Several Veteran Deaths Linked To Impaired VA Clinician
On Friday, VA confirmed suspicions that several veteran deaths were linked to negligence by an impaired VA pathologist at Fayetteville VA Medical Center.
The agency just announced the result of its 33,902 pathology results audit from 2005 to 2017. VA found 30 missed diagnosis posing serious risks to patients. The patients or family members were recently contacted. Fifteen of the veterans are now dead though it is not reported the extent to which the negligence played in each.
Over 3,000 errors were confirmed but the agency said the vast majority were of little consequence. The agency plans to send out 700 letters to impacted veterans by September.
The doctor in question was Dr. Robert Morris Levy who was terminated after being caught working while impaired more than once.
“This process is going to take until late August or early September to complete,” Kelvin Parks said, the medical system director. “We believe this is the best way to ensure that no mistakes are made and every veteran is notified. We thought about sending just one letter to each patient with all results, but wanted to make sure every single test result was dealt with. This will ensure that.”
Rep. Steve Womack and Rep. Bruce Westerman were both present at a news conference covering the investigation last year, as was U.S. Sen. John Boozman.
“It is unacceptable that a doctor who had a record of impairment on the job continued to practice, which resulted in several deaths and thousands of errors and misdiagnoses,” Westerman said. “It’s imperative that the VA implement the lessons learned so a situation like it never happens again.”
“It’s extremely troubling that veterans were misdiagnosed because of the misconduct and negligence of a former VA pathologist,” Boozman said Friday. “I am encouraged to know that this physician no longer works at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center and won’t be working for the VA ever again.”
“It concludes a sad and deeply unfortunate chapter in the history of an otherwise outstanding VA Medical Center,” Womack said of the pathology review Friday. “America’s veterans deserve better. We are all saddened by the hardships imposed on our heroes by one doctor and accountability isn’t limited to his dismissal. The entire chain of command must ensure this situation never repeats itself.”
A Positive Note
I covered this before when the investigation was announced and had time to think about the outcome covered above.
There are a few things I’ve noticed over the past two years that I like about how VA has evolved regarding customer service, and this story is one of a few examples.
The agency seems more ready to not only take ownership over problems like this but also is taking steps to increase transparency.
Next Steps On Negligence
Nonetheless, some veterans were no doubt harmed by the negligence and the agency will hopefully take steps to make it right, financially.
Veterans impacted by the negligence should carefully consider talking with an attorney to see if the statute of limitations has run on their particular claim. Depending on the law in Arkansas, there may be a way around certain deadlines.
Disability Claim Options
In the alternative, some veterans may also consider filing for an §1151 claim if the negligence resulted in a permanent injury but is outside the statute of limitations. An example like this could be someone injured 5 years ago where the injury was related to a condition being treated unrelated to the individuals service-connection.
This type of claim hinges on negligence and the outcome of the procedure.
You can also consider filing for service-connection if the procedure in question was aimed at a condition for which you already had service-connection, and it resulted in permanent injury. Generally, this type of situation does not necessarily require negligence.
Now, I am paraphrasing the actual disability compensation strategy above, so do your research to see if you might qualify. Then seek out a VSO or accredited attorney you trust who can help you get the benefits you deserve.
This is a post a Vet shared, But I’ll leave his name out of it………..
I found out yesterday that the VA is either selling or giving our information on what happens at our office visits to private businesses. I had a call from a company wanting to interview me about medical problems I just saw the VA Dr for last week. The only place they could have gotten my personal information and my medical records from were the VA. I called the Dr yesterday very upset and was told there is a notice on the wall in the Dr office explaining that they are doing this. I never saw any damn notice.
FUCK YOU VA
Should have been fired the first time, any charges against him or law suits. It would happen at a civilian level.
You know, Vernon, I was right there with you until I realised you suffered from hearing loss.
The VA has its good aspects and its poor aspects. But one thing I will never believe is that ANY veteran EVER went to a VA clinic where other veterans were and didn’t “hear any complaint about their care”.
Horseshit. Veterans—soldiers period—ALWAYS complain about SOMETHING.
And the VA gives us plenty to complain about. You’re happy-smilie-face horseshit is just as bad as any of those who never give the VA credit for anything. Neither extreme helps improve the VA for other veterans.
