this firm and that’s certainly everyone’s prerogative to reach their own conclusions.

In a response to that post, I provided information found by following the digital trail left out on the WWW by those associated with the firm.  You see, we all leave digital footprints while we interact with the Web.  A digital footprint is defined as… “the information about a particular person that exists on the Internet as result of their online activity.”

In this case, the digital trail that I followed kept bringing me to more twists and turns then “the most crooked street in the world”, Lombard Street in San Francisco, CA.

To start with, the firm seems to be associated with more than one name:

Vetcompandpen.com

vaclaimpros.com

Va.claims

 The firm is indeed listed with                                                    the Better Business Bureau:

BBB Business Profile | Veterans Compensation & Pension Medical …

Of note, is a recent customer complaint listed on the website:

1/3/2017

Problems with Product/Service

Complaint

Vet Comp and Pen claims they assisted me in filing a ********** claim with ******* *******. Not only did they not assist me but now are stating that I owe them in upwards of $8399. I filed all claims with ******* ******* on my own and therefore required nor received any assistance from Vet Comp and… Pen.

(Show Less of Complaint)

Desired Resolution

Stop threatening demands with promises of attorney fees and collection fees, etc.

From: ******* ****** ************ **********************>

Date: Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 4:29 PM
Subject: Re: You have a new message from the BBB of Northeast Florida in regards to your… complaint #********.
To: Better Business Bureau <*****************>

case has been resolved……ID ********

In the BBB profile, these are the additional phone numbers associated with the firm:

(352) 405-0022

(352) 405-0030

(888) 838-3726  **The toll free phone # listed seems to be for an entirely different entity (Veteran Corps of America)

What people are saying about unsolicited marketing texts/calls received from VC&Pen phone # 352-405-0022:

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-352-405-0022

https://www.who-calls.us/3524050022

…and also from 352-405-0050 (listed as possibly a “spoof” phone #):

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/3524050050

This from the VA’s Official Blog:

http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/4378/disability-review-board-ensuring-fairness-and-accuracy/

a snippet from responses to that blog post:

 gina uribe    September 17, 2011 at 12:43 pm

I agree..the C&P system (compensation and pension) is broken…vets are not receiving what is deserved for their military related disabilities due to various reasons…and they are missing out on MANY secondary conditions due to lack of knowledge and guidance from non medical veteran service officers who do not understand pathophysiology and pharmacology, etc….erroneous claims or missed claims are being filed and bogging down the system. As a previous C&P examiner and trainer as well as a committee member for DEMO (disability exam management office) who recently helped with the development of DBQ (disability benefits questionaires) that are recently instituted throughout the nation, I have seen how inadequate the system is. Thus I have resigned my position with VHA and gone into private medical consulting to assist vets with the preparation and filing of compensation claims in order to maximize the potential of success in winning deserving claims, and decrease denials (less than 20% are ever overturned once denied!)…check out my website for more info http://www.vetcompandpen.com …..

 Kevin janey    December 10, 2011 at 11:41 am

Ms. Uribe:

You and non of your associates are accredited by VA assist, prepare, and prosecute veterans claims. Furthermore, it is illegal to charge veterans (whether you’re accredited or not) for such services if they are filing for initial benefits. In order to be able to charge a veteran for such services, you MUST first be accredited by VA, AND the secondly the claim must be on appeal. Then, and only then can a fee be payable! It is organizations such as yours who give advocates a bad reputation.

I will be notifying the VA’s Office of the General Counsel of your organization and so-called services.

Kevin Janey
Accredited claims agent

Now, Mr. Janey took great umbrage with Ms. Uribe’s post response and for just cause…he is what he says he is:

  • Kevin Janey, VA Accredited Claims Agent

On his website, Mr. Janey does a great job explaining what a legitimate, accredited VA claims agent is as well as explaining the process:

http://www.vaclaims-help.com/

http://www.vaclaims-help.com/representation/

http://www.vaclaims-help.com/representation/initial-claims/

As with AskNod, Mr. Janey is easily found in VA’s accreditation database for Attorneys, Claims Agents, or Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) Representatives.

https://www.va.gov/ogc/accreditation.asp

This from Reddit:

Help! What is the Vet Comp & Pen Medical Consulting LLC? – Reddit

The poster, “BiminiFritz”, represents himself as “Jim Hill President & CEO” of Vet Comp & Pen Medical Consulting LLC extolling the virtues of his consulting firm.  Perhaps someone already has or will be taking Mr. Hill up on #6 of his response:

“6. If you think we are a scam, or run across anyone taking advantage of veterans, you need to CONTACT the OFFICE of THE INSPECTOR GENERAL for the Dept of Veteran Affairs. Our office address is:

Vet Comp & Pen Medical Consulting,LLC 410 SW 140th Terrace Newberry, FL 32669 888-98-Veteran”

______________________________________

Aren’t you glad she doesn’t work for the FBI or VA’s VAOIG? Wait. Scratch that. She’s light years ahead of both of them and Homeland Security as well.

P.S. As a legal ploy, I/we at asknod.org disavow any agreement with what Kathleen has uncovered. We trust her to be honest and unbiased. As she has no dog in this fight, it cannot be considered slander. We merely offer her a soapbox to theorize and espouse different theories on the bona fides of Vet Comp and Pen Consulting I have personally sent Mr. Hill an invitation to rebut anything she said here and provide him with his own soapbox in turn to defend his business and employees. To date (June 13, 2017), he has not availed himself of the opportunity.  Ever since the Wounded Warrior Project debacle, I have learned to offer anything I say as conjecture and not fact (or lies). I continue in this noble tradition and try to help Vets. Part of that mission involves identifying useful tools such as VC&PC LLC and offering them to you for your possible use in your claims. Nothing I offer carries the endorsement of asknod.org but merely a tool worth investigating. If you return with a horror story, you are free to share it. I do not apply my hallmark of respectability to anyone other than  NOVA attorneys and VA Nonattorney Practitioners (Agents)

And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

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PPS. A fellow VA attorney finally solved the mystery of how VAClaimPros knows you have won a claim. Apparently, from testimonials of former clients, a prospective Vet is required to divulge his or her VA eBenefits password and PIV to Claim Pros as a condition of the contract. This allows them to access your account and determine if you have won anything. If it involves any of their “work” (and I use that term loosely), they mail you a bill. Apparently, when you go in for one of their c&p exams for an IMO, they investigate you from stem to stern and record any and all injuries/diseases and ostensibly prepare IMOs for those as well.

My advice to Veterans is simple. If you terminate your services with these folks, change your ebenefits or va.gov PIV credentials to prevent unauthorized access afterwards. The VA OIG and OGC have declined to prosecute this particular outfit citing no authority or oversight. More Vets’ “help” sites are springing up daily. The only legitimate one I am aware of is Valor4Vet.

Ms. Spangenberg, the owner of the company is an accredited VA agent and in compliance with the regulation 38 CFR Part XIV.

Be safe.

Posted in Guest authors, IMOs/IMEs, Medical News, Nexus Information, Tips and Tricks, VA Agents, VA Attorneys, VA Medical Mysteries Explained, Veterans Law | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

SEATTLE VAMC BATTING .1000 ON FTCA

Posted on January 13, 2017 by asknod

VeteransAdministration.12755109_stdI just hate to wake up early to catch up on the news and find this in my in-box. Thank you John Giovenco for this one. You inadvertently also provided me with another article just below it that made my hair stand on end due to the similarity of what VA did to me surgically in 2009-2010. Is it just the Seattle VA doctors or is this a pattern? Yes, I know we all hear an inordinate amount of talk about pill factories up in Wisconsin and corpses in the shower room in St. Pete’s but is this honestly that widespread?

First, John sent this link to Military.com about bonuses. Nothing can bring my blood to a boil like VA incentives. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/01/07/va-workers-got-millions-in-unjustified-incentives.html . But what caught my eye after reading it was one of those hooks below it like a Facebook blurb. Boy, if you liked this article then maybe you’d be interested in reading one of the following ones as well.

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Veteran Tim Kuncl

Veteran Tim Kuncl

Well boy howdy that first one was an eye magnet. Lo and behold. It was about my favorite hospital where I spent a year and four operations teaching University of Washington’s Doogie Howsers how to disassemble and reassemble the gastrozone piping system connected to the stomach-unsuccessfully, I might add- judging by how many times they had to redo it. I should have charged admission and I didn’t even get any frequent flier miles.  Looks like our fellow Veteran and ex-Coastguardsman Timbo got pretty much the same Rodney Dangerfield ‘ I don’t get no respect’ treatment. The best part is that he managed to retrieve the leg. VA probably regrets their failure to “misplace it” when they had the chance. Check this out.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/01/12/amputee-retrieved-leg-plays-key-part-va-malpractice-suit.html

Here’s closeup of the fustercluck:

amputation

Kind of gives me the feeling UW Medical School’s motto is ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Don’t give up. Do it again, with gusto. I had no idea you could get that much metal inside such a small area. It also confirms my belief in having a good FTCA law that protects us against this kind of insanity. Seeing’s how the Seattle VAMC is so sloppy, perhaps you might want to keep the attorney’s number close at hand for any of Seattle’s future medical misadventures. Mr. James Holman Esq. is right next door to my favorite restaurant.

