Friday, October 22, 2010

VA Breaks Promises on Gulf War Veterans Data Report

 

VA officials Can Expect Agitated Veterans at November 1-2 RAC meetings in Boston if Completed Report is Not Public by then

Written by Anthony Hardie, 91outcomes.com

(91outcomes.com) – Gulf War veterans and many of the Institute of Medicine-reported 250,000 veterans suffering from Gulf War Illness (Gulf War Syndrome) have found encouragement at the new VA, with an internal Task Force and lengthy Task Force report and task list, a new internal Gulf War Steering Committee, and redone research proposal requests that specifically exclude stress or psychiatric studies and require a focus on treatments that would improve the health and lives of ill Gulf War veterans.

However, as noted by the VA’s Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans (ACGWV) chairman Charles Cragin, good decisions cannot be made without good data.   In its written final report, Cragin’s committee called for prompt restoration of Gulf War Veterans Information System (GWVIS) reports to provide that data.

The email chain shown below, submitted by longtime Gulf War veteran advocate Kirt Love, who requested and succeeded in seeing created the ACGWV, is regarding repeated promises, broken again and again by current VA officials regarding the GWVIS, which provide critically important data about Gulf War veterans.

On the positive side, it is good news to hear that the new report is a, “100+ page report contains a lot more statistics than the old GWVIS,” and, “The goal of the new report is to provide a more integrated and consistent set of data,” than the old GWVIS reports originally developed by legendary Gulf War veteran advocate and former VA data employee Paul Sullivan

On the negative side, however, “As such, it is taking [VA] a lot more time to validate and proof than anticipated,” says VA’s top data official.

The timeline of  VA’s newest set of broken promises, most made by VA Senior Executive Service official William Kane,  is as follows:

  • February 2009:  As a member of VA’s now-completed Gulf War Veterans’ Advisory Committee, Love requested the new GWVIS report, which was expected by committee members, the RAC, and Gulf War veterans and advocates in a timely manner.
  • February 25, 2010:  Love again requests an update, after a year has gone by.  Nearly a week later, a VA official responds to tell Love they plan on “publishing updated GWVIS reports by the end of June 2010.  We plan to publish quarterly after that.”
  • August 11, 2010.  With the June 2010 deadline now long past, Love contacts VA again.  The response from the VA official:  We have a   “targeted completion date of the end of September.”
  • September 24, 2010.  Love asks VA if the “end of September” date is still valid. The official responds saying, “It will probably be more like early October.”
  • October 18, 2010.   With the “end of September” and “early October” deadlines now past, Love contacts VA yet again.    Three days later, a top VA data official responds, “I am expecting the remaining validation work and concurrence process to take approximately 2 weeks,” meaning early November at the earliest.
  • October 21, 2010.  A justifiably frustrated Love publishes the email chain of more broken promises at Gulflink. 

It should be noted that on November 1-2, 2010, the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses will meet in Boston, Mass.  VA officials should expect justifiably pointed questions from highly agitated Gulf War veteran members and other advocates if the very long overdue GWVIS has not been finalized and publicly released before that time.

The full text of Kirt Love’s email chain is available below and from Love’s “gulflink” Yahoo group, at:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/11977

MORE INFORMATION: 

----------------------

From: Kirt Love [mailto:kirt@gulflink.org]
Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 11:03 AM
To: Kane, William (SES), VBAVACO
Subject: Fw: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals

Mr. Kane
My name is Kirt P. Love, disabled veteran. Founder and member
of the VA ACGWV committee that concluded in September 2009.
Short and sweet, I sent a email into VBA requesting a answer about
discrepancies in the GWVIS report released Feb 2009. The numbers
compared flaws from the Feb 2008 report to the Aug 2008 report.
In May I pushed harder and Thomas Kniffen got involved. There
was a subcommittee meeting of the ACGWV with VBA on June
30th to discuss the state of report errors. I attended.
Its been 8 months since that meeting and one year since I sent
the original email into VA on this topic. I understand that this has
been in debate for some time over coding issues at VBA.
Will there be a timeline for the updated reports being released?
Will the 2009 report coincide with this?
Will the VBA website post this information with a explanation
of what transpired?
http://www.vba.va.gov/REPORTS/gwvis/index.asp
I imagine some of this will be shared with Jim Binns at the RAC
meeting next week. As I share information with Jim on what took
place with my committee.
Thank you for your time and attention.
                                                Sincerely
                                                Kirt P. Love
                                                Director, DSBR
                                                        former member of the ACGWV committee

 

----------------------

----- Original Message -----
From: Kane, William (SES), VBAVACO
To: kirt@gulflink.org
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 11:39 AM
Subject: RE: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals

    In case you were not present at the 2 Mar RACGWVI meeting, we committed to a goal of publishing updated GWVIS reports by the end of June 2010.  We plan to publish quarterly after that.  As before, we'll post the reports on our website.  Thanks for your interest in the matter.