You never noticed that the VA doesn’t have the latest treatments available? You never noticed that the VA changes the brand, maker, and type of medications at a dizzying pace, purely so as to get the best discount? You never noticed that a VA Outpatient Clinic wasn’t fully staffed? Or that wait times were much longer than in the private sector?
Come on.
I have been using the VA since 1981. It’s by far better than any medical care that I have received at and private doctor or hospital. I have used the VA in Seattle, Sacramento, Oklahoma City, and Muskogee. I have never heard any Veterans at any of those facilities complain about their care.
Fayettville, North Carolina, right? There are a LOT of Fayettevilles in the USA.
Well….I think it the Arkansas VA clinic where this took place is to be commended for its action, without us loosing sight of the fact that so many cases and diagnosis were effected by this pathologists substance abuse problems.
Like Krause, I am encouraged whenever the VA acts with increased visibility and openness, and when they actually stop and think about how they should **properly** respond to **their patients**, rather than cover their boss’ ass. So that’s one to the good.
Drug test them all NOW!!! . . . including alcohol!
Almost all of the workers at my local v.a. indulge while on duty.
Verified several have been caught but not prosecuted! One was verified stealing large amounts of Morphine!! and using while performing dental surgery!!!!!!!
It IS effing CRIMINAL!!!!!
Rosemarie Westa………If your on Face Book look up, … Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Survivors, Maybe you can get some answers there.
Otherwise just look up Camp Lejeune Toxic Water
I am sorry for all here and what you are going through. My husband is a Viet Nam marine vet. He hates the va doctors. We do have a decent va here in western ny. The problem is they switch doctors like underwear, never the same ones. The one he did like was the one he saw for his ptsd. He was there for my husband. As far as the medical, I drove a school bus for almost 20 years and have good insurance so we use that. I was forced to retire due to the fact that my husband has cancer stage 4, melanoma with No Primary Source of Origin. Yes, you read that correctly. All of a sudden he has stage 4 in his lymph glands under his left armpit, one under his left clavucle and one in his chest. It will be 2 years in October that he has been fighting cancer. Absolutely no where on his skin. Agent Orange. He was ther 68-69, in the heavy spraying. The worst part, the va does not recognise this cancer. Our doctors feel that this is what it is. So now we have to fight. We have grandchildren that have health issues, our daughter-in-laws father was a vietnam vet who committed suicide. Our daughter has health issues. You cannot tell me that AO didn’t effect the genetic makeup of our soldiers.
God bless you all and thank you for your service. I pray someday our government will own up to what it has done to all.
Crazy Elf…….homeopathic pills will do it to, And try drinking Distilled water only to flush them out.
Couple Things…from a Nurse, BSN, MHA..
Where’s the real solution?
Privatization is not a cure…..
I went to a private specialty doctor, while I had private insurance….but he was awful….I notified my PRIVATE INSURANCE company, and TRICARE Network Provider Enrollment and Credentialing (since I worked there). Afterwards, the insurance company allowed me to change to the only other private doctor in 50 miles that accepted my private insurance…..this worked well until the copay for my insurance increased 10 fold for the SC medicine I needed. ($100 to $1000 each month) i went through the VA applications, PCM clinic process, and was finally referred to the specialist. Can you image the shock and helplessness I felt when I realized it was the same provider I had been originally referred to in the past!!!
While I was able to educate myself and lead my care, there’s many people who cannot do this for themselves.
Retention and Hiring has many problems.
Poor providers also come from within the VA system….I was assigned a nurse caseworker, who had been reassigned from another area, after an injection, severe infection with hospitalization, I learned that the reassignment was because of a high infection rate in the area they managed.
I don’t know….bad apples are everywhere …. Educate yourself and push on….
Sorry to hear this Crazy Elf, l have no confidence, what’s so ever in today’s medical field, V.A. or Civilian World, I read that they found fatty liver disease, I was never told this or given a Treatment Plan, I have found many conditions that were directly from my service in Desert Storm, They never told me, and these conditions never made my problem list, and when I asked about this conditions, I was told nothing to worry about, or told that I don’t have these conditions? I asked a police chief in a small town , how this not Criminal, he agreed, but nobody wants to
go against Uncle Sam, especially if there on there payroll, I would like to see a one time buyout offered to Veterans, cut all ties deveteranize me! ( lost ) my S.S.D.I. because I was a Veteran, The V.A. said I would never get it, and they made sure of
this by slandering me, lieing, and rewritting medical evidence. I had good service at the V.A. in 80s, but after Desert Storm things turned South quick, They act like it was my fault, I didn’t Agree with the Anthrax or Typhoid Botulism Vaccinations experiment and my body didn’t either.I wish Dr. Jack Kevorkian was still around, who is driving this ship Captain Hazelwood? Take Care all you great Veterans who write to Mr. Krause, you guys make my day.
