Research and Development: Encouraging Targeted Efforts
Through the Office of Research & Development (ORD), VA funds research that will further the goal of improving the health and lives of Veterans who have GWVI, the complex of chronic symptoms that affect Veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War. To improve specific management of the GWVI portfolio of research, ORD actively pursued staffing additions to support these efforts. ORD continued to support and advertise requests for proposals for GWVI research and collaborate with VA, DOD, and other research activities through professional collaboration events and forums. Additionally, with support from the Gulf War Research Steering Committee and input from the Research Advisory Council for Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses, a GWVI Research Strategic Plan was drafted. This plan, combined with the targeted staffing changes, is expected to provide focus and accountability in this research portfolio.
Please provide your comments, questions, and suggestion on how we may improve the Research and Development section of the report.
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Angel Warrior 07 commented
Researchers other than VA must be included in this. Professional collaberation events and forums - Who gets to attend these? They should be open door for all Vets to attend should we want too. How do we find out about when and where these are so we can attend or listen on the phone? How can we get an after action report on the meetings to read what was discussed and what the outcome was if we can't go to the meeting? The RAC and the GW Researach Steering Committee has come out with a Strategic Plan - Where can we get a copy of this to review? What is your plan to observe the accountability of this research portfolio?
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Ordie commented
Randomly test your VA employees on their knowledge of 38 U.S.C. . Please. It is sometimes so obvious that some VA employees that make decision ratings on Veteran Claims have no knowledge of this code, and don't even refer to it when making their decisions. When a person ignorant of these straight-forward, laymans guidelines denies a Veteran their rightful Compensation, they punch the clock and go home. The Veteran gets a big envelope in the mail and finds that they must now go through the "Appeals Process" and everyone knows, there is no time limit for the VA to process that. It feels to the Veteran that the "Appeals Process" is a way for the VA to say, "When She/He is dead, it won't make a difference anyway." Meanwhile, that injured Veteran must go from job to menial job, having to take time off (then get fired for taking too much time off) for their injuries that they NEVER even knew of before the Gulf War.
Train your people. Educate VA employees to the guidelines that are so plainly drawn out in United States Code 38, drawn up specifically for Disabled Veterans. We got trained, we got educated to do our part, now you do yours.
Spend less time and money publishing propaganda fluff for the public, and more time and money on actually doing what needs to be done for us. Help us get our lives back, when we go to the VA with various complaints, train the doctors to record what we actually say. As in, when I told my VA provider that I had significant back pain after a major surgery on a Service Related Injury, she reported it IN MY RECORD as "somatic". After four YEARS of the same pain and complaint, I went to a civilian doctor, had an MRI and found out I had TWO ruptured discs, on top of that, I depleted my savings going to a civilian doctor, because of my providers "diagnosis" I could not get help from the VA. On turning in the civilian doctors report, it was subsequently "lost" and didn't turn up in my records until I walked it through myself.
Train your people VA. Our injuries and difficulties are not "in our heads". Behavioral Therapy is fine, but I dare you to "behave" your way out of ruptured discs, hidradentitis suppurvita, explosive bowel movements, swollen joints, etc.,. And if a Vet sheds tears out of frustration, don't run them up to the looney bin, and put them on a new treatment of Mental Health meds, and when they ask for medication to relieve ACTUAL pain, don't write in their record that they are "med seeking".
The VA needs training all the way around, from the paper pushers at the Regional Offices to the Doctors and Hospital protocol.
We are Veterans that served in an Honorable manner to Liberate Kuwait (I have the ribbon that shows it). Now it's your turn to take us seriously, and Liberate us from our failing health and pocketbooks. Your choice, our lives. -
Denise Nichols commented
Give the research funds to UTSWM reinitiated that study with DR Haley immediately.....give the money to cdmrp so that expert world reknown researchers can get answers for us---you failed for 20 yrs plus secreacy in review process, in house only, no gw vet reviewers to impact what is needed or not(we have many nurses and doctors that served that could speak up clearly)
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Shaun Orris commented
You know the causes of GWI ... more research is a stalling tactic.
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George commented
Why not break down the studies to those that were "boots on the ground", those that were only flying over, or docked in Bahrain for a day.
Separate out the groups that had no exposure , or very little exposure, and I bet you will see a drastic change in the percentages of many symptoms / illnesses, way above those in the rest of the population.
The various modeling plumes for the released chemical weapons, are a joke. You only go by reported unit locations, and did not account for operational areas. for instance, Transportation companies had troops all over the theater. I also see none of the EAC (Echelon above corps) units listed, yet we were located next to Corps units that are listed as being in the plume.
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VGH commented
While I served in the arena during the Gulf War i never reported my symptoms because I felt the words were falling on deaf ears.
I will again say this and i have some pictures:
The black clouds in the skies over the gulf region during this time frame were NOT storm clouds. The burning of oils and other matter created such a smell and rendered flying helicopters difficult. I was on board the USS Kidd, 50 or so miles from Kuwait for a few months breathing this soot. My pilots flew with lint free cloth over their mouth and nose to reduce the intake. We constantly ran out of windshield washer fluid trying to keep the screen clean enough to see. Besides the troops on the ground during Desert Shild/Storm there were many of us very nearby that breathe this crap every day for months. I would look into the cause/effect of oils, soot on the lungs, sinus etc... but then again i am probably writing for writing sake much like my discussing this years ago. Thank you for reading (if you are)
AMSC/USN/Ret -
janet commented
How about researching why the VA is so slow and has crappy MD's as well as the FDA being complicit? This is our gov't that we fight for. What a shame.