-------------------

From: Kirt Love <kirt@gulflink.org>
To: Kane, William (SES), VBAVACO
Sent: Wed Aug 11 11:24:27 2010
Subject: Re: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals

Mr. William
It is August 11th 2010, it has been 14 months since
the ACGWV met with VBA about the GWVIS report
issues.
The March RAC meeting you promised a June delivery
date for the updated GWVIS. It is now mid August
and not even a explanation.
Is there a publication date?
                                            Sincerely
                                            Kirt P. Love
                                            Director, DSBR
                                                Former member VA ACGWV committee

--------------

----- Original Message -----
From: Kane, William (SES), VBAVACO
To: kirt@gulflink.org
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 11:25 AM
Subject: Re: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals


Thanks for your follow-up note.

It was decided that rather than resuming publication of the GWVIS report, a new report would be generated by the Office of Policy and Planning (OPP). The goal of the new report is to provide a more integrated and consistent set of data.

We are currently working with OPP and other VA offices to generate the report with a targeted completion date of the end of September.

Thanks again for your interest.

---------

 

From: Kirt Love [mailto:kirt@gulflink.org]
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 1:19 PM
To: Kane, William (SES), VBAVACO
Subject: Re: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals

Is this still on for the end of September?
                                Sincerely
                                Kirt P. Love
                                Director, DSBR

---------------------

----- Original Message -----
From: Kane, William (SES), VBAVACO
To: kirt@gulflink.org
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 1:15 PM
Subject: RE: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals

    It will probably be more like early October.  The draft report was prepared and is being reviewed internally with comments due on 9/28.  Depending on the nature of the comments and the time it takes for corrections, the release could be later than 30 September.

-------------------------

From: Kirt Love [mailto:kirt@gulflink.org]
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 12:48 PM
To: Kane, William (SES), VBAVACO
Subject: Re: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals

Its now mid October, is this about to go out?
                                        Sincerely
                                        Kirt P. Love
                                        Director, DSBR

 

----------------------

----- Original Message -----
From: Tran, Dat (SES) VACO
To: kirt@gulflink.org
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2010 4:29 PM
Subject: RE: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals

Kirt:
VA analysts are still going through the draft report to validate all the statistics and proof all the narratives. This 100+ page report contains a lot more statistics than the old GWVIS. As such, it is taking us a lot more time to validate and proof than anticipated.
Once the validation is completed, we will circulate the report internally for final review and concurrence. I am expecting the remaining validation work and concurrence process to take approximately 2 weeks. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  Hope all is well with you. As soon as the report is concurred internally for release, I’ll let you know.
Best,
Dat

 

------------------------------

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kirt Love <kirt@gulflink.org>
Date: Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 10:05 PM
Subject: Fw: February 2008 vs August 2008 GWVIS report totals - new GWVIS report
To: Gulflink <gulflink@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: Jim Binns, rac@bu.edu, ANTHONY HARDIE,

Dear Readers
See what I meant. VA knows that to make this go
away they need this report to hit in November. Congress
is out for the holiday season and nothing gets going
again until March 2011. They want this to go out silent
and be ignored as long as possible. The last year
is the hint based on there past track record.
I told you all they would continue to stall. I told you
that they wouldnt make the September, and then
October deadlines.
There is even conflicting internal information on the
status of this report. As another department person
had said this was already in concurrence. Now Dat
is saying its back in review.
I have little faith the report will have teeth. But, it is
also a reflection on Gingrich and his task force much
less the bad lip my committee gave it. Just have
to see, as the word "Narratives" has gotten my
attention. That usually means some at least some
investigation work requiring oration.
Well, you wont see this anywhere else but "Gulflink".
                                            Sincerely
                                            Kirt P. Love
                                            Director, DSBR

No comments: