By Marcari, Russotto, Spencer & Balaban | Published April 28, 2017 | Posted in Veterans Administration | Tagged Tags: drug thefts at VA facilities, opioid epidemic, patients denied medication | 1 Comment
The Associated Press recently reported on federal investigations targeting opioid theft from VA medical centers throughout the country, which has been on the rise since 2009. The culprits are believed to be doctors, nurses, and pharmacy staff at the hospitals, who steal the drugs for their own use, to profit through street sales, or mismanage Read More
Read MoreThe Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act was considered controversial when it was passed in 2014 and has remained so during its implementation. This year, a key facet of the act, portability for veterans’ health benefits under the Choice program, is set to expire. The question is now whether Congress and Read More
Read MoreIn December, it was announced that Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee would replace Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida as chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Roe is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Medical Corps from 1973 to 1974, including nine months near the demilitarized zone in Korea and three months at Read More
Read MoreDuring his presidential campaign, Donald Trump made reform of the VA a significant part of his stump speech, vowing to “make the VA great again.” His talking points emphasized the need for change in three key areas: Reducing wait time and raising the quality of care Holding bad actors within the VA system accountable Modernizing Read More
Read MoreNovember 11 is the day our nation has designated to honor American veterans of all wars. The history of Veterans Day dates from November 1919, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I, which concluded with a ceasefire the previous November 11. Then, on June 4, Read More
Read More1. Where are the Agent Orange Exposure Locations? Military veterans who served in Vietnam or the Korean demilitarized zone are presumed by the VA to have been exposed to Agent Orange. According to the VA there are, however, other veterans that may qualify if they are able to show proof of exposure. Other possible exposure locations Read More
Read MoreVeterans Disability Benefits Attorney David Russotto was recently interviewed by WRAL News. The interview specifically speaks about the lengthy wait times for the disability benefits appeals process. According to the article, Attorney David Russotto, who specializes in VA disability compensation appeals, says the system is set up to fail. “The road to hell is paved Read More
Read MoreLegislative Hearing on H.R. 3216, H.R. 4150, H.R. 4764, H.R. 5047, H.R. 5083, H.R. 5162, H.R. 5166, H.R. 5392, H.R. 5407, H.R. 5416, H.R.5420, and H.R. 5428 The House of Representatives: Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing today on multiple bills proposed to be passed through the committee.[1] H.R. 5083, the VA Appeals Modernization Act Read More
Read MoreOn February 1, 2016, Military Times reported that federal administrative judges had overturned a decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to demote two senior officials who had gamed the VA’s hiring system to pad their salaries and rake in exorbitant sums as reimbursement for alleged relocation costs. The Military Times article states that Kimberly Read More
Read MoreBy: Ryan Spencer, Veterans Disability Benefits Attorney VA Compensation Service addressed an “application defect” that affected uploading of documents on both the eBenefits and SEP portals. Specific details include the following: The defect resulted in users being incorrectly informed that documents were successfully uploaded, when in fact the documents may have been rejected. These errors occurred Read More
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