Chronic, Systemic Neglect of Veterans Healthcare Goes Back Years

Quite by accident, I came across a treasure trove of articles today, by Salon's national correspondent, Mark Benjamin, on the chronic problems with delivering high quality care at the VA that go back years.  Do yourself a favor and read some of the articles he's written, cited and linked below, and enlarge your own perspective on how the VA operates.  It's also interesting to read Benjamin's recent articles, which tell some of the backstory of the current candidate for head of the VA, James Peake, M.D., who's now about to be confirmed as the same.  Despite the fact that he's a Vietnam vet with umpteen years of medical training and experience, it seems that when it comes to managing veterans' healthcare, he didn't do such a great job in a previous, similar post.  And there's a potential conflict of interest: the private company he's worked has made multiple millions of dollars contracting services with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hmmmn. If you want some interesting background on some of the key players and the overall perspective on the VA, do yourself a favor and read some of Benjamin's reporting.  It's excellent, and raises some important questions that will likely go unanswered.

Here's a list of several recent stories by Mark Benjamin on the topic, followed by a list of earlier, also significant ones:

• Bush's careless choice for Iraq vets
  James Peake, Bush Nominee for VA: Will he help Iraq vets who need healthcare? 
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 11/05/07.
• The Pentagon's chronic neglect of Iraq vets
  Military officials knew long ago about the failure to take care of America's war wounded at the beleaguered Walter Reed hospital.
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 04/25/07.
• Walter Reed, on the cheap
  The Pentagon's top civilian official in charge of military healthcare wanted more money for bullets and bombs, and fewer benefits for soldiers.
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 03/06/07.

And some earlier, excellent ones:

• Gen. Kiley knew about vets' outpatient scandal
  Veterans groups told the Army surgeon general about the shockingly bad mental health treatment at Walter Reed two months before the latest expose, but there's no evidence he followed up.
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 02/27/07.
• The long-term wounds of Walter Reed
  Despite military officials' "surprise" at recent coverage, Salon exposed inadequate care and an overwhelmed system unfriendly to vets beginning two years ago.
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 02/23/07.
• Losing their minds
  More U.S. soldiers than ever are sustaining serious brain injuries in Iraq. But a significant number of them are being misdiagnosed, forced to wait for treatment or even being called liars by the Army.
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 01/05/06.
• Behind the walls of Ward 54
  They're overmedicated, forced to talk about their mothers instead of Iraq, and have to fight for disability pay. Traumatized combat vets say the Army is failing them, and after a year following more than a dozen soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital, I believe them.
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 02/18/05.
• Insult to injury
  Some wounded soldiers back from Iraq are having to pay for meals at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Veterans' groups say it's another symptom of fighting a costly war on the cheap.
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 01/27/05.
• Sticker shock over shell shock
  The U.S. government is reviewing 72,000 cases in which veterans have been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, claiming that misdiagnosis and fraud have inflated the numbers. Outraged vets say the plan is a callous attempt to cut the costs of an increasingly expensive war.
  By Mark Benjamin.  Originally published 08/09/05.