Veterans Affairs Caught Falsifying Doctors’ Certifications
KARE 11 News in Minneapolis exposed a new Department of Veterans Affairs‘ scandal where the agency was caught falsifying doctors’ qualifications online to the public. When contacted, VA refused to correct the errors until they were pressed by NBC to explain the falsified credentials.
KARE 11 included a clip of my research from earlier this year that uncovered this scandal here in Minnesota and Wisconsin:
Veterans’ rights attorney Ben Krause says he discovered the VA claiming nonexistent board certifications for its doctors in several of his cases. He showed us proof he notified the VA of the errors, but he says they didn’t correct them. The false information remained up on the website.
“It tells me that the VA doesn’t actually care about integrity,” Krause said.
This scandal joins a growing list of problems with Veterans Affairs where the agency claims one thing while providing false information to the public or lawmakers.
RELATED: VA ‘Greatly Regrets’ Using Unqualified Doctors
RELATED: VA Fights Against FOIA To Cover Up TBI Scandal
RELATED: Agency Reverses On Veterans Choice
Minneapolis VA public affairs officer Ralph Huessner acknowledged the problem but provided a different spin. He told reporters “VA Headquarters” is researching how the errors occurred and is engaging in a national review of its doctors’ credentials, “We are in the process of researching what may have caused these errors and have requested assistance from VA Headquarters.”
KARE 11 covered the Thomas Baer story, where Tomah VAMC doctor James Patterson, MD, failed to act in an urgent manner while Mr. Baer suffered a stroke in his care for many hours. VA falsely listed Dr. Patterson on Tomah VAMC’s website as being licensed by Wisconsin to practice medicine and as being Board Certified in Emergency Medicine.
Neither of these claims is true.
The American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) told KARE 11 that such false advertising of doctor qualifications is a violation of the public trust. ABMS head Dr. Lois Margaret Nora said, “Board certification is very much about the public trust.”
VA has violated that public trust in every manner imaginable. The big reason for such a violation is because agency leaders know the courts are unable or unwilling to hold its leaders accountable. Even when failures were verified, VA OIG refused to investigate criminal wrongdoing while FBI refuses to investigate.
So what can America do when the Executive Branch of the government refuses to hold its employees accountable for obvious violations of law?
Is it time America shuts down Veterans Health Administration to show the Federal government it cannot ignore our laws? Or, is it time to let the market decide by providing veterans with a REAL choice card where the veteran can choose to stay in VA or go to a third party? Maybe it is time that America pushes VA by forcing its union employees to either put up or shut up?
I uncovered this scandal both in Tomah, WI, and Minneapolis, MN, through case investigations of public information. I immediately notified VA that the credentials were false. Only after NBC press began to inquire about the false credentials did VA change its position and immediately remove the false information.
Why does it need to take formal press for VA to remove false and misleading information? Given that it takes such extreme steps, what should America do?
One benefit to VA is that it allows the agency to pay less for similar health care or disability compensation examinations. The problem with disability examinations is that the agency requires Board Certifications for examinations conducting certain exams such as initial examinations of traumatic brain injuries.
Mr Krause,
I have a copy of a VA’a report that says that dental students were allowed to practice without supervision and the dentists wrote the notes (without seeing the patients) so they could charge fir the visits. It talks about intimidation practices used and all sorts of other interesting info,.
I would be happy to fax it to you.
Forward it to the department of justice and Miller of the veterans committee!
Check the Hampton Va, VA hospital for the very problem being discussed here.I treid to vet a doctor there and was told the certifications were a privacy issue.So I have to wait for 1 year to apply for a new doctor.I now have an outside doctor I vetted and I’m happy.So much for the government keeping its word for medical care for us.
Marvin
Whoever told you you’d have to wait a year to change veterans doctors is bsing you.
