OCTOBER 15, 2009

Shinseki: VA Is Committed To Improving.

 In continuing coverage, the AP (10/15, Hefling), after first noting that the Veterans Affairs Department "has proposed reducing the paperwork required for veterans to show their experience caused combat-related stress," says VA Secretary Eric Shinseki "told lawmakers on Wednesday he's committed to improving trust in the claims process between veterans and the VA, and to helping veterans receive benefits they are entitled to. 'We will change the culture,' Shinseki said. 'I will assure you of that.'" CNN's Newsroom (10/14, 1:30 p.m. ET), which aired a brief report noting Shinseki's appearance on Capitol Hill, broadcast, "Better care for America's fighting men and women" was the "big talking point" for Shinseki. CNN added that the VA "is looking at ways to cut red tape and make it easier for vets to get disability money."
      On its website, however, CNN (10/14, Levine) reported, "The Department of Veterans Affairs is still struggling with an enormous backlog in claims for medical and educational benefits that are piling up despite efforts to diminish the paperwork, the secretary of the department admitted Wednesday" while testifying before the House Veterans Affairs Committee. CNN went on to say that problems "facing veterans are even more acute for female service members, who have more difficulty accessing veterans programs, according to the advocacy group" Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, which just "released a study...highlighting" women veterans' concerns. But the VA "got some good news...on its budget," because on Wednesday, the "House and Senate finalized a bill to provide the department with funding for medical programs one year in advance."
Impact: Shinseki, House Veterans Affairs Committee

Advance VA Funding Bill Clears Congress.  The Air Force Times (10/15, Maze) reports, "Historic legislation aimed at preventing Congress' inability to get its work done on time from hurting veterans' medical care is on its way to the White House for President Barack Obama's expected signature after clearing Congress on Tuesday night." The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 "provides funding one year in advance for veterans medical programs so there will be no lapse if Congress fails to approve the traditional budget by the start of the fiscal year. Advance funding for medical services, facilities and research programs takes effect with the fiscal 2011 budget."
      The bill was also discussed by US Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who said on CNN's Newsroom (10/15, 2:17 p.m. ET) that it will allow the VA to know "well ahead of time what their resources are. And then we need an honest system where" the VA secretary "comes back and says, 'This isn't enough,' or 'This will get us there,' or 'We need more,' and why." Murray later discussed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), saying that "for a very long time," the VA "downplayed the issue." But in a "major change, this Administration is now saying that they will recognize PTSD, not just when a soldier has been around a violent incident, but if there is a threat of a violent incident." According to Murray, a "new rule change" that has been proposed by the VA "will recognize" such threats "as a trigger to PTSD, so we're starting to change attitudes about a very critical issue." Murray did also tell CNN, however, that the VA has some improving to do when it comes to accommodating women veterans.
 Impact: VA advance funding bill

Program Hopes Return To Iraq Will Benefit Wounded US Soldiers.

  In a front page story, the New York Times (10/15, A1, Nordland) reports, "Americans wounded in the Iraq war are being ferried back to the scenes where they were maimed to help achieve psychological closure, the first time such visits have been tried while a war is still in progress. The seven-day program, called Operation Proper Exit," arranged its first visit last June, but it "was kept secret because no one knew for sure how the soldiers would handle their return. 'The amount of developmental growth and closure was phenomenal,' said Col. David Sutherland, the former brigade commander in Diyala, who came along on that first trip and said it turned out better than had been hoped." The operation, which this week returned "eight wounded men...to Iraq," has "been approved by the Army surgeon general, according to Dr. John Olsen, an Army surgeon who referred to it as 'an important psychological step.'"
Impact: Wounded Veterans return to Iraq

Companies Discuss Modeling National Health Record Network On Updated VA System.

  NextGov (10/15, Brewin) reports the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) a "blue-chip group" of information technology (IT) companies, "met on Wednesday to consider the work required to modernize a decades-old" Federal "electronic health record system that stores the medical files for millions of veterans and their families, with the underlying implication the system could become a platform for the national health record network President Obama envisions." The council, a "550-member group of technology companies that works to foster dialogue" with Federal "agencies about IT solutions and procurement, invited executives from about 40 high-tech corporations to form the VistA working group. VistA stands for the Veterans Health Information System and Technology Architecture, an electronic health record system that the Veterans Affairs Department has operated for two decades." The IAC "met behind closed doors on Wednesday in Tysons Corner, Va.," to "discuss the possibility of upgrading the system, which might include using open source code, a move that would make a relatively cheap electronic health records alternative to clinicians nationwide." Roger Baker, the VA's chief information officer, "who requested that the IAC form the working group, said in an interview with NextGov that VistA is 'the best in the world' and he has asked the IT industry to look into leveraging the system 'for the betterment of the country.'"
Impact: National electronic medical record