New Features Coming @ DisabledVeterans.org
New features are coming to the DisabledVeterans.org community over the next couple weeks. I wanted to use a post to explain what to expect.
NEW SECURE HOSTING
Some of you may have noticed the site was acting erratic and crashing from time to time since last April after I started hitting VA harder than in the past. In response to the problems, we are stepping up site security and related.
NEW MEMBERSHIP SITE WITH RESOURCES
We are also rolling out a new membership / subscriber page with access to guides, videos and other resources. Previously, I used a third party solution that we have outgrown. Now, the membership will be self-hosted here with direct access here.
SEE IT: DisabledVeterans.org New Membership Page
Check it out and let me know what you think. Much of the links, etc., are not live yet but you can get an idea of how this Beta will work.
NEW DOCTOR DATABASE
In case you missed it, I busted VA ripping off at least 300 veterans in Minnesota when VA cons ignored clear policy and used unqualified doctors to perform TBI examinations.
WATCH IT: VA ‘greatly regrets’ brain exams by unqualified doctors
Yeah, it’s not like we are talking about basic musculoskeletal exams. No, brain exams were being done by unqualified doctors and they knew they were scamming veterans. Period. Burn in hell.
The new database will let veterans look up whoever performed an exam on them to see if they are or were minimally qualified to evaluate the condition in question.
NEW TRAINING MATERIAL DATABASE
Over the past two years, I have collected training materials and videos VA created to train their doctors. The value of the materials is that they show exactly what the evaluator is supposed to do. If they fail to follow the protocol without explaining why, then you may have grounds to protest against the adequacy of the exam.
AND FOR THE NEXT WEEK ON DISABLEDVETERANS.ORG
So we will likely be testing a few things until all the links go live. This may affect posting comments a little, but hopefully not. If you do notice an issue, send me a not via the Contact page. Let us know what is going on.
Anyway, I look forward to this next step. Let’s how we keep kicking butt!
Ok. I see there seems to be some confusion here on disability compensation. Crasyelf is only partially right about you can loose some money if you file a new claim. At 100% rating and if has been determined to be pernament and non reviewable and you have other injuries that are SC and it totals 160% or higher you qualify for SMC special monterie compensation. IE: married no children 100% 3100.oo per month. 160% MARRIED NOchildren 3859.00 permonth. If you try to file on your own you’you’ll probably be denied and after to file an appeal VA will drag it out. Get an attorney who specializes in via claims use them. Simper if.
The VA surely has money problems, and I got in trouble for pointing out to a nurse that information on VA employees is readily available, which it is.
In using the search I discovered that the head of the Tucson VA is given $210,000 in salary, and in 2014 he was given a $90,000 bonus despite the fact he has stonewalled every attempt by my last three congresspeople to get an answer to my bad care.
His bonus is more than most vets make in a year, two years, or three years. How can a woman/man earn that much money, be in touch with the veterans, and actually serve when his attitude is that Tucson is the best yet ignoring the problems.
Our representatives – mine are: Mccain, Flake, and McSally – do NOT represent us where it counts, and are allowing men like Jonathan Gardner, head of Southern Arizona VA Health System to flip them the finger…
Dear Sir:
With all the mess going on with veterns all I can say now is WE NEED AND WANT DONALD TRUMP!!!!!!
If y’all thought the doctor in Danville being arrested was a testament of VA’s hiring process interesting. Here’s another story that’ll blow your mind.
Google this;
“VA Backs Down on Threat to Take Idaho Veteran’s Guns?”
It seems, according to the article, “[This] Agency – which represents the illegal and dangerous recombination of the separate powers of government – law making and law enforcing -” just decided to violate this veterans 2nd, 4th and 5th Amendments rights.
The even sadder aspect of it is now THE VETERAN is going to have to take the VA to task and get the FUBAR straightened out.
Hows that for justice?
Here’s another screwup, looks like Miller and McDonald were in Denver, in front of some DAV representatives claiming VA needs $600 million MORE dollars. It was suggested they “Gut” some of the “other VA programs” to get it!!!!
Something has got to be done about this government entity. And it’s got to be done soon!!!!!!!!!!
I think the V.A. is composed of individuals embodying every thing evil and corrupt and should be dealt with as such, there is no other alternative.
They unquestionably must be treated as the worst lowest kind of criminal that ever existed; they put the concentration camps of the axis powers and even isil to shame. .
Hey Crazy Elf
Regarding your comment about the Danville VA Doctor. I have been following the story after seeing your post.
What happened in his case show the need for the Doctor Data Base that Ben is working on adding to the site.
