VA Hospitals Investigation

(9:00PM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)

Disability Rights Advocates has been conducting an investigation into VA hospital access.

While their investigation is being targeted on the Veterans Care issue with the below recent report we can see that the Military Care issue, i.e. Walter Reed and More, is still having the same problems that finally came forward through great investigative reporting and shouldn’t have existed nor still exist as to care for the returning active duty Military Personal especially from these theaters of occupations.

Mold infests Okla. barracks for wounded

LAWTON, Okla. – Mold infests the barracks that were set up here a year ago for wounded soldiers after poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center triggered a system wide overhaul, soldiers say.

Military and Veterans Care were a major issue for us returning Vietnam Veterans, a Major Issue!

While things improved, through the fights for change that the veterans brought to the Veterans Administration they’ve never changed enough for those who sacrifice their years and lives for service to the country. And far to often those changes have slipped back into the problems that existed before and the need to fight for the improvements is once again waged, over and over and over…………….., as we Veterans are finding we are Re-Fighting the battles once again for another generation of Military Personal and Military Veteran, with the help of caring civilians, caring civilians who’s numbers are way to small in a society that owes much more to those who serve it for it’s National Security.

When this country supposedly switched to a Professional Military many thought every facet would be Professional, especially as to care, we’re once again finding a failed system, a failed system lacking the funding and administration that still stays a political tool of party politics and apathy of the civilian population.

In these present times All of this should have been set into place, starting to upgrade the Military and Veterans hospitals and clinics, well before Any Invasion of anothers country, and we have two long running occupations, was started, by the Previous Congresses who were beating the Drums Of War, and the Civilian Population should have Sacrificed and Supported these upgrades as they were Supporting the coming Invasions and occupations.

The problems Finally coming to light in the present Congress, that are Finally conducting the Investigations and Over site, we hire our representatives to do, are once again being shown as they were before, Failed Civilian and Military Leadership playing the same Political Games with those who serve this country and the country not willing to support the military personal and demand these problems are correctly fixed. They are coming about due to the Privatizing of the ‘Preventive Maintenance’, once taken care of with the ranks of the military, but now farmed out to private firms for profit, many publicly owned. They are happening because of the Political Appointed leadership and hiring of political personal in the administrations under them, not being hired due to knowledge of how to administer the government programs but on political ideology.

If still active duty and under the military physical and mental care, especially from either theater of occupation, and find problems with or difficulties in yours and others care, and your chain of command doesn’t seem to be taking care of these problems,  you should also contact DRA to help in their investigation, the above report shows the need!

This Country Owes It’s Military and Veterans of!

Now to the battle, Again, and the DRA information:

As background, DRA is one of the two law firms that challenged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) practices in failing to adequately treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and we also have a longstanding interest hospital access for individuals with disabilities.  We have brought and successfully settled several lawsuits addressing hospital access, including an action against Kaiser and one against Sutter Health, which runs a large hospital chain in Northern California.  We are also working on hospital access issues in other parts of the country.  Now, Disability Rights Advocates is conducting an investigation of whether or not VA hospitals and clinics are accessible to patients with physical disabilities, specifically those who use a wheelchair or have other mobility limitations, and those who are blind or deaf.  We would like to hear from disabled veterans who use VA hospitals and clinics about their experiences at these facilities.
 

We have come up with a list of the features that are part of this investigation.  This list will provide veterans with more information about us and what we are looking for.  We are asking for your help by posting this flier on your website and distributing it to your membership.

Please post and email as you see fit, and feel free to encourage others to forward the notice as they think appropriate.

I’m happy to discuss the investigation in greater detail with you or anyone else, both to clarify any questions and to discuss potential additional involvement.  You can reach either me or Melissa at the number below.  We really appreciate your help.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with our outreach.

Best,

Stephanie A. Biedermann

Arthur Liman Fellowship Attorney

Disability Rights Advocates

2001 Center Street, Third Floor

Berkeley, California 94704-1204

510.665.8644

510.665.8716 (TTY)

510.665.8511 (Fax)

Stephanie A. Biedermann

The following is the most recent file that I recieved from DRA and Stephanie and Melissa.

ATTENTION VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES

What:  Disability Rights Advocates is conducting an investigation into the accessibility of VA hospitals and clinics around the country.  

Who: If you have a mobility disability, a vision disability, a hearing disability, and/or a Traumatic Brain Injury, we would like to hear about your experiences.

Why: You are entitled to full access to VA hospitals and clinics and reasonable accommodations, whether or not your disability is service connected.  We want to make sure that you are able to access VA medical facilities and services.

Architectural Barriers: Can you access VA hospitals and clinics?  This includes all physical access to buildings, including entrances, parking lots, elevators, restrooms, waiting rooms, exam or treatment rooms, laboratories and pharmacies.

Access to Medical Equipment: Can you independently access medical equipment?  This includes exam tables, exam chairs, scales, diagnostic testing equipment (such as x-ray machines, MRI machines, CT scans or Pet Scans), rehabilitation equipment, and other diagnostic treatment devices.

Experiences with the Staff: Have the people staffing VA hospitals and clinics been able to respond to your needs as a person with a disability? This includes information about whether the staff was knowledgeable and helpful in responding to any obstacles you may have faced due to your disability, whether architectural, communication related, or otherwise.

To set up at time to talk about your experiences at VA hospitals and/or clinics, please email VA Access, or call toll-free at 800/332-6177 (or TTY at 510/665-8716).  None of the information you provide us will be disclosed without your permission.

DRA is one of the two law firms that is challenging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) practices in failing to adequately treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and we also have a longstanding interest in ensuring disabled individuals’ equal access to medical care.  For more information about DRA, please visit DRA Legal.

I have uploaded the files I’ve received from DRA to an online file sharing site, you will find the links to each below. You can download these files to your computers and use them yourself or to pass along to others who might aid in DRA’s research and investigation.

This link will give you the most recent file, posted above in the quote box.

This link gives you a PDFile previously received and passed along

This link gives you a RTFile also previously received and passed along

Please use the files above to help in the DRA research and investigation, not only meant for Veterans and Military personal, and their families, but also in seeking the help of the civilian population who may observe problems that Disabled Veterans and Military personal might be experiencing in their care that the country owes them.

Improving Military and Veterans care, as it should have always been, will help in the Improvements needed in the countries population as a whole and care of!