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One Day Left for Gulf War Veterans to Comment on VA Task Force Report
The VA Task Force on Gulf War Veterans/Illness can be viewed at www.va.gov.
The input you each have is critically important and all veterans should submit their comments at this forum on line at http://yourgulfwarvoice.uservoice.com/forums/44931-issue-1-leverage-deployment-health-working-group
This is your chance to put in your own suggestions for improvements to Gulf War Veterans Care and Gulf War Illness! The area also allows you to vote on suggestions, so at least do that!!!
Follow the full discussion and discussion points and add your insights!!! I suggest you start with the last one and then go backwards up the list, since there is less input.
My desire is over the next 24 hours to really get input to this forum! I am upset that the VA did this task force report and yet has not mailed out the Gulf War Information newsletter to inform all the veterans of this task force report and a method to really get all gulf war veterans involved by a total mail out to all 700,000 deployed in 1990-91.
They did not even notify the veterans by placement of posters at VA Clinics or Hospitals or at VA regional offices. This is a sorry mechanism to show outreach by relying on a website or an announcement on the Federal Registry. How many veterans knew of this process or have access to a computer or internet?
How many VSOs notified the gulf war veterans they knew? How many special mailings were made by VSOs or announcements on their websites? Or notices at VSO posts or in post newsletters.
How many TV stations gave coverage? How many radio talk shows? How many local newspapers or even major city newspapers covered this request for input to the VA Task Force Report?
Did The VA even try by fully activating their massive Public Affairs ability? How about DOD did they do anything to get the word out?
Another failure by the VA to communicate with gulf war veterans. Another failure to truly outreach to the Gulf War Veterans of 1990-91 who have suffered for 20 years and countless gulf war veterans have died and their families have no way to input to suggestions for improvement!
Countless Veterans from the gulf war 1990-91 have auto immune disorders, ALS, MS, Cancers, undiagnosed illnesses, cardiovascular, renal, lung, bowel, reproductive disorders, endocrine, neurological problems, blood disorders, early alzthemiers symptoms, neurological cognitive disorders and are still awaiting acknowledgement from their own government.
Asking all for help in getting this information to all veterans and veteran family members ASAP. You have 24 hourse to try and make a Difference!
Related Posts:
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=29282
Posted by Denise Nichols on Apr 29 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
COMMENTS
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May God Bless C Btry 3/1 FA, 1st AD, Bamberg Germany
You know who you are.
Chalk one up for the bean counters, the media should have done its job and notified Gulf War veteran families about this important report/study and sought
input from at least a few 100k vets who served in Iraq & Kuwait in 1991.
“Paralysis by analysis” is still alive and well in DC.
I am very upset at the report because they are again trying to rule out one of the most likely culprits responsible for GWS namely the anthrax vaccine and the squalene question. I am a civilian who was disabled by having to take anthrax and botulinum vaccines by my employer. I took 3 of each and had 3 serious systemic worstening reactions that resulted in neurologic disease “post vaccinal brachial plexitis”. Constant bilateral arm pain and numbness. A diagnosis of CFS and a recent diagnosis of the disabling painful condition of Comple Regional Pain Syndrome formerly Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Because of a lack of knowledge of anthrax vaccine problems in the civilian community this condition was diagnosed very late making prognosis poor to get control the pain at this stage. I never set foot in the Gulf. I am exactly like the thousands of veterans who have GWS like syndrome but were never deployed yet are disabled. I think earlier studies eliminating squalene were likely flawed. Was there good independant non Govt. research studies done into this? I am sick w/o any disability income or even a VA system to go to, as poor as it has been in the past. There are clearly multiple toxin problems but I think immune problems caused by the vaccine to those possibly genetically susceptable (maybe 30-50%) exacerbates the illness caused by DU PB and other exposures. Please don’t let them sweep this very important factor under the rug again. Why did squalene get into the vaccine in the first place( in the Congressional Record) and why isn’t there monitoring and surveillance of the manufacturer for squalene now that is published and transparent and independant of Government and even FDA. Can anyone even guess the numbers of veterans and civilians damaged since Desert Storm/Shield? Look at the neurologic problems and deaths that are starting to show up from the H1N1 vaccine in Australis and pockets of the US from M-59 adjuvant (squalene) addition. Let’s not overlook the obvious!