According to an updated article published by The News Gazette today the Doctor is Dr. John K. Sturman Jr. — a neurologist and staff physician at the pain management clinic at the veterans medical center in Danville for the past five months. He is one of the new Doctors hired by the VA who just started in April of this year.
The VA has declined to say how many Vets have been under his care and also declined to discuss the process that the VA used to hire Sturman.
Sturman operated a clinic at Indiana University Hospital but lost his admitting privileges in 2012 after failing to complete medical charting and documentation of patient visits.
Currently he is facing 16 counts of issuing invalid prescription drugs by a practitioner and three counts of reckless homicide.
The charges are the result of a four-year investigation by the prosecutor’s office Grand Jury Division and the Indiana attorney general’s Licensing Enforcement Section and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The investigation uncovered that while Sturman operated a clinic at Indiana University Hospital, 35 patients died in his care, and of those, 15 died within 30 days of receiving a prescription from him.
How could the VA hire this man?
With the VA hiring a Doctor who lost his hospital privileges for failing to complete medical charting and documentation of patient visits and 15 of his patients dying within 30 days of receiving a prescription from him. The Doctor’s data base will not only be aid to Veterans regarding claims but also a life saver for Veterans who check on the doctors providing their care at the VA.
Jade, your question of “How could VA hire this man?” Makes me wonder what kind of “background checks” VA has in place.
There are many questions I have. But two are important. 1.) If a backround check had been done. What information came back? VA officials are not being forthcoming in any answers!
2.) If negative information came back, for example, and VA knew about the indictments, why didn’t VA contact Indiana to come and pick the perp up sooner?
I believe there will be more to this story down the road. I also believe many of the veterans who were his patients will be coming forward. We may learn more, IF the news media up there has the balls to report on it.
P.S. Jade, this also makes me wonder how many physicians, nurses and/or other healthcare professionals have been hired/transferred nationwide who have “checkered pasts” with indictments or warrants out on them? We know of many. But we don’t know of exactly how many.
Ben’s data base will definitely help. Just think, if someone on here were to find a so called professional working at VA. Like that asshole at Danville. Then getting to turn the bum in? Hope there’s a reward $$$$$$ I’ll get my wife to collect it lol.
If the information is correct, the wilmington, Delaware VA has an acting cop in charge of the VA who was charged with hit and run back in 1995. As far as the billboard goes, I think Ron Nesler has the monopoly on it. If we can get a goodyear blimp it would serve us better! LOL!
Hey, Corpsmanup, I actually talked with Ron today. He said there was a guy here in Florida (Roger [not sure of the last name]) who is trying to raise money for a billboard here.
Only problem, I don’t send money over the internet.
A blimp would blow VA’s mind. Lmao…,My wife said to find out the cost, say on
I-4 here. We might be able to do it for a month or so. Depends on the cost.
CorpsmanuP!
In regards to the top VA cop that was arrested and charged with Hit and run. He was a police officer at the time of the hit and run and he tried to cover it up. Witnesses said that he had been drinking before the hit and run.
@ JADE, CrazyElf If someone can organize a gofundme page under a veteran awareness campaign, it would make an impact if a reporter was involved in airing the billboard Ron already has up. He can add the gofundme link on the billboard. A Superbowl Sunday blimp at half time would be epic! We can sell McDick I mean McDonald action figures with the pull string on the back that talks ” Hi I BOB I am here to BS you ” Another one would be “I am a special forces warrior, I have 37 jumps off my living room couch, I love cheesy poofs”. The cop should be investigated alone on the oath he has taken as an officer. It’s despicable to know that someone with arresting authority conducted himself like that, despite how long ago it was. A juvenile will get substantial time in prison for crimes and could be 40- 60 years old despite the offenses they committed when they were 15 or 16 years old!
CorpsmanuP!
The top cops name is Jeffrey Steidler and not only is he the top cop but also the Acting Chief of Health Administration Service. this is according to an article published by Delaware Online edition.
At: “https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/nation/military/2015/07/02/va-cop-acting-wilmington-admin-health-chief/29653443/”
After seeing in the article that his LinkedIn biography had been recently removed I had to check the guy out and found this article from his past.
“https://articles.philly.com/1995-09-11/news/25718922_1_police-officer-west-chester-police-part-time-officer”
I then confirmed that they were both one in the same person.
So not only is he the top cop but also acting Chief of Health Administration Services at the Wilmington VA Hospital.
@ JADE you what is disturbing about the cop being an administrator, isn’t it illegal or a conflict of interest for a sworn law enforcement officer to be able to view veteran records? Maybe Ben would know, but I find it kind of odd!