NOW HEAR THIS: I live near the Fayetteville Hospital in Arkansas, a Resident Doctor lives across the street from me and he claims Fayetteville is one of the best in the USA. The fact is I haven’t been to see a VA Doctor in more than 1 year because of how bad the care is- my wife and I saw the writing on the wall before we came to this place. VA care is worse than bad. The Vet care i give my dog is better and way more humane- i would rather go to a Vet. What do i do for meds? I do nothing because I don’t take any, I take more than daily dose of Yoga and eat home cooked meals. Could i be better? Maybe, maybe not but I’m not taking any chances with VA medicine . I am a disbaled RN with a masters degree and I can tell you what I’ve told my wife: We gotta get out of this place if its the last thing we ever do. Arkansas is green and pretty, but honestly there are a lot of pagans here so I’m not surprised with “It concludes a sad and deeply unfortunate chapter” . Not for me, its not concluded and its not over yet, I’m still; breathing. There’s a guy on the Radio who is being censored for talking about the people in LA, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. His first name is Alex, he describes homeless people in tents and every manner of debauchery happening in these cities. I’m beginning to wonder if the VA doesn’t recruit their staff from these places. We have entered the DARK AGES in VA Medicine with staffers who belong living in tent cities pitching needles and crapping themselves. Do not take Diabetes Drugs metformin and glucophage at the same time – the two together will rot your kidneys. Also : Vit K or aquamephytin takes 12 hours to work on correcting your Prothrombin times so don’t submit to procedures if your blood is not clotting properly. My prayers are with the Veterans needing care. Nurse out…
RJ, you mentioned LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Seattle. All belong to Democratic Socialists. These cities have become a disgrace. Benjamin, when I mentioned Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation not being worth it. This is what I meant. Being involved with the VA saboteurs and going to Universities run by Liberals and Socialists is what makes it not worth it. I can do a better job myself. Liberals destroy everything. Look at those Common Core K-12 Mathematics and Reading scores. As for healthcare, I am doing a better job with my ownself than many of the VA providers did who supposedly had Medical degrees and nursing degrees. Health improved when and after I left the VA.
This comment speaks to this statement in this article above:
“It concludes a sad and deeply unfortunate chapter in the history of an otherwise outstanding VA Medical Center,” Womack said of the pathology review Friday. “America’s veterans deserve better. We are all saddened by the hardships imposed on our heroes by one doctor and accountability isn’t limited to his dismissal. The entire chain of command must ensure this situation never repeats itself.”
“… otherwise outstanding medical center…”:
That is plum wrong. The Fayetteville VAMC has a history of such “scandals”, so this commentor is sadly uninformed. Is also puffing out smoke and mirrors to deflect attention away, and clearly omitting many facts already been reported by multiple media outlets about “scandals” at Fayetteville. A number of which have been mentioned in Ben’s own articles about the scandals I speak of. Can anyone please gather links to these other Fayetteville scandals, post them here please, even if only ones from Ben’s collection of such articles…?