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Daddy gave me one of the Prime Directives early in life and VA seems to have embraced it wholeheartedly- “It isn’t a (expletive deleted) until you can’t fix it.” I wonder how many more times they planned on remodeling Mr. Tim’s right lower extremity before they called it irretrievable. He gave them three shots at it which is three more than I would have knowing what I do now.

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Posted in 1151 claims, KP Veterans, Medical News, VA Attorneys, VA FTCA Claims, VA Medical Mysteries Explained, vA news, Veterans Law | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

NEW VA SECRETARY (AGAIN)

Posted on January 12, 2017 by asknod

635646931319099161-veterans-administration-logoBoy howdy, this enough to make your head spin. They need to put one of those revolving doors in at 810 Yellowbrick Road NW. This will be the fifth VASEC in about six years…

Imagine your underling getting hired to replace you and he doesn’t even have a DD 214? And you get the shit show and shown the door. It just goes to show you Murphy’s first law that no good deed goes unpunished is alive and well in Foggy Bottom. Time for a new VA dog and pony show.

Once upon a time in a magic land with unicorns, faeries and talking wooden dolls…

emoticon13This just in. CNN News Reporter Jim Acosta reports President-elect Donald Trump has changed his mind again and transferred  retired USMC General “Mad Dog” Mattis over into his VA Secretary slot and replaced the Secretary of Defense slot with Gen. David Petraus.

During the same news conference, Mr. Acosta also claims to have incontrovertible proof that the President-elect’s birth certificate is phony, contending he was really born in South Africa.

News and film at Six tonight on this developing story. We’ll see you then. Back to you. Wolf.

Nodster

Posted in Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

VA NEXUS LETTERS–FINALLY A GO-TO SOURCE?

Posted on January 10, 2017 by asknod

smaller Trademark VA LogoThank you to Jennifer for this one. I had not heard of it. This is why Vets need each other as a close-support network. Veterans Lawyers’ and NOVA should put this in the rolodex.

https://www.vetcompandpen.com/

 

P.S. And, of course with that said, treat all these websites as potential scams. Do not assume they have your best interests at heart. We’d all like to believe in Unicorns but they are often chimeras.

P.P.S. Further research reveals various opinions pro and con as to the bona fides of the outfit. Seems there are multiple opinions. Unlike Amazon reviews that can be verified, we see unidentified folks singing the praises with no confirmed rating sheets. I ran across this perfidy with Together We Served. It was a “free one-month trial” but I was asked to give them a credit card number. Bingo. They instantly zapped me $25 or so. In order to extract myself, I had to find the minuscule widget on a different page to punch out. Either way, they got that $25.

It would seem that anyone, regardless of having received their services, can post a comment on the FB site and extol their virtues-including their own personnel. Hardly useful for a fact-finding mission. Try this  https://www.facebook.com/pg/vaclaimpros/reviews/

If any of you have had dealing with these folks, do tell. If all your ISP addresses originate in the Gainesville, Florida area, I guess that will sink the ship.capture

Nodster

Posted in KP Veterans, Lawyering Up, Medical News, Nexus Information, VA Agents, VA Attorneys, VA Medical Mysteries Explained, VBMS Tricks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

HADIT.COM RADIO SHOW THIS PM

Posted on January 5, 2017 by asknod

haditlogo2007Once again, the call goes out to the faithful to assemble and hear the Gospel according to St. Jerrel and St. John. This afternoon (evening if you’re on the least coast) we’ll talk about the new myriad ways VA has resorted to in order to slow down claims processing using endless delaying tactics. If you thought “misconstrue” was the operable phrase, you just haven’t been bushwhacked very many times. VA has a whole panoply of techniques ranging from asking you to file new 526EZs now to supplement old ones. Tune in and let’s learn how to go around these roadblocks. 

