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Text File | 1994-02-01 | 9KB | 167 lines

                        OF NOTE...
                        News to Use

Special Veterans Edition (41-50)                      December 1, 1993
Earl Appleby, Jr., Editor                             CURE, Ltd.

                            Forget the Vet?

"I'm sick and unable to work because I served my country and I think
it is time they did something for me." --Army National Guard Staff
Sergeant Willie Hicks, one of the Persian Gulf War veterans telling
the Senate Force Requirement and Personnel Subcommittee that they may
have been victims of a chemical attack. "We have no demonstration that
such an attack occurred." --Navy Surgeon General Donald Hagen. (Gulf
War Injuries, USA Today, 7/2/93)

The Department of Veterans Affairs adds two more diseases to the list
of illnesses entitling affected Vietnam veterans to compensation for
their exposure to Agent Orange. The new additions are: porphyria
cutanea tarda (a metabolic liver disorder that can affect skin and
hair) and Hodgkin's diseases (a lymphoma cancer causing anemia, weight
loss, itching, and enlargement of lymph nodes, spleen, and liver).
The remaining three diseases "officially linked to Agent Orange" are:
soft tissue sarcoma (a rare cancer affecting muscle or internal
connective tissue), non-Hodgkins lymphoma (a cancer affecting lymph
nodes, spleen, and liver), and chloracne (a severe skin disease
similar to teenage acne but possibly involving cysts and rashes).
Illnesses known to be under study for possible Agent Orange-related
benefits include respiratory, cancers, prostrate cancer, and multiple
myeloma. (Comprehensive Review Links Five Maladies to Agent Orange
Exposure, Bill McAllister, Washington Post, 7/28/93)

A study by Dr. Jeff Whittle and colleagues from the Pittsburgh
Veterans Administration Medical Center of medical records of over
400,000 men admitted to V.A. hospitals across America for
cardiovascular disease or chest pain finds that "whites are more
likely than blacks to get bypass operations and other sophisticated
care for heart trouble. (Study: Whites Get More High-Tech Heart Care
Than Blacks in V.A. Hospitals, Morning Herald, 8/26/93)

"Many V.A. regulations have aged nicely simply because Congress took so
long to provide for judicial review. The length of such regulations
unscrutinized and inscrutinable existence, however, does not in itself
form a basis for us to presume they are valid and always defer to
them. If anything, Congress's lengthy deliberation and carefully
crafted scheme for judicial review of V.A. regulations counsels for
vigorous review." --US Court of Appeals. (V.A.'s Handling of Benefits
Ruled Wrong Since 1934, Greg Pierce, Washington Times, 9/16/93)

"Capitol Hill was so outraged that James W. Holsinger Jr., the top
doctor at the Department of Veterans Affairs, was about to land a job
as a V.A. 'distinguished physician' that the department abolished all
such positions." CURE Comment: While there are some conscientious
physicians working within the V.A. system--we do not include Dr.
Holsinger--the V.A. is primarily "distinguished" by its scandalous
treatment--or rather lack of treatment--of the American veteran. (No
Matter the Hat, Doctor's Fee Changes Little, Al Kamen, WP, 9/20/93)

"I would like to comment on a letter which appeared in The Sun
(October 14) from Jesse Brown, secretary of the Department of Veterans
Affairs. Secretary Brown's letter...gives the reader the impression
that everything is 'bright and sunny' in the Veterans Administration
medical system. Mr. Brown believes that the VA medical system can
deliver timely and accurate medical treatment and actually compete
with other medical providers. This cannot be further from the truth,
as most veterans will admit." --Robert Polinsky, Columbia, MD.
(Inadequate Care, Polinsky, letter-editor, Baltimore Sun, 10/29/93)

Sen. Don Riegle (D-MI) is calling on the Pentagon to investigate
claims that chemicals caused mysterious ailments afflicting Persian
Gulf War veterans. A report released by Sen. Riegle's office last
September cited evidence of at least two missiles with toxin warheads
launched by the Iraqis. 85 of 110 members of an Army company based
near one of the attacks have reported symptoms common to the "Persian
Gulf Syndrome." (V.A. Begins Testing Gulf War Veterans for Chemical
Exposure, Martinsburg Journal, 11/2/93)