Thank you
~K-Lar
Perhaps if All doctors involved in care of/for any/all veterans, and this is meant to include any/all currently sitting politiciansand those “running for office in the future”, who are or want too be “responsible” for addressing these matters, please read this article, and be sure to read all these articles and every comment left to them, because only then will you folks have a descent idea of what the hell is going on, so that perhaps, just perhaps, you may all begin to understand what it’s like to be a disabled veteran, receiving shitty care, inappropriate delays, denials of Dr tests, proper comprehensive evaluations, let alone inferior treatment if your lucky enough to get that far in the first place…
All; Please read this article from the perspective of “This is how you should change your approach to/on/of/or about All Veterans issues, period. This comment speaks directly to all sitting politicians in the USA:
[Psychiatrists: Meet veterans ‘where they are’]
“https://www.healio.com/psychiatry/violence-trauma/news/online/%7Bed1a96fe-2570-4067-ad55-3bbc95da8953%7D/psychiatrists-meet-veterans-where-they-are?M_BT=4054884171709”
[‘Wake Up Call’ for Policing Physician Misconduct | Medpage Today]
“https://www.medpagetoday.com/practicemanagement/medicolegal/80175?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2019-06-01&eun=g1239929d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202019-06-01&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_Active”
[DocInfo]
“https://www.docinfo.org/#!/search/query”
[States of Disgrace: A Flawed System Fails to Inform the Public | Medpage Today]
“https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/statesofdisgrace/71418”
[Exposing Bad Docs Who Hide From Their Past]
“https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/states-of-disgrace/77027?xid=nl_popmed_2018-12-20&eun=g1239929d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PopMed_122018&utm_term=NL_Gen_Int_PopMedicine_Active”
[Bad Docs Give Up Licenses, But Not Medical Practice]
“https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/states-of-disgrace/76584?xid=nl_mpt_breakingnews2018-11-30&eun=g1239929d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SoDbaddocs_113018&utm_term=Breaking%20News%20-%20Active”
“https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2018/10/15/government-policies-are-driving-doctors-to-quit-health-care/#210715672bf3”
“https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2016/12/15/report-finds-flaws-in-mental-health-care-at-st-louis-va/”
[You might want to read what your doctor writes about you. Only 25% of Americans do so]
“https://click.et.npr.org/?qs=52e69f20f4f19f39020dcb27be5e65a0a8173db64a9636ca417e33ebbd3648df7f7a7cc8abfb0f6d2139a7e5529f02e18776c1ca408ba7f2”
[How Patients React After Seeing Their Doctors’ Notes About Them]
“https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/08/23/640929647/open-medical-records-can-spur-frank-talk-between-doctors-and-patients?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20180826&utm_campaign=health&utm_term=nprnews”
And Please DO read all comments left below this article:
“https://www.disabledveterans.org/2019/03/05/gao-report-shows-disqualified-va-doctors-hired-to-treat-veterans/”
K-Lar,
Another sector of the United States being ripped off should be the civilian taxpayers! The ones who NEVER served, yet unknowingly give monies to the *”MOST CORRUPT GOVERNMENT AGENCY IN AMERICA!”*
These are the ones that should also be contacting their representatives and telling them to fix it.
I have several medical issues service related specifically a torn right shoulder which I have been trying to get repaired since January 2018. This is a very old injury I finally got an appointment in May 2019 and my primary care doctor finally referred me to Lake City Florida for a surgical consult. My appointment is in July 2019. I requested to be outsourced they said they were 90 days backlogged on just the paperwork to be outsourced. So I guess I wait till July to get seen for a surgical review and it may be next year before I even get the surgery to repair my arm I have nerve damage my muscles are atrophying I’m in pain 24 hours a day and this is totally ridiculous I got injured on active duty in a war zone from a fall I was accidentally knocked off the equipment by my battle buddy I had a severe concussion vertigo and no medical care because there was none available. Something needs to be done because the VA cannot handle that influx of veterans coming into the system. It can’t even handle the veterans it currently has to provide care for.
HELL, I’m at stage 3 on kidney failure. I just found that out last Thursday.
The amount of “below average healthcare professionals” in the VHA system is why the suicide rate is now at 23 each day.
My wife found that statistic a few weeks ago on another website. Since then it’s been removed. Or I would have copied it and put it on here for everyone to see!
I don’t know much about the Lake City VHA. I’m in the new Deltona clinic. It’s run by a bunch of stupid fucks!
Same as lots of clinics and hospitals across this nation.
Then, *”military.com”* had an article on about how the vets from the new wars are refusing to even come anywhere near a VHA!
I put that article on here last week I think!
06/03/2019
Dear Benjamin Krause,
The VA has a notorious reputation for hiring/employing the low end of the spectrum resulting in 3000 error in a 12 year period from one Hospital [Fayetteville, AR] or 250 errors a year or ONE A DAY.
At this ONE A DAY hospital 10% were at high risk of death, and 5% are confirm dead.
This VA hospital has an unchanged 3 star rating—-what goes on at the 1 to 2 Star Rating Hospitals? TWO A DAY? 20% error rate? 10% deaths?
A 1/3 of all the VA Hospitals have a 1 to 2 Star Rating, or roughly 50 Hospitals.
So what are the Veterans subject too?
