DAV Calls for Mandatory Reporting of all Sexual Assaults in VA Facilities

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS
807 Maine Ave., SW • Washington, D.C. 20024 • Phone (202) 554-3501 • Fax (202) 863-0233

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2011

DAV Calls for Mandatory Reporting of all Sexual Assaults in VA Facilities

WASHINGTON — The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) finds very disturbing a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which cites 284 cases of alleged, attempted or confirmed sex assaults on patients and employees at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers between January 2007 and last July.

“It is fundamental that our VA hospitals offer a safe environment as well as top-flight medical care,” said DAV National Commander Wallace E. Tyson. “This is very disturbing news, and we urge the VA to put into place the report’s recommendations at all medical centers, clinics and other facilities.”

The GAO report examined sexual assaults at VA medical centers and found that many times the victims’ reports are mishandled or inappropriately acted upon based on decisions by local physicians and administrators.

The DAV strongly recommends the creation of a task force to ensure the VA adopts a culture of safety and promptly develops a uniform policy for the reporting of all sexual assaults.

“We look to the VA and the administration to make safety a priority in our VA medical centers,” Tyson said.

“Mandatory reporting is absolutely necessary. There must be a strict requirement set immediately that all allegations of sexual assaults be reported to an independent body of oversight,” Commander Tyson said.

“These reports can no longer be allowed to be dealt with solely at the local level.”

“This is not a gender-specific issue – this is an issue for every veteran, family member and caregiver.

Every person who enters a VA facility must know the government is doing everything possible to keep them safe. VA needs to be a place of care not of fear.”

The 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single
purpose: building better lives for our nation’s disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site www.dav.org.

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CDMRP Has Many Supporters, Including DAV

June 8, 2011

Chairman Bill Young --  Ranking Member Norm Dicks
Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations
H-140, the Capitol --  1016 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515 -- Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Young and Ranking Dicks:

As you prepare for the full committee markup of the fiscal year 2012 Defense Appropriations Act, we write to thank you for including $223 million for cancer research in the bill. We are hopeful that this life-saving cancer research funding as well as the funding for other medical research will remain in the bill after the full committee markup.

Should there be efforts during the full committee markup to strip funding for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) from the bill, the undersigned organizations respectfully request that you oppose such attempts and demonstrate your continued support for the funding.

Funding for the CDMRP is an opportunity to advance the best research to eradicate diseases and support the warfighter for the benefit of the American public. These research programs target diseases that impact directly the welfare of the American military, their families and the public. For example, CDMRP supports medical research on several forms of cancer (breast, blood, colorectal, melanoma, pediatric, brain, lung, ovarian, and prostate) and other diseases (like neurofibromatosis and bone marrow failure) that have lead to breakthroughs on nerve regeneration and traumatic brain injury. The CDMRP also funds research on Gulf War Illness, psychological health, spinal cord injury, and hearing and vision loss (which comprise a significant portion of current battlefield injuries). Other activities target diseases and conditions such as Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Scleroderma, ALS, and Autism.

The programs also represent a unique partnership among the public, Congress, and the military. The Department of Defense’s CDMRP supports high-quality medical research, concentrating its resources on research mechanisms which complement rather than duplicate the research approaches of the major funders of medical research in the United States. Although the diseases included in this program are diverse, the research on these disease types is often synergistic. For example, investigators increasingly look at the molecular profiles of cancer, often finding connections across cancers affecting different body sites. Advances or progress related to one cancer fuels the research on the other cancers in this program, and treatments initially approved for one cancer are routinely found to be effective in others.

The undersigned respectfully request your continued support for fiscal year 2012 funding of all programs within CDMRP.

Sincerely,

The ALS Association
American Academy of Dermatology Association
American Association for Cancer Research
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American College of Gastroenterology
American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
American Gastroenterological Association
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
The American Legion
Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation
Arkansas Ovarian Cancer Coalition
Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Association of American Cancer Institutes
Autism Speaks
Cancer Support Community
Caring Together, Inc.
Celma Mastry Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research Inc.
Charlene Miers Foundation for Cancer Research
Children’s Cause for Cancer Advocacy
Children's Tumor Foundation
Chris4Life
Colon Cancer Alliance
Colon Cancer STARS
Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance
CureSearch for Children's Cancer
Disabled American Veterans
Fight Colorectal Cancer
Friends of Cancer Research
FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered
Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Inc.
Get Your Rear In Gear
GRACE'S
HERA Women's Cancer Foundation
Hope for Heather
ICAN - International Cancer Advocacy Network
Intercultural Cancer Council Caucus
International Myeloma Foundation
Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation
Kidney Cancer Association
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Linda Young Ovarian Cancer Support Program, Benedictine Hospital
LIVESTRONG
Lung Cancer Alliance
Lupus Foundation of America, Inc.
Lymphoma Research Foundation
Malecare Cancer Support
Melanoma Research Foundation
Men's Health Network
Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Inc.
MIOCA (Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance)
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions (NASPCC)
National Brain Tumor Society
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Lung Cancer Partnership
National Marrow Donor Program
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Patient Advocate Foundation
Neurofibromatosis, Inc. Arizona
Neurofibromatosis, Inc. California
Neurofibromatosis Midwest
Neurofibromatosis, Inc., Network
Neurofibromatosis, Inc., Northeast
NF Inc. Minnesota
NF, Inc. Michigan
Nine Girls Ask
OASIS of Southern California
Olympus America Inc.
Oncology Nursing Society
Ovacome Ovarian Cancer Support and Advocacy of Tampa Bay
Ovar’Coming Together
Ovarian and Breast Cancer Alliance of Washington State
Ovarian Awareness of Kentucky
Ovarian Cancer Advocacy Alliance
Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Arizona
Ovarian Cancer Alliance of California
Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Florida
Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Greater Cincinnati
Ovarian Cancer Alliance of North Florida, Inc.
Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Ohio
Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and Southwest Washington
Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Greater California
Ovarian Cancer National Alliance
Ovarian Cancer Orange County Alliance
Prevent Cancer Foundation
Preventing Colorectal Cancer.Org
Prostate Cancer Foundation
Prostate Cancer International
Prostate Conditions Education Council
R.O.A.R.!
Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Sarcoma Foundation of America
SHARE: Self-Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer
Society for Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA)
Society of Gynecologic Oncology
The Teal Tea Foundation
Teal Tulips (formerly R.O.C.C.S.)
Texas Neurofibromatosis Foundation
Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance
United Ostomy Associations of America
Us TOO International
Us TOO - Richmond , Va Group
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition
Washington State Neurofibromatosis Families
Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance
Women Against Prostate Cancer
Women’s Cancer Awareness Group
Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization
You'll Never Walk Alone
ZERO — The Project to End Prostate Cancer

CDMRP Survives House Approp’s Committee – but Many Health Research Programs Would be Cut by 20 Percent

 

The full House Appropriations Committee met today to markup the FY12 Defense Appropriations bill.  

Despite many rumors that the acclaimed Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) would be eliminated, there were no CDMRP-related amendments during today’s markup. 

DAV members may recall the exceptional presentation on the program by senior CDMRP staff member Dr. J.B. Phillips at last year’s DAV Fall Conference.

It is certainly possible that all the Hill advocacy by dozens of health organizations over the last several weeks – including DAV’s legislative staff -- made the difference in preventing that.

However, under the House plan, there would be many changes to the previously successful CDMRP programs.  The final FY12 Defense Appropriations Bill as recommended by the Full Committee included the following:

1.      Several existing CDMRP programs would not be funded at all: most notably the sort of catch-all Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program; Neurofibromatosis; Pain Management; Global Deployment of the Force medical research; Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine; and SBIR to the core funded RDT&E.

2.      Two programs with the most direct military relevance would see 25% increased funding: Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health (increased from $100m to $125m); Orthopedic (from $24m to $30m).

3.      Three new programs were created: Hemorrhage Control; Restorative Transplantation; and, a Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program -- totaling $75m.

4.      The other 17 programs funded in FY11 would be continued but cut by 20%. Despite the most direct military relevance, these included Spinal Cord Injury, Vision, Gulf War Illness, and Alcohol and Substance Abuse Disorders.