Time clock is ticking!!!! Here are the comments(below my comments) so far made on line at the website the VA provided. This is not enough! Voting is not enough! Comments are needed! I notice no VSO representatives making comments. No VSO is posting on their websites to spread the word.
Strongly suggest all get their comments in!!!! Also strongly request that letters to House and Senate VA Committees be sent and all efforts from all to newspapers and to media sources to get attention paid to this outrageous treatment of Gulf War Veterans 90-91.
All family members, friend, veteran supporters need to speak up and help the ill and suffering gulf war veterans from 90-91. What a disgrace!
People need to care for their veterans.
This revictimization is horrendous to go thru for 20 years.
The communication on this feedback has not been publicized at all! So it lets us know they are not really serious in their outreach and concern!
The system of the VA advisory committee on Gulf war veterans was also faulty. As is this effort of a VA Task Force that is limited to insiders.
The suggestions of the VA Task Force was a rehash of the VA advisory committee both were faulty.
They both failed to listen to the suggestions for improvements that veteran advocates and gulf war veterans have offerred for 20 years to include: 1. registries for the deaths by age, duty, duty location, and cause of death; 2. registries for known illnesses diagnosed with same type of information; 3. opening up using pathological samples for researchers that have been maintained both blood and tissue; 4. the setting up of centers of excellence ie 8 of them located in each of eight locations-north and south and east and west throughout the nation in conjunction with known civilian institutions and universities that could collaborate with clinical based research to practice integrative research to find answers and help for Gulf war veterans 90-91; 5. to better education of health care providers and benefits adjudicatiors; 6. to training rating officers; 7. streamlining compensation claims giving veterans the benefit of the doubt and giving a minimal rating at least to help the vets while they wait for a full adjudication and review of their C and P; 8. Use environmental health physicians that have helped gulf war veterans to train the VA physicians on IVs and supplements that have benefits for gulf war veterans(these experts have offerred their help to the VA for the past 20 years); 9. Have gulf war veterans advocates, the doctors and health care professionals that served with us fully involved in any and all committees, task forces, and at each level from local to state and national to input suggestions and actually help make the corrections needed throughout the VA and DOD; 10. Institute gulf war veteran task forces at each VA clinic, hospital, and VA benefit office to actively change the system; 11. Improve communication in all means; 12. Utilize the 21st century video telephone computer (skype) live conference ability at each VA clinic nd hospital auditorium and open the door for equal participation of the veteran patients and their families at each location; 13. Truly listen to all our suggestions and give us a way to implement change now; 14. Tell the truth of all known health exposures and declassify all records now; 15. Form support groups for the gulf war veterans and their family members now; 16. Form support groups now for the family members of those gulf war veterans 90-91 that have died at each VA Clinica and hospital; 17. Provide Sky Fish Chromsome testing for all ill gulf war veterans 1990-91 and provide test results to them and the public ; 18 Provide hypercoagulation tests for all ill gulf war veterans and identify those at risk for cardiac infarction, Pulmonary embolisms, and deep vein thrombous so we can save some lives now!; 19. Reinstitute the UT southwestern research program headed by DR Hailey immediately!!; 20. Review all autoimmune diseases occurring in gulf war veterans and compare with normal population statistics and grant immediate presumptions for those that are occurring at higher rate in gulf war veterans vs normal population occurrence rate; 21. Use this method ie number 20 in reviewing all diagnosed illnesses in gulf war veterans to add presumptions of service connection now. Enough with faulty studies of over 20 years by the IOM looking for one cause of exposure to connect….it is multiple exposures and overlapping symptoms for multiple causes that is making this complex plus individual genetics.
So there are 21 suggestions…plus the others offerred by other veterans! What more do you need to hear us when we offer ways to improve. You all have tin ears, non existent hearts of caring or honor and integrity, you pretend to care but action is not in words and committees reports for 20 years—-Action is do something implement our suggestions NOW!
Top Ideas
Hot Ideas
New Ideas 16 Accepted Ideas Completed Ideas 3
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A better idea is for a central clearing house for all data and then rework CCEP and make it dynamic.
A lot of the early (and thus later) Gulf War Data is based upon garbage in and garbage out. As a military provider I saw many GW vets who were not entered into the CCEP, did not know of the CCEP or were not followed up for the CCEP via the protocols provided.