According to our U.S. Senator Sinema’s letter here in Arizona very little has changed at our Hospital [est. 2000 dead since the 2014 Scandal broke].
If that is the case, we can safely say there has been 100,000 Veterans with extreme problems at the VA Hospitals in the last 5 years [with star ratings below 3].
Why has the Media not jumped on this? Even though they are aware of this problem such as Reporter Max Gordon [Channel 3 & 5 Phoenix Stations May 6th, 2019—Karg’s phone conversation] why are they ignoring the deaths?
Obviously there is a problem as I wrote to U.S. Senator McSally with all the suicides occurring in our Nation, and it comes from Management and nowhere else.
Humans make mistakes but not at this rate.
Did the VA Secretary Robert Wilkie respond to the 5 Questions the two Arizona U.S. Senators asked? Or has the VA shutdown all communication to the outside world? Like they did with U.S. Senate Warren with the William Nutter, Jr. Case [waiting for an answer –over two years].
Sincerely,
Don Karg
Benjamin, Andrew, and all, when a VA whistleblower files complaints against the VA and makes the problems known to the public and to the contact authorities in order to correct the situation or to improve the situation or to hold the people accountable who were negligent and unlawful, the VA retaliates and most of the time they deny and cover up the situation that has occurred or has been occuring.
Benjamin, they take it personally. The VA should take another approach to appreciate that they have employees who are willing to step up to do their jobs the way they should be done. VA employees who act with boldness to stand firm to expose problems. Benjamin, the VA employees who take such actions should be commended instead of demoted and shit on from that point on just because they were doing what they were hired to do. Employment positions that are supposed to treat veterans with accountable and humane care. Benjamin, when I have spoken about serious problems or negative experiences within the VA, I am not slamming the VA employees totally unless they have murdered yet another veteran or yet another veteran whose life will be shortened due to incompetent, intentional harm care, and negligent care. What I am doing is communicating problems to bring them to the forefront with hope that the right people of authority can change the system for the better. Benjamin, the VA leadership should detach from taking people or VA employees or even Veterans who are trying to do the right thing to improve situations so personally like it is against them. The VA interprets the constructive criticism or whistleblowing totally against themselves. Now, if they are guilty, then either the VA leadership will be defensive and attack back to cover up or they will retaliate because they themselves believe that they are doing their jobs and whomever is reporting the problems are lying. This comes with arrogant VA employee attitudes who cannot accept fault or blame where blame is due. VA misunderstands and misinterprets all the time. Quit personalizing and just clean up the VA. They worry to much about politics and political correctness and worry to much about how their are viewed by their peers. Who gives a shit? I had rather be bold and righteous to stand firm for the right thing to be done than to yield to what everyone else is doing. Lawful and Humane VS irresponsible and inhumane.
Possibly a step in the right direction. Hope the new emphasis in the VA will turn things around.
I just filed a petition for a Writ of Certiorari to SCOTUS on the “Feres Doctrine” which is used to deny veterans access to evidence and tort claims. No jury trier of fact. The BVA is unable to order evidence be made available to claimants. The DVA thumbs its nose, as it did in my case, at the RBA disputes lodged under the rules to obtain evidence. The Circuit Courts won’t get involved because of the Feres Doctrine while expressing concerns about the Feres Doctrine’s Constitutionality.
Petition was mailed Saturday. Don’t know how long it will take to get an answer but only 1% get heard by the Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Have a much better chance at it this time than when I attempted in 1989 and shelled out more than $1,000.00 in printing and mailing 45 copies (143 pg.) to SCOTUS and 1 copy each to 10 interest parties. Big gamble on my part. Hope Ben will pick this up and publicize it.
Search Bray v United States at SCOTUS in a week or so. Bray v United states at the 10th Circuit in a couple of days should have the SCOTUS petition posted on PACER. Also submitted a pre-decision copy to the Court of Veterans Claims (CAVC) which should post to the docket of Bray v Wilkie, #17-2990.
You wont win Lem, the Feres Doctrine has been challenged almost every year since 1973 and has failed each and every time and even the SCOTUS has ruled it legal and Constitutional.
You might want to just save your money as the ONLY people who can change this is the US Congress and they wont do it
And, we ALL know how fucking useless Congress has become!