Marvin,
elf is right. I am getting ready to have my fifth Dr. in one year at the Indy VAMC. Some of it is from these idiots and their God complex. so I agree with elf, they are bsing you. Did you expect anything different?
f8f
Veterans in my home town have no choice period! There is only one person every veteran sees and he is a physician assistant!
I think two nurses and the rest work in administration about ten employees!
We have no choice, the next closest clinic is 60 miles away! Since they have something here to see you and ask to go the sixty miles, they state you request you be seen their so you’re not eligible for travel pay!
Not to mention the mileage on the car, and all the rest that comes with that!
These employees have total control on the veterans here and if you say anything about their service, you run into their ego and you will be retaliated against and reported to the disruptive committee!
Can you see where I’m coming from and what I have been dealing with!
The manager is known as dealing with a steel hammer and you better not say anything about her!
She has and will attack any veteran if he, she states anything about the clinic employees!
So some veterans, have no choice and every time they enter that facility, better sit with their hands between their legs and keep their heads down and don’t even speak, unless spoken too!
If you think I’m kidding become a patient here and see it first hand!
I’m not disruptive, I’m angry that a very small group of people, can hold veterans hostage!
You know what’s also so very wrong. Higher management the director, chief of staff and members of the disruptive committee, due so with impunity and no evidence required, before they act against the veterans!
Where’s the justice in that and what does it accomplish! Nothing but trouble for the veterans!
James, if the service is not available at your clinic and they send you to the closest VA you can receive care, you are eligible for travel pay to the place of treatment. If they tell you you are not eligible, ask to talk to who ever is the supervisor of the travel pay department. If it doesn’t work there, go to the IG. I had a similar experience, they were screwing veterans for years in my area. I went to the IG and made a huge stink – so much so the people at the local clinic told me they didn’t want to deal with me because I snitched on them. The only problem is that I got that on tape, and now go to another CBOC and they pay me travel to that one, even though it isn’t the closest.
Thanks guys I’ll check into it tomorrow.
Marvin,
When you talk to them, and they refuse you, again. Say “Thank you very much! You’ll be hearing from Channel WXTV ! And from Congressman XXX as soon as I can make the calls.”
Be on your phone as your walking away. But above all, continue smiling. VA employees hate it when people (veterans) smile…. That pisses them off to the max!!!
If he does that he has a very high risk of those employees, turning the table on him and there is a high probability he will be reported as being disruptive or could become disruptive He will be retaliated against!
The VA remember still retaliate against people who threatened in any way! No matter how innocent it maybe!
Who’s the VA going to listen too! Not the veterans that’s for sure!
Take good advice and do so behind their backs, before they do accuse you of being disruptive!
Remember they don’t need to show proof, Hearsay is all that is needed to ruin your life!
I know what I’m speaking about, i’m the poster child of how they can frame a veteran or former employee!
@James,
If I were in your boat, I don’t know what I’d do. That’s about as honest as I can be on here !
All I can do is not to get sick! And keep asking officials for assistance, but the official’s don’t force the VA to provide the proof they used to punish me!
If they don’t do this, every veteran could have this happen to them!
I worked with these employees and I know a few that would back me up and tell the truth!
But they have seen what this manager is capable of and seen for themselves that higher management at the Denver VA, will back up the manager and not them
Our official’s need to act against employees falsely accusing veterans of disruptive behavior and did away with!
If a veteran is doing something really wrong that’s when the justice department needs to get involved and that veteran given an opportunity to defend themselves and the VA forced to provide their evidence and not just hearsay!
I really don’t understand how they don’t have to be held accountable for their crimes against humanity!
11/10/2015
Dear Benjamin Krause,
VA Secretary Bob McDonald gets “Four Pinocchios” from the Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/11/10/va-secretary-misstates-the-number-of-wait-time-manipulation-disciplinary-actions-again/
Sincerely,
Don Karg
PS. cannot wait to see this article
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6XG5MwOwuc
Xylene Dream Video was uploaded onto You Tube
11/10/2015
Dear Benjamin Krause,
This reminds me of the Enron Case—involving the Accounting Firms.
This also reminds me of the Financial Crisis in August of 2008.
Gannett [Carl Icahn] newspapers who is covering 90% of the VA news is too busy chasing Hillary Clinton—instead of reporting all the news.
No wonder why the VA Hospital Q&A in Phoenix was postpone on 11/02/15.
And that everyone plead the 5th that same day in Washington DC.
Again, We the People have to get the Senate on board [and make McCain do his job]—or the whole thing is for the Birds!
Sincerely,
Don Karg
This is the result of subcontracting or outsourcing medical staff with other countries. The same happens with nursing students. Nothing like crash courses in medicine, Students form other countries will do as they are told in order to live here or don’t know any better. IT’S all about the govt saving money at the VET’s expense. But it happens in civilian medicine too.You all can thank the congress 4 its policy/law making and yes anyone with a overseas medical license had to go through American medical courses first. Not anymore and the AMA is also responsible. Who on the AMA board as well as in Congress gave the go ahead for incompetence FOR profit?
Even with the likes of KIASER that receives federal & state billions, its doctors are protected from law suits. So too in WC with inept ex or military or oversea quacks docs, no one can even know who the doctor was let alone sue. American workers and vets patients are at the mercy of insurance companies who run it all and decide what kind coverage you will receive. We as patients are under siege with insurance companies running it all and It is all about $$$$$, not medical care, which is why we are called customers and not patients. This is what happens when medical care became a business and went on the Wall st. market for TOP investors.This is truly evil to make money off of folks getting sick, maimed or worse and no where for us to go to get accountability. Congress take heed on how you take care of your most brave.
A Remembrance Holiday is definitely not enough.. .
I would urge every veteran reading this to go to your VAs web site, find the “Our Doctors” link, review the providers and get screen shots of each listing. I bet a lot of Information disappears from those links soon. I found many whose information has not been updated in years, although the VA claims their list was updated on Oct. 1, 2015.
I also just found my new Primary Care Provider, assigned to me as if January 2015 is not even listed, so I called the VA to find out what his first name is, and was told he no longer works for the VA. I never saw him, so I am currently on the phone and found out who my new PCP is. So, since 2014, my PCP who I saw once retired, my next PCP I fired for incompetence, my next PCP I never saw and went back to private practice, and now I have a new PCP.
This is copied from the VA careers website. These people aren’t responsible. NO VA employee is responsible for negligence or malpractice. The US government accepts full responsibility. Read it. The very definition of their employment standards tells you exactly how each employee feel about things. Even wrongful acts. And this justifies it:
“Liability Protection:
As Federal employees, our health care professionals are protected by the Federal Government in instances of alleged malpractice or negligence resulting from the performance of their duties in, or for the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The United States Government accepts responsibility and liability for its employees’ negligent or wrongful acts or omissions during the exercise of their official duties. This applies when employees’ actions are in accordance with the policies of the institution in which they are practicing.”
I ask you how can we justify holding people accountable when they are told that they won’t be?
Great job, Ben! What can you say? Another day, another scandal –.must be a day that ends in y.
I have proof that in 2008 & 2009 the Black Hills Health Care System in Western SD help falsify records for the only neurologist, she is still here!. I called the American Board of Pain Medicine and the American Academy of Pain Management, oh yeah when Dr Petzel was VISN-23 Director even signed to this fact! I proved to my US Senator that I worked with these were false illegal comments! Even the Dir for BHHCS-VA signed she had these supposed credentials! I called n then emailed those letters she is never allowed to join those associations now! The VA BHHCS-VA still has here credentialed in Pain! when that is a one-semester requirement for getting her Neurology Degree!
Reno VA Sept 2005 I discovered a Dr did not renew her credentials and others never took their initial medical exams 2-5 years after they graduated! I wrote a letter to US Senator Reid house was cleaned over 100 staff FIRED for failure to maintain their credentials, from supposed practicing Drs, Rn,s radiology techs, phlebotomy techs etc! I was proud I got that done! n US Senator Reid actually did good then!
Long Beach VAMC in 2004 found out half the pysch Dept had staff that their license had been “revoked for life!” yet they all of a sudden when many vets pressed the issue on him (a former Ret USNavy BTW Revoked) and others to RN as well no license not updated etc! then everyone w/i a month had all credentials etc! CMEs magically appeared YEAH Right NOT! Illegal is what that was!
So this is not the FIRST TIME False Verification of or adding extra letters after VA-staff names has been done !
All of this can be verified! n proven if needed!
No disrespect…but Harry Reed looking out for Vets? When pigs fly. He was the reason that the defense bill authorization that would have given us Vets a COLA of almost 3% was vetoed. And if you checked the Congressional Voting Records and looked at Vets issues, Harry Reed voted against Vets over 90% of the time.
So while I respect what you did with the rest, you ruined it when you tried to claim Harry Reed supports the Vets or the military as his voting record in the Senate clearly shows that is not factual.
@Still at it! , good works via you. other veterans will benefit from that.
googling a bit on VA/VARO/Nevada and such, seems their VA “grades” aren’t high either. Heller & Titus seem to be speaking out on VA issues more than Reid in the last few years.
Just like the two VA employees who recently at the hearings, at first, didn’t show up then took the 5th, according to some newspaper articles, the VA in Reid’s state barely even acknowledge Heller and Titus. as the public has witnessed, bad VA employees, no matter which state sure act like they are coated with teflon. The systemic problems at VA seems to bleed out in every state, some are a little worse than others. and that isn’t hard to believe for most veterans that make use of the VA system.
It wont ever be investigated, they cant. They have a bunch of people that are called PHYSICIANS ASSISTANTS who are prescribing treatment and medication and so on, and NONE of them are doctors even though the VA will gladly list them as your “primary care physician”. I always thought physician meant doctor, not doctor wanna be.
Check your doctors card in the waiting room while waiting for this person to come in. If they have MD behind their name they are a doctor, if they have PA behind their name or anything no listed as an MD, then they ARE NOT doctors!
Yes, physician assistants are all over the place or practical nurses, doing the treating!
We have a physician assistant, when I told him about my stomach problems, the first thing he did was order a colonoscopy!
Second time I told him, I was still having problems, he told me to have a scope put down my throat!
After the colonoscopy, the specialist told me that the physicians assistant, should of ordered something less invasive, such as a barium swallow or upper GI!
But he is friends of the employee who reported me as being disruptive!
So I feel he wanted to punish me even further, by using the most intrusive procedures he could find!
After he ordered the procedure to go down my throat, I remembered what the specialist said and I called the client and told the nurse what the specialist said about the less invasive procedures to be done!
That’s been about two months ago, I haven’t heard back from anyone!
I believe if I would call back, to inquire about it, They would use this as a way to say, I was causing problems and being disruptive and they would report me to the disruptive committee and I would be arrested!
This is a very small town and these employees are very good friend and they will break the law, just to prove they can falsely accuse a veteran and get away with it!
So I continue to have problems with my stomach and nothing can be done, to stop these employees from trying to hurt me anyway they can!
These employees need to be investigated, but higher management would rather punish a veteran, that get to the bottom of the problem!
The Primary Care Physician I was assigned and I saw once before demanding to be reassigned due to her incompetence is a nurse, her board certification says “Family Medicine” as listed in the VA web site. She is not even a Physicians Assistant, yet the VA has her acting as a Primary Care provider. When I demanded to be reassigned, the Patient Advocate had a folder containing a stack of other requests from other veterans also asking to be reassigned from the same nurse.
I just got screen captures of the 103 providers certifications at my VA, and have found some very interesting information. There are a large number of providers working at the VA that are not licensed to practice in Colorado, but may be licensed in other states. Other VA doctors are listed on a state web site showing whether they have any adverse action against them, or showing they have no action against them. Those that are not licensed in the state do not even show up in that database, so it appears as if the VA is not complying with state law. I reviewed that law, and I see no exemptions to it for VA doctors licensed in another state. I will be calling that state entity that requires this to confirm that they too are required to report this regardless of whether they are licensed in the state.
Wow! Ben, when did the IG refuse to investigate? Was it under Griffin or after? Also, can you provide any detail on the FBI refusing to investigate, like why they refused?
It used to be, and maybe still is in some federal agencies that professionals who were caught claiming false credentials were fired immediately and their work was reviewed.
Did any of these providers get additional compensation from claiming they had credentials for some specialty?
I think this scandal is much bigger, with more of an impact than the wait list scandal, particularly if it is happening nation wide as I bet it is. As with the wait scandal, it is not one VA director that decides to ignore the rules. It is something quietly winked at by upper management knowing full well what is going on.
How many veterans have been impacted by getting incompetent care by someone not qualified to provide it? How many veterans have been denied benefits because their medical conditions were not properly or thoroughly diagnosed? Or missed completely?
Finally, the VA claims they kicked it up to HQ to investigate why the credentials were falsely portrayed to veterans. This is a classic cover:-up move by consolidating the responses to this in a few individuals, and also a delaying move by claiming they can’t release any information because it’s under investigation.
At least they admitted they are investigating now that they have been caught which will likely produce a report that should be obtainable under FOIA,
Again, I strongly suspect this is a common practice at VAs all across the nation. It would be nice to know what information you looked at Ben to determine the credentials were falsified so other veterans can look at the same information at their VA hospitals.
@91Veteran,
“How many veterans have been impacted by getting incompetent care by someone not qualified to provide it? How many veterans have been denied benefits because their medical conditions were not properly or thoroughly diagnosed? Or missed completely?”
i can’t count that high. as more and more veterans realize the need to go through their medical records (mil & va), i bet that number goes even higher.
there is no question that VA doctors are trained by VA Central Office to do everything possible to ensure any disability claim never gets started. right then and there, the veterans’ medical condition(s) become prejudiced against by the very system that is “supposed” to help the veteran by medical oath and Title 38. VA Central Office lawyers used to brag about how many veterans they could deny. we certainly know VA laughs at Title 38 rules and Congress does squat to enforce it.
totally agree with @91Veteran’s assessment.
super good investigative reporting and advocating @Ben!
Great reporting Ben you rockkkkkkkkkkk
I watched the students at a college, protests against the way they were being treated!
They stood up to the power’s to be and threatened to boycott the football game, which would have caused them to loose millions!
If we could find away to get the VA employees, the union, veterans to boycott the VA maybe the VA, OIG, DOJ would be forced into reform!
The masses have to converge somewhere to protest the way our government is ignoring the matters at hand!
They need to act and quite ignoring the veterans and American citizens!
Why are they sticking their heads in the sand, when the proof is there and corrective action is needed now!
@James,
I’ve suggested that very same thing multiple times on here.
IF say 70 to 80% of VA employees, veterans and union workers would “strike”, I would guarantee McDonald and everyone below him would take notice.
Think about it. If that many were to picket VA’s (VAMC’s and VARO’s) nationwide, how could anyone, from McDonald on down fire them. The outcry would be so damn loud, it would be deafening…..
The problem is government officials has made it illegal to protest at VA facilities!
So we have to be smarter and protest across the street and get a permit, so they can’t get anyone for civil disobedience!
Veterans should make up fliers and go into VA facilities and drop them off in different clinics NEXT to the magazines, were fellow veterans can be informed as to the reality of what’s really happening!
And given this site to respond and tell their own stories of how they been treated, also put the news media contact information in their area!
Veterans committee addresse and phone numbers!
The union is one of the main problems!!! Too many rights and almost impossible to fire- and tons of appeals!!
I know for a fact, the VA in Wilkes-Barre, PA head of Department Head of Psychiatry was not Board Certified. According to the VA, Board Certification is a necessary requirement to be Head of a Department. This woman took the Certification test twice and failed. Yet, she remained on. I moved to get away from that hospital.
I also check out the VA doctors on vitals (dot) com and healthgrades (dot) com. At least there you can rate your experience with them. Since the VA sends out so few patient satisfaction surveys and they take so long to complete, a couple of minutes and you can let other vets know what you think of them.
I had a (phone) conversation with a friend this morning concerning this very thing. He’s retained a very high profile attorney and is suing the VA (he’s subpoenaed the physicians included) for blinding him! I’m not going to get into the particulars of his “case”!
His attorney has explained that due to the large amounts (nationwide) of “tort claims” filed against VA this year, the bubble will burst. With more and more “scandals” surfacing, coupled with all the LIES (from McDonald down) being told and VA not being able to recruit COMPETENT physicians or other healthcare providers, VA will more than likely have to close it’s doors.
I know this isn’t comforting to the many who have lost loved ones. Yet, maybe this will show our elected and appointed officials something more must be done to protect our veterans.
During this time of year, “Veterans Day”, every business tries to impress veterans. I say, give me free food, then go away. Because if they, the corporations, really meant it, they would do more to stop VA physicians, nurses and other healthcare (non)professionals from committing these egregious acts.
I also wanted to say, earlier this year I HAD, (if y’all noticed the “past tence” here), a great PCP. His name was Dr. Doan, retired Air Force Officer. He was at the Orange City, Florida VAMC which is a very small clinic.
Only thing was, for some unknown reason, he left! As has many other great healthcare professionals! And trying to get an answer(s) as to “Why?” wasn’t going to happen!
On my second visit either in February or March 2015. My wife an I asked him “Why (he and another physician, a Dr. Fare) refused to allow me to use the “Choice Program”?” His answer was, “(he) did not deny me!” My wife said, very calmly and plainly, “Yes Sir you did! Here’s a ‘copy’ of your ‘denial’ in my husband’s (“VA”) medical file!”
He immediately turned to his computer and pulled it up. I didn’t take affront to this, because he was double “fact checking”! Something McDonald is incapable of!
His face immediately became “red” with anger. Then he apologized to me and my wife. It wouldn’t be much longer, within three or four months, that I was informed “…[he] was no longer at the vamc (in Orange City, Florida)!”
I now have a PCP who has adamantly and strongly claimed, back in August or September, he “doesn’t have to be registered or certified through the state!” Isn’t this a violation?
I wonder, How many physicians, nurses, caregivers and/or any other form of [NON]healthcare professionals believe this throughout the nation? If it’s happening in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, how many more states have unqualified and/or noncertified healthcare professionals working at the VAMC’s?
Also, how many healthcare professionals, who have lost their licences because of/for whatever reasons are still being allowed to work at VAMC’s nationwide?
It seems to me this is a very bad mark on VA.
I too just found out my PCP, who I have never seen, has left the VA. I suspect he likely got disgusted and went back to private practice. He is still in the same city.
Go to your VAs “Our Doctors” page. You will find a list of them. Search for Florida State Medical License and see if they list doctors licensed there. Also go to certificationmatters dot org. You can compare credentials there with what your VA claims.
What we need to do is go to the Board that they say they are certified with, and report it. It is (I think) a federal crime for that DR to allow the use of false information in conjunction with the practice of a medical licensure. If the medical professional allows the use of false credentials by the VA, they are both guilty of the crime. The Board may not bed able to act against the VA, but its ability to act against the MD will force the VA’s hand to correct this problem.