Some of you have really old claims decisions and you’re hoping to find a CUE in them. Well, boy howdy did we spot some really good avenues to drive the CUEmobile through to reverse these. VA tried for decades to hide the old Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD) inaugurated in 1945. Now we find “inferred” and “informal” claims for were contemplated in 38 CFR §4.47’s language in 1970 during the height of the Vietnam War in spite of VA’s interpretation of the regulations.

We’ll talk about that and a lot more this afternoon at 1600 Hrs on the left coast. Getting through the Red tape-one roll at a time.

The call in number is the same

347-237-4819

To speak or join in the discussion, dial the number #1. Be there or be square.

ss-call-me

Relax. I don’t look like this so don’t be intimidated.

P.S. Head notes for this show:

1964 Part 4 VASRD : 1964-vasrd-ratings

Part §4.41; §4.42. This is the authority to file extra claims for the Veteran based on injury discovered at intake into the system. VA says no inferred or informal in 1970 but this disputes it.

  • 4.41-History of injury

In considering the residuals of injury, it is essential to trace the medical-industrial history of the disabled person from the original injury, considering the nature of the injury and the attendant circumstances, and the requirements for, and the effects of, treatment over past periods, and the course of  recovery to date. The duration of the initial, and any subsequent, period of total incapacity, especially periods reflecting delayed union, inflammation, swelling, drainage or operative intervention, should be given close attention. This consideration, or the absence of clear cut evidence of injury, may result in classifying the disability as not of traumatic origin, either reflecting congenital or developmental etiology, or the effects of healed disease.

  • 4.42- Complete medical examination of injury cases

The importance of complete medical examination of injury cases at the time of first medical examination by Veterans Administration cannot be overemphasized. When possible, this should include complete neurological and psychiatric examination, and other special examinations indicated by the physical condition, in addition to the required general and orthopedic or surgical examinations. When complete examinations are not conducted covering all systems of the body affected by disease or injury, it is impossible to visualize the nature and extent of the service connected injury. Incomplete examination is a common cause of incorrect diagnosis, especially in the neurological and psychiatric fields, and frequently leaves the Veterans Administration in doubt as to the presence or absence of disabling conditions at the time of the examination. (VASRD, 1970)

 

 

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Posted in Tips and Tricks, VA Agents, VA Medical Mysteries Explained, vA news, VBMS Tricks, Veterans Law | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

POTENTIAL ‘NEW’ VA SECRETARY CHOICES

Posted on January 4, 2017 by asknod

imagesIn an interesting twist, President-elect Trump’s transition team, flummoxed by recent refusals of top-dog choices for VA Secretary, have decided to dig down deeper in the barrel for ‘real’ experience. Beginning tomorrow, Trump’s transition team will begin interviews with several notable former VA Secretaries in a desperate attempt to come up with someone willing to take the job.

Tony Principi?

principi-1Top choices and expectations have now retreated somewhat. Former Secretary and senior poohbah of the Wounded Wallet Club Anthony Principi, has been discussed as a viable candidate. Principi, with two terms at the helm, is the biggest contender among GOP politicians after Congressman Miller. The Big Six major Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) have steadfastly insisted on keeping the current VA Secretary, Bob McDonald. Notably, our President-elect has elected not to meet with the diehard VSO fanatics in their funny hats. Many put their chips down on Clinton and the New Elephant isn’t forgetting that.

Jesse Brown?

220px-ensign_jesse_l-_brownIn light of the President-elect insisting on new blood and his displeasure with McDonald’s seeming inability to create a viable appointment schedule for Vets at VAMCs, the major big name VSOs have universally weighed in with their choice of former Secretary Jesse Brown as a fallback position after McDonald. Sadly, it has been pointed out to the VSOs Mr. Brown is no longer a viable candidate, having departed to the Happy Hunting Grounds in 2002. For some reason, they have a hard time decyphering the meaning of ‘deceased’. Their second fallback candidate, Ed Derwinski suffers the same problem. However, having been born and raised in Chicago, Brown’s demise is not considered a permanent disqualifier. He has been reputed to be active in his community and votes regularly so he has that going for him.

