Thread: [Watch] VA Scandal Spreading – Secret Waiting Lists Also Used At Florida Hospital

Published on May 22, 2014
In today's video, Christopher Greene of AMTV explains the Obama VA scandal.
http://www.amtvmedia.com/re-direct-va...

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Website: http://www.amtvmedia.com/









The House passed a bill 390-33 to make the VA more accountable.
That is strong bipartisan support.
The Democrat-led Senate, under the thumb of Harry Reid killed that bill.

Accountability? The Democrats are against it.
h/t +Ken Gardner
#democratshurtingveterans #democratshurtingpeople #partyofno 

SCREWED: Coulter, ‘We’re All Going to Be Getting the Same Health Care the Vets Are Getting’

By Clash Daily / 28 May 2014

Conservative writer Ann Coulter joined Sean Hannity to discuss ObamaCare as well as the Veterans’ Affairs scandal.
Read more: Fox Nation


video at link below

Read more at http://clashdaily.com/2014/05/screwe...cvv3FQLBWPm.99

Watchdog Group Subpoenaed for VA Whistleblower Info


Group will resist subpoena from VA inspector general



The Phoenix VA Health Care Center / AP

BY: CJ Ciaramella
June 9, 2014 3:10 pm
The Veterans Affairs Inspector General has subpoenaed a watchdog organization for information it received from whistleblowers about fraud and mismanagement at VA facilities.
The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) announced Monday that it will resist a subpoena from the VA Inspector General, an independent federal agency tasked with oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The VA IG has been investigating hidden wait times and patient deaths at VA facilities across the country.
POGO, along with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, launched a website on May 15 where whistleblowers within the VA could confidentially report problems. According to POGO, roughly 700 people have submitted tips using the site.
Numerous VA whistleblowers alleged they experienced retaliation from superiors after trying to report mismanagement through official channels.
On May 30, the VA IG subpoenaed POGO for its records from the website.
POGO executive director Danielle Brian said in a statement that the IG’s demand “stands opposed to POGO’s mission and to good government reform—both of which serve the public interest.”
POGO’s reply to the IG Monday said the subpoena violates its constitutional “freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of association rights as they relate to all whistleblowers and sources.”
“The people coming to POGO have a shared interest in our investigative reporting and efforts to expose and remedy the failures at the VA,” the reply states. “That shared interest includes allowing those sources to make disclosures to POGO without fear of being identified and possibly retaliated against. The overall intent is to ensure that the investigation remains focused on the VA’s failures and that the focus does not become an agency-wide witch hunt to punish the individuals who stepped forward.”
A VA Inspector General spokeswoman said the office “will review POGO’s response and deal directly with them when we make a determination.”
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http://freebeacon.com/issues/watchdo...leblower-info/

VA Dr. Whistleblower: Returning Wounded Vets Forced To Wait More Than 10 Months Before Treatment! http://ow.ly/2H2LxU



Greg Hengler - VA Dr. Whistleblower: Returning Wounded Vets Forced To Wait More Than 10 Months Before Treatment!

Townhall




VA Dr. Whistleblower: Returning Wounded Vets Forced To Wait More Than 10 Months Before Treatment!

Greg Hengler | May 22, 2014

Amazing testimony uncovered from CNN's Sr. Investigative Correspondent (and the one responsible for exposing the VA scandal) spoke with Dr. Katherine Mitchell, Director at Phoenix VA's Post-Deployment Clinic.



http://townhall.com/tipsheet/greghen...tment-n1842177

60 Dead Veterans left to rot in LA County Morgue for 18 months while Obama Gets Photo Op in Afghanistan - Freedom Outpost







60 Dead Veterans left to rot in LA County Morgue for 18 months while Obama Gets Photo Op in Afghanistan

Richard Anthony 1 hour ago

Nothing our president does comes as a surprise anymore, but when he uses our troops, still stationed in Afghanistan, for nothing more than a photo-op to deflect from his abysmal neglect of veterans here at home, it's beyond shameful! I wonder, did he really think that we'd swallow that little bit of theater? Does he really think the American people are that stupid? Answer - Well of course he does!

There is more shocking news regarding the VA scandal coming out every single day now. But boy, howdy....didn't he look great putting that wreath on the tomb of the Unknowns on Memorial Day? If I was one of those "low information voters," I would almost swear that he really does care about our nation's finest. Thank God I'm not that stupid! For the president to tell America he knew nothing about the problems within the VA is also insulting.

More disturbing news has surfaced about the neglect by the VA. This time it comes from Los Angeles County, where the dead bodies of at least 60 veterans have been left in the LA county morgue for almost a year and a half without being processed and given a burial with honors that they deserve.

This past Thursday, the LA County Coroner's Office was asked why the bodies had not yet received a proper burial after a source indicated there may have been as many as 60 veterans at the morgue for the past year and a half. The morgue says the bodies were unclaimed and they don't know how long the veterans were there.

The law states veterans are supposed to receive a proper burial.

The Veterans Administration says they were never notified the bodies were processed and ready to be buried. The LA County Morgue and the Veteran's Administration were blaming each other for the mistake. I would have given almost anything to have listened to that conversation.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId= 10197783

The Obama administration's neglect of my fellow veterans is beyond insulting. But what the heck folks, what's one more scandal to these people? How many more times will our president act "outraged" and promise to get to the bottom of things and not do a darn thing? The White House and the DOJ have done everything they can to impede any investigations ranging from Operation Fast And Furious up to and including this latest scandal involving the Veterans Administration.
I'll tell you what I'm grateful for; I thank God that I have a family that cares about me. I'm also grateful that my wife and I have already paid for our cemetery plot. I shudder to think what would happen to my remains if I didn't have a family, or if I had to depend on the VA to provide me with a timely burial. Would my body be left to rot in a county morgue like those men?

If this story doesn't make you mad as hell, then nothing will.

I wonder, what those dead veterans in the L.A. county morgue would say to our president if they could speak?

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Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/05/ob...Yy4p2IVKcop.99

If Possible - The VA Scandal Just Got Worse


By Onan Coca / 17 June 2014



I’m not sure it’s possible that a scandal where the government allows our heroes to die without ever receiving care, then covers up those deaths as if they never happened… can get any worse. But if it can, it just did.
The New York Times is reporting that corruption, backlog and heartlessness at the VA go back much longer than the government first let on.
Staff members at dozens of Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country have objected for years to falsified patient appointment schedules and other improper practices, only to be rebuffed, disciplined or even fired after speaking up, according to interviews with current and former staff members and internal documents.
The growing V.A. scandal over long patient wait times and fake scheduling books is emboldening hundreds of employees to go to federal watchdogs, unions, lawmakers and outside whistle-blower groups to report continuing problems, officials for those various groups said.
In interviews with The New York Times, a half-dozen current and former staff members — four doctors, a nurse and an office manager in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Alaska — said they faced retaliation for reporting systemic problems. Their accounts, some corroborated by internal documents, portray a culture of silence and intimidation within the department and echo experiences detailed by other V.A. personnel in court filings, government investigations and congressional testimony, much of it largely unnoticed until now.
The department has a history of retaliating against whistle-blowers, which Sloan D. Gibson, the acting V.A. secretary, acknowledged this month at a news conference in San Antonio. “I understand that we’ve got a cultural issue there, and we’re going to deal with that cultural issue,” said Mr. Gibson, who replaced Eric K. Shinseki after Mr. Shinseki resigned over the scandal last month. Punishing whistle-blowers is “absolutely unacceptable,” Mr. Gibson said.
The federal Office of Special Counsel, which investigates whistle-blower complaints, is examining 37 claims of retaliation by V.A. employees in 19 states, and recently persuaded the V.A. to drop the disciplining of three staff members who had spoken out.
The Times article also says that thus far, the pogrom against whistleblowers goes back at least 7 years!
This is simply more proof of how the government works. Whether it’s the IRS, the NSA, the Justice Department, the EPA, the BLM, or the VA, government agencies are heavy-handed and often without oversight. The government is just too BIG. There is no way to monitor all of the horrible mismanagement and malfeasance that happens among these agencies – which is a prime example of why socialism/communism is always full of corruption and waste. It is inefficient, and when dealing with people, simple and unmeant inefficiency very quickly becomes destructive evil.
So, the VA has known about these problems for years and done nothing to solve them. In fact, instead of dealing with the issues, they’ve instead persecuted the people trying to fix things, and just swept the mess under the rug.
Sounds just like our government.
The folks at Reason have put together a brilliant music video that succinctly explains the entire VA scandal and throws in a little Bowe Bergdahl just for fun.