This just out on channel 9 news WFTV ORLANDO. “The Lake Baldwin VA says only about 5% of veterans have to wait more than 30 days for an appointment”!
How’s that for VA B/S.
@Ben, et.al., “Anyway, I look forward to this next step. Let’s how we keep kicking butt!”
yes, lets all keep kicking butt! the more tools available to the veteran community is much needed for the veteran tool box. helps that dim light of hope get a little brighter for the veteran community of “David’s” against the “VA Goliath”.
shocking story about the 300 veterans and the VA scam to undermine them. kudo’s to you for busting them on that.
for many of us that have been in the VA system for years, that is old VA behaviour we’ve preached/complained about over the years as you know. better late than never and people are listening now.
i trust your new database and sites will be more secure? the VA is still an out of control federal monster that i don’t trust at all.
with that, guess its time to make another donation to further the cause. keep fighting the good fight!
CrazyElf, they can easily fix the VA problem. All they have to do is contract all VA Hospitals out to a private Company and let the workers apply for a job. The veterans keep their hospital and the company has billions to spend with money that goes back into the US economy. It can be easily audited by medicare. As far as fine doctors go, I would rather be seen by a fellow Corpsman, in some cases the Marines I trained could do better. No one needs a #FFN aka FAT FLUFFY NURSE telling them about their health. McD is a snakeoil salesman using the stolen Valor of the WestPoint name to make up these BS shennanigans about “1 pocket to another”and” I am not a politician, I am here for the veterans” I sent his funky ass a letter and he keeps making it look like he communicates with all veterans. I am going to create a billboard that says ( “DD-214= The official VA Death Certificate” Don’t patronize me Mr. Secretary)
Artork courtesy of Ben Krause LOL!
Your idea sounds better, CorpsmanUp. Keep the hospitals etc. I bet half the VA employees would not be rehired.
Let me know how to help with your billboard. Only one problem, I don’t send money over the internet. So we would have to figure out a different way.
Corpsmanup, if you go on
“VAwatchdog dot org”
and click on McDonald’s picture, he stated an “audit” would be done. Just another lie he has spit out of his lying ass mouth!
It’s in the video, that he says a lot of bull shit!
There are other photos there. Click on them as well. See exactly what those lying pricks say.
Each article I read, each comment I read, gives me less hope. It took me 30 years after Nam to get an address that I may be at for more than a few months. Every application for benefits was lost or denied. After 16 months at National Center in Menlo Park, I have been able to live in a place, now for 13 yrs. Guess what, nothing has changed. The only thing I know for sure, is I am not alone. All of you, please, keep doing what you do. Thank y’all.
Sounds good,… Go for it!!
To CrazyElf: I don’t know how to send you a private message, so I am saying this here. Okay, you (or someone pretending to be you) sent me a message through this site about how you heard somewhere that under no circumstances should you or anyone file a VA claim right now, but you don’t know where you heard it. Maybe what you are talking about is something I said here a while back, or someone else said it too: Namely, that you should never make the mistake of filing an appeal because doing so is a trick the VA uses. If you file an appeal to a turned down claim or low-balled claim you are putting yourself into the VA appeals system that typically can take years, and commonly starts by you losing the appeal after a long wait. Talk to Ben and others in the know, but what I think you are supposed to do instead of filing an appeal is submit a “Fully developed Claim” notification to the VA demanding that they do a proper evaluation based on law, policy and procedure and so on. And, most certainly, don’t fall for some ultimate VA propaganda scam of not filing a claim when you have a legitimate claim to file, if that is what you were led to believe. You are so knowledgeable, Elf, that I really did not think it was you that sent me that message, as I don’t think you would fall for such an obvious scam or believe that this is a bad time to file a claim or whatever. Take care, and thanks for your most helpful input on this site. P.S. I talked to Ben by email the past couple of days about him and Ron Nesler maybe writing a book that would include vet testimonials. I think you (and your brother you have referred to here in this site) would have some pretty good stories to tell about what you went through in the Nam and your experiences with the VA. Ron is a ptsd victim of Nam, was railroaded badly, they tried to frame him, almost successfully so by the VA, so I think with his “VA is Lying” website and experiences, along with Ben’s, they would be great co-authors of a book about “VA Horror Stories and VA Success Stories: How to Beat the VA and their Games!”
Bruce, it was me who said, “don’t file any claims now”! Sorry bout the confusion, what I meant to say was, if one already is at 100% t&p, and you want to add more to your disability percentages, VA could reduce what you already have. For example, They could say your PTSD is something that is noncompensible. Thereby you’ll end up with less compensation ($$$$).
Remember compensation and disabilities are two separate entities.
1.) Compensation” is the $$$ you receive..