Additionally I also know that in on… more
A lot of the early (and thus later) Gulf War Data is based upon garbage in and garbage out. As a military provider I saw many GW vets who were not entered into the CCEP, did not know of the CCEP or were not followed up for the CCEP via the protocols provided.
Additionally I also know that in one case the PEB provided Congress with a guess of the depth of the problem instead of determining if a problem even existed.
Subsequently alot of other data and studies have feed off this and other erroneous data.
The only thing that can truly fix the problem of data integrity would be for the VA to deconstruct the original data, ensure of it’s original validity and then make it dynamic by streamlining updates of the vet’s data to ensure the ongoing relevance of the data.
by Dave Haner | 0 comments
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Soldiers, by nature, typically don’t complain. Accountability and transparency.
Regardless of the cause of Gulf War illnesses,Americans should demand that their elected representatives continue to provide annual funding for Gulf War illness researchthrough the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, and to hold the secretary of Veterans Affairs accountable for fa… more
Regardless of the cause of Gulf War illnesses,Americans should demand that their elected representatives continue to provide annual funding for Gulf War illness researchthrough the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, and to hold the secretary of Veterans Affairs accountable for fairly and consistently administering disability claims submitted by Persian Gulf War veterans. Enough is enough….
by RICK | 0 comments
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We need a New commision formed to investigate Gulf War Illness and report findings to Congress!
I believe after all these years and after the first investigation into this reported to Congress back in the early nineties that they found nothing that might have caused vets to become ill, only days later the demolitions in southern Iraq in March of 1991, the Khamasiyah event, came out revealin… more
I believe after all these years and after the first investigation into this reported to Congress back in the early nineties that they found nothing that might have caused vets to become ill, only days later the demolitions in southern Iraq in March of 1991, the Khamasiyah event, came out revealing a cover-up attempt before the American people. We need an independant commision to look at all classified and other information to determine all health hazards including all exposures, the statistics on the risks of each vaccine given in terms of how many could be expected to have a reaction to a vaccine and any other relavent information. This panel should include Desert Storm veterans both officers and enlisted personel. It has been twenty years and half of us are now disabled or dead. There was only 100,000 of us at Khamasiyah so there must be something else and I am convinced the DoD knows what that something else is. We volunteered, we gave ourselves to the care of the DoD and they owe us the truth after all the suffering and deaths and lives ruined. Let the rest of us die with the honor we earned. WE DESERVE THE TRUTH, and compensation and the benefit of doubt to any Gulf War veteran with a claim pending or that has been denied. I remember coming home many Vietnam veterans would tell me we restored the honor to the Armed Forces they felt was lost due to the Governments handling of the Vietnam War. I feel betrayed by my country just as alot of them must have and probably still do.
by Keith Montgomery | 0 comments
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There needs to be more research done on natural supplements to help Gulf War Illness and all related
There needs to be more research done on natural supplements to help Gulf War Illness and all related conditions.
by Tanya Cummings Boozer | 0 comments
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I think DVA should promptly inform all veterans who could potentially been exposed and who are risk
I think DVA should promptly inform all veterans who could potentially been exposed and who are risk for adverse health conditions associated with their gulf war service. Also claims that were denied need to be reopened and investigated in a timely manner. Develop a team specialized in dealing wit… more
I think DVA should promptly inform all veterans who could potentially been exposed and who are risk for adverse health conditions associated with their gulf war service. Also claims that were denied need to be reopened and investigated in a timely manner. Develop a team specialized in dealing with this type of claim that way disability, healthcare and other services can be accessed by veterans.
by michael | 1 comment
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No blood tests developed to prove vaccine-induced diseases till 1999. Retroactive comp is critical.
