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I'M SHOCKED! I'M OUTRAGED! I'M
APPALLED! --
Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland
takes on the Congressional actors.
Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland
provides regular columns for
VA Watchdog dot Org.
If you would like to contact Jim about
his columns, you can email him here...
The archive of Jim's articles
is here...
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Like you, I've kept a close eye on the Walter
Reed Hospital issue. I was having another sleepless night recently and I
decided to watch a little C-SPAN. As a rule, viewing C-SPAN is better
than any pill to induce a deep sleep.
It was my luck that I turned it on just as the Congressional Hearing on
Walter Reed Army Medical Center began its rerun for the night. I was
instantly hooked and had to watch. I had that same creeping sensation
that one has passing a gruesome car wreck...you don't want to see the
awful carnage but you can't take your eyes away.
Early in the hearing Representative Henry Waxman, D-California, said, “I
think that people are shocked when they heard about The Washington Post
story of the deplorable conditions here at Walter Reed.” With that hint
of the sort of brilliant insight that was to come, I couldn't tear away.
A few days ago The Washington Post published a story that revealed
serious problems at Walter Reed Hospital. Specifically, our wounded
soldiers were receiving inadequate, callous and uncaring treatment with
regard to their transitional care. There were no complaints about the
actual medical care, it was always lauded as the best. The focus was on
failures happening after the crisis of the physical injury was fixed.
Troops were lost in a paper maze, assigned to dilapidated housing and
getting little or no assistance to put their broken lives back in order.
Today I saw a big bold headline that brought back what I'd watched on
CSPAN. “Democrats seize on Walter Reed”, it blared. Then another, “Our
view: Deplorable indifference”. The San Jose Mercury News reports that,
“Walter Reed scandal prompts rage”. In the UK, Guardian Unlimited says,
“Senators Vow To Fix Military Health Care”. FOX news goes on, “Lawmakers
Vow Quick Action on Walter Reed Army Hospital”. Google News listed 1,
890 headlines associated with the events at Walter Reed.
If I believed those headlines, I'd be satisfied that our government is
doing its job. Our elected officials are full of “rage” over the
“deplorable indifference” and they're about to “seize” on the
opportunity to take “quick action” to “fix military health care”. If I
believed those headlines, I'd sleep well tonight, knowing that
thoughtful, caring and responsible people were in charge of this issue
and I could trust them to make it right.
But I don't believe those headlines. The only truth spoken during the
hearing was by witnesses brought forth from the ranks of patients and
family members who had experienced challenges at Walter Reed.
Staff Sergeant John Daniel (Dan) Shannon; Anne McLeod, the wife of
Specialist Wendell McLeod; and Specialist Jeremy Duncan each did an
outstanding job of presenting their views and recounting their
experiences in the Walter Reed system. Watching them I was more proud
than ever to be a Veteran. I knew those two soldiers and I knew that
Army wife. I recognized their grit and determination and I felt right at
home as I listened to them talk. I didn't need an introduction to these
folks, they were my family.
Other than those 3 individuals, the rest were disappointingly average in
their attitudes, questions and remarks. Representatives from the
Congress were typically pompous, self serving and cautiously politically
correct.
The Army brass on the hot seat were subservient to their civilian
masters and responded carefully, weighing every word. Careers and
pensions were at stake here and nobody wanted to make a statement that
would get them demoted again.
Cynthia Bascetta, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Director of
Health Care, was as bland a bureaucrat as could be found in any federal
office in Washington, D.C. She answered questions in the peculiar
monotone used by officials testifying to the problems other people are
experiencing. She had no opinions, she was just there to report the
facts.
I watched in wonder as this went on and on. It's a testament to their
abilities as actors that each Representative seemed genuinely surprised
that such things could happen to veterans of combat. Let's give credit
where credit is due; these guys are good.
Consider the questions posed by Representative Bruce Braley, D-Iowa when
he asks, “Do the three of you know, does the JAG Corps provide any type
of legal assistance to veterans who are processing disability claims?”