2.) “Disabilities” are the %’s that you receive for medical problems you have. Whether they be ‘service connected’ or not.
Example; my “brother” in Illinois is rated at almost 200% for his “Disabilities” from his time in the Army.
Only he, and everybody else, can only get “Compensation” at 100% for $$$$$.
I hope I explained it correctly…
I think some of you are giving false information to our fellow Veteran, and Ben if you don’t put a stop to it quickly it is going to hurt our Veterans in the long run. So many people on this site are so caught up in the conspiracy theory frame of thought, encompassing all VA employees in one horrible bunch of anti-American basket, preaching that if you do this or that the VA will do the following negative thing to your claim …… Let’s be real here, not all VA employees are the same and you get different outcomes from different people, which in itself isn’t good because there is no set standard, but still must be followed through with because until its fixed, that is the system. But to state on here not to do certain things because your outcome will be ________. Is the wrong way of going about this unless you are a qualified lawyer specializing in this type of case law, not just because you feel you or others where wronged. As I sit here reading this VA bashing offering advise on what someone who was in the Military should do when you have no clue about what is going on with their claims is completely ludicrous and idiotic at the least. (NO I DO NOT WORK FOR THE VA) I can see people who know no better taking the bad advice of some disgruntled Veterans losing not only their claim, but possibly a file date because they thought what someone was saying here made some sense. Listen, I have been frustrated by some VA employees, but are they all non-caring, spiteful, and disengenuous. Not by far. Did I have to file an appeal on my claim and learn how I went on. Absolutely Did I refille for a higher rating decision after having a 100% service connection rating. YES. WHY? Because my case warranted it due to qualifying for a higher rating as an R-2 rated Veteran with Aid and Attendance Needs. Did I get it yes. Furthermore my wife is just finishing up her almost 9 year in March claim, which had been denied more than a few times and had her BVA hearing last August, which approximately 4 months ago at the BVA was sent out to a doctor of their chiding for that doctors medical opinion. Had we been frustrated at times?absolutely!!! Until we recently had received a letter from the doctor they sent it to with her medical opinion, to which she had agreed with everything we had been saying for 9 years. Then we received another letter from the BVA stating that they found in our favor but her claim is going back to our local VA for a rating on that decision. If we don’t get what we feel she is entitled to, will we give up because it’s been 9 years. NNOOO!!! Even though she currently has 70% for PTSD? Still nooo. We will continue to fight and praise God that we came home with our kids. In a chair or not. If you are a Veteran and you are going through issues I beg you, please don’t listen to the outrageous comments on here, especially when it comes to issues regarding your claim. Find a good representative to take it to. The others playing lawyers on here should be ashamed of yourselves giving advice you know nothing about…..
tim042, I will agree on only one thing you have said. That is, “not all VA employees are the same,”
I wonder then, why ten’s of thousands of veterans have been screwed over by VA? There has been, just in the past year, multiple news reports concerning these “facts”! Almost weekly there are reports of VA mishandling veterans claims, medical healthcare, and more. And physicians being fired for their egregious acts against veterans.
For you to say we are just a few disgruntled veterans is also shameful. Why do I say this? Go to the web. See the anger that is building up in hundreds of thousands of veterans nationwide. We all can’t be wrong, that’s fact!
As far as giving out false info, you and your wife lived through it. And guess what, everyone else on here has too. I, myself, went 23 years to get to 100% T&P service connected. I never gave up. That’s the recurring theme on here – NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!
When I tell someone to do something, or not to do something, it’s because I learned from my mistakes.
I became a VSO (Veterans Service Officer) around ten years ago. And I do my best, as all on here do, to give the best advice I have to offer. It’s up to the veteran to ask himself or herself, what’s the best direction I should take!
Now, that being said, I’m glad your not giving up. Do what’s right for you! Quit being judgemental to others……
Love it! Somewhat similar (though not as serious) situation when I sat down with my Pain Management ‘Doctor’ for the first time. I specifically asked if she was a doctor, and she stated yes. Many months later, after horrendous treatment, I discovered that she had her Doctorate in Pharmacology. I had specifically asked about it to make sure that she understood my many other disabilities, and the medications that I had relied on for a decade, and all of the treatments and medications that had been tried. She hadn’t read my history and kept referring me to specialists that I had seen, so I was forced to create a ‘condensed’ version of the treatments, medications and so on for the past decade, with the associated dates of these. My PCP helped me with this, and I posted the info on Secure Messaging to my PCP and the Pain Management provider. Many of my medical providers have trusted my experience and knowledge as a career nurse when treating me, but not her! Regardless, I was transferred back to having my PCP cover my pain management. Pitiful.