Vaccine-induced diseases can be proven through MRI of the brain for aluminum and mercury. Blood tests for certain monkey viruses prove that Gulf War Illness begins with pre-deployment vaccines. Tetanus is a virus that thrives off of brain tissue during autopsy. Hep B has proven deadly to women sp… more
Vaccine-induced diseases can be proven through MRI of the brain for aluminum and mercury. Blood tests for certain monkey viruses prove that Gulf War Illness begins with pre-deployment vaccines. Tetanus is a virus that thrives off of brain tissue during autopsy. Hep B has proven deadly to women specifically when administered in conjunction with other vaccines. Immunoglobulin E or IgE tests are essential to detect enzymes that destroy most major organs. IgE is derived from IgA, so both tests should be drawn simultaneously to show that infection fighting capabilities have been turned into the body’s own attackers. None of these tests were available to private sector clinics during Desert Storm era or the decade after. If not for the vaccines being administered to children and newborns, pediatricians, allergists and immunologists never would have discovered that Gulf War Illness is killing our children today, turning them autistic, asthmatic, seriously allergic. So much like the veterans that served stateside because vaccines rendered them too debilitated to deploy. Too sick to continue their Army or Army Reserve careers. Hep B was administered only stateside, because of critical shortage of serum. It was administered at both Fort Hood Texas and Fort Polk, LA, both deployment points for Army Reserve Medical. Those vaccinated with Hep B at Fort Polk were hospitalized, never deployed. I was declared non-deployable 6 days after Hep B cocktail. Remember that Desert Storm was prior to “informed consent”, so none of us could seek treatment for what we were shot up with. After 2 years, recovery is impossible. Marginal improvement is remote, most unlikely. 10 years after the fact, when most tests became available – is much too late. Retroactive compensation to extend life we so justly deserve is the least the VA could do, since Regional will never admit to what is actually written in our medical records. No physician other than my private sector Gulf War doctor has EVER read my medical records.
by Rebecca Cann | 0 comments
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V.A. Help,
I am a Gulf War Vet., I have been suffering from Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyaliga, Memory Loss, Hepatitis C, M.S.. I went to the V.A. for help when I first returned home, and was treated as though there was something mentally wrong with me. Like everything was all in my head.
I discontinued seeking… more
I am a Gulf War Vet., I have been suffering from Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyaliga, Memory Loss, Hepatitis C, M.S.. I went to the V.A. for help when I first returned home, and was treated as though there was something mentally wrong with me. Like everything was all in my head.
I discontinued seeking help from the V.A., and went to the private sector; that is when i finally got a diagnosis. I am no better, but at least now i know that I am not Crazy! Recently, the V.A. and the private sector have been working together to help me with my care; I wish they would have done this back in 1992. I did not want a hand out; I wanted a hand up!
by Ron Hawkins | 1 comment
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Need to test all vets affected for squalene antibodies
it is well known that sqalene cause various autoimmune problems and several lots have already tested positive for the adjuvant
by Larry Kenyon | 2 comments
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Deployment Health Working Group Issue 1
This is a good start, however more is needed. The VA should be considering, Veteran input, locations of deployment, and MOS. Such 63 series MOS’s would have recieved a lower level secondary exposure to everything that each vehicle drove through in the theater of operations that they came in contact with.
by Michael Woods | 1 comment
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ScuttleButt
Whatever happen to the promies that the KING of Saudi Arabia made about paying the sevices men and women for protecting his country? Sure would help these days.
by yancy | 1 comment
1
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Why?
How come all the veterans have to be labeled for life & diagnosed seriously mentally ill & addicted/alcohol before any help for the Gulf War Syndrome?
by august | 0 comments
4
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why did we not recieve a disability increase for 2010
Trying to live on disability is hard enough, then they decieded we did not earn an increase in disability for 2010. This is bogus!!!!! When they gave the federal government a 3% increase in pay, but, we have to live on very little money.
by Donald | 3 comments
4
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add ms
remove 7 year rule
by bob stone | 4 comments
4
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Every servicemen and women should be given a CD Rom with their complete medical history
by roy maggard | 1 comment
2
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Termination of employment for VA disability
Why and when is our goverment going to protect us from the ADA red tape. This in regards that us the disabled veteran are treated at times as lepers in society. I was terminated and I have no one to help me and put a stop to this issue. I was fired from my former employer and all because I am a d… more
Why and when is our goverment going to protect us from the ADA red tape. This in regards that us the disabled veteran are treated at times as lepers in society. I was terminated and I have no one to help me and put a stop to this issue. I was fired from my former employer and all because I am a disabled Veteran, HELP.
by Gabriel C | 0 comments
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I think to much repetition is evident by rehashing all that has already been researched.
