|


PAGE LINKS
HOME UNDER THE RADAR NEWS WIDGETS HOW TO FILE A CLAIM VA HEADLINE NEWS VA NEWS FLASHES VA: TEAR IT DOWN VA SHREDDER SCANDAL CONTAMINATED EQUIP. SIGN OF THE TIMES JIM STRICKLAND IRAQ WAR TOXINS AGENT ORANGE VAOIG REPORTS GAO REPORTS CONG. HEARINGS VIDEOS / PODCASTS HOUSE CVA NEWS SENATE CVA NEWS VA PRESS PUBLISHED ARTICLES HALL OF SHAME YOUR VA BENEFITS USEFUL LINKS 4 VETS VA LINKS EZ GUIDE HEALTH RESOURCES BE A VA WATCHDOG BOOKS FOR VETS RSS/XML INFO VETS' DATA SECURITY MESOTHELIOMA MISSION STATEMENT ADVERTISE DONATIONS CONTACT / STAFF
Be sure to get all four
VA Watchdog dot Org
RSS feeds --
Daily VA
News Flashes
House CVA
Veterans' News
Senate CVA
Veterans' News
VA Press
Releases


member DAV & VFW
WA1VET - ARRL
email Larry

VA Watchdog Stuff...
cups, hats, shirts...
click on item to order
and support the site.


Download your
free copy of the
2009 VA benefits
handbook here...


Books for Vets
at Powell's

Volunteer at your
VA Hospital

Be sure to get all four
VA Watchdog dot Org
RSS feeds --
Daily VA
News Flashes
House CVA
Veterans' News
Senate CVA
Veterans' News
VA Press
Releases

Larry Scott
member DAV & VFW
WA1VET - ARRL
email Larry

Books for Vets
at Powell's

VA Watchdog Stuff...
cups, hats, shirts...
click on item to order
and support the site.

Be sure to get all four
VA Watchdog dot Org
RSS feeds --
Daily VA
News Flashes
House CVA
Veterans' News
Senate CVA
Veterans' News
VA Press
Releases


Books for Vets
at Powell's

Download your
free copy of the
2009 VA benefits
handbook here...

Volunteer at your
VA Hospital


| Privacy Policy -- We
use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit
our website. These companies may use information (not including your
name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits
to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about
goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more
information about this practice and to know your choices about not
having this information used by these companies,
click here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STRESS? PROBLEMS AT HOME OR WORK?
THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE?
CALL NOW FOR PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE --
1-800-273-TALK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
|
|
Click here to make VA Watchdog dot Org your homepage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRIDAY -- 20 NOVEMBER 2009
PATRICK W. DUNNE OUT AS
HEAD OF VA'S BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION -- VA announces
Dunne's departure early next year as "resignation," but insiders
say exit was "requested."

FORMER ARIZONA VETERANS
DEPT. CHIEF INDICTED -- Faces eight felony charges,
including four counts of conflict of interest, one count of
fraudulent schemes and practices, two counts of misuse of public
monies, and one count of violation of procurement code.

VA TO STUDY VIETNAM-ERA
WOMEN VETERANS -- Comprehensive study of women veterans
who
served
in the military during the Vietnam War will explore the effects
of their military service on their mental and physical health.

VA RESEARCH: ERRORS IN
SURGICAL PROCEDURES AN ONGOING PROBLEM -- Poor
communication causes most mistakes in and out of operating room.

SENATE PASSES CAREGIVER
BILL, COBURN AMENDMENT REJECTED -- The Senate
unanimously passed legislation that would provide benefits to
family members who stay home to care for severely injured
veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

GAO: MASSIVE FRAUD IN
GOV. CONTRACTS FOR DISABLED VETERANS -- Companies
fraudulently collected at least $100 million in federal
contracts designated for disabled military veterans who run
small businesses.

VETS' WIDOWS FIND
STAYING SINGLE CAN COST THEM A BENEFIT -- In an absurd
quirk of federal laws on death benefits, military widows and
widowers are losing death benefits unless they take another walk
down the aisle after age 57.

