Category Archives: Veterans for Common Sense News

Editorial Column: Bush Administration’s Hacks at VA and DoD Still Need to Go

Beyond Walter Reed: the DOD’s Other Healthcare Scandal The governmental and media response to the Walter Reed scandal scratches only the most visible layer of the larger crisis in the US military’s healthcare system. The fact remains that the majority … Continue reading →

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New Measures Announced on Veteran’s Care

WASHINGTON — Injured soldiers and veterans grappling with backlogs and red tape will now fill out less paperwork, get more screenings for brain injury and have an improved claims system, a presidential task force said Tuesday. To read the report, … Continue reading →

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U.S. Command Shortens Life of Long War as a Reference

WASHINGTON, April 23 — When the Bush administration has sought to explain its strategy for fighting terrorism, it has often said the United States is involved in a “long war” against Islamic extremists. The phrase was coined by Gen. John … Continue reading →

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Mission of Marines’ Parents: To Cope

ST. LOUIS — Patricia Fry, whose son is a Marine infantryman, was explaining the fine art of creating a scrapbook to Rita Swift, whose son is a Marine helicopter pilot. “I think the blue looks great because it brings out … Continue reading →

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VA Gains EHR Access, Adds Patient Tracking System

The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday will allow every clinician at all its hospitals and clinics to access in real-time electronic health records of wounded soldiers evacuated from Afghanistan and Iraq through a VA version of the Department of … Continue reading →

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Cooking the Books at VA – Veterans Fall Through the Cracks

Nurse Diane Birmingham offered her resignation to the Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Medical Center last Monday with great relief. She was tired and demoralized and no longer able to fight for the patients. Birmingham is the second medical practitioner in two … Continue reading →

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Soldier Says He Was Deployed With Head Injury

After an hour of bench-pressing a log weighing several hundred pounds during Army Special Forces selection training in February 2006, five soldiers lying on their backs at Fort Bragg, N.C., reacted quickly to the next order: “Drop back!” So quickly, … Continue reading →

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Senator Reid Offers Bleak Assessment of Iraq War

WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday the war in Iraq is “lost,” triggering an angry backlash by Republicans, who said the top Democrat had turned his back on the troops. The bleak assessment – the most … Continue reading →

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Casualty Surge: VA Treats 229,000 Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

VA lists top reasons troops seek care  Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans no longer in the military are most likely to seek care for musculoskeletal diseases, mental health disorders, and symptoms without an immediate known cause, such as rashes or … Continue reading →

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Congress to Hold Hearings on Salisbury VA Hospital Deaths

Today’s congressional hearing on patient care problems at the Salisbury VA hospital could be the first of many sessions intended to bring tougher oversight to the nation’s largest healthcare system. The hearings follow Observer stories about accounts of poor treatment … Continue reading →

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