He also asks, “And what I'd like to know, is there anybody who serves
the role as an ombudsman or as a patient advocate here at Walter Reed in
assisting patients with these claims?”
With that, Representative Braley has exposed himself as knowing
absolutely nothing about the system of disability claims or the
differences between an active duty soldier and a Veteran.
A lawyer since 1980, he has no military experience. (In a later piece of
his testimony, he relates that, “And I've represented veterans and their
families in life and disability claims.” Just how he has represented
Veterans is a mystery.) In his biography, he doesn't list any family
member as having a military background. He's been a representative from
a small town in Iowa since November 2006 and has since served on the
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Representative Braley has no qualifications to serve on this committee
but was allowed his five minutes of face time on national television to
pose his embarrassingly uninformed questions to these wounded warriors
and the Army wife.
He didn't get any answers so I'll answer for him. No, Representative
Braley. JAG does not assist Veterans with disability claims. JAG is a
military function that would only assist active duty personnel with
limited duties to their problems. They would not assist an active duty
soldier in a claim for disability. Veterans are not allowed to retain
legal counsel to assist them in their disability claims because of an
antiquated law that you and your colleagues are determined to keep on
the books.
As Ms. Bascetta answers questions about how GAO recommendations are
addressed, she tells the committee, “Well, when we make recommendations,
we always follow up on those recommendations to ensure that they have
been implemented. But in this case, we have been very frustrated that we
bring things to DOD's attention over and over and we see that they fix
certain problems on an individual basis but the systemic fixes don't
seem to happen. And sometimes I think that part of the problem is that
the rules and regulations are so monumental that we're focused more on
that and not on the patients.”
With that, the committee members seem to think they've heard a
revelation from Ms. Bascetta. They appear shocked (Shocked!!!) that DOD
could possibly ignore an official recommendation of the GAO.
These committee members missed the 02/28/2007 GAO-07-532 report
addressing Veterans Affairs lack of “Information Security”. In the
report it's reported, “For many years, GAO has raised significant
concerns about VA’s information security—particularly its lack of a
comprehensive information security program...security weaknesses that
identified from 1998 to 2005.
GAO report number GAO-05-287 entitled “VA
Health Care: VA Should Expedite the Implementation of Recommendations
Needed to Improve Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Services” which was
released on February 16, 2005 informs the reader that, “...we determined
that VA has not fully met any of 24 Special Committee recommendations in
our review related to clinical care and education.”
Service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are surviving injuries
that would have been fatal in past conflicts, due, in part, to advanced
protective equipment and medical treatment. However, the severity of
their injuries can result in a lengthy transition from injured service
member to veteran.” is what we read in GAO report number GAO-05-167
entitled “Vocational Rehabilitation: More VA and DOD Collaboration
Needed to Expedite Services for Seriously Injured Service members” which
was released on January 26, 2005.
The May 2006 report of PTSD needs, GAO-06-397 says, “DOD cannot provide
reasonable assurance that OEF/OIF service members who need referrals for
further mental health or combat/operational stress reaction evaluations
receive them. Determining who needs a referral occurs when DOD health
care providers interview service members after they complete the DD
2796.”
There are hundreds more GAO reports dating back 10 or more years that
list the recommendations of the GAO to VA and DOD. Most of those reports
only show us that GAO recommendations are routinely ignored.
The hearing went on for hours. There were more promises of, “...we're
going to fix that problem. In fact, we're in the process of fixing it.”
than I could count. All of the attending members were “shocked” to hear
of Veterans who had problems with gaining their benefits from the
Veterans Administration.
There were inspirational quotes aplenty, “There's a vow that's part of
the soldier's creed: 'I will never leave a fallen comrade.' ”, made by
people who had never served in the military.
Everyone present nodded and agreed that, “More and more evidence is
appearing to indicate that senior officials were aware for several
years...These are not new or sudden problems. ...complaints of
bureaucratic indifference have been reported for years.”
The Representatives harrumphed, tut-tutted and politely congratulated
each other as they made promises that this time, something would be
done.