When we heard the wait times on our list
were so long that patients died
We said "This is government-run healthcare"
"So we're gonna do what's right"
We're gonna grab a piece of paper
and we'll make a second list
We'll just say that wait times aren't that long
and that no deadlines were missed
and when people die we'll cross them off
and pretend they don't exist
cuz there ain't no doubt we can't be fired
God bless the government
Our government sucks. Let’s get to work on getting a new one.

Read more at http://eaglerising.com/6812/possible...cMBSZp7WkFl.99

Vietnam Vet George Barraza Dies While Waiting for Cancer Treatment from Houston VA

Dean Garrison 4 hours ago


Vietnam Vet George Barraza Dies While Waiting for Cancer Treatment from Houston VA - Freedom Outpost
freedomoutpost.com

The allegations surrounding the VA in Phoenix are beyond serious. At least 40 veterans died because of extended wait times for medical treatment. Whether it is proven that these secret waiting lists are factual, or not, may not be the point.
Earlier this week, another whistleblower came forward and claims that a VA supervisor suggested that older veterans should be shot in the head to save money.

Whether any of these allegations are true, the fact remains that the proof of criminal wrongdoing is already there. Veterans, who pledged all for our freedom, are ending up dead because of an inept system of treatment. Whether it is intentional… whether it is conspiratorial… One cannot argue that the results have been tragic.
George Barraza is just the latest story of a veteran who died because the system, that was set up to treat him, proved woefully inadequate.
Click2Houston.com reports:

George Barraza love[d] two things in this life: playing the electric guitar with all his heart and this country.

During the Vietnam War, Barraza proudly served in the U.S. Army.

But on April 16, Barraza, a father of three girls, a chef and an American veteran, died waiting for an appointment at the VA Medical Center in Houston.

At the time of his death, Barraza was battling heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer…

…

Over the next several months, family members said Barraza began to decline physically and he did go to the VA for various tests and other help.

But in March family members said Barraza was suddenly rushed to Methodist Hospital again. This time he was vomiting blood and doctorstold him he had a tumor or growth on his liver.

Barraza's family said doctors at that hospital told Barraza he had to get to the VA right away, it was very serious and he needed treatment.


But the very next day, when they took him to the VA Hospital, they said again Barraza was not treated or admitted to the hospital. Instead he was given more prescription medicines and given an appointment more than a month away on May 5.

Barraza died April 16.

Some of the early rumblings are that this will be the biggest scandal of the Obama presidency thus far. We have heard that before but this time it might be true. The implications extend far beyond the treatment of our veterans.
Are we witnessing the future of American health care? Whether these "death panels" were planned, or just an unfortunate result of bad legislation, they do exist.
We have just seen evidence in the form of a series of decisions that cost many Patriotic American heroes their lives. That may not be an official "death panel" but the results are, unfortunately, the same.
WE HAVE VOLUNTARILY GIVEN OUR GOVERNMENT THE POWER TO DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES.
"Voluntarily" may be a poor word choice because we all remember how Obamacare was rammed down our throats. Veterans have already been there and done that. They have had a poor healthcare system rammed down their throats for years.
Yet, once again, none of our elected servants will do a damn thing about it. How many people will die because of long wait times in the future?
You do not need to dress this VA scandal up as any kind of conspiracy to see that it is criminal. Someone should answer for the premature deaths of these veterans.
Is this what we all have to look forward to with Obamacare?
Source
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Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/05/vi...Hijmt01QEwI.99

A friendly message from
the Department of Veterans Affairs
Fifty three years too late...





Let's see...

The military started testing radiation on soldiers and sailors in 1946.

