The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to update its software that is used for when veterans check-in for their appointments.
The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to update its software that is used for when veterans check-in for their appointments. This is so that when a veteran that has more than one illness or symptom can have it entered into his computer file for the doctor to see it. At present the nurse will only take one. This does not work for a veteran with undiagnosed illness or a TBI as there are many different symptoms that the veteran may need to report he is suffering from at the same time. As many of these symptoms such as headaches, pains in shoulders, arms, legs, back, and diarrhea do materialize at the same time and need to be looked at and reported. The nurse will ask which one is bothering you the most and will enter that one into the computer and leave the rest out. This has happened to me many times over the past 19 years.
When the veteran files a claim, the rating specialist does not see that he had complained about the rest of the illnesses only the one in the system the nurse entered.
When I go to the doctor I have a multitude of problems and the nurse will only enter one item in the computer. The doctor will only talk about that one issue due to the short time he is given to see me. How can we get better care for the other 8 issues when I cannot get them into the computer?
Once the VA is able to track all the symptoms that the Gulf War veterans is having at the point of checking for each appointment will we start to understand the magnitude of the problem. This update is not that hard to do. As I have done programing in the past myself.
Once a researcher starts looks at all of the Gulf War veterans and illnesses that they have been diagnosed with (and any old depression and PTSD should be relooked at the WRIISC) or undiagnosed to see what type of pattern there is. This should be ongoing at interval of no more than 3 years over the next 28 years. Then will we understand what the environmental hazards have done to us. Tracking of the veterans and reporting of gulf war veterans has to be done in accordance to the times of deployment due to the fact that the war covers a 20+ year time frame. The environment after Khamisiyah and the oil well fires being extinguished is different than that from operation Iraqi freedom. When the air war started it blow up chemical plant and supplies where the winds sent it towards us. Desert storm was the only ones that took PB pill. OIF had some of their own exposures.
James A. Bunker
Executive Director
National Gulf War Resource Center
Toll free 866-531-7183
WWW.NGWRC.ORG
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Jim Bunker commented
Victor I never heard back.