Ramona, Google;
“VA doctor in Danville”
There’s a bunch of current news articles. This is the kind of physicians we get at VA.
Also, Google;
VAwatchdog dot org
Looks like the VA OIG changed the “investigative report” on the Tomah, Wisc. fubar. Now, they admit to the overdose of the former Marine. They fired one asshole shrink and the other one is under investigation. IMO, the shrink(s) who killed veterans there- should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Just like this VA puke they found at Danville’s VA and are extradicting him back to Indiana!!!!!
Also, on here today, I gave other sites for all to Google. Have fun and send them all off to your local news stations. Like my wife and I do everytime we find something….
Sorry, i forgot to add a word, it’s–
“VA doctor arrested in Danville”
Google this and laugh hard. One more bites the dust….
The VA Info Tech trolls must be hard at work, stepping up there efforts to take down Ben’s site here, because when I clicked on various links he has posted today to check out his new updates and security feature type stuff, and whatever, all I keep getting is something about a “404 Error” notification. When I try to “Join the Academy” it does that or nothing. I think this is why hackers go after government websites and F them up from time to time, to retaliate for how Big Brother does it to us. Big Brother at the VA is a mutated shit head. Prediction: the smart asses at the VA, and/or their surrogates who are sabotaging this site are in the process of tripping themselves up, as in punching their own tickets into prison if we are at all lucky.
Here is absolute proof that I have lost the very last bit of sanity left in my TBI head and EXTREMELY BAD case of PTSD: Above, Ben says to the VA, “Burn in Hell.” Okay, I love it!. I actually thought it was quite funny, though such a serious subject — using quack-qualified doctors to do brain exams! Add to “Burn in Hell” the fitting term — ASS HOLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As in,
“Burn in Hell, you socially psychotic VA assholes.”
they pulled the same crap in sc also
Ben, exciting news, but your links are not alive for me.
I put these two articles on before and they disappeared. So here they are again;
From “The Daily News”,
originally from “Stars &Stripes”, on Aug. 7, 2015.
by Heath Druzin
title-
“McCain Bill Would Let All Veterans Seek Care Outside V.A.”
Within this article is a rebuttal, or what I describe as a ‘rant’, by Ol McD concerning McCain’s “Bill”.
It’s”title” is-
“VA Chief Blasts ‘Political’ Proposal to Privatize the Department”
written on Aug. 6, 2015
by Bryant Jordan
McCain’s bill doesn’t “privatize VA” as McDonald claims. What it does do, is get rid of all the “stipulations” (30+ day wait & the 40 mile rules, and others), causing veterans NOT to be able to use the Choice Program.
If he presents his bill in this way, I believe it would alleviate back logs for our healthcare… McCain also wants to make it a “permanent solution for healthcare”!
I also know McD’s rebuttal is full of inaccuracies. Especially the parts about how great VA physicians are, and that we veterans believe VA’s healthcare is the best.
I look at it this way. VA physicians, nurses etc., etc.
are rated, in my opinion, just like their civilian counterparts. Some are great. Some are mediocre. And some are as worthless as that “teet on a boar hog”! There are more issues I have with McD’s rebuttal. Can you find the “inaccuracies” within it? I googled the ones I believe were wrong. I boogles my mind how he comes up with his “facts”!
Also, if y’all haven’t visited,
“VAwatchdog dot org”
I would highly recommend doing so!
That’s all for now!
CE
P.S. I forgot to add that I read somewhere VA is having trouble hiring healthcare professionals. It seems they have 40,500 open positions to fill.
Last year, when the wife and I were watching channel 9, local news out of Orlando, Fl. The news caster stated, after a not to flattering VA news article, quote, “Who would want to work for the VA?” Everyone behind the cameras busted out laughing. True story folks. Even my wife and I couldn’t stop laughing. And we wondered how long that news anchor would be employed after that comment.
You are a brave soul Mr. Krause
Being a veteran explains “Brave”. The VA is going to be in hot water if there are links that can be proven that government resources were used against the site. Pinging satellite location data to mask where the intrusions came from is very basic computer tracking.
I hope Ben will be able to get a database of complaints filed against those providers because some states licensing boards claim no jurisdiction when filing a complaint against a provider.
Delaware, namely should be put on blast about this because it involves the Vice President’s State. A political coverup!
Corpsmanup, you know how McD’s been stating how great VA doctors are? My brother (he and I were in Nam together) called me last night and told me about one of their finest, lmao.
Google this,
“VA doctor arrested in Danville”
You should be able to click on 3 or 4 articles about it.
Then you’ll have plenty of questions, just like I have….