This year, like most years, our office received calls from veterans who served in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and in combat zones across the globe.
They don’t call us because their loved ones were injured overseas, they call us because their loved ones were injured by negligent and substandard medical care here in Virginia. Care provided at Virginia Veterans Administration Hospitals and facilities.
More than once we have heard tales of miraculous survival in the face of enemy fire, only to return home and have poor medical care change their physical health forever.
The families and victims are often angered by the substandard care, as they should be. Isn’t the point of the VA Medical system to serve those who have given so much? But is it really service when the health care providers make obvious mistakes, fail to provide adequate treatment, fail to consult with necessary outside experts, or provide preventative care?
Our office has heard tragic stories about young and old veterans who have been permanently injured, or worse, their lives have been lost due to medical negligence. Surgical mistakes. Diagnosis errors. Failure to refer patients in need of emergency care. Cases where providers failed to ask about patient’s health history or consult electronic medical records which would reflect medication needs.
Our office investigates, files and litigates medical malpractice actions against the VA and their staff. We help families from the very beginning, completing Form-95 (Federal Tort Claim Act paperwork), hiring experts, negotiating with Department of Justice, filing suit in Federal Court, and trying cases before Federal Judges.
So in honor of this Veterans Day – we solute those soldiers and sailors who have given much, and we join the call with thousands demanding that when they return home, they receive not just adequate medical care, but the best available.
Is that asking too much? We don’t think so.
#vertansday #theydeservebetter