FY11 appropriations first, followed by the FY 12 Full Appropriations Committee Bill Recommended Amounts:

1.      ALS $8,000 -- $6,400
2.      Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine $4,800 -- -0-
3.      Autism Research $6,400 -- $5,100
4.      Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research Program $4,000 -- $3,200
5.      Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy $4,000 -- $3,200
6.      Global HIV/AIDS Prevention $10,000 -- $8,000
7.      Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health $100,000 -- $125,000
8.      Global Deployment of the Force medical research funding -Department of Defense requested transfer to maintain full funding for the program $125,000 -- -0-
9.      Gulf War Illness Peer-Reviewed Research Program $8,000 -- $6,400
10.     Multiple Sclerosis $4,800 -- $3,200
11.     Peer-Reviewed Alzheimer Research $15,000 -- $12,000
12.     Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program $150,000 -- $120,000
13.     Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program $16,000 -- $12,800
14.     Peer-Reviewed Lung Cancer Research Program $12,800 -- $10,200
15.     Peer-Reviewed Orthopedic Research Program $24,000 -- $30,000
16.     Peer-Reviewed Ovarian Cancer Research Program $20,000 -- $16,000
17.     Peer Reviewed Vision research in conjunction with the DoD Vision Center of Excellence $4,000 -- $3,200
18.     Peer-Reviewed Prostate Cancer Research Program $80,000 -- $64,000
19.     Peer-Reviewed Spinal Cord Research Program $12,000 -- $9,600
20.     Research in Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders $5,200 -- $4,500
21.     SBIR to the core funded RDT&E $1,200 -- -0-
22.     Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) $6,400 -- $5,100
23.     Pain Management Task Force Research $4,000 -- -0-
24.     Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program $50,000 -- -0-
25.     Neurofibromatosis Research $16,000 -- -0-

New for FY12:

1.      Hemorrhage Control -- $10,000
2.      Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program -- $50,000
3.      Restorative Transplantation Research Program -- $15,000

**UPDATE from Katie Weyforth Vanlandingham of Van Scoyoc Associates:  Neurofibromatosis was funded (located in a different part of the bill than the other programs) and like most of the other CDMRP programs took at 20% cut from FY11. The Peer-reviewed medical research program is usually only funded in the Senate bill (and then ends up in the conference report) because they do not individually fund most of the CDMRP programs in their bill.
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Anthony Hardie
Madison, Wis.

DAV OPPOSES REMOVAL OF 1.3 MILLION VETERANS FROM VA HEALTH CARE

 

(Washington, DC – DAV) -- After 2-meetings with the professional staff of the House Budget Committee, it is the understanding of the DAV National Organization that a review, studying the effects of Public Law 104-262, the Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, will soon be considered by the House Budget Committee.

As a way to curb the federal deficit, the Committee is considering the eviction of 1.3 million veterans with non-service-connected disabilities from VA Health Care.

Any finding that recommends a system for veterans based on the merits of a veteran’s claim or disability will be bad for veterans’ health care, bad for government spending and bad for the deficit.

• Veterans using VA Health Care for non-service-connected injuries or illnesses are subject to both first and third party collections. They and their personal medical insurance companies are billed and ultimately pay any expenses that are incurred by VA Health Care for their medical treatment. Eliminating these veterans from VA Health Care will result in zero savings.

• Eliminating veterans using VA Health Care for non-service-connected injuries or illnesses with no personal medical insurance will not result in any savings. Medical treatment for these veterans, if done outside VA Health Care, will be paid by Medicare/Medicaid (or written off as bad debt by private facilities and providers), at a much higher cost to taxpayers. (On the average, VA Health Care has the lowest cost per patient of any health care provider.) The higher medical treatment payments for these veterans, using health care provider other than VA Health Care, given the higher cost, will increase government spending and increase the deficit.

• Additionally, funds for medical treatment will be diverted to create an agency or department whose main purpose will be to evaluate the worthiness of veterans to use VA Health Care. Its sole purpose will be to deny veterans access to VA Health Care, a dubious goal.

VA Health Care is #1 in quality of care, patient satisfaction, lowest in medical errors, and lowest in cost per patient, besting any health care provider in the private sector. These outstanding achievements are predicated on a properly funded “Full Continuum.” Any tinkering with this Continuum will have a devastating impact on VA Health Care, veterans, government spending and the deficit.

To keep cost low, a high patient volume is essential for VA to bargain for pharmaceuticals and medical services. Any volume reduction will reduce this bargaining power.

Also, lower volume will decrease medical staff, which in turn will have an adverse effect on patient care and medical quality. Reductions in VA funding will have the same negative impact to patient care and medical quality, eventually resulting in an increase in government spending and the deficit.

For VA appropriations to be spent effectively and efficiently, a properly funded “Full Continuum” is essential and necessary.

The relationship between veterans and the government is based on a historical covenant. Today, this relationship is a sacred obligation that begins at enlistment and lasts throughout the course of a veteran’s life.

To classify veterans as worthy and unworthy of VA Health Care, who through no fault of their own, were not exposed to combat, denigrates the service and sacrifice of many.

When the public recognizes an individual as a veteran, they invariably say, “Thank you for your service.” Never does anyone ask, “Did you serve in combat or not?” Neither should Congress.

It is the goal of Disabled American Veterans to work with Congress and the Administration to ensure that VA appropriations are spent effectively, efficiently and wisely. Maintaining the “Full Continuum” will do just that.

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Disabled American Veterans is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian and nonprofit veteran service organization, founded in 1920 and congressionally chartered in 1932. It is the nation’s largest veteran service organization of wartime service-disabled veterans.

DAV Stand Up For Veterans Update–April 11, 2011

Stand Up For Veterans Update
April 11, 2011

 

Two New Studies Show VA Health Care For Seniors Better Than Medicare

More evidence that veterans receive high quality care through the VA health care system comes from the journal Medical Care, which recently published the results of two studies performed by Brown University researchers.  According to the studies, VA “…has made substantial improvements in quality, in some cases providing substantially better care than is available in private insurance plans.”

Advance Appropriations Protects VA Health Care System in Event of Shutdown

Thanks to approval of advance appropriations for VA medical care funding in the last Congress, veterans will “…see no change in their health benefits – including those involving hospital visits and other doctors’ appointments – in the event that Congress fails to pass a budget,” reports the Christian Science Monitor.  While some VA operations may be limited or suspended during a government shutdown, the VA health care system has already been fully funded for the year

VA: Exposure Assessment for Troops Exposed to Burn Pits

Open-air burn pits have operated widely at military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many returning Veterans are concerned about their exposure to smoke from burning trash and human waste.

Learn about:

• Exposure to Smoke from Burn Pits
• Possible Health Effects
• Type of Waste Burned
• VA's Request for Health Effects Study
• Exposure Assessment for Veterans
• VA Benefits

Exposure to Smoke from Burn Pits

Photo by U.S. Department of Defense

Smoke produced by the burn may spread a variety of pollutants through the air that blows into working and living areas.

These toxins can include dioxin, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, hexachlorobenzene, and ash.

The make-up of the smoke depends on what is being burned, which is not consistent from one burn pit to another, or from one time period to another at the same burn pit.

Health effects depend on a number of factors, such as the kind of waste being burned, individual susceptibility, duration of exposure, air flow patterns, and closeness to the pit.

You may be at greater risk if you burned waste at the pit compared to those were only in the vicinity of the smoke.

 

Possible Health Effects

Exposure to toxins may affect the skin, eyes, respiration, kidneys, liver, nervous system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, peripheral nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract.

Most of the irritation related to solid waste burning exposure is temporary and resolves once the exposure is gone. These include:

• Eye irritation and burning
• Coughing and throat irritation
• Breathing difficulties
• Skin itching and rashes

 

Type of Waste Burned

Waste products in burn pits include, but are not limited to:

• Chemicals
• Paint
• Medical and human waste
• Metal/aluminum cans
• Munitions and other unexploded ordnance
• Petroleum and lubricant products
• Plastics and styrofoam
• Rubber
• Wood
• Discarded food

 

VA’s Request for Health Effects Study

At the request of VA, the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine began an 18-month study in November 2009 to determine the long-term health effects of exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study will compare the health of 30,000 combat Veterans deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan to 30,000 non-deployed Veterans. The report is due out by summer of 2011.

 

Exposure Assessment for Veterans

At this time, research has not shown long-term adverse effects from exposure to the burn pits, but VA takes this issue seriously. You may find out more about your exposure by getting an exposure assessment offered by VA's War Related Illness and Injury Study Centers.

The War Related Illness and Injury Study Centers (WRIISCs) provide clinical expertise for Veterans with deployment health concerns or difficult-to-diagnose illnesses. WRIISCs are in three locations: Washington, DC, East Orange, NJ, and Palo Alto, CA.  For an appointment at a WRIISC, a VA primary care doctor must make a referral. Learn how to get a referral to a WRIISC.

 

VA Benefits

Veterans who were exposed to toxins released by burn pits during military service may be eligible for:

• Health care benefits
• Disability compensation benefits for disabilities that VA determines are associated with exposure to burn pits during military service
• Other benefits, including home loans, vocational rehabilitation, and education

 

More Information on Burn Pits

• Burning Trash and Human Waste Exposures Fact Sheet – VA War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (461 KB, PDF)
• Balad Burn Pit Fact Sheet* - US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (72 KB, PDF)

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SOURCE: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/index.asp