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INDEPENDENCE DAY HOLIDAY WEEKEND -- 03, 04 & 05 JULY 2009

ATTORNEY GETS TWO YEARS FOR BRIBING VA EMPLOYEE -- Attorney paid VA employee more than $45,000 for steering contracts to his companies.

FEDERAL JURY SAYS VA MUST PAY FOR RETALIATION -- A federal jury decided the VA retaliated against four employees and awarded them $3.73 million in damages.

NOTHING TO SHOW AFTER $4MIL SPENT AT AUSTIN BRAIN LAB -- VA Whistleblower: "What really pisses me off is that nobody has been held accountable for the waste, fraud, and mismanagement ... "

VA WON'T TALK ABOUT COMPENSATION FOR INFECTED VETERANS -- VA has made no offer of any special compensation and won't comment about any potential benefit beyond continuing to provide medical care.

THURSDAY -- 02 JULY 2009

TAMMY DUCKWORTH: FROM ANGRY VETERAN TO VA SHILL -- A nice title and a good salary have turned Tammy Duckworth into the VA's "yes-woman."

BODY OF HOMELESS VET FOUND AT MURFREESBORO VA -- The veteran may have had mental and alcohol problems, but the death is being ruled accidental.

AKAKA DOESN'T USE VA, BUT OFFERS LEFT-HANDED ENDORSEMENT -- Senate Vets' Chair: "It's not that I don't want to use the VA system ... "

CNN GETS CONFIDENTIAL DoD MEMO ON TROOP PROBLEMS -- "The wounded expressed concern that ... they were stigmatized and treated as lesser Soldiers for being wounded, ill, or injured."

VETERANS Q&A with JIM STRICKLAND, #41 for 2009 -- Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland answers questions from VA Watchdog dot Org readers.

WEDNESDAY -- 01 JULY 2009

VETERANS MAY HAVE TO FIND NEW PAINKILLERS -- FDA advisers vote to ban Vicodin and Percocet, and limit use of Tylenol, because of links to liver damage.

THE VA CLAIMS BACKLOG EXPLAINED -- Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland asks: Was the VBA even looking at his medical records or was this just another attempt to back him off until he dies an early death?

A NEW MALPRACTICE CHARGE AGAINST PHILLY VA -- Veteran received prostate cancer treatment but his records do not specify the prescribed radiation dosage or his actual dosage.

VA'S LAX SECURITY OPENS DOOR TO BENEFITS FRAUD -- VAOIG report says opportunities exist to bypass internal controls to generate fraudulent large benefits payments.

TUESDAY -- 30 JUNE 2009

VAOIG: VA'S DEFECTIVE SOFTWARE IMPACTS PATIENT SAFETY -- VA Watchdog dot Org report prompts VAOIG investigation of VA's bug-ridden software upgrade.

VETERANS Q&A with JIM STRICKLAND, #40 for 2009 -- Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland answers questions from VA Watchdog dot Org readers.

OHIO VETERANS SEEK MORE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE -- In one county, financial relief applications have increased 23 per cent in 2009.

VA'S PROSTATE CANCER DOC SAYS HE'S NO "ROGUE" -- Dr. Gary Kao, who botched prostate cancer treatments at the Philly VA, says the mistakes he made are not uncommon.

MONDAY -- 29 JUNE 2009

FAMILY SEEKS PROBE OF SOLDIER'S SUICIDE -- "We want a full investigation, and we think media attention will hold the right feet to the fire so that we get one."

IN MICHIGAN, BUDGET CUTS AND MORE NEEDY VETERANS -- One county DVA Director says, "The activity load is overwhelming."

IS PTSD IN THE BRAIN OR IN THE MIND? -- Canadian researcher feels PTSD may be caused by blast induced injuries to the brain.

WEEKEND -- 27 & 28 JUNE 2009

OPINION: IT'S TIME FOR US TO RETHINK THE VA -- Simply offering veterans a Medicare card with drug benefits would allow them to choose their doctor and be treated locally.

VA CLAIMS BACKLOG AT HOUSTON ONE OF WORST IN COUNTRY -- Houston is at the heart of a growing national crisis involving the backlog of claims at the VA that's approaching a record 1 million.

WIDOW JOINS BURN PIT LAWSUIT -- The wife of a soldier who died from a brain tumor after being exposed to smoke from burn pits in Iraq joined more than a dozen Florida soldiers in a class-action lawsuit.

WEST L.A. VETS FLY FLAG UPSIDE-DOWN IN PROTEST -- It is considered a sign of distress, but VA Police may have a different opinion.

STIGMA OF "MENTAL" HEALTH SPURS ARMY NAME CHANGE -- The change from "mental health services" to "behavioral health services" seems to signal a policy shift.

VA DOCTOR IN PROSTATE DEBACLE TAKES LEAVE -- The U. of Penn. radiation oncologist at the center of the controversy about the VA's Philly prostate cancer program has taken a leave from Penn's medical school.

TOMB OF UNKNOWNS TO BE REPAIRED, NOT REPLACED -- "The commitment to restoring the authentic monument is consistent with the best of American traditions - we do not discard our national treasures."

VA'S INFECTED VETERAN COUNT NOW AT 55 -- Infected veteran tally: 12 with hepatitis B, 36 with hepatitis C and 7 with HIV.

FRIDAY -- 26 JUNE 2009

VA PUTS SPIN ON DISABILITY CLAIMS BACKLOG DATA -- The VA contends that the large figure is misleading and that it is incorrect to refer to it as backlog.

HOUSE VOTES TO LIMIT IRAQ BURN PITS -- "We should not continue to recklessly use burn pits to dispose of hazardous waste across Iraq and Afghanistan."

PHILLY VA HOSPITAL ACCREDITATION QUESTIONED -- Soon after officials closed a poor-quality prostate cancer program, the entire facility was accredited by the Joint Commission.

SUBWAY RESPONDS TO VETERAN'S FRANCHISE LOSS -- Provides information not included in published reports.

VA ENCOURAGES VETERANS TO GET HIV TEST -- "Take the Test, Take Control," is the theme of National HIV Testing Day, June 27, 2009.

VAOIG AUDITS VA'S INCOMPLETE C & P EXAMINATIONS -- If the problem of incomplete exams is not corrected, veterans will continue to experience delays in receiving their disability benefits.
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