Voodoo Medicine Used To Investigate Phoenix VA Deaths

Phoenix VA

Benjamin KrauseMedical experts claim VA Inspector General (OIG) used voodoo methodology to determine if the fraudulent wait list scheme was the cause of veteran deaths at Phoenix VA.

Last month, the agency watchdog VA OIG reported that delays in health care were not the cause of death for the majority of claimed veteran deaths from whistleblowers. VA OIG head Richard Griffin claimed investigators were “unable to conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the deaths” of veterans killed in the fraudulent scheme.

Notice the focus here. VA OIG claimed the wait time did not “cause the deaths” conclusively. Could any wait time actually cause a death, conclusively?

Well of course it did not since most people die from an illness or injury – not merely waiting for care. You see, the wait may have helped the person die sooner, but it did not “cause the deaths”; the condition caused the deaths.

Further, what kind of standard can “conclusively” prove anything? A video recording? Mere testimony from witnesses?

This may seem trivial to some, but the real impact of VA wordsmithery here was how the claim was portrayed in the media.

Media outlets then ran with the sound byte claiming veterans and whistleblowers exaggerated the severity of the criminal scheme. This is a manipulation tactic I have seen VA use time and again where the official provides a half-truth that the media dimwittedly run with only later to realize that the VA officials lied to us.

[Read VA Official Caught Lying On Tape]

Now critics are coming out against the VA OIG report. Critics claim the standard used by the supposed agency watchdog was selected to help VA cover up the scandal. And, of course, to win some good sound bytes with the press.

VA critics generally point out what I stated above. When people are sick, they generally die from the illness, not from waiting any amount of time to see a doctor. When you get shot, you die from the bullet wound. Waiting for a long ambulance ride or an extended emergency room wait will usually not be the cause of death.

One such critic is Dr. Gregory Schmuck, the chief medical examiner in Polk County, Iowa. He stated, “Delay of care may not have been the proximate cause of death, but the real question is: Did delay of treatment cause the patient to die earlier than necessary?”

Another critic, Dr. Gregory Davis, chief medical examiner in Jefferson County, AL, was flabbergasted by the manipulative methodology choice, “I can’t imagine a circumstance where someone would word it that way.”

Reread that paragraph. Dr. Davis said he could not imagine any circumstance where Richard Griffin’s criteria would make sense of a normal investigation into deaths from health care delays. Can you think of any?

Most people would agree.

This begs the question: If you really wanted to root out the evil bastards that harmed so many veterans, would you really use voodoo methodology that avoids the real question? Is the better question as follows: Did the delay contribute to the death?

Sadly, VA OIG has yet again helped the Department of Veterans Affairs get its sound byte out there before anyone could stop it and the American public will go back to sleep.

On the other hand, maybe there is something we can do to fight back. While such tactics and voodoo methodology may work in certain situations, VA is required to abide by ethics rules when conducting all manners and forms of business. So do we file an ethics complaint against Richard Griffin for implemented a faulty measure not in line with modern medical practices in forensic investigations?

Maybe, but it may not be effective. The same watchdog charged with misleading the American public about the Phoenix VA veteran deaths is also the one charged with investigating ethics complaints. That’s right people. VA OIG is the boss.

But what do we do when the watchdog becomes a bad dog? You put the bad dog out to pasture.

Read More: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/investigations/2014/09/10/report-phoenix-va-deaths-raises-questions/15375005/

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9 Comments

  1. 01/14/2015

    Dear Mr. Krause,

    VA critics generally point out what I stated above. When people are sick, they generally die from the illness, not from waiting any amount of time to see a doctor. When you get shot, you die from the bullet wound. Waiting for a long ambulance ride or an extended emergency room wait will usually not be the cause of death.

    Criminally Insane?

    Even a kid knows to call their parents as fast as possible if there is a problem. The Fire Departments and the Police Departments understands this basis concept.

    So why does the Doctors of Psychology, and the VA Officials and their attorneys have a hard time with this concept?

    $$$$$$$$$

    Sincerely,

    Don Karg

  2. 01/14/2015

    Dear Beckman and Krause,

    As I research into this Blackhole of Corporate Crimes and Capital Crimes in which most people still believe it is a quick fix.

    ABC, NBC, CBS are barely reporting, same as Gannett. Why did the Judge at Fox call it Homicides in the very beginning? When I asked Bob McDonald about the Homicides [Fox/Judge] he stated, “Don, I am working on it!,”08/08/2014 at the Phoenix VA Hospital in the basement.
    NPR this month has broken the silence on this Subject.