VAOIG: VA'S BALTIMORE
REGIONAL OFFICE IN DISARRAY -- Baltimore VARO fails in
14 of 15 operational areas because of untrained, unsupervised
staff. Management acknowledges workload not under control.
THURSDAY -- 19 NOVEMBER 2009
VETERANS Q&A with JIM
STRICKLAND, #75 for 2009 -- Veterans' Advocate Jim
Strickland answers questions from VA Watchdog dot Org readers.

ARMY HELPS PTSD, TBI
VETERANS FIND JOBS -- "There is a stigma attached to the
invisible wounds, and it's largely borne out of ignorance.
There's a fear that somebody will go off the deep end."

SEN. COBURN LIFTS HOLD
ON VETERANS' CAREGIVER'S BILL -- Will lift his hold on
the bill in exchange for the opportunity to offer an amendment
that will address his concerns with the legislation.

NRC CITES PHILLY VA FOR
BOTCHED PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENTS -- The Nuclear
Regulatory Commission found that VA staff failed to evaluate
radiation doses or know when to report a mistake.

SERVICE DOGS FOR
VETERANS TRAINED BY CONVICTS -- A program that has
inmates training service dogs for veterans and children is
meeting with acclaim and continues to grow.

OBAMA TO NAME DR.
ROBERT PETZEL TO HEAD VETERANS' HEALTH ADMIN. -- Petzel
has had a long career with the VA. He is currently Acting
Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health.
WEDNESDAY -- 18 NOVEMBER 2009
NEW HIGH EXPECTED FOR
ARMY SUICIDES IN 2009 -- Army's Vice COS: "This is
horrible, and I do not want to downplay the significance of
these numbers in any way."

NEW DIRECTOR AT
FAYETTEVILLE VA PLANS TO WATCH AND LEARN -- "I really
want a period of observation. I don't want to rush off with
solutions and make the problems worse."

SENATE
VOTES 100-0, PASSES BUDGET FOR VETERANS PROGRAMS -- The
unanimous vote reflected the unique political standing of the
veterans budget, which has received hefty increases.

VET GETS 36 YEARS FOR
FATAL BEATING AT VETERANS' HOME -- Judge at sentencing:
"Whatever danger he poses to the community will be hopefully
diminished by then."

SENATE REJECTS SEN.
COBURN'S VETS' CAREGIVER OPTION -- Proposal would have
required lawmakers to make cuts to military construction
projects and other veterans programs to make room in the budget
for aid to disabled vets' caregivers.
TUESDAY -- 17 NOVEMBER 2009
GAO: VA'S FINANCIAL
REPORTING PROCESSES STILL IN SHAMBLES -- Continuing
serious deficiencies in financial reporting leave VA at risk of
processing errors and misstatements in its financial statements.

VET SAYS VA TOOK TOO
LONG TO DIAGNOSE PANCREATIC CANCER -- Veteran is filing
a complaint against Iowa City VA and is considering legal
action.

NEW PTSD TEST ANALYZES
VOICE STRESS LEVELS -- "When we're experiencing stress
we speak
differently than when we're relaxed."

VA, DoD TO EXPAND JOINT
DISABILITY EVALUATION PROGRAM -- VA Secretary Shinseki:
"Streamlining our disability claims system and working closely
with DoD to care for today's generation of heroes are among VA's
top priorities."

VA'S SUICIDE
SETTLEMENT: WHAT YOU DIDN'T READ IN THE PAPERS -- The VA
psychiatrist noted how poorly the veteran was functioning, noted
the plethora of risk factors that he faced, and released him.

EDITORIAL: SEN. TOM
COBURN AS "DR. NO" -- The New York Times: "Sheer
embarrassment
should
drive the senator into retreat as he trifles with veterans'
needs and burnishes his petty role as Dr. No."

RADIOACTIVE SURPRISE
FOR VETERAN AT SAN DIEGO VA -- A thyroid cancer patient
received an unusually large dose of radiation after radioactive
iodine became stuck in his feeding tube for nearly four days.

VETERANS Q&A with JIM
STRICKLAND, #74 for 2009 -- Veterans' Advocate Jim
Strickland answers questions from VA Watchdog dot Org readers.
MONDAY -- 16 NOVEMBER 2009
CALIF. CONSUMER
AFFAIRS DEPT. WANTS PROBE OF PALO ALTO VA -- Department
has formally requested an investigation into the Palo Alto VA,
where 23 glaucoma patients experienced significant vision loss
while receiving treatment.
 