Quit doing studies and make some decisions. Its time to acknowledge that Veterans have illnessess that came from the Gulf War that VA is unable to determine the cause of. Its time for VA to acknowledge these illnessess and award these Veterans there rightful disability compensation
by Marty Brace | 2 comments
I knew nothing about this!! I am a GWV let me stop bitching and see if i can add something!!
Thanks Guys and Gals!!
Please vote for my post!!!!!!!!
http://yourgulfwarvoice.uservoice.com/forums/44931-issue-1-leverage-deployment-health-working-group/suggestions/701388-what-is-the-true-definition-of-a-undiagnosed-illne?ref=title
Here are the Forum Areas on that website from the VA re their Task Force on Gulf War Veterans–the number in parenthesis is the number of comments—shows they did not publicize this formate to the veterans in a way that all gulf war veterans would know about this at all Atotal of what 107 comments!!!! This should tell them that they did not communicate well!!!!
VA Grade on this???? Failure
Forums
Issue 1- Leverage Deployment Health Working Group (39)
Issue 2A – Training for Regional Office employees (5)
Issue 2B – Training for Regional Office employees for toxic exposure (4)
Issue 3A – Clinician training program (3)
Issue 3B – Create subject matter experts through annual training (3)
Issue 4A – Need for more Veteran-focused studies to enhance care (1)
Issue 4B – Improve collaboration with CDC (3)
Issue 4C – Improve collaboration with DOD (2)
Issue 4D – Conduct a National Study for a New Generation of U.S. Veterans (4)
Issue 4E – VA Study the health records of MWDs deployed and non-deployed to the Gulf (3)
Issue 4F – Extend the Post War Mortality from Neurological Disease in Gulf War Veterans study (6)
Issue 4G – VA conduct a follow-up study of an established permanent panel of 30,000 Gulf War I deployed and Gulf War I non-deployed Veterans (4)
Issue 5A – VA provide ongoing medical surveillance to individuals who performed duty at Qarmat Ali, Iraq, where they were potentially exposed to hexavalent chromium (1)
Issue 5B – VA Continue to provide VA funding in support of the Joint Pathology Center (JPC) and seek out opportunities with the DoD to enhance Toxic embedded fragment analysis (3)
Issue 6A – VA conduct a multi-pronged approach that balances the urgency of understanding and finding new diagnostic tests and treatments for ill Veterans of the 1990 -1991 Gulf War (short-term) with the need to do new studies on a national group of Gulf (3)
Issue 6B – VA maintain funding levels for Gulf War research as close as possible to the $15M per year as directed in the FY 2006 appropriation language for VA Medical and Prosthetics Research (2)
Issue 7A – VA identify Key Stakeholders (both internal and external to VA) required to help better inform Veterans (4)
Issue 7B – VA engage stakeholders with a survey tool and/or push web-based tool to solicit their ideas and concerns (3)
Issue 7C – VA recognize Gulf War I Era Veterans though special and targeted outreach events (6)
Issue 7D – VA streamline its process to distribute the Gulf War Review and update the Gulf War Illnesses’ Webpage, adding interactive New Media features, as well as explore the capability to implement an online inquiry system (3)
Issue 7E- Engage and obtain feedback on its findings and recommendations from the general public and stakeholders (4)
SONOFABiscuit!!!
I just found out about this myself.
I’ve been RAILING at my VA care providers about this for 2 YEARS, and there’s finally a feeedback channel and I miss it!
Nobody said a stinkin’ WORD about it, and I practically live at the @#@#$ VA.
OMG, I am so mad, I could SCREAM right now.
My disability rating is 10% for something *I don’t even have*. However, I’m at least 90% disabled (ask my husband, he’d say 110% due to shit the * VA * says I don’t have, or that I have, but it’s not a rate-able disability.
What do I have?
FMS, CFS, PCOS, IBS, PTSD, MCS… you know, the absolutely TYPICAL run of GWS complaints.
But
1. I didn’t deploy, and that means they won’t even ask the questions on that particular page of their forms.
2. I didn’t start coming to the VA for treatment until after that 7 years. Of course, I lived overseas and got public medical care for all this crap for ages, but I didn’t see the VA, and I can’t get those records now, so it’s like it all didn’t happen.
Bastards.