I ‘was’ seen at the Tucson VA, I quit because the ‘specialist’ I saw was, in my opinion, incompetent. I was assigned to this doctor, and he only appeared at one appointment, and only after I told the young intern that I had never met the man. The intern went to the doctor, told him what I said, and the doctor rushed into the room, lied, and left.
Most recently, he denied me care, and never saw me to evaluate me. He has done damage to my body by prescribing – forcing me to accept – medication that, at the time, I had no idea was CONTRAINDICATED by all sources I’ve found. Despite my many documented complaints/concerns in my medical record, this doctor has failed miserably at providing care since he’s so removed from treatment.
I’d love to know to do to rid the VA of him, and others like him, but alas I don’t see his removal happening with the VA curtain up….kind of like the Thin Blue Line, or is that just corporate behavior when lying?
That’s really messed-up that now the VA simply leaves the “Certification Statement Space” BLANK!!! Rather than outright LIE…they just obscure it with Damage Control…nothing less.
Blood boiling about this. (utilizing coping skills, deep breaths, time to make music)
In my opinion, they are digging a deeper hole of they just leave things blank. I bet they put generalized credentials in there if they can get away with it. That’s why I got screen captures of every provider at mine, before they change it.
Next up for Ben would be to dig in to see how many veterans were given C&P exams by unqualified doctors, and when the VA will call those vets in for another exam.
…what if the VA plays Passive-Aggressive after this scandal s they did with Dr. Candy Man at Tomah, and VA a large, cutting Vets off all pain meds in overkill retaliation…like an angry two year old…what if the VA USED this scandal as an excuse to claim ANY or ALL C&Ps are “not valid” just…just so they can save their $$$$ and reduce or eliminate people’s payments…under any claim…the VA could just CLAIM such and such is now a “newly found to be unqualified C&P Examiner” just to fuck with Vets?
See, it never turns out good for Vets, no matter what.
I know some people will cry that I am saying something “political” but guess what…politics affect the VA directly.
Just watched Part 1 of the “lessor Republican Pres. Debate” and knowing it is Veteran’s Day tomorrow, they DID speak more about the VA and putting people to PRISON/JAIL for these scandals.
We can only hope Part 2 tonight on Fox Business Channel at 9 pm with the “upper crust candidates/by poll#’s” speaks even as much about cleaning up the VA and more!!!!
There’s no such thing as bad publicity, unless you are the criminal in the spotlight wishing to remain in the darkness. The VA is the darkness. It’s getting talked about. This is important.
The VA could claim that, but then they would open themselves to a massive outcry from Congress in the middle of the Presidential campaign circus, and from veterans. In fact, the candidates tonight are likely saying things about veterans not only because of Veterans Day, but also because Hillary made comments in New Hampshire today trying to excuse her earlier comments that VA problems were not that big of a deal. AP just posted an article about it. She claims Republicans are making it a bigger deal than it really is, but then admits the backlog is a problem and says the VAs problems are systemic.
What is unfortunate is that most of these candidates do not know much about the serious VA problems like what Ben wrote about simply because the media doesn’t cover it widely.
I am currently looking into my PCP and the claim that she is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.
The VA site states she is and she is licensed in IN. The IN site does not state she is. Does this mean that the VA is lying in this (we all know they are lying on everything else).
The Patient Advocate told me she is and put it in an e-mail and i have been trying to get her to state this again and i am being ignored on this. hhhmmm?!
f8f
I would call the state and ask. I went through a similar thing with Michael Stephens and a Russian doing an exam on my husband. Guy so far has used two names, VES has fired him and the doc he was working for but Stephens says it was wrong but corrected.
I called the Attorney General for Indiana after the licensing branch and he had his assistant call me back. We also put a complaint in on Dr Leslie Brooks over his completely dysfunctional dental dept.
The very nasty lady behind the glass making appt check ins is actually an RN they don’t know what else to do with. She claims bad knees but I was told she was so bad they thought that was a safe job for her.
