VA Responds -- Not to Gulf War Veterans -- But Via Press Release

VA has provided a new response of sorts to Gulf War veterans' concerns about VA gutting the independent RAC oversight panel -- not with the courtesy of a response to the letter to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki from all the Gulf War veterans on the RAC, but by press release.

Here's the link to VA's puff piece.  Feel free to post your own comments to VA:  

http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/9644/our-sustained-commitment-to-care-for-gulf-war-veterans

And here's my response, which I posted at the time shown below.  Let's see if VA censors it.

For those who haven't read the RAC's "no confidence finding", here it is.  Just quickly read the first 2-1/2 pages, unless you want more detail: 

http://www.va.gov/RAC-GWVI/docs/Committee_Documents/CommitteeDocJune2012.pdf 

-A.H.

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Anthony Hardie says:

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June 20, 2013 at 1:16 pm

Actions speak louder than these flowery words.

Last year, the RAC (on which I have served as an ill and affected Gulf War veteran since 2005) issued a finding of, “no confidence in the ability or demonstrated intention of VA staff to formulate and execute an effective VA Gulf War illness research program.” VA has yet to fix the many serious issues identified in this report, including the whitewashing of this first ever Strategic Plan, which had been aimed at solving Gulf War Illness prior to VA staff whitewashing.

It is also notable that VA can find the time to write press puff pieces like this one, but cannot find the time to respond with any substance to each of the many points raised in a joint letter of concern to Secretary Shinseki from all the Gulf War veterans on this RAC panel.

Actions speak louder than words: VA to date has no proven effective treatments for Gulf War Illness, and with its failed research efforts, is not on track to ever do so. And it is notable that essentially all of the positive treatment-focused research findings that’s been newsworthy in the last couple of years is non-VA, funded through a non-VA Congressionally directed medical research program at the behest of us ill Gulf War veterans.

VA leaders must wake up and get it right — and recognize that several entrenched VA staff are part of the problem, or get out of the way for others who can.

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