 

Jimbo Peake?

downloadJames B. Peake M.D.,  the sixth (not counting acting VASECS) leader of the beleaguered agency, has been cheered on by his fellow West Point Graduates with the possible exception of the present VASEC ringknocker and his second-in-command, Sloan D. Gibson. Unfortunately, the sole metric of being a member of the Long Grey Line has not proved a very good barometer of success in this venue to date. Eric Shinseki bowed out in disgrace after his tenure due to his inability to exert change on the troubled agency. Running around in winter handing out Col. Sander’s high-cholesterol Kentucky Fried Chicken to homeless Vets in DC should have been a slam dunk for a permanent tenure at 810 Delay Avenue NW  but you also have to exert command influence over the little people. Eric didn’t and it ‘bit him on his buttocks’ as they say down in Greenbow, Alabama.

So, let’s sum up the past VASECS and how they might fare if recalled to serve in office. Surely, one of these fellers can hack the course.

Ed Derwinski- not considered viable due to oxygen starvation for over 4 years.  Was a politician and did his best to prevent Vets from attaining anything more than hearing loss for 0% during his tenure. Probability is 8%

Tony Principi- acting VASEC for six months and later for five years, was an Annapolis graduate. It did help when it came time to “inventing” QTC and creating the perfect golden parachute after his second tenure in 2005. He has moved on looking for cushy jobs in Veterans charities and dabbled in politics since the reputed sale of all his QTC stock (and controlling interest) recently to Lockheed. Sadly, the probability is 19%.

Jesse Brown-deceased- but being from Chicago, and having the endurance of the Energizer Bunny, is never considered out of the running. VSOs’ outstanding favorite 2 to 1 behind McDonald. Probability is 18% until he fails to show up for the interview this week .

Hershel Gober?

hgober

Hershel W. Gober- notable for his musical flair, released a 45 rpm single during his tour in Vietnam in 1970, “Picture of a Man”, which received some airplay on AFVN. This ought to be a clincher for a comeback but former Secretary Gober had a penchant for chasing skirts. He even ended up marrying the OGC General Counsel Mary Lou Keener after playing house with her for a while (in office). His future chances of a permanent slot in the VASEC cockpit faded after that stunt and he just got elected as the Executive director of the Military Order of the Purple Nurple. Since that pays far more than the VA secretary slot ($200,000 w/ medical and chauffeured Cadillac), he is not expected to accept. Seriously, would you trade in $393 K , a chauffeur and a Gulfstream V for this headache?  Probability is less than 5%.

hgoberpast

Hershel ‘Barry Sadler’ Gober in 1970 performing his new song

 

Togo with newest wife Gail

Togo with wife Gail

Togo D. West isn’t a real soldier. He came up through the Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) which is akin to being a nurse. Basic and advanced training is generally waived after you learn how to salute and recognize rank. You still get all the big medals like the Bronze Star and the Legion of Merit though. He was an Eagle Scout and definitely has that going for him. Support for Togo is tepid at best among the general Vet population. Some say that ‘Togo” moniker has to go. Probability is low at 12%.

jim-nicholsonJim Nicholson- Another ringknocker who did eight years active and 30 years in the Army total. He has nothing more to show for it than attaining the rank of full bird colonel and has been bandied about by the transition team as “marginal”. Some feel he’s like an NFL team that can’t convert on 3rd and inches and always misses the field goal attempt. He lasted two years under Bush and faded into a career in real estate. Jimbo has the usual CIB and Bronze Star and got his ticket punched in Vietnam for a year. Other than that, there’s not much there and the mustache is a definite drawback these days.  Probability is a tepid 9%.

 

captureGordon H. Mansfield, a Veteran with the usual PHs, BSs and CIBs, came to us via the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). He was the Executive director there but saw a good opportunity to get a better paycheck as VASEC for a while. He was temporary for several months until Congress seated Dr. Peake. As a potential candidate, the transition team has anonymously rated him ‘not at least as likely as not’ to ascend to VA Secretary. That’s pretty unequivocal but don’t rule any of these gomers out. They’re like DC bubblegum and can get stuck to your shoe.  Probability for Gordo is low at 8%  due to his being room temperature but he may develop a following as major VSOs discover Jesse Brown is equally unavailable as well. Stranger things have transpired in DC. Look who just got elected!

As I’ve discussed above, the final four (Peake, Shinseki, Gibson and McDonald), the most recent VASECs, are all graduates of the US Military Academy but have little more than that to recommend them. Shinseki was notable only for his combat experience. Sadly, it didn’t translate into a viable career at the VA.

mcdonald2-master180McDonald is quite enamored of his peacetime Ranger tabs thinking they are commensurate with being a dyed-in-the-wool combat tough guy. Buy him a drink and he’ll tell you all about it. Rumor has it he’s partial to Johnny Walker Blue.  Since Gibson is his number 2, we won’t rate him. McDonald comes in with the highest rating of 26% assuming nobody else can be induced to serve.

 

 

 

captureRumor has it Alfred E. Neuman, a notable war hero, is running a strong 40%. He does lack the ringknocker status  but what the hey?

 

 

 

 

 

Transition personnel confirm they will have a warm body for Congress to vote on by the time the President-elect is inaugurated. The operable word is “warm”.

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Posted in Humor, KP Veterans, VA BACKLOG, VA Health Care, vA news, VA Secretaries, VSOs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Dear Vietnam Veterans, We can explain…

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Laura

No Congress, CDC, VA, DoD, FDA you can’t explain away your decisions to keep veterans in the dark about how they might have acquired HCV during their military service.  No VBA judges, you can’t hide behind your rule books either as you issue denial after denial for Hep C service connection. Because when a major American company, with over 32 billion in revenues, selects advertising copy, the words chosen are based on facts and evidence their researchers are privy to.  Why? Because companies who lie or mislead consumers in advertisements eventually end up in court.

 Gilead tells it like it is (American Legion Magazine, 11/16):

Vietnam Veterans, especially those born between 1945-1965, are at high risk for having Hep C.  

Many could have been exposed due to unsterile vaccination procedures, or by coming into contact with contaminated blood during combat.

gileadgilead2

Sorry for the poor images but I can’t scan to my laptop today.  The ad would reproduce better in black & white if you can pick up a copy at a local Legion post.

Bravo Gilead.  In two sentences, you have wiped away decades of stigma, created by a secretive government, in simple, truthful advertising copy.  Hopefully it will encourage vets to get tested before it’s too late to benefit from your antivirals.  Keep up the good life-saving work you.

Posted in Food for the soul, Food for thought, General Messages, Guest authors, HCV Epidemiology, HCV Risks (documented), hepatitis, medical injections, Medical News, non-va care, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Happy New Year

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Laura

to all veterans, current and future, and their friends and families.

marine

December 22, 2016 “To The Mountains And Beyond MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft return after a long-range raid from Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Japan to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa as part of Blue Chromite 2017, Nov. 4, 2016. The Marines honed their ability to project forces from afar by executing a long-range raid over 1,000 miles via MV-22B Osprey to include an aerial refueling by KC-130J Super Hercules. Blue Chromite is a U.S.-only exercise which strengthens the Navy-Marine Corps expeditionary, amphibious rapid-response capabilities based in Okinawa and the greater Indo-Asia-Pacific region. The Ospreys are part of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.” Super U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sergeant Major Michael Cato. Click to see larger image.

 

Posted in All about Veterans, Food for the soul, Food for thought, Future Veterans, General Messages, Guest authors, Inspirational Veterans, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Jet-injector transmitted hepatitis: proof of concept and quick evidence print-out

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Laura

 

In 2004, top viral hepatitis CDC researcher, Miriam Alter, MD, gave a presentation to the FDA and referenced the 1984-85 HBV outbreak via transmission by jet injectors. Dr. Cecil’s website (Link) also links to the 1990 abstract, An outbreak of hepatitis B associated with jet injections in a weight reduction clinic (Link).   It’s important to note the high transmission numbers in this outbteak:  60 out of 287 patients were acutely sickened.  

Stopping the use of the jet injectors on July 2, 1985, at clinic 1, was associated with the termination of this outbreak. This investigation demonstrated that jet injectors can become contaminated with hepatitis B virus and then may be vehicles for its transmission.

The CDC, even after the HIV/AIDS crisis, will not warn the public about possible exposure to bloodborne pathogens via jet injectors even thirty years after this incident. But by 2004, hepatitis outbreaks due to contaminated medical devices were an unavoidable reality that Dr. Alter had to address among her peers. (She may not work at the CDC currently.) The notion that the CDC doesn’t have unpublished secret research about jet injectors strains credulity.

This slide image can be printed as “easy evidence” with regard to the discontinued old jet guns along with the PubMed 1990 abstract.  Dr. Alter is author and co-author of 159 texts in PubMed including the one cited above.  

CDC communicates the science about diabetes-related medical device transmissions with little waffling. The history is different but the mechanism is the similar. Direct transmissions by devices/equipment are the opposite of natural transmissions such as sexual contacts or mother-to-newborn babies.  Airborne blood transmissions probably fall in the natural category as in this unlucky case:

Transmission of hepatitis C by blood splash into conjunctiva in a nurse (link)

 

 

alter-fda-2 alter-fda

Posted in General Messages, Guest authors, HCV Epidemiology, HCV Risks (documented), hepatitis, Jetgun Claims evidence, medical injections, research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

TRUMP’S NEW VASEC PICK COSGROVE?

Posted on December 26, 2016 by asknod
Toby Cosgrove

Delos ‘Toby’ Cosgrove, 74

From the halls of 810 Yellow Brick Avenue NW and indeed, from NOVA itself, we are being told in no uncertain terms that Donbo has tapped Toby Cosgrove for the job. Great. Hire a 75-year-old doctor as an administrator. Is this is vintage 2008 déjà vu  a la Jimbo Peake? Regardless of which guy you’re rooting for, we need youth in this job. We need an Agency shakeup and bitch-slapping to arouse awareness to the fact that the USS Delay & Deny is dead in the water. 

Both sides of our VA “house” are out of order. Having to wait four years for a  VBA Board appeal to reach the printing presses is just a small part of the equation. Focusing exclusively on the medical side of the house (VHA), no matter how dysfunctional, ignores the bigger problem. Every Veteran granted service connection at a medium (50% or better) rating gets Priority One status and creates yet more backlog for lesser rated Priority Two to Eight personnel. Regardless, it simply increases the perceived need for the future medical services. Efficiency for the buck spent is what is required. Morale. Pride in employment.

The demand for medical services is all the more pressing now due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates. Any repair order at the Board of Veterans Appeals, or massive hiring spree of temporary Veterans Law Judges, simply fixes the immediate and pressing situation of the interminable backlog at the VBA (where you get your ratings). No long term plan has even been formulated yet other than a rump appeals process with no due process.

Funding for both is problematic due to the last bill Representative Miller sent up to the Senate recently. Congress wants VA to trim back some fat somewhere in their art-bloated, solar-arrayed newly gussied up VAROs across the frozen plains if they want more money for the PTSD Hotline. Paying out bonuses for VAMC Directors to withhold or interminably delay services until Vets begin croaking is unfortunately going out of style. Sadly, VA is so myopic, they cannot see it themselves. Imagine how many years it took to make them colorblind to their own ineptness?

Who Is Toby Cosgrove?

So who is Toby Cosgrove? What is the Cleveland Clinic? Why is Toby the go-to guy to fix this? All these queshuns and no good Tobyfacts. Outgoing President Obama wanted him ahead of Bob McDonald back in 2014. He turned it down.  Toby’s a Vietnam Vet apparently with boots on the ground. Again, like all these typical REMFs, he’s sporting a Bronze Star. It really cheapens the medal experience when you see these Officer folk get one who have never even felt that electric jolt that runs through your conscious mind moments after a 7.62 goes buzzing by mere inches from your noggin.

With the number of candidates now vetted for the VASEC slot more numerous than the original slate of GOP presidential contenders back in 2015, Cosgrove’s name keeps rising back to the top like a fishbobber. If nothing else, it’s giving the Big Twenty VSOs heartburn at the prospect of Trump dumping McFlougal and hiring some business guru who will see right through the ruse of VA Senior Executive Snooties who demand more bonuses and less work. What if Toby doesn’t drink Single-malt Scotch and can’t be bought off? What if he doesn’t play golf or chase after other married women? What lever can be exerted to make him a Team Player with DAV/VFW/AmLeg etc. ?

streetsign-1Remember, all this was not supposed to happen. In a kinder, gentler alternate universe, Secretary Bob would have continued into the new Administration and nothing would change appreciably. Dead Vets would continue to mysteriously wheel themselves into shower areas unaided in VA Hospitals. Other Vets would wait for years futilely waiting for a CT scan appointment. Still others would continue to die waiting for a cancer diagnosis that would never be rendered.  Vets like Butch Long would continue to get their 10% appeals denied with no meaningful legal help. And the parade of excuses would just continue to spew into the new century from the corner of Delay and Deny. But the media was wrong.

I’m not an eternal optimist but something here leads me to believe whomever is chosen is not going to be in thrall to a bunch of High-tech knowitalls who think they have this all dialed in. Throwing more money at it won’t even feed the bonus machine at this rate.

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