Holy CRAP!
Now I know just exactly how Clear Unmistakable Medical Errors occur with these “self-proclaimed professionals” and sad to say it, but am pretty sure this is part of the ugly end of the stick we Veterans get when LAST IN THEIR CLASS DR.’s are hired by the VA.
Then to add insult to injury, the majority of these so-called “medical professionals” speak *very little* English, and then the VA has the audacity to poof-up (LIE) their “credentials”…then the VA tries to call it an “Administrative Error”?!!!??!
Let me share this:
While attending additional college post-military career, my landlady worked as the Administrative Assistant to THE Chief Dr. whom was over ALL and my landlady had the job of running their “Matching of Residents”, which happens Nationally all at the same time of year for all medical facilities.
She talked at length many times with me about how there’s certain Countries that under NO circumstances would be allowed into the USA for political and humanitarian reasons AND Countries that constantly submit their newly educated Dr.’s that almost NO HOSPITAL would EVER “Match them as Residents” because of any given Country’s Medical Professional College Education did NOT meet USA requirements/standards.
Let’s just mention -1- Country as a valid example, India. She said that almost ANY individual that has a “M.D. from India” would STILL REQUIRE *at least* an additional -3- years of College to meet USA Medical Standards to be accepted as a “Resident” because their College System is THAT different. That 7 or 8 year degree from someplace else does not automatically translate to an American Medical School’s same # of years/educational requirements so she said they get rejected, sometimes over and over a few years.
Guess who HIRES THEM without issue? You got it! She said that the Veteran’s Administration/VHA actually WAIVES the medical residency requirements and she said his has been going on for decades since she had been doing that job. She knew my story of how I live with grave medical error reasons to not trust military or VA Medical and how this conversation firstly started. She told me that if a Veteran uses the VA there’s a very likely a great chance that any Dr. or Specialist NEVER went through proper “Residency Training” and the only actual real life “training” is ON THE JOB TRIAL AND ERROR…ON VETERANS!!!!!!!
THAT was just -1- example and -1- troublesome County (India)…there’s many more, which can be found at your local VAMC.
Today’s article makes it even more clear how the VA has masked and outright LIED about Dr.’s qualifications. This also sheds more light on exactly WHY and HOW the VA skirts the individual State’s Medical Boards because they have already made it next to impossible to fire these QUACKS and just shuffle them around when they get caught.
Sad but true, the VA regularly hires unqualified M.D.’s that would need in the REAL WORLD additional years of Medical School as well as proper Medical Residency Requirements. Also, she said that the VA regularly hired M.D.’s from within the USA that have SO MANY Malpractice Suits that any respectable system would not hire them because of liability reasons…but not the VA…guaranteed banker’s hours, huge pay, bonuses, and best of all for them…they cannot be easily sued and there’s no real accountability. We Veterans are literally getting THIRD WORLD MEDICINE and I really think the VA should ONLY hire M.D.’s from the USA and those in the top % of their Class that do NOT have a malpractice paper trail.
Sounds like the Tomah VAMC needs thrown into the abyssal black hole in Aurora, Colorado VAMC still under construction. However, this is a systemic VA problem, not just a few VAMC’s. If I did not have Medicare and absolutely had to use the VA for my medical care I am sure I would have been long-deceased by now from my pretty scary medical issues I live with.
Great reporting Ben. Veteran Lives Matter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wanted to add/qualify that my Landlady at that time worked for a large metro medical hospital/civilian. However, this matching process of new Applicants each year from all over the world to include from within the VA, was one of her major responsibilities, thus had privy to observing the data of who took who in their institutional statistics that go way back in years.
The VA has bastardized the system and insulted the GOOD Dr.’s that are in the VHA, but taints them all the same if they say nothing and witness incompetence and lives lost because of it.
I just wanted to clarify that she did not work for the VA…loathed it actually. She has passed, incidentally soon after she finally retired.