Hi everyone, some maybe aware, not sure how many people are… but, the Freedom Caucus Republicans are working on legislation to shift healthcare to the private sector. Because Medicare For All will collapse the country. I am serious. Some of VA could be involved in this legislation. The major hurdle of this legislation is getting thru Pelosi into the Senate. Pelosi is blocking everything. But, there is ongoing fight for this to happen.
Congressman spoke this morning on the Legislation. In the making. But, just think how many times this government has had all kinds of legislation to help the American people but the Legislation goes nowhere which results in more deaths and homelessness.
What ? you or your lawyer are suppose to have access to your medical record. I am a Vet, I worked at the VA on three different occasions. Let me tell you I rather pick up cans before going back into that hell hole. They are all the same. If you do your job, and you speak up if something or someone has done something wrong, you are public enemy number one and they must get rid of you. You are a trouble maker. If you defend yourself watch out retaliation is on the menu ! They will turn your cowardly coworkers against you, like you have a plague, and then turn on them. However they keep the ones that causes problems and yes, promote them. Sometimes they do this because they are family or friends. And sometimes because they might have some dirt on them. The stories I could tell. They lie and cover up like breathing, it is nothing for them. They use intimidation to get their employees to do their dirty work. Corrupt over corruption is what they spend most of the eight hours doing and the rest of the time harassing the good employees. Another reason they cannot do their jobs and of course some are just lazy and stupid. The DOD should take over or just send Vets to the private sector. This will save the Gov’t a lot of money in so many areas. VA is swap that needs to be drain from the top to the bottom. Dismantle this incompetent, deadly swap. How many more souls must perish? This is a dangerous place for care and to work. Worst part of the Gov’t.
What pisses me off more than anything is….WHY THE HELL was he allowed to remain employed after the first issue of impairment. there is NO excuse for this to have occurred.
Robert,
I can almost hear the AFGE coming in to defend that ASSHOLE. Whereas he should have been terminated, he was probably either transferred to a different section or he was promoted for killing veterans!
That’s the VA way!
Agree with you Robert.
I had a vigorous discussion with a female VA employee on Twitter, a few weeks back. She was crowing the VA’s achievements. I asked her about the state of service between SCD Veterans getting treated for their SCDs vs. Non-SCD Vets getting regular or Tri-Care treatments. I said most SC Vets will tell her that our treatment at the VA, in general, is way below subpar.
She tried to call me out for disparaging the VA, and I had to spell it out for her several times…that the Vets with the most issues are the SCD Vets. And I asked her why she thinks so many of us kill our selves daily?
Her response??? We are all trained to talk Vets down. WTAF!?!?!! That isn’t the problem at all. Told her that the issues are sub-standard MH care and treatment. And categorical denial by VA of SCD claims, especially for MH issues.
She went on to apologize for my experience, but the Vets she knows are all happy with their level of care. I said I’m not the exception, I’m the RULE! And if not, I said, WHY EXACTLY DO YOU THINK 22 VETS ARE KILLING THEMSELVES EVERYDAY??? Not yelling, just boldly emphasizing. She had no answer.
Just as I thought.
Fuck these assholes that could never work anywhere else but uncle Sammy created the government welfare works program called the last in class asses, any VA, Earth, Milky Way.
Like McDonalds, serving over a billion, but unlike McDonalds, the VA kills with surgical preciseness with only their indifference.
Did I say fuck these assholes. Damn! I say we drop all VA employees into any war zone as a special kind of hell, set and forget!
Ignorance deserves to be served ice cold.
On Thursday, 30 may, 2019, I found out I’m in “stage 3 kidney failure”! Here’s how I found out.
The (alleged) physician said, quote: “Did you know your kidneys are operating at 37%?” (It was almost like an “afterthought” to inform me of this problem!)
My wife and I replied, “NO!”
His next question was, quote: “Are you taking any medication for it?”
Our response was, “If I didn’t know that, how could I be taking medication for it?”
Because of this newly acquired information – On Sunday, 2 June 2019, I called “After Hours Telecare”, to tell the nurse I’m taking “Homeopathic Health Tablets” and ask the following questions:
1.) Could I take lab every 30 to 60 days, to see if this is progressing or getting better?”
2.) Could my PCP send me medication to reverse this condition?
3.) Could the PCP send a list of foods I should NOT eat? Basically a dietary plan!
The telecare nurse said to call my clinic i a few days to find out what her response would be!
