Advocates Demand Action Following Scathing Report On VA Nursing Home’s ‘Blatant Disregard For Veteran Safety’
Earlier this year in Brockton, Mass., Veterans Affairs investigators found two nurses fast asleep during their shifts, even though the facility knew it was under scrutiny and inspectors were coming to visit. The six big veteran advocacy groups are demanding the VA take swift action to improve quality of care at the agency's nursing homes. In other veterans' health news: a class action lawsuit and a troubling trend in the military's readiness.
The Boston Globe and USA Today:
Calling Treatment ‘Nothing Short Of Horrifying,’ Veterans Groups Demand VA Nursing Home Fixes
Six national veterans groups are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve the quality of care at its nursing homes following a report by The Boston Globe and USA Today detailing the agency’s own findings of “blatant disregard for veteran safety” at the VA nursing home in Brockton. “Anybody who respects veterans should be angered by this,” American Legion National Commander Brett Reistad said. “America’s veterans deserve better.” The groups, who together represent nearly 5 million members, said veterans who risked their lives for their country shouldn’t have to risk their lives in VA nursing homes. (Estes and Slack, 11/19)
The Associated Press:
Judge Allows Class-Action Lawsuit By Mentally Ill Veterans
Thousands of Navy and Marine Corps veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who developed post-traumatic stress disorder but were denied Veterans Affairs health benefits have been given a green light to sue the military, under a ruling by a federal judge in Connecticut. Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Haight Jr. in New Haven on Thursday certified a class-action lawsuit against Navy Secretary Richard Spencer by veterans who say they were unfairly given less-than-honorable discharges for minor infractions linked to their untreated mental health problems. (Collins, 11/16)
USA Today:
One In Five Army Generals Were Not Cleared For Combat In 2016
One in five Army generals could not deploy in 2016 for medical reasons, according to data obtained by USA TODAY, a troubling trend in the military's readiness to fight that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has vowed to fix. Overdue medical and dental exams were the primary reasons for what the Army refers to as medical readiness in 2016. The deployment rate has improved to nearly 85 percent, according to Brig. Gen. Omar Jones, the Army's top spokesman. (Vanden Brook, 11/19)