SEN. COBURN TO OFFER
OPTION TO CAREGIVER'S BILL -- Coburn will offer two ways
of paying for veterans' care: eliminating military construction
projects in their home states or cutting the United States'
contribution to the United Nations.

RESEARCHERS TO LOOK AT
PTSD, SMOKING LINK -- "The research is aiming to
understand the reasons why veterans with PTSD smoke and
ultimately we have the goal of helping these veterans quit
smoking."

BOTCHED TREATMENT AT
PHILLY VA BRINGS FEW PENALTIES -- Despite poor care in
the VA's Philadelphia prostate cancer treatment program, the
agency has only slapped a few hands.

REPORT: BANKS
OVERCHARGING VETERANS ON SOME VA HOME LOANS -- The
scheme,
spelled
out in court documents, claims banks are overcharging veterans
on home refinancing loans.

DARPA IDEA: FREEZE
SOLDIERS' BRAINS AFTER TRAUMA -- DARPA is looking for
research projects that would create a "therapeutic hypothermia
device" to prevent traumatic brain injuries from causing
permanent molecular damage to the brain.

ARMY'S MENTAL HEALTH
ADVISORY TEAM ISSUES NEW REPORT -- MHAT-VI report finds
biggest factors contributing to mental illness are repeated
combat tours, shorter times between tours and the amount of
combat a soldier sees.
WEEKEND -- 14 & 15 NOVEMBER 2009
VA PROMISES BETTER CARE
AT MARION, ILL. FACILITY -- Illinois lawmakers got and
gave
assurances that positive changes have been made and more are on
the way.

NEW ORLEANS HOMEOWNERS
STAND FAST AGAINST VA HOSPITAL -- About 600 mid-city
homeowners are resisting the new VA hospital and don't want to
sell their property.

GAO REPORT LOOKS AT
VA'S DIC PAYMENTS -- Analysis of Dependency and
Indemnity Compensation levels for survivors of veterans and
servicemembers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
READ ALL VA NEWS FLASHES HERE
or on RSS
BACK TO TOP OF PAGE |
|
| |
Welcome to VA Watchdog dot Org --

If you're a veteran, the three men at the upper
right corner of the site may hold your life in their hands. That's why VA Watchdog
dot Org was founded...to keep an eye on them and their decisions.
This is NOT a VA hate site. We believe the VA offers the best
healthcare in this country. And independent studies by such
prestigious organizations as the Rand Corporation prove it time and again.
This site is designed to keep an eye on those who fund and run the
VA... the politicians and the political appointees who don't have to worry
about healthcare.
VA Watchdog dot Org will follow VA news and let
you know about policy, regulation and veterans benefits changes at the Department of
Veterans' Affairs and other veterans issues. And, what you won't find here is as important as
what you will find. You won't find rumors, rants or conspiracy
theories here... there are no "Black Helicopters" on this site.
The SITE
DIRECTORY (below) briefly explains the contents of the different pages.
Look around and take away lots of great information. Feel free to
email with any questions you might have about the VA.
And, you can
be a VA Watchdog, too
(click here).
And, should any of the "three wise men" step out of
line and make decisions harmful to veterans, you'll find out about it
here. We'd like to think they'll always do the right thing for
veterans...but.......
We'll be..."Keeping an eye on the VA because somebody
has to!"
Larry Scott
|
|
|
|
VA Loan Guide
-
Find the info you
need about VA
Loans from
VA Mortgage
Center.com |

Be sure to get all four
VA Watchdog dot Org
RSS feeds --
Daily VA
News Flashes
House CVA
Veterans' News
Senate CVA
Veterans' News
VA Press
Releases

Books for Vets
at Powell's


Download your
free copy of the
2009 VA benefits
handbook here...

VA Watchdog Stuff...
cups, hats, shirts...
click on item to order
and support the site.

Be sure to get all four
VA Watchdog dot Org
RSS feeds --
Daily VA
News Flashes
House CVA
Veterans' News
Senate CVA
Veterans' News
VA Press
Releases

Volunteer at your
VA Hospital


|