Could y’all imagine IF the physician had not mentioned that problem! Can you imagine that now I have MORE questions. Because; What are they not telling me?
——————————————————-
As for the egregious actions of VHA employees. We on here have known about the LESS THAN QUALIFIED QUACKS working for the VA.
I can lots of law suits getting ready to be filed! And, I can see lots of taxpayers monies going to the veterans and their loved ones! ALL BECAUSE OF THE INCOMPETENT ASSHOLES WHO WORK AT/FOR THE MOST CORRUPT GOVERNMENT AGENCY AROUND – THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION!
Shut the VA down. Give vets a “medical card” to be used anywhere the vet wants to go!
#fuckyouva
#fuckyouafge
That should read,
“I can see lots of lawsuits getting ready to be filed!”
Benjamin, if the Department of Veterans Affairs as in the physicians, rest of Medical folks, and leadership cannot do the jobs they were hired to do, then the VA needs to be totally shut down. See there are whistleblowers who try to correct the problems; but, yet the VA takes them down for doing the jobs they were hired to do. So with this still happening, this means the Department of Veterans Affairs seems to be not genuine in it’s efforts to improve the VA to deliver humane and accountable care. If VA cannot handle it, send to private sector. Enough is enough. Then work to close the VA down. Close VHA. Keep VBA the administrative agency. Single payer system with it being 99.99 government Medical providers never delivers success and recovery anyway. This is why Medicare For All will never work. If the VA does not deliver, Benjamin, I almost bet the veterans are going to matters in their own hands just like Rolling Thunder Riders are going to ride on Washington DC if Speaker Nancy Pelosi goes forward with impeachment regarding President Trump. Benjamin, Washington DC had better pay attention. My statement is not a joke.
Wont work Elf. I found that out the hard way. The head of the Ortho department at Indianapolis VAMC damn near killed me because of refusing to do a surgery that clearly showed I had a bone shard less then 2 MM away from a major vein in my left leg. If it had stabbed it I would have went to sleep and bled to death and this was clearly seen on the MRI and Xrays. I filed a complaint with the Hospital and when they didnt do anything I went to the regional and then to VISN 11, and I never heard back from any of them. I filed a complaint with the Indiana Medical Review Board and while they agreed and said this was the worst gross negligence of a physician they had seen in that state, they could do nothing while the VA was looking into this. yet the VA admitted they were not looking into this, but since he was a VA doctor the VA is the one that had to discipline him. The VA allowed this creep to retire at full benefits less then a week after I went to VISN 11 in Ann Arbor VAMC. Same thing is going to happen to you. They will ignore it or have the doctor retire with full benefits while you suffer.
They are a special kind of stupid, aren’t they?!
I suggest you go to a non-VA quack and make the assholes pay for their indifference. Were they waiting to tell you your kidneys were operating at 37% because it was just too much trouble to mention it when it was say at, 47% or even 67%?
Were they waiting for you to say something?
Run, if you still can, to a real dr if you can swing it w Medicare.
Trust me brother, the wife and I are trying to find out other avenues!
These ASSHOLES don’t give a rats ass about giving us proper healthcare.
Did you know there’s proof “1 out of 9 people don’t know they have some form of kidney disease”!
Oh, I forgot. The VA called me on Friday and informed me of my next VHA PCP appointment –
28 MAY 2020!
Yes, one year from now!
See. They want me to die a painful death!
@Crazy Elf – – – Sorry to hear about your condition. Angry as hell that some uncaring, incompetent QUACKHACK did not do their snot-nosed job for which they are grossly overpaid. Damn.
I hope for you that you are able to physically able to resolve this as much as possible. I also hope for you that you file a lawsuit for negligence against the ‘Sunshine State’ VA, and win your case – – – or get some decent $$$$$ out of court.
Assholes like this should never go unpunished. One way or the other.
Crazy Elf, I am sorry to hear this. Makes me very unhappy.
Crazy Elf…Kidney function should be above 50, I don’t know what kind of meds your taking, But research if it affects kidney function, Most of them do And If I’m not mistaken anything for arthritis will lower it………Fuck you VA
Oldmarine,
I’m not taking any VA medication for this. I’m not on arthritis meds either.
What I’m doing is ALL natural homeopathic pills which are known to “flush the kidneys”!
Plus, the wife just started me on a strict diet – trust me – it’s not that bad!
I agree
#fucktheva
#fucktheafge