    We have 800,000 on the waiting lists and 47,000 dead and Americans spent Trillions on the Wars and the Nation as a Whole gets Silenced with bad Numbers and mis-information and misleading investigations [Re: December 2013 QTCM (Peake & Principi)/Lockheed hearing].

    https://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/2011/08/qtc-sold/
    QTC Sold
    by Jim Fausone
    Veteran Disability Lawyer

    Mofo.com 73 page Class Action Lawsuit 2007—paragraph 216

    This must be another Contract On Americans [Where’s Newt?].

    It is all about Intent.

    Sincerely,

    Don Karg

  3. Gee, is that like what has been done to me? Problem for them, “smarter, wiser, and can easily see the game.” I have so much damning evidence, funny but not really, that delay of nothing more than sending me to “pain management” proves my theory to be correct, “pretend adults with a doctors play kit, not knowing how to read, listen, and truly, evalute a patient.” We are going on 10 months-I could walk 8 months ago, drive, it takes a hell of a lot of energy to even do. Yes, I live with pain. I cannot walk without assistance, and I am damn stubborn because that is just who I am. But, simple “reading,” do they teach or at least test them for this skill? OR do they just say “doctor, psychiatrist, social worker, nurse & psychologist YOUR HIRED?” Sadly, truly very sadly, besides “missing the obvious in my case” it is those that they have harmed with “another psychological diagnosis” that these individuals can only take so much, and then kill themselves to escape the constant pain because no one really cared. I myself? I like simple pleasures, music, art, sewing costumes for my granddaughter, I wanted to learn the Disney Songs on my Cello, but sitting is a real problem. Reading I do a whole lot of, because I enjoy it. But, a SKILL IT TAKES TO LISTEN AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS. I found my issue, my gathered information, my case will be presented, and whatever I have called a life, I will do my best to enjoy it. I have “ZERO FAITH IN THE VA PERIOD.” So, when all is said and done. I shall let REAL PROFESSIONALS CALL BOB AND TELL HIM “GRAND STANDING AND YOUR LYING, BUT MY PATIENT CAUGHT THE PROBLEM BECAUSE SHE IS A PARA-PROFESSIONAL.” On my worst pain filled moments, “I hear, I see, I observe, then become very cunning because yes Bob, I am smarter, wiser, and realize your lips are moving, knowing, “HERE WE GO AGAIN, REGERATATION OF THE SAME OLD SHIT.”
    I won’t get to do what I wanted, enjoy a child we wanted to have happen so much, my daughter is blessed with one, no more or she could die. ( not joking nor funny) so search on Ben, however, I wish to have my name in the “history books” associated with this administration. That is next on my agenda.

  4. This is like a victim of Mafia violence going to the mob and saying, “Don Corleone, someone in your family broke both my legs, and you need to investigate that and give me justice!”

    1. The VA is absolutely a Mafia and no doubt funneling billions to Organized Crime in the way of building contracts, flowers etc.

      It is also a Union – most VA employees are AFGE which is AFL-CIO. Why is The Union silent on the misery and suffering their members cause veterans?

  5. they may say it was not the wait time directly, but if they know you are ill and did nothing about it, sounds like a crime to me. The wait time means those that were sick Did suffer all the pain of what ever disease caused the death and inaction by the v.a. should be grounds for a formal investigation and it should be determined that it may not be directly the cause of death, but it sure sounds like the wait time contributed to their pain and suffering and death. The poor guy or lady had to have had a thought, how in the world could one human beign do this to another person and not think twice about the deadly outcome. Your stories way heavely on my heart and makes my stomach turn. The v.a. may not appoligize to those effected, but please be assured that we fellow veterans do care and it is up to all of us, to contact your congressman in writing, so they can not say well nobody told me. You must keep a log or notes of who you speak with, date, time or who when and where and how. I know you fill alone, but you are not alone and hope someone in authority will hear our pleas for justice. I know that there are many v.a. employees, who really do care about us. But it seems if you speak out you will be fired or retalated against, maybe not to day but down the road wait for you to do any little thing wrong or something they do not like and jump at the chance to discredit you. Have others do it for them, the good old buddy system and in rural areas, where everyone knows everyone and were best friends hire them and use others to due their retalation, and do so with no evidence. The v.a. is going to hire thousands of new employees, Veterans should be the first hired, the v.a. likes to tell veterans your are not qualified. If thats true, then train them they are able to learn. I started out as a gs-2 file clerk and worked my way up to gs-7 in five years. I was able to get the v.a. to open a new position as rover. A rover is an employee that trains in every job at the administrative level and when an employee is ill, that rover can cover that job and the veteran can still get the care that person provided. Veterans caring for veterans should be the new model.

  6. It is a sad thing to think that our Government is helping each other cover up something that has caused an outright death to anyone and to think that they are doing it to a veteran, someone who has committed him/herself to fight for our as well as their freedom and know that they may give the ultimate sacrifice for our country and die in battle should be enough that they should get the best care, treatment, and other benefits then most of us other vets that did not see battle. Having said that, the rest of us also put our name on a dotted line saying we would die for our country if it came to that. We were saying we would die in a battle and would do so knowing that we were keeping America a free country. To have this type of things go on make me sick to think that our government is to a point that we are just pawns in their game of chess. We mean so little to them that they do not have an ounce of dignity to stand-up and say “this is not right and we need to change and change now, this minute, not tomorrow, NOW” and have the b#$@s to actually do it. I am almost ashamed to be a vet because I said I would give my life if it was needed to save this country and now I (as well as so many other fellow vets)are treated this way. It makes me so mad that our government cares more about being able to figure out a way to distance themselves from such a terrible tragedy and not care one bit. My sincere apologies to the ones who lost their love ones from our corrupt government. And to the young vets just returning or have returned recently. If you think that this government and the VA is your friend and will help you, you are mistaken. They may help you for this or that but they will let you die if they don’t want to help you. I am proof of that. My Dr’s do not care that I continue to lose blood and their answer to figuring out why. “We will give you more IV’s to bring up your levels to where they should be” and after that NOTHING. For two years I have been doing this and I am getting ready to do it again next week. One day I will not make it to get my “refill” of blood and iron and I will die. I have been told many times that I waited too long to get my “refills” and if I had waited another day I would have most likely passed out and died. Yet they do not think I am bad enough to send to a different department (like hematology), or somewhere to see where my blood is going to. I am not passing it out, that has been confirmed. Maybe it is the dozen ulcers or the mass that is by my kidney, or maybe it is the reason my back hurts to the point I can barely move. I don’t know but I know that I can’t get a job because I can’t do much, I can’t get any private Dr. until a couple of months now so I am sure I will soon die and I should not. A simple test or MRI or something would tell them. I have looked at my blood tests and from what I can see I am at stage three on having kidney failure but the Dr. just told me that it is a little high so watch what I eat and it will be OK. LIARS!

  7. Although my dad wasn’t at the Phoenix VA (he was at the Cincinnati VA) his delay in treatment cause his death to come sooner. If they would have treated him he would still be here.

    1. I certainly understand how you feel.

      By VA’s failure to ‘timely diagnose and treat ‘my deceased husband, they directly caused his death.

      The IG is parsing words,as to the FTCA regulations, and the regulations are quite clear.

      I think VA fears many FTCA cases from the survivors, on the ‘timely diagosis and treatment’ definitions,under both VA and state case laws.

      SF 95s MUST be filled out properly.

      In my FTCA charges on the SF 95 form, I stated this failure to timely diagnose and treat, was not comparable with the ‘usual and
      standard medical community’, and thus the VA caused my husband’s untimely death.

      (Meaning real doctors in real non VA medical hospitals would have taken far different steps to properly diagnose and treat him and extend his life.) Of course I had to prove all that and I did.

      I have advice at http://www.hadit.com on FTCA / 1151 charges against VA. And our Blog Radio show guest,yesterday, notable veteran’s lawyer Bob Walsh, and I are going to do a radio show in the near future on these aspects of VA case law that all veterans and their family members should be aware of.

      “Voodoo methodology”….well put Ben. ALL VA claimants know about voodoo methology..it is often the way C & P doctors deny our claims.I have less diplomatic terms for their agenda though.

      I am FOIAing IG today to see what I can get on where this ‘ medical rationale’ the IG referred to .. really came from. I experienced plenty of this type of nonsensical spin after I FTCAed them. Believe me the VA will often stoop as low as they can go on malpractice charges.

      Did the delays contribute to deaths?….That is a question for non VA ,completely independent medical entities to determine and that would be a case by case determination, from doctors with expertise in the field of the veteran’s disabilities in their lifetimes, by going over all of their VA and non VA medical records.

      I only hope that autopsies were done too..

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