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September 5, 2008 6:46:21 AM CDT

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Stories related to: Department of Veterans Affairs

Stories

15 Stories

  • August 2008

    • Wounded Vets Assaulted by Mold—Again

      USA Today  |  Aug 18, 08 11:50 AM CDT

      Wounded Vets Assaulted by Mold—Again

      (Newser) - In a replay of the scandalous conditions uncovered at Walter Reed Medical Center last year, an Oklahoma barracks that houses wounded soldiers has become infested with mold, soldiers stationed there told USA Today. Twenty soldiers stepped forward, saying they’d been ordered not to discuss conditions at Fort Sill, which they say are deteriorating despite months of complaints. More »

      Tags

      Walter Reed Army Medical Center  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • Walter Reed fallout  • army hospitals

  • June 2008
  • May 2008

    • Busy Military Cemeteries Keep Customers Satisfied

      Associated Press  |  May 25, 08 7:39 AM CDT

      Busy Military Cemeteries Keep Customers Satisfied

      (Newser) - With veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam dying at a record clip, US National Cemeteries are performing more than 100 burials a day—and often use assembly-line tactics to meet demand, AP reports. Despite the use of heavy machinery and the volume—1,800 veterans die each day—the National Cemetery Administration has the highest customer satisfaction score of any government agency or private company, a study has found. More »

      Tags

      veterans  • World War II  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • Vietnam veteran  • Korean War  • Arlington National Cemetery

    • VA Doctor Discouraged Post-Traumatic Diagnoses

      Washington Post  |  May 16, 08 9:55 AM CDT

      VA Doctor Discouraged Post-Traumatic Diagnoses

      (Newser) - A team leader at a veterans' medical center in Texas sent staffers an email urging them to avoid diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder, the Washington Post reports. "Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out," wrote the psychologist, suggesting a milder condition be diagnosed instead. More »

      Tags

      veterans  • mental health  • PTSD  • Iraq veterans  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • veterans' health care  • Afghanistan veterans  • veterans' benefits  • James B. Peake

    • US Sent 43,000 'Unfit' Troops to War

      USA Today  |  May 8, 08 12:03 PM CDT

      US Sent 43,000 'Unfit' Troops to War

      (Newser) - The US has sent more than 43,000 troops deemed medically unfit for combat to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, USA Today reports. Since 2003 soldiers deemed non-deployable by medical officers have shipped anyway, according to Pentagon documents, with unit commanders overruling doctors. “It is a consequence of the consistent churning of our troops,” says one veterans advocate. Among National Guard and reserve troops, 5%-7% were deemed unfit. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • Afghanistan  • troop surge  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • veterans' health care

  • April 2008

    • VA 'Lying About Vet Suicides'

      Dallas Morning News  |  Apr 24, 08 3:09 AM CDT

      VA 'Lying About Vet Suicides'

      (Newser) - A Democratic senator is calling for the resignation of the Veterans Administration mental health chief, accusing him of deliberately hiding the truth about suicide attempts among US veterans, the Dallas Morning News reports. A secret agency email put the number of suicide attempts at 12,000 a year—not the 790 the VA officially reported, according to court documents released in a lawsuit by two veterans groups. More »

      Tags

      US military  • suicide  • veterans  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center  • Patty Murray

    • Military Families Sue VA Over Suicides

      Associated Press  |  Apr 21, 08 11:45 AM CDT

      Military Families Sue VA Over Suicides

      (Newser) - Veterans Affairs hasn’t done enough to stem the “rising tide” of suicides and mental health problems, according to a class action lawsuit going to trial this week. Roughly 20% of deployed US troops are suffering from mental illness, a recent study shows, and an average of 18 kill themselves each day. “The VA has simply not devoted enough resources,” said one plaintiff lawyer. “They don’t have enough psychiatrists.” More »

      Tags

      lawsuit  • military  • suicide  • veterans  • PTSD  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • veterans' health care  • veterans' benefits

  • March 2008

    • Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals

      Union-Tribune (San Diego)  |  Mar 11, 08 9:05 AM CDT

      Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals

      (Newser) - Exposure to chemicals and pesticides during the first Gulf War is the likely cause of widespread illnesses suffered by its veterans, a new study concludes. Some 250,000 veterans of the conflict—a third of the troops who served— suffer fatigue, muscle and joint pain, memory lapses, intestinal problems, and sleep disturbances, the San Diego Tribune reports. The umbrella of ailments is widely known as Gulf War syndrome, though federal authorities resist that label. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • Pentagon  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • Kuwait  • memory loss  • chronic fatigue syndrome  • National Academy of Sciences  • muscle pain

  • November 2007

    • 25% of US Homeless Are Vets

      Associated Press  |  Nov 8, 07 3:42 AM CST

      25% of US Homeless Are Vets

      (Newser) - Though they constitute only 11% of the population, veterans make up 25% of homeless people in the US, according to a new study by The Alliance to End Homelessness. The problem is not limited to older vets—former soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are increasingly showing up at shelters. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • Iraq war  • Iraq veterans  • homeless  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • Vietnam veteran

    • Ex-Colleague Blasts VA Nominee

      NPR  |  Nov 2, 07 3:00 PM CDT

      Ex-Colleague Blasts VA Nominee

      (Newser) - Fixing the Department of Veterans Affairs’ medical system will take a leader who sees the big picture, a skill nominee James Peake doesn’t possess, an ex-colleague tells NPR. “When I tell you honestly what I think of him, I could lose my job,” said the retired general, depicting ex-Army surgeon general as detail-obsessed and myopic. More »

      Tags

      Bush administration  • Walter Reed Army Medical Center  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • Army Medical Command

  • October 2007

    • Bush Nominates Doc to Head Veteran Affairs

      Los Angeles Times  |  Oct 30, 07 9:31 PM CDT

      Bush Nominates Doc to Head Veteran Affairs

      (Newser) - President Bush today nominated James B. Peake, a doctor and retired Army lieutenant general, to head the Veteran Affairs department, the LA Times reports. With his medical and military backgrounds, Peake is the perfect choice to overhaul the nation’s system for treating wounded soldiers, Bush says. A major report earlier this month called for major improvements in the system. More »

      Tags

      George W. Bush  • soldier  • Walter Reed Army Medical Center  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • Bob Dole  • wounded  • James B. Peake

    • 'Antiquated' VA Ill Equipped to Care for Vets

      Christian Science Monitor  |  Oct 22, 07 2:25 PM CDT

      'Antiquated' VA Ill Equipped to Care for Vets

      (Newser) - Some 700,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are eligible for VA benefits, and overhauling the overburdened system is firmly in the sights of  President Bush and a bipartisan commission. Citing "fundamental system weaknesses," a GAO report last week outlined a huge bureaucracy rife with staffing and training shortfalls, confusing policies, and slow decisions, reports the Christian Science Monitor. The bill will be hefty. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • George W. Bush  • Afghanistan  • Iraq veterans  • Department of Veterans Affairs  • Bob Dole  • GAO  • medical costs  • Donna Shalala

  • July 2007
  • April 2007

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