They did their best not to appear too squeamish as they tried to avoid
staring at the disfigured face and the missing left ear of Specialist
Jeremy Duncan.
They appeared appropriately sympathetic as Mrs. McLeod broke down in
tears.
They did their best not to upset Staff Sergeant Shannon. He sat rigidly
at attention, hyper-alert for anything that came his way. In crisp
uniform displaying his CIB, Airborne badges and numerous other awards
he'd earned in combat, this was a soldier's soldier with a confessed
anger management problem. He wore his Purple Heart on the black patch
that covered the hole where his eye should have been. They knew
instinctively they shouldn't piss this guy off.
For any of us who have observed the Washington circus for decades, this
was just more of the same. What once was a cycle of politics with well
defined election campaigning periods is now never ending. This was only
another political farce, a soirée put on so that these representatives
could add another line to their resume and get reelected.
They were “shocked” over what they learned during this hearing. They're
now full of “rage” over the terrible treatment given our returning
warriors by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
Defense.
I'm not shocked. I'm not the least bit surprised to hear of any of this.
I am full of rage. You can't even begin to understand how my own anger
management issues surfaced as I watched this carnival go on.
If these representatives are so concerned, where have they been hiding?
Why is any of this news to them? Shouldn't they have been in an ongoing
state of rage and shock that WWII, Korea and Vietnam era Veterans faced
these problems that many years ago and are still facing the same issues?
Are there no representatives on this panel that have ever received a
complaint from a Veteran in their district about being denied benefits
from the VA?
Why haven't any of them noticed the issues of PTSD and Agent Orange that
are driving increasing numbers of older Veterans to the VHA? Why are
they all allowing Veterans to be treated as second class citizens by
maintaining a law that prevents us from using lawyers to help us with
our benefits claims?
Building 18 will get some paint, a good scrubbing, some new carpeting
even. Today another group of 100 “Patient Advocates” will be hired
temporarily in hopes that the Washington Post will shut the hell up. A
lot of brass will march up and down the halls of Walter Reed glaring at
everyone and maybe some new furniture will be brought in. A few more
committees will meet and the members will groom for the cameras in hopes
that they'll seem like can-do types to the voters.
But there will be no real change from any of this. None.
Five years from now I'll be writing to an Iraq war Veteran who has just
been denied benefits for his injuries by the VA. He'll be shocked that
his medical record was lost. He won't understand why his chosen Veterans
Service Officer doesn't return his calls. After 3 years of waiting for a
reply about his claim, it will seem unbelievable to him to discover that
when he was granted 10% disability for the injury to his fingers, the
larger claim of Brain Injury and PTSD and Unemployability was “deemed
denied” and discarded with no requirements to notify him of his appeal
rights or even that the decision was made.
Our Iraq Veteran will slide right in to place next to the Vets I'm
working with today. He'll be right at home with the Vietnam Veteran with
the terminal stage 4 lung cancer that the VA immediately assigned as
Service Connected and rated at 0% as the Vet was “stable”.
He'll learn how to cope with intense pain from the Korean Vet who was
shot in the thigh by a sniper in sub-zero weather. His leg wound
affected his ability to walk and wreaked havoc with his back, requiring
multiple major surgeries to correct both injuries. VA rated him at 10%
and denied numerous appeals for service connection of the back
condition.
He can watch and learn as my good friend with the Agent Orange induced
non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma goes into a brief remission after his bone marrow
transplant and has his disability benefits reduced due to his “improved”
condition.
This Walter Reed scandal is just more fodder for politicians to feed
their already massive egos.
Not a single one of those sitting on that side of the table has the
courage to make any significant change to the way Veterans are treated.
That would require that they risk something. Courage and risk aren't
something they're fond of, those politicians.
They'll leave that sort of action to the only heroes present in that
meeting; Mrs. McLeod, Specialist Duncan and Sgt. Shannon.
Read the transcripts here
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/content/custom/2007/
03/06/CU2007030601063.html
View the hearings on C-SPAN here
http://www.c-span.org/
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Larry Scott --
