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 | May 16, 2014 |
VFW Testifies at Senate Hearing
VFW National Veterans Service Deputy Director Ryan Gallucci testified before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Thursday to express the VFW's outrage and frustration over the lack of information coming out of the VA nearly a month since allegations of veterans' deaths and a secret scheduling book surfaced from the Phoenix VA Medical Center. "We do not know who the veterans are who may have died waiting for care," he said. "We do not know if other hospitals are cooking their appointment scheduling books just to keep up appearances, or if veterans waiting for care are paying for it elsewhere out of their own pockets. Regardless of what comes out of ongoing investigations in Phoenix, Wyoming, Atlanta, Chicago, Spokane and elsewhere, the VFW knows that veterans have died waiting for care, which is inexcusable," he said. "And true or not, the allegations are causing veterans and their families to rapidly lose faith and confidence in a system that is supposed to care for them, which is unacceptable." Read Gallucci's full testimony.
VA Secretary Testifies at Senate HearingVA Secretary Eric Shinseki declared he was "mad as hell" regarding allegations that possibly 40 veterans may have died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA Medical Center, as well as other incidents at other locations. "If these allegations are true, they are completely unacceptable to me, to veterans," Shinseki told the Senate VA Committee on Thursday, and "if any allegations are substantiated by the inspector general, we will act." Also testifying was Acting VA Inspector General Richard Griffin, who has a team of 185 in Phoenix investigating the case, which originated from whistleblower complaints. Because of the complexity of the investigation, the IG said it could be August before a final report is issued. Meanwhile, regarding the alleged 40 deaths and a second waiting list, Griffin said a preliminary review of 17 patient deaths associated with the Phoenix VAMC had not shown they were caused by delays in receiving treatment. "It's one thing to be on a waiting list," he said, "and it's another thing to conclude that as a result of being on the waiting list, that's the cause of death." View the hearing in its entirety.
VFW Urges President's InvolvementGetting to the bottom of VA's problems and restoring confidence prompted VFW National Commander Bill Thien to write President Obama last week to urge his personal involvement to fix the problems that are plaguing the VA, and consequently undermining the public's trust in VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and his organization. On Wednesday, the president dispatched one of his closest advisors, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Nabors, to work with Shinseki to get to the bottom of what allegedly happened in Phoenix and elsewhere. "The president heard our voice and took the appropriate action to add additional oversight to what has evolved into a crisis in confidence," said Thien. Read his letter to the president.
Medal of Honor AwardedOn Tuesday, the president presented the Medal of Honor to former Army Sgt. Kyle Jerome White for his actions during a Nov. 9, 2007 ambush outside the village of Aranas in Afghanistan's Nuristan province, in which five soldiers and one Marine would perish. He is the 14th recipient from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the nation's highest medal, seven of which were presented posthumously. Read his story.
Retirement Commission to Visit Tampa
The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission will be holding a town hall meeting from 7-9 p.m. at the MacDill Air Force Base theater (Building 41), at 2420 Florida Keys Ave. All service personnel, veterans, military retirees and their families are encouraged to attend because the Commission is charged with examining how the troops are compensated while in uniform, in retirement, and as veterans, and their reach includes those programs operated by the VA and Department of Labor. Among the compensation and Quality of Life programs under review are the 20-year retirement system; military pay and the tax-exempt status of allowances; concurrent receipt of retiree and disability pay; the GI Bills; military healthcare costs and eligibility; military exchanges, commissaries and schools; and transition and employment assistance programs, among many others. The VFW has met several times with the Commission and testified before them last November. More information is available on their website.
Open Burn Pit RegistriesThe Office of Public Health is providing access to the new Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry at three pilot sites in New Jersey, Indianapolis and Detroit. The burn pit registry, strongly supported by the VFW, was established through the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012. The sites will be reaching out to eligible veterans and are not able to accept "walk-ins" at this time. Some veterans who participate in the limited field test will be asked to provide feedback. All participants are offered optional in-person exposure evaluations. Pilot testing began April 25 and is expected to continue for several weeks to ensure the registry is ready for a planned national rollout. The VFW will continue monitoring and updating our readers on this important program. Learn more.
Tricare Pharmacy UpdateIn February, the VFW informed our readers of the one-year pilot program requiring TFL beneficiaries to switch to home delivery for name brand maintenance medication refills. During the transition period, the program allowed for two courtesy retail pharmacy fills before being charged full price. Now that we are two months into the program, those who have not converted to home delivery yet may be subject to having to pay full price with their next attempted retail fill. If you are a TFL beneficiary and have not done so already, it is strongly recommended that you switch to home delivery to avoid unnecessary charges. For more information or to make the switch, click here or call 1-877-363-1303.
Three MIAs IdentifiedThe Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of remains belonging to two soldiers and one Marine killed during the Korean War. Returned are:
- Army Sgt. Richard John Archambeault, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, was lost on Nov. 2, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on April 29 and will be buried with full military honors on a date yet to be determined.
- Army Cpl. Lucio R. Aguilar, Company M, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, was lost on Nov. 28, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on May 6 and will be buried with full military honors in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- Marine Corps Cpl. Harold W. Reed, Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was lost on Nov. 29, 1950. He was accounted for on April 22 and will be buried with full military honors on May 24 in Toledo, Ohio.
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