Lansing Personal Injury Lawyer - Veterans

Veterans Receive False Lou Gehrig's Disease Diagnoses

David Mittleman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:08:25 GMT

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently made a huge mistake when they sent letters to veterans, informing them that they had Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Department promises that they will send personal apology letters to all veterans, with an additional explanation as to why this error occurred.

VA employees were still unsure of exactly how many veterans received the false letter. So far, they estimate that 1,800 letters were sent, but have been notified by only 10 veterans that reported receiving the notice. Nevertheless, a Gulf War veterans group said that it had received notices from at least 1,200 veterans that received the letter.

Two veterans, former Air Force reservist Gale Reid and former Army Sergeant, Samuel Hargrove, said they were suspicious of the letters. Nevertheless, both individuals sought second opinions and incurred large medical expenses. Reid reported spending $3,000 in seeking a second opinion and hopes that the VA will cover the expenses.

The VA recently stated that the mistake was caused by a coding error in which veterans with undiagnosed neurological disorders were accidentally assigned the code for ALS. The VA uses 8,000 codes for diseases and illnesses. Sadly, the VA agency spokesperson, Katie Roberts, says she is unsure whether the VA will cover the extraneous medical expenses reported by Reid and Hargrove and that “she had to check on any reimbursements.”

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Regulators Discover "Rogue Cancer Unit" at Philadelphia V.A. Hospital

David Mittleman — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:45:02 GMT

Brachytherapy is a new technique to treat Prostate Cancer that has been utilized since 2002 at the Philadelphia Veterans’ Hospital. In the procedure, small metal seeds are permanently injected into the prostate with needles. The seeds are so small that they are approximately the size of a grain of rice. Nevertheless, no matter how small these seeds may be, many veterans have experienced tremendous pain as a result of botched brachytherapy procedures performed at the Philadelphia V.A. Hospital. In fact, 92 out of 116 veterans that were treated over the past six years received incorrect dosages—significantly less than what was needed, while others received excessive amounts of the radiation treatment to nearby tissue and organs.

There might not have been so many botched procedures if the hospital had had some kind of peer review system, where colleagues inspect one another’s work; the hospital operated with nearly no such safeguards. The V.A.’s radiation safety program, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which regulates the use of nuclear materials, and the Joint Commission, a group that accredited the hospital, all failed to intervene either because their inspections were too limited or they did not probe deeper into problems they did identify. In fact, the chief operating doctor at the Philadelphia V.A. Hospital was allowed to sweep his mistakes under the rug more than once under the discretion of federal regulators, or failed to report his mistakes to them at all—mistakes that included implanting the seeds in the wrong organs and using broken equipment that is used to ensure a patient receives the proper radiation dosage.

Federal investigators are just now probing deeper into the issue, ironically because of a clerical error that mistakenly revealed the substandard implant procedures. In the spring of 2008, a radiation safety official accidently ordered lower strength seeds, which were ultimately implanted. After the error was discovered, the V.A.’s national radiation safety unit asked the hospital to investigate 10 to 20 more cases to see if the problem had occurred before. It had not, but they did discover the procedures where seeds were implanted in the wrong organ. The hospital suspended the brachytherapy program on June 11 of last year and the chief operating doctor, who had performed all but a handful of the botched procedures, was removed from the hospital. No veterans have reportedly died as a result of the procedure, but they have suffered needlessly because of the Philadelphia V.A. Hospital’s lack of oversight and concern for the proper care of our veterans.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Listening to Veterans Can Help Them Recover

David Mittleman — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:00:00 GMT

As millions of veterans return from overseas tour of duties, the VFW is asking everyone, from former vets to ordinary citizens, to do something simple: find a vet and offer to listen. The VFW is responding to an alarming rise in military suicides with a concerted effort to give veterans the opportunity to talk about traumatic experiences rather than hold on to them.

A common problem among many returning veterans is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, an expert noted that "whether people have full-blown PTSD or just some of the symptoms, most people do get better over a short period of time with the support of family and friends." This would include the VFW’s plan of lending an ear to a veteran and allowing him or her to speak freely to someone who will just listen.

A 2005 study found that nearly 20% of Iraqi veterans suffered from a psychological disorder. Marines and Army vets were four times more likely to report PTSD than Navy of Air Force vets due to their greater exposure to combat situations. Additionally, women suffering from PTSD were found to have more pronounced and debilitating symptoms.

Given all the sacrifices that our veterans take to preserve our safety, the VFW call for help gives ordinary citizens concrete ways of being able to show their gratitude.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Unsanitary Colonoscopy Equipment Puts Veterans at Risk for Hepatitis and HIV

David Mittleman — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:00:15 GMT

Veterans that underwent colonoscopies between May 2004 and March 2009 may be at risk for hepatitis and HIV. This past Monday, a Miami Veterans Hospital sent 3,260 patients letters warning them about the risk. The possible exposure is due to the improper cleaning of equipment. Veterans who may be at risk should contact the Special Care Call Center at (305) 575-7256 or 1-877-575-7256.

This is not the first time Veterans have been exposed to dangerous infections. Last month 6,400 patients in Tennessee were informed that they may have been exposed to infectious diseases from colonoscopies between 2003 and 2008. An additional 1,100 veterans in Augusta, Georgia received a similar notification.

The Veterans Affairs Department stated that 10 people have tested positive for infectious liver diseases after being exposed to contaminated colonoscopy equipment. Four have tested positive for hepatitis B and six have tested positive for hepatitis C–a potentially life threatening form of the disease.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman