From: Jim Alvarez [[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 5:06 PM
Hello everyone,
I was interviewed by The
Press-Enterprise Report from my views of the VA Hospital and the
As I told the Reporter,
that Bush forgot that he just signed in the wave of closing the many military
facilities around the county, Walter Reed was already slated for closer and
then be torn down to make room for new buildings for the US Army Medical and be
shared with US Navy Bethesda Naval Hospital.
So now they will be
spending over 2.3 millions dollars to see what the problems are at Walter
Reed. The money stopped coming to the base once they put on the list and
then no more money can come to fix a facility and that we be torn down within
18 months. See your Government at work once again.
Also, as the VFW State
Field Service Officer at the VA Hospital Loma Linda we get the best treatment
than any other facility in the country, but when a Veteran files a claim and is
sent either to Los Angeles or San Diego for review, then the VA is screen by VA
Employee's who DO NOT have any medical certificates and these VA Employee's
decide just how the Veteran will either denied or approved and also is the
Veteran is approved will the Veteran get any compensation for How Long!
Please read the article,
Thank you,
GMG1 Jim Alvarez, USN,
Retired
VFW State Field Service Officer Loma Linda Hospital 2006-2007
VFW 23rd District Service Officer 2004-2007
VFW Post 12023 Hemet Service Officer 2005-2007
|
|
Fallout from
the scandal over the treatment of
Sen. Barbara
Boxer's staff is inspecting military and Veterans Affairs hospitals in
Last week,
President Bush appointed Bob Dole, the former senator from
"We expect
there will be people who will come out" to investigate, said administrator
Dean Stordahl, who has been at the hospital for 14
years. The hospital and its five regional clinics treat an estimated 57,000
patients a year, including 2,700 combat veterans.
The hospital
last received an unannounced inspection three years ago by the Joint
Commission, which evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care
organizations and programs nationally. The commission found the hospital
provides average care compared to national and state standards for care.
In 1996, a
national patient survey found the Pettis VA Medical Center scored the worst
compared with its sister hospitals in such areas as coordination of care,
courtesy to patients, emotional support, educating patients and responding to
patient preferences. Patients were surveyed on seven different aspects of
patient satisfaction.
Since then, the
hospital has improved scores, even as its patient population has doubled from
about 27,000 to 57,000, Stordahl said. About 21,500
patients require advanced care that is only available at the hospital, Stordahl said. Others can go to one of the hospital's five
regional clinics in
In 2003, the
hospital was awarded the VA's highest award for organizational excellence, Stordahl said. The VA award recognizes organizations that
have implemented exemplary management programs.
Pettis hospital
plans to construct a $130 million, 110,000-square-foot building that would
include counseling and outpatient services as more older
veterans require treatment. The hospital is projected to serve as many as
70,000 people, including hundreds and possibly thousands from the
Most
battle-wounded veterans receive care in one of the major hospitals such as
Pettis
spokeswoman Annie Tuttle said Veterans Affairs has approved the hospital's
expansion in concept, but has not yet authorized money for design or
construction, a process that usually takes several years.
Construction
could begin in 2010.
Navy veteran
Leon Flint said the care he has received has been exceptional. The 40-year-old
"I haven't
had any problems getting treatment or my disability" benefits, said
Some Inland
veterans said they had trouble getting disability benefits. Government reports
have highlighted the agency's backlog of claims and called for improvements to
meet increasing demands.
The influx of
veterans from the current war has nearly overwhelmed an agency already
struggling to meet the health care, disability payment and pension needs of more
than 3 million veterans
"The
system is designed in some ways to get you frustrated, walk away from your
benefits or blow your brains out," said Raines, 60, a Navy veteran from
Raines, who
suffers from back problems, was declared 100 percent disabled in 2000. He said
some veterans shy away from asking for help, believing it amounts to charity.
That's a mistake, he said.
"It's not
welfare, it's not a handout," Raines said. "It's payment for their
service to this country."
Alvarez agrees
The
"The VA
will do everything in its power to turn you down," said Alvarez, 58.
His advice:
"Do not give up. That is not an option."
Bill Densmore, director of The Riverside County Department of
Veterans Services, said the Veterans Affairs already was taking 12 to 18 months
to process 300,000 to 400,000 disability claims before soldiers began returning
from
"Even if
you change the focus to
Disability-claim
appeals also bog down the system, he said. "All these types of things make
the system slow," Densmore said.
He said it
could take the VA at least four to six months to review the most basic and
complete disability application. But the process usually isn't that simple, Densmore said.
A change of the
process could be as large as health care or tax reform, he said. "It's not
going to be popular or an easy project to be done," Densmore
said.
Veterans
Affairs is trying to ease the backlog of disability claims by rehiring more
claims workers, authorizing more overtime and adding claims development centers.
The problems
stem partly from the department's inability to prepare for predictable surges
in demand from certain states or certain categories of service members,
according to advocates and former department officials.
Veterans'
advocates told The New York Times last week that the types of bureaucratic
obstacles recently disclosed at
Several high-ranking
military officials, including the secretary of the Army and Walter Reed's
administrator, resigned or were dismissed over the allegations of substandard
care and living conditions, including rodent infestation, mold, leaking pipes
and mildewed carpeting. On Monday, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, the Army's surgeon
general, was fired from his position after weeks of intense criticism stemming
from revelations about poor conditions at Walter Reed.
The hospital,
which opened in 1909, was among the military installations targeted for closing
in the 2005 round of the base realignment and closure process. New hospitals in
Nuevo resident
John Wolfe, commander of the California Veterans of Foreign Wars, visited
Walter Reed this month after the scandal broke and said most of the substandard
conditions exist only in one building. Injured soldiers on other wards told him
they believe they are receiving good treatment.
"I
expected to see pretty bad conditions," said Wolfe, a Navy veteran from
Last week,
"We need
to feel sorry for the guys who are coming back from the war," Oddie said. "They need more help than I do."
Veterans hospital
The Jerry L.
Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center in Loma Linda exceeded the national average
in satisfaction in a recent patient care survey. Categories included specialist
care, pharmacy service, emotional support, courtesy and education.
BEDS: 394
PATIENTS
SERVED: 57,000
COMBAT
VETERANS
RECEIVING
CARE: 2,700
PATIENTS
PER DAY: 1,000
HOSPITAL
STAFF: 2,000
OUTPATIENT
CLINICS:
SOURCE:
VETERANS AFFAIRS