Billions of dollars in veterans benefits go unclaimed each year
because veterans and their families are unaware of their eligibility.
"Many of the survivors are unaware they might be eligible to receive
money, medical care, educational assistance, help in buying a home, or
other benefits. Eligibility and benefits change constantly, and some
people ineligible in previous years are now able to start receiving
money."  Robert Berko, executive director, Consumer Education Research
Center. "The consumer organization has compiled a 240-page book
describing the latest rules on available benefits and how to apply for
them. The book costs $14.95, including postage, and can be purchased
by calling [phone]." ABLEnews Editor's Note: Veterans and their
families should be able to receive information about eligibility free
of charge directly from the agencies responsible for administering the
benefit programs. (Many Veterans Unaware of Their Benefits, Scott
McCaffrey, Martinsburg Journal, 11/8/93)

                              Front Lines

"I blindsided them on this. It's not one of my prouder moments here."
--Gen. Carl Mundy Jr., Marines Corps commandant, on his civilian-
rescinded attempt to ban recruitment of married individuals.  (Gen.
Mundy Apologizes for Order, John Lancaster, Washington Post, 8/13/93)

A study finds one in seven soldiers on active duty drinks heavily. The
prevalence of military alcohol abuse has declined from the one in five
ratio of the 1980s, because an influx of older, better educated,
married recruits were less prone to the problem, according to Robert
Bray, Research Triangle Institute, who conducted the study for the
Pentagon. (Heavy Drinking still Plagues US Military Personnel, Study
Finds, Martinsburg Journal, 8/25/93)

During the Korean War, Army medical officer Dr. Donald Howie saved the
lives of wounded soldiers only to see them freeze to death. "At the
time it was heartwrenching," Howie, 69, a civilian employee of the
Department of Defense, says today, "but I would never trade that
experience." It is an experience he draws on as the senior medical
officer for US Army Physical Disability Agency, where he reviews more
than 3,000 cases a year. "Very few people know what soldiers are
expected to do. I would never know if I had not been through it."
(Career Helped to Shape Army Disability Policy, Jerry Meredith,
Stripe, 8/27/93)

"We are the example of what's really going on. They'll tell you that
discrimination and racism do not exist. It's a lie. They have told you
that the system is built to work for the soldier. It is a lie." --
Major M.P. Ketchens, a black military doctor, who with his Chinese-
American colleague, Captain John Lam, received "career-ending"
performance evaluations in retaliation for their discrimination
complaints, the US Defense Department inspector general's office
concluded after an investigation. (Report Finds Reprisals Against Army
Doctors, Washington Times, 8/30/93)

"The best compliment anyone can pay to the artistry of Vince Przybyla
is not even to notice it. As the Army's only ocularist, Przybyla (SHA-
be-wha) turns lumps of plastic and paint into artificial eyes. His
patients come to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from all over the
world for his unique services." (Army's Only Ocularist Sees Eye to Eye
With Patients, Barry Reichenbaugh, Stripe, 9/10/93)

Health care planners are ironing out details of the Defense Department
response to national health care reform. Changes in the military
health care system are anticipated to take two years to implement. The
DoD plan will give dependents of active-duty personnel, military
retirees, dependents of retirees, and survivors a choice of three
health plans: the national basic benefit package, the Civilian Health
and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services, and military hospitals.
(DoD Health Care to Reflect National Reform, Stripe, 10/22/93)

Former Marines Chris Matthews and Bruce Buel say they were the victims
of a 1992 hazing incident in which human waste was dumped on them and
their private parts were burned with a caustic shoe polish. A Marine
spokesman concedes thing got out of hand but protests the event was an
"aberration" that has embarrassed the Corps. (2 Former Marines Expose
Hazing Involving Human Waste, Rodents, Washington Times, 10/29/93)

                        A Word From Our Sponsor

OF NOTE is CURE's biweekly digest of disability/medical news. This Special
Edition focuses on one of many topics it covers. The editor, Earl Appleby,
is the moderator of ABLEnews, a Fidonet backbone conference, featuring
news, notices, and resources of interest to persons with disabilities and
those sharing their concerns.

Special Editions include Abled, AIDS, Cancer, Family, Health Care,
Legal, Medical, Mental Health, Seniors, and Veterans.

...For further information, contact CURE, 812 Stephen Street, Berkeley
Springs, West Virginia 254511 (304-258-LIFE/5433).