In 1996 they announced a program to help them. My arithmetic has that at fifty-three (53) years later.

Thirty year olds who were exposed would be 83 by then. Twenty year olds, 73.

"Exposure to radiation might cause health problems."

Did it really take them 53 years to figure that out and offer these men help?


Do you think waiting weeks for
medical care is an outrage?

Here's a group of soldiers
who had to wait 53 YEARS
because the injuries they
were exposed to were
"classified."

Video:

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/26742.html

- Brasscheck TV

P.S. Please share Brasscheck TV with your
friends and colleagues.

VA Official Arrested For Allegedly Taking $40K In Illegal Gifts

• Colin Campbell
• 
  

• Jun. 16, 2014, 6:50 PM
  

AP Photo
Preet Bharara

An official at a New York Veterans Affairs facility was arrested Monday for allegedly taking tens of thousands of dollars in improper gifts from a telecommunications firm doing business with the center. The arrest was announced by the office of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. Prosecutors accuse Kenneth Czumak, an Information Technology Specialist with the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center, of receiving more than $40,000 worth of meals, golf outings, hotel rooms, car services, and other benefits from the unnamed firm.
"Throughout the relevant time period, a telecommunications firm had a subcontract for approximately $6 million to provide voice and data infrastructure and related services to the VAMC Northport," Bharara's office said in a release. "During this same time period, Czumak served as an Information Technology Specialist at the VAMC Northport, and was the primary point of contact for the Telecommunications Firm at the VAMC Northport."
Prosecutors said Czumak was specifically aware his actions were illegal.
"In an interview with law enforcement agents in March of this year, Czumak acknowledged that he was aware from training he had received from VAMC Northport that, as a government employee, he could not accept gifts worth more than $15 from an outside source," the U.S. Attorney's statement continued.
Czumak, who faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The arrest comes as the embattled VA fights to recover its image amid damning revelations it failed to deliver crucial services to veterans at multiple centers. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned due to the scandal at the end of May.
View the federal complaint against Czumak below.





Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/va-of...#ixzz34vxXpSuL

The Current VA Scandal: Why is the Wolf Allowed to Guard the Henhouse?

Lauren Price 6 hours ago

Two days ago, a Miami, FL VA Police Officer, Detective Thomas Fiore decided he had seen enough corruption, enough drug dealing and enough cover-ups. Detective Fiore put his job on the line to become yet another whistleblower on his bosses at the VA. He publicly 'outed' his bosses' utter disregard for the criminal activity going on at the Miami VA Medical Center. He did so, knowing full well that it may have been his last day at work. His story is below, courtesy of CBS Miami.


video at link below

As a result of another VA whistleblower, Dr. Sam Foote's exposure of the "secret lists" at the Phoenix VA Medical Center, Congress has forced investigations at 146 of the VA's 152 medical facilities. As of today, over 26 VA medical facilities are under investigation by the VA Office of Inspector General.

Multiple VA employees, who have been "caught," have been put on "paid leave" during these investigations. They still receive their paychecks, benefits and clock towards retirement. All the while, veterans are still waiting for appointments, still dying without care and still waiting on their claims to be adjudicated.

There lies the rub…the VA OIG provides their reports to Congress, but still answers to the VA Central Office. VA Police are Federal law enforcement, but are in fear of retaliation or worse because they too answer directly to the VA.

Veterans Advocates, such as VeteranWarriors, have long known about the system-wide malfeasance, dereliction of duty and downright criminal activity at the VA – both the health care facilities and the benefits offices, for over a decade. Yet countless investigations, recommendations and audits have produced almost no tangible change to the way the VA does business.

The only way we will get to the truth is to start with the assumption that the people who have broken laws are going to try to hide it; just like all other criminals in the world. We must demand that Congress stop allowing the wolf to guard the hens. It is time for the Department of Justice to step in and initiate a full-scale, enterprise wide investigation.

It is time to stop rewarding these criminals and derelicts with paid vacations, (also known as "paid leave"), transfers out of their messes and any chance at continued employment by the U.S. taxpayer.

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http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/05/cu...uard-henhouse/