MISSOULA – A Missoula vascular surgeon who operates vein and surgery centers in Missoula and Kalispell has agreed to pay the federal government $3.7 million to settle alleged False Claims Act violations that he performed medically unnecessary surgeries based on improper techniques and submitted fraudulent bills for payment to federal health care programs, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said today.

Dr. David Bellamah, and his business, Bellamah Vein & Surgery, PLLC, doing business as Bellamah Vein Center, has entered into a civil settlement agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Defense Health Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs and a third party, Lenore Lezanne. The terms of the settlement agreement require Bellamah and his company to pay a settlement amount of $3,746,324. The settlement agreement resolves a civil complaint alleging violations of the False Claims Act and other common law claims. The civil complaint in intervention was filed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana along with a stipulation to dismiss the case.

“This civil settlement resolves claims of using improper techniques and unnecessary medical procedures to create and submit false claims to four federal health care programs. Submitting false claims for unnecessary procedures increases the cost of providing services to people who really need it. Had the United States known the truth, it would not have paid such claims. We will investigate and hold accountable medical providers who try to enrich themselves through false billing to federal health benefit programs. I want to thank our office’s health care fraud investigation team, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI for their work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Johnson said.

“Performing medically unnecessary surgeries risks the health and wellbeing of patients, compromises the integrity of federal health care programs, and increases the financial burden on taxpayers,” stated Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “Working closely with our partners, HHS-OIG will continue to safeguard the integrity of federal health care programs by investigating individuals who seek to exploit them.”

“David Bellamah’s alleged actions violated the oath held sacred by physicians,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Health care fraud affects all Americans and the FBI remains committed to doing our part to combat it.”

The United States contended in court documents that its civil claims against Bellamah and his company arose from him billing for certain services that were medically unnecessary and based on false medical records from January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2017. Bellamah specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of venous reflux disease and varicose veins.

In March 2018, Lezanne, who was a sonographer formerly employed at Bellamah Vein Center, filed a suit in U.S. District Court against Bellamah Vein and Surgery, Bellamah and others alleging Bellamah received government funds for performing unnecessary venous procedures based on inaccurate medical records. The United States partially intervened in the case.

In its complaint, the United States alleged that Bellamah and staff at Bellamah Vein Center used improper techniques to conduct and analyze ultrasounds and used false ultrasound findings to conduct and bill for medically unreasonable and unnecessary services related to the diagnosis and treatment of venous reflux disease and varicose veins. The government contends that Bellamah submitted false claims to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medicare and Medicaid programs, the Department of Defense’s TRICARE program and the Department Veterans Affairs’ CHAMPVA program.

The Settlement Agreement directs Bellamah to pay the United States $3,746,324, plus interest if applicable, of which $1,923,861 is restitution and the remaining $1,822,463 is settlement of additional damages. If the settlement amount is paid in full within 21 days of the effective date of the Settlement Agreement, no interest shall be charged. Otherwise, Bellamah shall make payments, plus interest, over five years. Upon receiving the settlement amounts, the United States will pay Lezanne 17 percent of each payment as her share of the settlement.

The Settlement Agreement is neither an admission of liability by Bellamah nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Kakuk represented the United States in this matter, which was investigated by office’s health care fraud investigation team, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI, with additional assistance from the Defense Health Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.

PACER case reference. 18-57-M-DLC

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A study into the immune responses of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines found that Moderna’s vaccine created twice as many antibodies as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Researchers analyzed the antibody levels of Belgium health care workers after they received both doses of the vaccines, including 688 vaccinated with Moderna and 959 who received the Pfizer shots, in the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday.

Among those who had not been previously infected, the Moderna recipients averaged 2,881 units per milliliter, compared to the Pfizer recipients who counted 1,108 units per milliliter.

Participants who previously contracted COVID-19 reported higher antibody levels, raising the overall average among all participants to 3,836 units per milliliter for Moderna and 1,444 units per milliliter for Pfizer.

The antibody levels in those who received Moderna were higher in infected, uninfected and across age categories, according to the study.

The researchers said the difference in antibody levels could potentially be attributed to the higher mRNA content within the Moderna vaccine and the longer interval between the initial and second shots. The second vaccine of Moderna is given four weeks after the first shot, while the Pfizer vaccine is administered three weeks following the initial shot.

The antibody testing was conducted before vaccination and six to 10 weeks after the second dose. The study found the levels to be negatively correlated with age in those who hadn’t been previously infected, with the highest antibody levels among those younger than 35.

This research follows a preprint study released ahead of peer review earlier this month that suggested that the Moderna vaccine’s effectiveness dropped to 76 percent and the Pfizer shot’s effectiveness fell to 42 percent in July when the delta variant had taken hold in the U.S.

That preliminary study from the Mayo Clinic emphasized that both vaccines still are highly protective against infection and serious illness. The research was also accompanied by a notice that the early findings “should not be used to guide clinical practice.”

In the U.S., more than 94 million people are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, and more than 65 million are fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine. Another 14 million have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Five Vietnam combat Veterans and three Veterans’ organizations filed a class action lawsuit in federal court on March 3, 2014 seeking relief for tens of thousands of Vietnam Veterans who developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during their military service and subsequently received an other than honorable discharge.

On November 14, 2014, the claims of the five named Plaintiffs were remanded to their respective record correction boards for reconsideration on an expedited schedule ordered by the Court and in light of a Department of Defense policy change issued on September 3, 2014. The Court also dismissed the claims of the organizational Plaintiffs without prejudice to refiling the case. In spring 2015, the respective record correction boards granted upgrades in all five remanded cases. For more information, please follow the links below.

• Resources for Veterans Seeking Discharge Upgrades
• Updates
• Case Filings

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NEWARK, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, doctor was charged today for his participation in a scheme to receive bribes and kickbacks from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for unlawfully prescribing large volumes of a powerful fentanyl narcotic, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Mukaram Gazi, 51, of Marlboro, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks; one count of receiving kickbacks; one count of health care fraud; and one count of conspiring to unlawfully distribute dangerous narcotics.

According to the indictment:

Gazi owned and maintained a urology practice with locations in Freehold, Hamilton, Howell, and Toms River, New Jersey. Gazi solicited and received more than $130,000 in bribes and kickbacks from Insys Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company based in Arizona, in exchange for prescribing its drug Subsys, a powerful opioid narcotic designed to rapidly enter a patient’s bloodstream upon being sprayed under the tongue. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Subsys solely for the “management of breakthrough pain in cancer patients who are already receiving and who are tolerant to around the clock therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain.”

Gazi did not treat patients who were suffering from breakthrough cancer pain and was not in the practice of prescribing fentanyl-based pain medications. However, in exchange for bribes and kickbacks from Insys Therapeutics, he began prescribing Subsys to a number of patients for whom Subsys was medically unnecessary.

The bribes and kickbacks Gazi accepted for prescribing Subsys were disguised as payments for educational presentations regarding Subsys that Gazi purportedly provided to licensed practitioners. In reality, these presentations were a sham – they often functioned as social events at restaurants, lacked the appropriate audience of licensed practitioners who could prescribe Subsys, and many of the purported signatures on the speaker program sign-in sheets were forged. Gazi also prescribed high-dosage Adderall to a pharmacy owner who filled many of his Subsys prescriptions, as well as the pharmacy owner’s significant other, to induce the pharmacy owner to continue filling his Subsys prescriptions.

Gazi also caused the submission of fraudulent claims to Medicare, New Jersey Medicaid, and other health insurance providers for the prescriptions of Subsys and Adderall that he wrote, which were induced through kickbacks, medically unnecessary, and not eligible for reimbursement. He also conspired with others to distribute these powerful narcotics outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents and investigators of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark; special agents of the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert; special agents the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s indictment.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Baker of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit, and Senior Trial Counsel David Malagold, of the Cybercrime Unit, in Newark.

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NEWARK, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man today admitted he defrauded the Department of Veterans Affairs of over $200,0000 in survivor’s pension benefits over 12 years, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Melvin Greenspan, 72, of Perrineville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conversion of government funds.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs provided survivor’s pension benefits to Greenspan’s mother because of Greenspan’s father’s prior military service. Those benefits, intended only for surviving spouses of military members, were made through electronic funds transfers into Greenspan’s mother’s bank account beginning in September 1971 and continuing after that date. After Greenspan’s mother died in 2006, Greenspan did not notify the Department of Veterans Affairs about his mother’s death and made withdrawals of the survivor’s pension benefits from his mother’s bank account between 2006 and 2018, totaling $201,166.

The charge of conversion of government funds carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 22, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of the Violent Crimes Unit in Newark.

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Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran is preparing to take over as chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee in January. The Kansas City Star reports that the Republican's top issues will be suicide prevention and ensuring Veterans get the care they deserve when suffering from cancer and other illnesses tied to toxic exposure.

Moran says he will be leaning on Veterans to help him set the committee's agenda. He's served on the committee since joining the Senate in 2011 and says most of the Veterans legislation he's pursued has originated with Kansas Veterans. He will replace retired Georgia GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson.

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has increased health protection requirements in at least 21 bases in recent weeks, particularly across Texas and Florida, as the COVID-19 rate continues to spike among service members, more than doubling in the last month.

The escalating numbers mirror the increase in coronavirus cases in the general public across the country, where more than 4 million people have contracted the virus, and more than 144,000 have died. The military, however, still has a dramatically low death rate, losing three service members — including just one active-duty — out of nearly 23,000 virus cases so far.

The moves to higher alert levels at the defense installations are somewhat limited because the military as a whole has been much slower to loosen pandemic restrictions than cities and states around the country, particularly sections of the South and West facing record infection levels.

That more cautious approach has endured despite President Donald Trump repeatedly urging businesses to reopen and the country to get back to normal to ease economic woes. Trump has also pressed for schools to go back to in-person classes in the fall, threatening to link federal funding to reopenings. That plan has little support in Congress, and has been widely opposed by parents and teachers.

“I find that each base does things a little bit different, and they’ve adapted very carefully,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said when he traveled to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri this week. The base is home to the B-2 bomber fleet, and Esper’s trip was part of an effort to check on how the military’s strategic nuclear forces are coping with the pandemic.

Defense leaders say the recent spike has not affected the military’s ability to train or respond when needed. It will, however, affect decisions on whether Defense Department schools will have in-person classes or not. Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, told reporters this week that bases at the most restrictive levels will likely have virtual learning.

According to data obtained by The Associated Press, more than 45% of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps installations around the globe are currently at what is called “health condition Charlie,” which involves “substantial risk” of “sustained community transmission” of the virus. A significant number of those bases are spread across the South and West and have stayed at or gone back to level C. That’s one step below the most restrictive level, on a scale that goes from Zero to Level D — Severe.

Under level C, base access and travel is significantly restricted, in-person gatherings such as school and other activities are likely cancelled, and more people must work from home. Service members are told to prepare for “limited access” to supplies and services. Under level B, social distancing and other health procedures are still recommended, but more movement, travel and in-person gatherings are allowed. Service members are told to avoid “unnecessary travel,” particularly to virus hot zones.

Nearly all the rest of the bases are at level B, which is moderate risk, and a small number of very remote bases, such as Air Force installations in Norway and Greenland, are at level A-plus.

“We’ve seen some places that initially went to green that have gone back up in some of these states where we’ve seen a dramatic rise in the number of COVID infections,” said Hoffman.

The Air Force has had the most installations — 14 — that reduced restrictions this spring only to have to revert back to a higher protection level in recent weeks due to the surge in cases. The Navy went back to level C at four locations this month, while the Army and Marine Corps each has had only had one base increase restrictions after having loosened them earlier in the year. One joint Navy/Air Force base in New Orleans also reduced restrictions.

The military has relied largely on its local commanders to make decisions about their base restrictions. For example, Army, Navy and Marine commanders had loosened restrictions at those bases in Japan, but reversed those decisions this month.

Capt. Monica Witt, a Marine spokeswoman, said that following local outbreaks, all Marine forces in Okinawa were barred from going off base. She said access to base facilities, such as fitness areas, was also limited.

In order to relax restrictions and go to a lower level, bases must see a downward trend in coronavirus cases over a 14-day period in the area and confirm that there is sufficient hospital space and access to medical care.

Military cases of COVID-19 increased steadily through the spring, but began to escalate more sharply in June, jumping by about 3,000 or more a week. Some of that may be due to increased testing, but military leaders also noted spikes in areas where the surrounding communities had begun to open up.

The Navy was most dramatically affected by the virus when a massive outbreak on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt grounded the ship in Guam and kept it out of service in the Pacific — a top national security priority — for about 10 weeks. Lately, however, the Air Force has seen the largest jump in cases, more than tripling the number from less than 1,000 a month ago to more than 3,500 this week.

The Army, the largest service, more than doubled its numbers, from less than 3,000 to nearly 7,500. And the Marine Corps saw a similar jump from less than 1,000 to 2,600. The Navy went from a bit more than 3,000 to nearly 5,800 over the same time period.

“Commanders are ensuring our formations, including equipment, stay ready in this time of crisis” while adhering to CDC and Defense Department guidelines, said Terry Mann, an Army spokesman. The guidelines include mask-wearing, social distancing and controlling the number of people in enclosed areas.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday passed 2,000 patient deaths from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, even as the number of seriously ill cases at their hospitals continued to decline.

More than 2,040 VA patients have died from complications related to the virus since early March, when the first death at a department medical center was reported. That total translates into about 17 patient deaths a day for the last four months.

Despite recent increases in states like Texas, Florida and Arizona, VA hospitals in New York and New Jersey have still seen the most patient deaths from the fast-spreading illness.

The VA New Jersey Health Care System (centered just outside New York City) experienced 113 patient deaths since the start of the outbreak. The New York Harbor VA Health Care System and VA hospital in the Bronx, both inside the city’s borders, have seen 105 patient deaths and 85 patient deaths, respectively.

Among all VA patients, about 5.5 percent of individuals who contract the virus eventually died from complications related to the illness. That number had been as high as 8.5 percent as recently as mid-June.

Nationally, the fatality rate is about 3.5 percent. However, VA officials have said the mortality data for their patients “cannot be used to compare VA infection or mortality rates with the community because of differences in population risk, test availability, and follow-up.”

Active coronavirus cases among VA patients remain up significantly from early June, when department officials saw the lowest rates of infection since the start of the pandemic.

As of Monday evening, more than 6,213 VA patients had active cases of coronavirus, up 49 percent from the start of July and nearly 347 percent since the start of June.

However, that total was down about 2 percent from a week earlier, and the totals in recent days have shown some leveling off after more than a month of steady rises in active cases.

VA officials have noted that despite the rise in cases, the number of seriously ill patients being treated for coronavirus complications at department hospitals has seen decreases in recent weeks.

VA press secretary Christina Noel said that as of Monday, the department was caring for 267 coronavirus patients within intensive care units (an increase of 25 individuals in the last week) and 392 patients in acute care units (a decrease of 79 individuals in the last week).

She said the hospitalization rate among VA patients has reached its lowest levels since the pandemic began, with only 18 percent of positive cases requiring hospitalization in June, less than half the 38 percent rate seen in March.

Fourteen VA medical center sites currently have more than 100 active coronavirus cases among their patients, including five separate sites in Texas.

The department has only released limited demographic data about coronavirus patients, but this week confirmed earlier press reports that the illness appears to affect Black and Hispanic patients more than other races.

Among VA cases so far, 46 percent of Veterans with positive coronavirus tests were white, 34 percent were Black, 13 percent were Hispanic. About 5 percent of Veterans nationwide identify as Hispanic and 9 percent as Black.

However, Noel said officials have not seen any such disparities among the death rate in coronavirus cases.

The department has stepped up coronavirus testing in recent months, with nearly 450,000 patients tested since the outbreak began. In May VA officials averaged 2,745 tests per day. By the end of June, that figure was up to 4,356 daily.

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More than 47,000 troops and Veterans will see some of their federal student loan debt erased thanks to new policies announced by the Department of Education on Friday.

“Brave men and women in uniform serving our country can now focus on doing their jobs and coming home safely, not filling out more paperwork to access their hard-earned benefits,” Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray said in a statement announcing the change.

“We will seek to reduce red tape for service members wherever possible.”

Under previously passed legislation, any troops who deployed to overseas combat zones and hostile fire areas could have interest on many federal student loans waived. The rules include student loans first paid out after Oct. 1, 2008.

For some individuals, that extra interest can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. But until now, getting those additional fees waived required lengthy paperwork proving past military service and deployments.

Department of Education officials said fewer than 5,000 service members and Veterans requested the interest fees be waived in recent years.

The new policy change shifts the burden from student Veterans and troops to federal officials. Under a new data sharing agreement announced by the Departments of Defense and Education, federal processors can identify federal student loan borrowers who serve on active duty by matching records to DOD’s personnel files.

“As a result, the department can automatically provide the student loan interest benefit to eligible service members,” education officials said in a statement. “Today’s announcement means that service members are not required to take any action to receive the interest rate benefit.”

Loan recipients should see the changes appear automatically in their accounts. Individuals with questions can contact Department of Education officials with questions regarding the benefit.

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The countdown to the VHA Innovation Experience continues

For VA, innovation is much more than improving care for Veterans. It’s about exceeding Veteran expectations, restoring their hope, building trust, and ultimately, changing and saving Veteran lives.

Both the promise and reality of innovation will be on full display when 80 VHA employees from across the country demonstrate their innovative practices at the VHA Innovation Experience (iEx), October 22 and 23 in Washington, DC.

Improving Health Outcomes

Discovered and supported through the VHA Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE) portfolio programs, the 80+ practices are driving change in three major health domains: Research, Clinical, and Health Enabling Technology. From increasing access to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) care to advances in wheelchair technology, VHA is transforming Veteran care on several fronts.

Come see for yourself how VHA is transforming care, empowering employees, and building excitement at VA Medical Centers nationwide. During the iEx Demos, you will see and experience firsthand:

• Innovation in Action. Each VHA employee innovator will receive five minutes to demo their innovation, explain how it improves care for Veterans, how employees deliver the care, and how VHA delivers on its promise of “Your Care is our Mission.”
• Innovation Discovery. VA leaders, private sector experts, the public, and Veterans will discover, learn about, and share in the incredible work being done through VHA IE.
• Innovating for Impact. Throughout all three tracks both days, judges will be listening to VHA employee innovators’ ideas, work, and solutions. The presenters will share the outcomes and effects of their work with subject matter experts from the public and private sectors serving as evaluators.
• Celebrating Employee Ingenuity. Based on their expert evaluations, VHA leadership will select the top demos in each of the three tracks. Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge, VHA, will recognize the top demo presenters during the VHA iEx Awards Ceremony.

You Won’t Want to Miss iEx!

Registration is now open or you can experience the innovation live by watching the demonstrations on VA’s YouTube page. Make sure to follow along by subscribing to the VHA Innovation Ecosystem’s email below and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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The financial outlook for military families facing an emergency is grim, a new report says.

More than a quarter of all military families — 27.4 percent — currently serving active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard have less than $500 socked away in emergency savings or could have no emergency savings set up, according to the latest Military Family Support Programming Survey released Thursday.

Military retirees who are receiving pensions didn’t fare much better, with just over 22 percent of respondents claiming they have less than $500 saved away for emergencies.

Among Veteran families who are not receiving a pension, the numbers are even more dire. Nearly half of those respondents, 49.2 percent, said they had less than $500 in emergency savings, or no emergency savings at all.

When asked what was preventing the families from bolstering their savings account, respondents provided a variety of answers:

“Having three kids. If they aren’t wearing the money, they are eating it,” a Marine Corps spouse said, according to the survey.

“Being based in an area with a high cost of living and no COLA,” an Air Force spouse said.

“Not enough of it, we barely can pay basic bills,” an Army Veteran spouse said. “We only have his disability income. I can’t work due to needs of him and kids.”

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Veterans unemployment rose again in November even as the national jobless rate decreased slightly, with about 35,000 more Veterans reporting problems finding work than the month before.

On Friday the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the Veterans unemployment rate rose from 3.0 percent in October to 3.4 percent in November. The rise among Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars era was even larger, jumping from 3.5 percent to 4.7 percent.

The estimates translate into about 310,000 Veterans nationwide looking for work, a figure that has fluctuated throughout the year. In the first half of 2019, the BLS estimates on Veterans unemployment were below 3.0 percent for four consecutive months, but have risen slowly since then.

The national unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent in November, matching its lowest mark of the year.

Employment experts have cautioned against focusing too closely on monthly changes in unemployment for sub-groups within the Labor Department’s surveys of American workers, because small changes in sample sizes can produce significant moves in the numbers.

And even with the rise in overall Veterans unemployment, November marked the 19th month in a row that Veterans unemployment has been lower than the national rate. That figure hasn’t been above the national civilian rate since December 2016.

About 8.9 million Veterans are in the American workforce today, according to BLS estimates. About 9.5 million Veterans are out of the labor force, either because of age or injuries.

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DOVER, Del. — Two more wells near a military base in Delaware have elevated levels of chemical contaminants, according to state environmental officials.

Delaware’s environmental protection department was recently notified by officials at Dover Air Force Base that the wells near the base may have levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, above federal advisory levels of 70 parts per trillion.

The notifications come after high levels of PFOS and PFOA were found in four other wells near the base last summer. One of those wells had a PFOS level of 168,000 parts per trillion and a PFOA level of 2,460 parts per trillion, according to a document provided to The Associated Press. The Air Force is continuing to provide alternative water supply to those properties.

The owners of the more recently tested wells, which provide water to a single commercial business, also are being provided bottled water.

Officials said Tuesday that samples taken at 10 other wells indicated PFOS and PFOA levels below the EPA’s health advisory level.

PFOA and PFOS are among a class of man-made compounds known as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The compounds have been used in a variety of consumer and industrial products, including nonstick cookware, stain- and water-resistant fabrics, food packaging and, notably, firefighting foam that has been used at military bases across the country.

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Nearly 80 percent of Veterans surveyed said they trust the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver their health care and benefits, a significant jump over past years’ levels according to federal officials.

The level matches the rate VA researchers found one year ago. As recently as 2016, only about 55 percent over Veterans surveyed said they had confidence in the department’s operations.

John Boerstler, VA’s chief Veterans experience officer, called the improvement since then an encouraging sign for the agency.

“These types of comments are incredibly important to us to know what’s going right and also what’s going wrong, so we can solve those important issues,” he said. “And so we’re continuing to ask all Veterans who are enrolled to fill out these surveys when they receive them, because we’re listening.”

The latest responses come from a survey of more than 257,000 Veterans nationwide who were asked by VA to rate their recent interactions with VA staff, including initial claim filings, appeals and health care appointments.

VA began focusing on better customer service and more internal assessments following the 2014 wait time scandal which forced the resignation of then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and caused widespread negative response to the department.

The surveys began during the final year of President Barack Obama’s term in office and continued throughout President Donald Trump’s administration, showing improvement during both.

The responses do not include Veterans outside the VA system, and participation in the survey was voluntary. As such, many individuals who are unhappy with VA or untrusting of the department could be self-selecting out of the surveys. The number of those individuals is unknown.

But the data has been collected in the same way each quarter for the last five years, showing a steady improvement over that time.

VA officials have collected more than 6 million surveys from Veterans over the last five years, but are making most of that data public for the first time now in an effort to increase transparency into their efforts at reform and improvements.

“As we continue to learn more about different populations that we know we can serve better and make VA a safer, more trustworthy, more respectful place for their care and for their benefits delivery, we’re going to continue to do that,” Boerstler said.

The survey showed some disparity among Veterans based on age and gender. Men were more likely to trust VA than women (80 percent to 74 percent). Veterans 50 and older were more trusting of the department (80 percent plus for all age groups) than Veterans 49 and younger (75 percent or lower for all age groups).

Differences between races were insignificant. Boerstler said the department is working on additional surveys to dig deeper into potential challenges and differences based on Veterans’ ethnicities.

The ongoing surveys — 88 are being circulated among Veterans connected to the VA system at the moment — will also be used to troubleshoot initiatives such as future vaccination efforts and new benefits deliveries.

Boerstler noted even with the 79 percent trust level, the negative side of the survey still translates into tens of thousands of Veterans with issues that the department needs to improve.

“[Veterans] can contact their patient advocate’s office … and when a Veteran leaves a compliment or concern or recommendation, we do follow up and address that,” he said. “We are not only learning and adjusting the delivery of care and benefits based on the feedback, but we do want to make sure they know they are being heard.”

The trust data is available at a new page on the VA web site.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Bluewater Toxicology, LLC, a clinical laboratory in Mount Washington, Ky., has agreed to pay $1,252,403.40 to resolve civil allegations that it violated the False Claims Act, a federal law that prohibits submitting false or fraudulent claims to the federal government.

According to the settlement agreement, the Unites States alleged three issues relating to claims for urine drug testing services that Bluewater submitted to Medicare, Kentucky Medicaid, Indiana Medicaid, TRICARE, and CHAMPVA. First, the United States alleged that Bluewater submitted claims that mispresented the number of drug classes tested. Specifically, the United States contended that from January 2016, through September 2018, Bluewater submitted claims for definitive urine drug tests of 22 or more drug classes. The United States alleged that these claims were false because Bluewater tested for fewer than 22 drug classes. By billing as if they tested for a greater number of classes, Bluewater secured higher reimbursements to which it was not entitled.

Second, the United States alleged that from January 2016, through December 2017, Bluewater submitted certain claims without sufficient documentation to support the treating medical physician’s intent to order the test that was billed. By billing for these tests, Bluewater again secured reimbursements to which it was not entitled.

Finally, the United States alleged that Bluewater billed Medicare for specimen validity testing, a quality control process used to analyze a urine specimen to ensure that it has not been diluted or adulterated. Since January 2014, Medicare’s guidance has stated that specimen validity testing should not be separately billed to Medicare. The United States alleged that Bluewater nonetheless submitted claims to Medicare for specimen validity testing during the period October 2014 to May 2016.

“Whenever the valuable resources of government health care programs are dissipated, to those who are not entitled to them, that diminishes the ability of these critically important programs to meet the needs of their beneficiaries,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “We must all remain committed to doing our part to protect the fiscal security of these vital resources.”

This matter arose from Bluewater’s self-disclosure of false claims for urine drug testing services. Because Bluewater self-disclosed the misconduct, it was able to resolve its liability for only 1.5 times the amount of monetary loss caused by its false claims. By statute, the False Claims Act imposes liability for three times the amount of loss suffered by the government.

Healthcare providers may voluntarily disclose self-discovered evidence of fraud to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General. More information about how to self-disclose misconduct under the Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol is available at https://oig.hhs.gov/compliance/self-disclosure-info/protocol.asp.

The United States also encourages anyone with information about potential fraud, abuse, or mismanagement of Medicare or Medicaid funds to call the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ hotline at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477). False Claims Act allegations can also be brought under the qui tam provisions of the Act, which encourage whistleblowers to bring suit on behalf of the United States and potentially share in any financial recovery.

This investigation was conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control, the Indiana Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Defense Health Agency’s Program Integrity Division, and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Meghan Stubblebine.

The settlement resolves claims asserted by the United States; there has been no determination of liability.

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How one Vietnam Veteran found help with VA support groups

Kelley Russell, PhD., says that Veterans are particularly vulnerable to stress because of their past experiences. She notes that past stressors can continue to follow them through life and create behaviors like hypervigilance, quick response, avoidance, depression, irritability, and others. And, feeling stressed can create false alarms that start these feelings and behaviors which do not help you deal with it.

So, how does Russell move forward?

“I have found many ways of dealing with stress over the years,” she says. “I exercise, do breathing techniques, and practice mindfulness. But even with all that, I feel I could do with a little help from time to time.”

Russell is a clinical psychologist who meets many Veterans reporting feeling stressed or anxious. “It’s important to realize that stress is a natural part of life,” she says. “Everyone should feel stressed sometimes. Stress can be good in that it motivates us perhaps to deal with things – but you just need to be reflective and aware when that stress is becoming too much.”

According to Russell, stress can come from physical threats, like a bear or a car coming towards you or some threat you anticipate, like thinking you are going to lose your job. When that happens, Russell says your brain dumps stress chemicals to make you respond. This can make your heart race faster, make you sweat, or make you worry and have negative thoughts.

Past stressors can create continuing behaviors

Navy Veteran John Leaf (above) experienced a lot of stress during his service time off the coast of Vietnam. As a quartermaster, he says he would go on “suicide missions” into territory with waters that were not charted accurately.

Leaf says that he dealt with his stress over the years by throwing himself into work and looking for something to hide his stress. He enjoys cooking and baking as a relaxing activity. In the photo above, Leaf proudly displays his latest batch of crabapple jelly.

“I would work at one thing and then I would find myself jumping to another thing and then jumping to another thing,” Leaf says.

Support groups help manage stress

Eventually, Leaf started going to support groups at Alaska VA Healthcare. He attended groups on wellness and mindfulness, yoga, and one dealing with anxiety and depression. He met many other Veterans going through similar things and was able to use these and other resources to help manage his stress.

During his time in service, Leaf says many could not get help with their stress. “It’s very, very difficult to say, ‘I need help,’ and many times it was considered unmanly to say. It might not have been written but it was a very, very strong unwritten rule.”

Now Leaf encourages Veterans to get the help they need if stress is overwhelming them.

For help, there are free VA apps like the Mindfulness Coach app or the Moving Forward app to deal with stress.

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MSNBC host Joy Reid tweeted Thursday about reports that the proposed emergency spending bill from House Democrats to combat the coronavirus outbreak was halted over a dispute involving abortion.

According to White House officials, the administration had not supported the House bill as it was drafted. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin continues to work with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. on changing some language.

One senior administration official said described it as "serious concerns." Among issues cited: Medicaid increases with no structural reform, no Hyde protections, and PREP act language.

Reid took to Twitter and reacted to one of her colleague's reporting on the dust-up between Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

"Wow... @kasie just reported that Republicans' objections to the House Democrats' emergency coronavirus bill include issues related to abortion. What does that have to do with COVID19...?" Reid asked.

The Daily Caller reported on Thursday that Pelosi sought funding as what was described as a "loophole" around the Hyde Amendment, which outlaws taxpayer-funded abortions, among other things included in the bill.

"One was a mandate for up to $1 billion to reimburse laboratory claims, which White House officials say would set a precedent of health spending without protections outlined in the Hyde Amendment," Daily Caller senior White House correspondent Christian Datoc reported.

Others joined Reid in tweeting about the alleged funding.

"This pretty much sums everything up: @realDonaldTrump is moving quickly to protect Americans from coronavirus and its economic impact... Democrats are spending their time trying to create an abortion slush fund!" Donald Trump Jr. reacted.

"Using this crisis as a vehicle for appropriate tax dollars that can be spent on abortions is about as gross as it can possibly get. Appropriate only what’s needed. No more and definitely no less," author Jason Hasson tweeted.

"Pelosi wanted to sneak in a billion dollars in funding for abortion programs through the coronavirus stimulus package. Don’t ever tell me the Democrats aren’t politicizing this situation," Human Events managing editor Ian Miles Cheong said.

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Despite the unforeseen impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition of military medical treatment facilities to the Defense Health Agency is on track headed into the new year, explained Dr. Barclay Butler, DHA’s assistant director for management.

The Department of Defense made the decision early in the pandemic to pause transition activities due to the unprecedented burden on the Military Health System. However, in November, the Department resumed transition activities.

The strategic pause ended up having a positive impact on the transition, Butler added.

“The pause in Military Health System transition let us compile a number of lessons learned,” Butler said. “We then applied those lessons learned to MHS reform. We also used the pause to improve the transition planning, and the transition products.”

Lessons learned included standardization of military health metrics reporting to the DOD. Previously, each military service reported that information separately to the DOD, but the DHA was able to demonstrate the value of collecting information and reporting it collectively. The four regional areas, known as ‘markets’ that have already transitioned to the DHA also demonstrated speed of response as a result of integrating their market MTFs into an integrated health system.

This information also served to inform the DOD’s COVID-19 Task Force.

“That speaks largely to the lesson learned regarding the COVID response and to the markets’ ability to respond,” Butler said.

Butler added that one of the most important results of the past year was the confirmation that the DHA is progressing in the right direction with the market model, affirmed by the Department’s decision to continue the current plan.

“The services asked the Secretary to re-asses the approach and the Secretary took that information and made a decision on the 9th of November to continue forward with our plan,” Butler said.

Standardization across the military health enterprise, including clinical quality, is one example of how a market-based approach improves the quality of care for patients.

“Before the DHA started the transition, we found there were 38 different clinical quality standards in the MHS,” Butler said. “How many should we have? We should have one. When you get rid of unwanted variation, you see healthcare quality go up and costs go down.”

Going forward, Butler said, military medicine will be facing a ‘new normal.’ We will need to remain flexible, and adapt and react as we have over the past year.

“We don’t really know what that ‘new normal’ actually looks like, so we need that agility to be able to respond and continue to provide our patients with access to high quality care,” he said.

Hints of what is on the horizon include increased use of virtual health options.

“Use of virtual health has gone up thousands of percent from where we were pre-COVID pandemic” Butler said. “I think you’re going to continue to see a high utilization of our virtual health systems, which gives our patients greater access.”

In terms of facilities, the next step is transitioning five additional markets to the DHA.

“Our next five MTFs – Hawaii, Colorado, Puget Sound, San Antonio and Tidewater – will be stood up and operating as markets near the end of February,” Butler said. “That’s a big step for the DHA.”

He sees a relatively smooth transition, as all of the aforementioned were already Enhanced Multi-Service Markets, where multiple services have coordinated healthcare management for several years. Contrast that with remote single-service MTFs, such as Twentynine Palms in California and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, where these MTFs are “the only option,” and where the DHA will focus on providing support to these remote locations.

Other focus areas, he said, include extending partnerships with entities such as the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, other federal institutions, academic medical centers, and other partners in order to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

Army Col. Christopher Ivany, director of the DHA’s Transition Program Management office, explained how the pandemic highlights the need for the military health system to be able to respond to large-scale crises with a single, cohesive approach.

Ivany said that the response across the National Capital Region, where a market with each of the services is already established, was a perfect example.

“In those areas where all the facilities, the people, the resources were all applied to this huge problem in a way that was focused on what was best for the beneficiaries as a whole, it was done more effectively across all service lines,” Ivany said. “It reiterated the need for the MHS transformation to go forward.”

Those successes, he said, have shaped how the DHA will move forward with the next set of markets.

“The MHS is in the midst of a fundamental shift in how it manages healthcare, and while that shift can and will be difficult at times, the end state of where this change is going will have significant benefits for our patients, for our staff and for the medical readiness of the line units, and the healthcare teams themselves.”

Butler’s message to MHS patients is that the quality of their care is paramount.

“The DHA and the MHS are focused on delivering high-quality care to our beneficiaries. That high-quality care translates into having our care teams ready to do their deployed mission while it produces readiness for the department,” Butler said.

“Lieutenant General Place, the director of the DHA, is focused in on great outcomes. The number one great outcome is a medically ready force, without a doubt,” Butler said. “That’s what he wants us to do, and that’s what we do.”

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White House officials say the president’s new infrastructure plan includes enough funding to replace “10 to 15” aging Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country with new medical centers, but department officials haven’t determined yet which communities might benefit from the money.

Administration staff have been touting the $2 trillion infrastructure improvement plan in recent days as they try to build support among skeptical members of Congress — largely Republicans — and the public for the massive spending package.

Included in the total is about $18 billion for Veterans Affairs projects, with most of that total going to upgrading current department facilities and replacing others.

“This funding will also help accelerate ongoing major construction projects to … replace outdated medical centers with state-of-the-art facilities to provide our Veterans the care they deserve,” said Terri Tanielian, special assistant to President Joe Biden for Veterans Affairs.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough called the money a “down payment” on plans to modernize the department’s medical facilities, saying as many as 30 may need to be replaced in coming years.

“The median age of a private hospital in the U.S. on a national basis is roughly 11 years old,” he said. “The VA portfolio has a median age of 58 years old, and 69 percent of VA facilities are older than 50 years.

“So when you think about all the technology and everything else that we’re moving into modern hospitals, you can see why we’re so concerned about this footprint. A lack of modern infrastructure actually limits our ability to meet the evolving health-care needs of Veterans.”

VA today manages more than 1,700 hospitals, clinics and other health-care facilities. Department spokesman Terrence Hayes said VA has not yet determined which locations would be at the top of the list for replacement, if the infrastructure plan is approved.

“The foundational criteria for project selection are based on the age and condition of the existing facility, as well as projected demand in the facility’s catchment area,” he said. “Selection of these sites will be informed by a data-driven model currently under development that takes these factors into account.”

The White House’s push to replace some VA hospitals comes ahead of a congressionally mandated, multi-year review of the department’s footprint across America, with an eye towards possibly closing some facilities.

Under that plan — using a panel styled after the military’s base closure commission — Biden will select members of an Asset and Infrastructure Commission for VA later this year.

The commissioners — who will need Senate approval before starting their work — will spend seven months compiling their recommendations, which will be followed by a series of public hearings on potential facility closings or expansions. Final decisions on changes are expected in 2023.

McDonough said he is not concerned by critics’ questions on whether the department should be investing billions in new construction ahead of that commission review.

“The footprint of VA itself needs modernization and needs addressing, not least because of the age of the facilities,” he said. “This will be handled very transparently with our partners on Capitol Hill.”

VA has received significant criticism in recent years for the cost of new construction, especially as conservative groups have pushed for most department dollars to fund private care medical appointments instead of VA expansion.

For example, the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, located outside of Denver, opened in 2018 after five years of delays and more than $1 billion in cost overruns.

But House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano said he is not concerned that the new infrastructure spending bill will undermine future changes in VA’s infrastructure.

“We know right now in certain parts of the country where we have VA medical centers that we need upgrades,” he said. “But we need to go through the process of assessing where our VA footprint needs to go smaller or go bigger.”

For now, those potential improvements hinge on whether the infrastructure plan moves ahead. No timeline has been set by Democratic leaders in the House and Senate for when the proposal could be considered by members.

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PITTSBURGH - A resident of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court following his convictions for unlawful dispensing and distributing Schedule II controlled substances and health care fraud, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer sentenced Yee Chung Ho, age 72, a physician, to three years of probation, including 180 days of home detention. Ho also was ordered to pay restitution totaling $6,500 to Medicare, and to forfeit his Drug Enforcement Administration number, Pennsylvania state license to practice medicine, and $89,280.00 to the United States. Ho was further ordered to serve 250 hours of community service.

During the defendant’s plea hearing on November 9, 2021, Ho admitted that, while practicing as a licensed medical doctor at his family medicine practice located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he knowingly dispensed and distributed Schedule II drugs, specifically, Oxycodone, to a patient outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. Ho also admitted that, from April 2018 through June 2019, he committed health care fraud by causing fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare for payments to cover the costs of unlawfully prescribed drugs.

Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Cessar and Karen Gal-Or and Special Assistant United States Attorney Edward Song are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The investigation leading to the filing of charges in this case was conducted by the Western Pennsylvania Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit (OFADU). The Western Pennsylvania OFADU, led by federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, combines the expertise and resources of federal and state law enforcement to address the role played by unethical medical professionals in the opioid epidemic.

The agencies which comprise the Western Pennsylvania OFADU include: Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General – Bureau of Narcotic Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office – Criminal Division, Civil Division and Asset Forfeiture Unit, Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General, Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations, U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Office of Inspector General and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Licensing.

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Six years ago, on Memorial Day, I helped my dad assemble the many pieces of his service dress white uniform. As retired military, the local organizer had asked us both to ride on a float in our hometown parade. Why us? We represented two successive generations of naval careers.

Before leaving for the parade, Dad and I stood side by side for photos with the things that we carried. I held the remaining piece of his F-4J aircraft that I had collected two weeks earlier, in a village in Nghe An Province in north central Vietnam, where Dad’s burning fighter plane had crashed in 1968. The engine piece had spent decades re-purposed as a pot to hold flowers for Tet, the lunar new year family holiday in Vietnam.

My dad, Gene Wilber, ejected from his plane two seconds before it plowed into an open field. Sadly, his back seater – a 24-year-old husband and father – was unable to escape the crash on that Father’s Day in 1968. Forty-seven years later, Gene held in his hand a small bottle of earth that I had collected from the crash site – the final resting place for his friend, Bernie. We carried these remembrances in the parade that day in 2015.

That was Dad’s final Memorial Day. Three weeks later, Gene was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. Two weeks later, he died. The jet engine piece was again transformed into a flowerpot, this time displayed at his funeral.

Standing upright during his final days was difficult for Gene, but he had always stood out, even as a prisoner of war. An experienced career aviator and fighter squadron commanding officer, he had thought he would be fighting for peace in Vietnam. But he felt the doubts looming even before he was shot down. In Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, the first 20 months of solitude afforded him the time to think deeply. Gene concluded that the war was illegal and misguided, and he believed that wholeheartedly for the rest of his life.

Most of the other POWs who turned against the war felt they had to suppress their beliefs, worried that if they said anything they would harm their careers, or, worse, be jailed on their return. But my dad spoke against the war, during and after captivity. For him, conscience was paramount. The war was wrong. If he did not speak out, his silence would be a self-betrayal.

Dad paid dearly for his dissent. Nearly five years a prisoner, he returned home to be cast as a villain among the many others who were scapegoated for the embarrassment of America’s Vietnam incursion. In 1973, the Nixon administration deftly orchestrated Operation Homecoming, welcoming returned POWs as the embodiment of “peace with honor” and creating an open season on dissenters.

Defend the Constitution, not your boss

To answer the war’s critics, the new narrative has made it easier throughout the decades since the war to blame America’s defeat by a lesser power on dissenting POWs and the broader antiwar movement. By the time Operation Homecoming rolled out, hundreds of thousands of Americans had marched in the streets, including tens of thousands of active-duty GIs and Veterans.

Avoiding the questions that Gene Wilber and other dissenting POWs asked, or completely unaware of their voices of dissent, our culture remains bound to an errant past, left only with a hero-myth. This dooms us to forever repeat Rambo’s cry, “Nothing is over!”

Mend it or end it: Men-only military draft is a vestige of anti-women bias. Supreme Court should strike it down.

If Gene Wilber were to convey a message to military members and their families on this Memorial Day, what would it be? He was not anti-military. He saw a need for defense. He volunteered for the Navy and flew over 200 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam. If he were here today, he would likely say this: Support and defend the Constitution, as that is your job. Remember that your truest loyalty has to reach beyond immediate boss, beyond chain of command, even beyond institution, to the principles that our country was founded on. Keep conscience clear.

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While the focus of the COVID-19 pandemic has been on respiratory problems and securing enough ventilators, doctors on the front lines are grappling with a new medical mystery.

In addition to lung damage, many COVID-19 patients are also developing heart problems — and dying of cardiac arrest.

As more data comes in from China and Italy, as well as Washington state and New York, more cardiac experts are coming to believe the COVID-19 virus can infect the heart muscle. An initial study found cardiac damage in as many as 1 in 5 patients, leading to heart failure and death even among those who show no signs of respiratory distress.

That could change the way doctors and hospitals need to think about patients, particularly in the early stages of illness. It also could open up a second front in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, with a need for new precautions in people with preexisting heart problems, new demands for equipment and, ultimately, new treatment plans for damaged hearts among those who survive.

“It’s extremely important to answer the question: Is their heart being affected by the virus and can we do something about it?” said Dr. Ulrich Jorde, the head of heart failure, cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support for the Montefiore Health System in New York City. “This may save many lives in the end.”

Virus Or Illness?

The question of whether the emerging heart problems are caused by the virus itself or are a byproduct of the body’s reaction to it has become one of the critical unknowns facing doctors as they race to understand the novel illness. Determining how the virus affects the heart is difficult, in part, because severe illness alone can influence heart health.

“Someone who’s dying from a bad pneumonia will ultimately die because the heart stops,” said Dr. Robert Bonow, a professor of cardiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and editor of the medical journal JAMA Cardiology. “You can’t get enough oxygen into your system and things go haywire.”

But Bonow and many other cardiac specialists believe a COVID-19 infection could lead to damage to the heart in four or five ways. Some patients, they say, might be affected by more than one of those pathways at once.

Doctors have long known that any serious medical event, even something as straightforward as hip surgery, can create enough stress to damage the heart. Moreover, a condition like pneumonia can cause widespread inflammation in the body. That, in turn, can lead to plaque in arteries becoming unstable, causing heart attacks. Inflammation can also cause a condition known as myocarditis, which can lead to the weakening of the heart muscle and, ultimately, heart failure.

But Bonow said the damage observed in COVID-19 patients could be from the virus directly infecting the heart muscle. Initial research suggests the coronavirus attaches to certain receptors in the lungs, and those same receptors are found in heart muscle as well.

Initial Data FromChina

In March, doctors from China published two studies that gave the first glimpse at how prevalent cardiac problems were among patients with COVID-19 illness. The larger of the two studies looked at 416 hospitalized patients. The researchers found that 19% showed signs of heart damage. And those who did were significantly more likely to die: 51% of those with heart damage died versus 4.5% who did not have it.

Patients who had heart disease before their coronavirus infections were much more likely to show heart damage afterward. But some patients with no previous heart disease also showed signs of cardiac damage. In fact, patients with no preexisting heart conditions who incurred heart damage during their infection were more likely to die than patients with previous heart disease but no COVID-19-induced cardiac damage.

It’s unclear why some patients experience more cardiac effects than others. Bonow said that could be due to a genetic predisposition or it could be because they’re exposed to higher viral loads.

Those uncertainties underscore the need for closer monitoring of cardiac markers in COVID-19 patients, Jorde said. If doctors in New York, Washington state and other hot spots can start to tease out how the virus is affecting the heart, they may be able to provide a risk score or other guidance to help clinicians manage COVID-19 patients in other parts of the country.

“We have to assume, maybe, that the virus affects the heart directly,” Jorde said. “But it’s essential to find out.”

Facing Obstacles

Gathering the data to do so amid the crisis, however, can be difficult. Ideally, doctors would take biopsies of the heart to determine whether the heart muscle is infected with the virus.

But COVID-19 patients are often so sick it’s difficult for them to undergo invasive procedures. And more testing could expose additional health care workers to the virus. Many hospitals aren’t using electrocardiograms on patients in isolation to avoid bringing additional staff into the room and using up limited masks or other protective equipment.

Still, Dr. Sahil Parikh, an interventional cardiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, said hospitals are making a concerted effort to order the tests needed and to enter findings in medical records so they can sort out what’s going on with the heart.

“We all recognize that because we’re at the leading edge, for better or for worse, we need to try to compile information and use it to help advance the field,” he said.

Indeed, despite the surge in patients, doctors continue to gather data, compile trends and publish their findings in near real time. Parikh and several colleagues recently penned a compilation of what’s known about cardiac complications of COVID-19, making the article available online immediately and adding new findings before the article comes out in print.

Cardiologists in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are sharing the latest COVID-19 information through a WhatsApp group that has at least 150 members. And even as New York hospitals are operating under crisis conditions, doctors are testing new drugs and treatments in clinical trials to ensure that what they have learned about the coronavirus can be shared elsewhere with scientific validity.

That work has already resulted in changes in the way hospitals deal with the cardiac implications of COVID-19. Doctors have found that the infection can mimic a heart attack. They have taken patients to the cardiac catheterization lab to clear a suspected blockage, only to find the patient wasn’t really experiencing a heart attack but had COVID-19.

For years, hospitals have rushed suspected heart attack patients directly to the catheterization lab, bypassing the emergency room, in an effort to shorten the time from when the patient enters the door to when doctors can clear the blockage with a balloon. Door-to-balloon time had become an important measure of how well hospitals treat heart attacks.

“We’re taking a step back from that now and thinking about having patients brought to the emergency department so they can get evaluated briefly, so that we could determine: Is this somebody who’s really at high risk for COVID-19?” Parikh said. “And is this manifestation that we’re calling a heart attack really a heart attack?”

New protocols now include bringing in a cardiologist and getting an EKG or an ultrasound to confirm a blockage.

“We’re doing that in large measure to protect the patient from what would be an otherwise unnecessary procedure,” Parikh said, “But also to help us decide which sort of level of personal protective equipment we would employ in the cath lab.”

Sorting out how the virus affects the heart should help doctors determine which therapies to pursue to keep patients alive.

Jorde said that after COVID-19 patients recover, they could have long-term effects from such heart damage. But, he said, treatments exist for various forms of heart damage that should be effective once the viral infection has cleared.

Still, that could require another wave of widespread health care demands after the pandemic has calmed.

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A Texas National Guard convoy transporting doses of the COVID-19 vaccine was ambushed and temporarily halted Monday morning by an armed man in west Texas, according to police.

The convoy was ambushed by Larry Lee Harris, 66, who started following three National Guard vans after they stopped at a gas station, and attempted to run their vehicles off the road multiple times, Idalou Police Chief Eric Williams said in a statement. The incident was first reported by The Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Monday afternoon.

According to Williams:

After that unsuccessful attempt, Harris turned his vehicle into oncoming traffic and stopped in front of the three National Guard vans, He got out of his truck and aimed his .45 caliber handgun at an unarmed National Guard soldier. Harris then claimed to be a detective and demanded that he search the vehicle and ordered the Guardsmen out of the vehicle at gunpoint.

At this time, Idalou police received a call and rushed to the scene, which took place about two miles east of Idalou on highway 62/82.

Upon arrival the Idalou Police officers were met by several uniformed National Guard Soldiers and Harris, who police took into custody “without further incident.” No Guardsmen were injured. Harris was in possession of a loaded Colt 1911 .45 caliber pistol and an additional loaded magazine and had another loaded magazine in his truck.

After being detained, Harris told police that he followed the National Guard Soldiers from a Love’s gas station in Lubbock, claiming that the people in the vans had “kidnapped a woman and a child,” according to the police chief’s report.

Williams added that Harris appeared to be “mentally disturbed.”

Harris, who has an Arizona address, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful restraint of 11 National Guard soldiers, unlawful carrying of a weapon, impersonating a public servant and interference with Texas Military Forces, according to jail records. He is being held at the Lubbock County Jail on a federal hold with no bond set, according to jail records.

“This was a very dangerous situation since the suspect was standing in the midst of the unarmed Guardsman with a loaded weapon then the Idalou Officers arrived on scene,” Williams said. “We are grateful that the officers were able to take him into custody without any of the Guardsmen, the officers or the suspect getting hurt.”

Homeland Security has joined in the investigation, authorities said.

Neither the Texas National Guard nor the National Guard Bureau immediately responded to requests for comment.

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Miami, Florida – Over 50 defendants were charged in the Southern District of Florida in the last six weeks, as part of a nationwide federal law enforcement action to combat health care fraud.

The federal charges filed in South Florida cover a wide range of schemes, from novel crimes like theft of Covid-19 personal protection equipment and fraud connected to substance abuse treatment facilities (sober homes), to more familiar violations like health care fraud involving durable medical equipment suppliers, home health, pharmacies, payment of kickbacks, money laundering, and more. It is alleged that $308 million in fraudulent claims was billed by the defendants charged in the Southern District of Florida during the six-week enforcement period. Over $106 million of that billed amount was paid.  

Nationwide, 138 defendants, including 42 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals, in 31 federal districts across the United States, were charged during the enforcement period for their alleged participation in various healthcare fraud schemes that resulted in approximately $1.4 billion in alleged losses. Nationally, the charges target approximately $1.1 billion in fraud committed using telemedicine (the use of telecommunications technology to provide health care services remotely), $29 million in COVID-19 health care fraud, $133 million connected to substance abuse treatment facilities, or “sober homes,” and $160 million connected to other health care fraud and illegal opioid distribution schemes across the country.

“The results of the coordinated law enforcement effort that we announce today exemplify my Office and its law enforcement partners’ enduring commitment to combatting all forms of health care fraud-related schemes.” said Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “We will not relent in holding accountable those in South Florida who exploit health care programs and patient trust for personal gain, particularly during the COVID-19 global pandemic.”

“This nationwide enforcement action demonstrates that the Criminal Division is at the forefront of the fight against health care fraud and opioid abuse by prosecuting those who have exploited health care benefit programs and their patients for personal gain,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The charges announced today send a clear deterrent message and should leave no doubt about the department’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety of patients and the integrity of health care benefit programs, even amid a continued pandemic.”

Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, in conjunction with its Health Care Fraud and Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force program, and its core partners, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as part of the department’s ongoing efforts to combat the devastating effects of health care fraud and the opioid epidemic.

The Southern District of Florida, in particular, worked with the Department’s Criminal Division and the following law enforcement organizations to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the enforcement period: FBI Miami; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Region; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), Atlanta Field Division; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami; United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Region; Florida’s Office of the Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU); Florida State Attorney’s Office; City of Miami Beach Police Department; Palm Beach County Sober Homes Task Force; Amtrack Office of the Inspector General; and the Department of Insurance Fraud.

“South Florida is ground zero for health care fraud. As such, the FBI and its partners devote vast resources to investigate, catch and prosecute those committing this fraud,” said George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami. The victims are U.S. taxpayers, you and me. Our message to those who commit health care fraud and steal from U.S. taxpayers is clear: you will be caught, and you will be punished.”

“Healthcare fraud is hardly a victimless crime. The well-being and trust of patients and taxpayers are at risk when corrupt providers engage in schemes that drain taxpayer-funded health care programs and undermine impartial medical judgement,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of HHS-OIG Miami. “These cases demonstrate our resolve to investigate bad actors and protect the patients served by vital federal health and human services programs.”

“Those who misuse the Social Security numbers of other individuals for personal gain are warned -- we will hold you accountable.” said Rodregas W. Owens, Special Agent-in-Charge, SSA-OIG, Atlanta Field Division. “We will continue to work aggressively to identify such fraud in an effort to protect taxpayers against fraud, waste, and abuse.”

“We as a law enforcement community will not allow individuals to defraud government health-care programs for their own personal gain,” said Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Miami. “HSI and its partners will continue to pursue individuals and companies who are taking advantage of innocent patients seeking medical care.”

“My Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works tirelessly to stop the exploitation of the taxpayer-funded Medicaid program and protect the vulnerable Floridians who rely on its services. I’m proud of our partnership with federal authorities to hold these criminals abusing the system accountable,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

COVID-19 Fraud Cases

Across the nation, nine defendants are charged with engaging in various health care fraud schemes designed to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the submission of over $29 million in false billings.

In the Southern District of Florida, for example, a defendant is charged with stealing personal protective equipment from a hospital and reselling it at inflated prices:  

In U.S. v. Rickey Delancey, Jr., Case No. 21-20471-Cr-Moore, a 30-year-old Miami resident is charged by indictment with conspiracy to steal medical products, theft of medical products, and transportation of stolen goods. According to the indictment, Delancey worked in the supplies department of Mount Sinai Hospital. From about April to November 2020, Delancey stole N95 masks and other medical supplies from his workplace and sold them to various purchasers. Among other items, he sold $55,000 worth of stolen masks to a purchaser in California, says the indictment. As a result of the thefts, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mount Sinai did not have the supplies needed for nurses, doctors, staff, and patients, and at one point was down to only a three-day supply of N95 masks.

FBI Miami and USPIS Miami investigated this case, along with City of Miami Beach Police Department. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman is prosecuting it.

The law enforcement action today also includes criminal charges against five defendants across the country who allegedly engaged in the misuse of Provider Relief Fund monies. The Provider Relief Fund is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a federal law enacted March 2020 designed to provide needed medical care to Americans suffering from COVID-19.

The COVID-19 cases announced today build upon the success of the COVID-19 Health Care Fraud Takedown on May 26, a coordinated law enforcement action against 14 defendants in seven judicial districts for over $128 million in false billings. The law enforcement action and the cases announced today were brought in coordination with the Health Care Fraud Unit’s COVID-19 Interagency Working Group, which is chaired by the National Rapid Response Strike Force and organizes efforts to address illegal activity involving health care programs during the pandemic.

Sober Homes Cases

Today’s announcement of sober homes cases charged across the nation coincides with the one-year anniversary of the first national sober homes initiative in 2020, which included charges against more than a dozen criminal defendants in connection with more than $845 million of allegedly false and fraudulent claims for tests and treatments for vulnerable patients seeking treatment for drug and/or alcohol addiction. The over $133 million in false and fraudulent claims that are additionally alleged in cases announced today reflect the continued effort by the National Rapid Response Strike Force and the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Los Angeles Strike Force, with the participation of the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California and the Southern District of Florida, to prosecute those who participated in illegal kickback and bribery schemes involving the referral of patients to substance abuse treatment facilities; those patients could be subjected to medically unnecessary drug testing – often billing thousands of dollars for a single test – and therapy sessions that frequently were not provided, and which resulted in millions of dollars of false and fraudulent claims being submitted to private insurers.

In the Southern District of Florida, two defendants are charged with sober homes fraud:

In United States v. Mimi Bieda and Levi Bieda a/k/a Larry, Case No. 21-80112-CR-Rosenberg, Mimi Bieda, 62, and Levi Bieda, 36, of West Palm Beach, Florida, are charged by information with conspiracy to commit $128 million of health care fraud. According to the information, the Biedas owned and operated Academy Health Solutions, LLC (“Academy”), a substance abuse treatment center in Palm Beach County, Florida, as well as a sober home and detox facilities. They also had ownership interest in several drug testing laboratories. It is alleged that the Biedas hired a medical director for Academy, Dr. Michael Ligotti, who signed standing orders for medically unnecessary and expensive drug testing in exchange for patient referrals. Dr. Ligotti then billed the patients’ insurance plans for duplicative, excessive, non-rendered, and/or medically unnecessary treatment and testing. The Biedas used the standing orders signed by Dr. Ligotti, and by a subsequent medical director at Academy, to authorize medically unnecessary drug testing at laboratories in which they had an ownership interest, allowing them to receive percentages of all claim reimbursements for those tests, says the information. It is alleged that the Biedas also paid kickbacks and bribes, in the form of free or reduced rent, access to controlled substances provided by Academy’s medical directors, and other benefits, to individuals who agreed to live at their sober home, attend treatment at Academy, and submit to drug testing, so that the Biedas could bill these services to the residents’ insurance plans.

FBI Miami investigated this case, along with Palm Beach County Sober Homes Task Force, Florida State Attorney’s Office, Amtrack Office of the Inspector General, and Department of Insurance Fraud. Southern District of Florida Assistant United States Attorneys Alexandra Chase and Danielle Croke, as well as National Rapid Response Strike Force Senior Litigation Counsel James V. Hayes and Trial Attorney Ligia Markman are prosecuting it.

Cases Involving Traditional Healthcare Fraud Schemes and the Illegal Prescription and/or Distribution of Opioids

The cases announced today that fall into more traditional categories of health care fraud include charges filed across the nation against over 60 defendants who allegedly participated in schemes to submit more than $145 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and private insurance companies for treatments that were medically unnecessary and often never provided. Cases filed across the nation involving the illegal prescription and/or distribution of opioids involve 19 defendants, including several charges against medical professionals and others who prescribed over 12 million doses of opioids and other prescription narcotics, while submitting over $14 million in false billings.

In the Southern District of Florida, defendants are charged in cases involving a wide range of traditional health care fraud schemes. Some of the cases charged in the Southern District of Florida during the six-week enforcement period include the following:

In United States v. Edward Pizzi, Case No. 21-20467-CR-Altman, a 40-year-old from Miami, Florida is charged by information with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks. According to the information, Pizzi owned and operated Miami-based Rios Medical Center and Union Medical Clinic. Pizzi directed his employees to pay kickbacks to recruit Medicare beneficiaries and Medicaid recipients to the clinics. The clinics used the identification numbers of these beneficiaries and recipients to submit claims to Medicare Part C and Medicaid for, among other things, purported mental health therapy services. Most of the recruited beneficiaries neither needed nor qualified for such services.

FBI Miami, HHS-OIG Miami, and MFCU investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Homer is prosecuting it.

In United States v. Mayara Gonzalez Chaviano, Case No. 21-20468-CR-King, a 28-year-old Miami, Florida resident is charged by information with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks. According to the information, Chaviano was the office manager of Rios Medical Center and Union Medical Clinic, in Miami, Florida. Chaviano managed the clinics’ scheme to pay kickbacks to recruit Medicare beneficiaries and Medicaid recipients to the clinics. The clinics used the identification numbers of these beneficiaries and recipients to submit claims to Medicare Part C and Medicaid for, among other things, purported mental health therapy services. Most of the recruited beneficiaries neither needed nor qualified for such services.

FBI Miami, HHS-OIG Miami, and MFCU investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Homer is prosecuting it.

In United States v. Liliana Liseth Duarte, Case No. 21-20469-CR-Bloom, a 47-year-old resident of Miami, Florida, is charged by information with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks. According to the information, Duarte was an employee of Rios Medical Center and Union Medical Clinic, in Miami, Florida. Duarte paid kickbacks to individuals to recruit Medicare beneficiaries and Medicaid recipients to the clinics. The clinics used the identification numbers of these beneficiaries and recipients to submit claims to Medicare Part C and Medicaid for, among other things, purported mental health therapy services. Most of the recruited beneficiaries neither needed nor qualified for such services.

FBI Miami, HHS-OIG Miami, MFCU investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Homer is prosecuting it.

In United States v. Jason Kashou, Case No. 21-60245-CR-Dimitrouleas, the 35-year-old owner of 1st Choice is charged by information with conspiracy to solicit and receive illegal kickbacks from pharmacies. Kashou bought Medicare and Medicaid beneficiary information from a call center in India. Kashou then agreed to provide the beneficiary information to pharmacies so that the pharmacies could fill prescriptions for expensive diabetic supplies and topical pain creams. In exchange, the pharmacies agreed to pay Kashou a percentage of the profits from the amount Medicare and Medicaid paid on a per patient basis.

On September 14, Kashou pled guilty to the charge. His sentencing hearing is set for November 23, at 1:15 p.m., before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas.

HSI Miami, HHS-OIG Miami and MFCU investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Hauser and Michael Gilfarb are prosecuting it.

In United States v. Greisy Rosario Varona Docasal, Case No. 21-20439-CR-Cooke, a 52-year-old Miami, Florida resident is charged by indictment with conspiracy to receive health care kickbacks, and substantive counts of receiving kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program. According t0 the indictment, Varona Docasal, as office manager of a doctor’s office, was involved in a scheme to illegally recruit Medicare beneficiaries and refer them to home health agencies in exchange for receiving illegal kickbacks from the owners and operators of the home health agencies who in turn billed Medicare for home health services for the recruited Medicare beneficiaries.

HHS-OIG Miami investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee C. Jimenez is prosecuting it.

In United States v. Mayra De La Paz, Case No. 21-20474-CR-Bloom, a 69-year-old resident of Hialeah, Florida is charged by information with conspiracy to solicit and receive kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program. According to the information, De La Paz participated in a conspiracy to solicit and receive kickback payments for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries to a home health agency.

HHS-OIG Miami and FBI Miami investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Abraham is prosecuting it.

In U.S. v. Michael Marcelus Mogollon, Case No. 21-20432-CR-Moore, a 33-year-old from Miami, Florida is charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud. According to the information, Mogollon paid kickbacks to beneficiaries with Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance in exchange for the patients allowing Miami clinics Quality Professional, Zion Medical, and Renewal to bill the insurance plans for medical benefits, items, and services, that were not medically necessary, not eligible for reimbursement, and not received by the beneficiaries. As a result of Mogollon’s participation in the conspiracy, the clinics billed Blue Cross Blue Shield approximately $678,800, and Blue Cross Blue Shield paid approximately $220,000 based on the false claims, says the information.

FBI Miami investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman is prosecuting it.  

In U.S. v. Jorge Luis Taboada, Case No. 21-20443-CR-Williams, a 52-year-old resident of Miami, Florida is charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud. According to the information, Taboada paid kickbacks to beneficiaries with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna health insurance in exchange for the patients allowing United Medical of South Florida, d/b/a Sleep Study of South Florida, Inc. to bill the insurance plans for medical benefits, items, and services, that were not medically necessary, not eligible for reimbursement, and not received by the beneficiaries. As a result of Taboada’s participation in the conspiracy, the clinics billed Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna between $1,500,000 and $3,500,000, says the information.

FBI Miami investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman is prosecuting it.  

In United States of America vs. Patricia M. Cleary, a/k/a Patricia M. Cleary Syling, a/k/a Patricia M. Syling, a/k/a Patricia A. Cleary, Case No. 21-60262-CR-Singhal, a 51-year-old from Odessa, Florida is charged by indictment with one count of falsely representing a social security number and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, Cleary knowingly gave a false social security number to a Medicaid Managed Care Organization while applying for a job with the company. The social security number did not belong to Cleary. Instead, it belonged to a victim living in a different state. Cleary did this to hide her real identity from the company, says the indictment.

HHS-OIG Miami, State of Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, SSA-OIG Miami, and FBI Miami investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Canzio is prosecuting it.

In United States v. Julio Cesar Betancourt, Case No. 21-20425-CR-Moore, a 31-year-old resident of Hialeah Gardens, Florida is charged by information with conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to the information, Betancourt, as owner of owner of JD Solution USA, Inc., conspired to launder $363,139 in health care fraud proceeds between July 2019 and October 2019. These proceeds were related to a durable medical equipment company located in Miami that was committing health care fraud, says the information.

HHS-OIG Miami and FBI Miami investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Abraham is prosecuting it.

In United States v. Jorge Luis Lopez Pena, Case No. 21-CR-20466-Gayles, a 36-year-old from Miami, Florida is charged by information with conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to the information, Lopez Pena, as owner of Lopez Distributors, Inc., conspired to launder $185,671 in health care fraud proceeds between August 2019 and December 2019. These health care fraud proceeds were related to a durable medical equipment company located in Miami that was committing health care fraud, says the information.

HHS-OIG Miami and FBI Miami investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Abraham is prosecuting it.

In U.S. v. Angel Pimentel, Case No. 21-20420-CR-King, a 72-year-old from Miami, Florida, is charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and substantive counts of health care fraud. According to the indictment, Pimentel owned Maggie Pharmacy Discount, Inc. From about March 2015 to August 2019, Pimentel submitted $988,983 in claims to Medicare, which falsely and fraudulently represented that various health care benefits, primarily prescription drugs, were medically necessary, prescribed by a doctor, and had been provided by Maggie Pharmacy Discount, Inc. to Medicare beneficiaries. As a result of the false claims, Medicare prescription drug plan sponsors, through their pharmacy benefit managers, made payments funded by the Medicare Part D Program to the corporate bank accounts of Maggie Pharmacy Discount, Inc. of at least $988,983, says the indictment.

HHS-OIG Miami and FBI Miami investigated this case. Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark is prosecuting it.

Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide enforcement action and since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,600 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for approximately $23 billion. In addition to the criminal actions announced today, CMS, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, announced 28 administrative actions to decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

Telemedicine Fraud Cases

More than 43 criminal defendants in 11 judicial districts nationwide are charged in cases involving telemedicine: the use of telecommunications technology to provide health care services remotely. It is alleged that these telemedicine defendants filed over $1.1 billion in fraudulent claims.

The continued focus on prosecuting health care fraud schemes involving telemedicine reflects the success of the nationwide coordinating role of the Fraud Section’s National Rapid Response Strike Force, the creation of which was announced at the 2020 National Health Care Fraud and Opioid Takedown. The National Rapid Response Strike Force helped coordinate the prosecution of the telemedicine initiative, Sober Homes initiative, and COVID-19 cases that were announced today. The focus on telemedicine fraud also builds on the telemedicine component of last year’s national takedown and the impact of the 2019 “Operation Brace Yourself” Telemedicine and Durable Medical Equipment Takedown, which resulted in an estimated cost avoidance of more than $1.9 billion in the amount paid by Medicare for orthotic braces in the 20 months following that takedown.

Health Care Fraud Prosecutions in the Southern District of Florida for

Fiscal Year 2020-2021

The Southern District of Florida is a national leader in health care fraud prosecutions. So far, during the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year (from October 1, 2020 through today), a total of 196 defendants have been charged in the Southern District of Florida with health care fraud-related offenses. It is alleged that approximately $2.2 billion was billed by these defendants and that approximately $488 million was paid.

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SPRINGFIELD — The nation’s Vietnam Veterans are honored every year on this date. It was 50 years ago the last of the U.S. troops left Vietnam.

The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act, signed by then President Donald Trump, designated March 29 as National Vietnam Veterans Day.

News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz spoke with Veterans Wednesday about what the day means to them.

Michael Vanderveen enlisted into the Marines on his 18th birthday and served in Vietnam for seven months.

“I was shot, I was hit with a grenade, I got malaria, I got dysentery, and then I stepped on a landmine,” Vanderveen said.

He lost both legs, and when he came home, it was not the welcome he expected.

“We weren’t welcomed home, in the nicest way. We had things thrown at us. We were called very vile names and it was really unfortunate, not only to the warriors coming home but to the actual fact that these guys risked their lives for a year for the country,” said Vanderveen.

Vietnam War Veteran David Fuchs shared how he likes to honor fellow Veterans when he sees them.

“When you see a soldier and his wife in a restaurant, call the waitress aside and say, ‘give me that guy’s check. I’ve done it. I’ve had people do it for me. I’ve done it myself,” said Fuchs.

The Daughters of The American Revolution are hosting a wreath-laying ceremony Wednesday to honor Vietnam Veterans.

“We should be recognizing all Veterans,” Patricia Nowicki Lagonda Chapter Daughters of American Revolution, said.

By honoring these Veterans, Nowicki hopes that ceremonies like this can make up for the not-so-welcome home many Veterans like Vanderveen received.

“I hope it heals those feelings that the nation doesn’t care about me, the public didn’t care about me. I hope that people understand that they deserve their welcome home also,” Nowicki said.

Honoring those who are still with us, and the 58,220 that did not make it home, is a loss Vanderveen knows personally.

“One of my best friends over in Vietnam, Vince Venuti. He was from California. And he was killed just a week before I hit my landmine,” Vanderveen said.

Vanderveen is now the President of the Dayton Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America and went to Washington D.C., to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“Vince Manute, his name right there. And the wall is huge. What are the odds? and like I said, when I saw his name, it drove me to tears,” Vanderveen said.

That is why he says a simple thank you for your service goes a long way.

“It really feels good to have a welcome home or thank you for your service rendered to you. I’m proud of my service. I would do it again,” Vanderveen said.

Those interested can stop by any of the several Vietnam Veterans Memorials today to remember the sacrifices so many made.

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Native American Veteran care and benefits were at the center of a Nov. 20 Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on Capitol Hill.

Secretary Robert Wilkie told Congress there are two areas that can help Native American Veterans – expanding telehealth and more benefits events.

“One solution we have pursued is telehealth,” he said. “VA has its own telehealth facilities in the western states – Alaska, Montana, Oklahoma and Wyoming – and they are helping us to get care to Veterans who don’t live that short drive away from a VA facility.”

On the benefits side, Wilkie said VA hosted 30 claims events, assisting more than 1,000 Native American Veterans from 24 tribes in the past year.

Wilkie said one of his priorities is reaching out to rural and Native populations, who make up 31,000 active duty and 140,000 Veterans.

“Our pledge at VA is to continue to work with tribal governments to face the unique challenges that accompany life of America’s Native communities,” he said.

Wilkie said VA works with Indian Health Services to make sure Native American Veterans get the care they need.

“It’s our mission to make sure all Native Americans know that this VA belongs to them as well,” he said.

Native American Veterans can access the VA-IHS Consolidated Mail Order Pharmacy Program, which sends prescription medications directly to Native homes, Wilkie said. Last year, the program processed 840,000 prescriptions for Native Veterans, up 17 percent from the previous year.

Native American Veterans also receive VA care through benefits, helping them on issues like job training and housing. Additionally, Wilkie said the National Cemetery Administration is a key partner in the Library of Congress’ Warrior Spirit Project. This yearlong curriculum development project honors American Indian Veterans by profiling the sacrifice and patriotism of Native Americans who are memorialized across the country.

Improving care

Wilkie encouraged Congress to take two steps that would help VA connect with Native America. The first was to consider a bipartisan bill that will help VA directly fund state and local groups that are in a position to help prevent Veteran suicide, VA’s number one clinical priority.

“It’s something we believe can make an immediate difference in Veterans’ lives,” he said.

Wilkie said VA also supports legislation to establish a VA Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs, which he said would help Native American Veterans.

“We believe that this would provide a formal structure and forum for VA to engage with tribal leadership and create many opportunities for collaboration to improve VA services to Native American Veterans.”

As VA secretary, Wilkie has traveled to the Dakotas, Montana, Oklahoma, Alaska and Wyoming to meet with Native American Veterans, tribal leaders and caregivers. He also has trips planned to Kansas, Arizona and New Mexico.

Wikie is the first VA secretary to testify before the committee. Veterans Health Administration Executive in Charge Dr. Richard Stone also testified in front of the committee.

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WASHINGTON — Two Veterans have filed a lawsuit against the Navy for not assigning accurate disability ratings and costing them benefits in a case that could affect thousands of sailors and Marines.

“Military disability retirement benefits are critical to Veterans who are injured during their military service, and who depend on them for access to health care and other benefits for the service member and his or her family,” according to a statement by the nonprofit National Veterans Legal Services Program, whose attorneys filed the lawsuit Nov. 10 in the District Court for the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit states the Navy was not following its own regulations between April 30, 2002, and June 27, 2019, for assigning disability ratings for conditions that prevented a sailor or Marine from continuing to serve in the military.

The two plaintiffs named in the lawsuit, former sailor Kenneth Springs and former Marine Nathaniel Reese, suffered from medical issues during their service that made them “unfit” to continue their work and leave the military. They are suing the Navy because they received a combined disability rating that was lower than what they were required to receive, according to the lawsuit.

The attorneys representing Springs and Reese said they believe that based on Navy records at least 16,851 sailors and Marines left the military within the last six years who might have received a lower total disability rating with fewer benefits than they should have because their conditions were not rated correctly.

Springs and Reese were not able to medically retire due to the lower combined disability ratings that they were given for their medical issues. They want their military records, and those of the thousands of other Veterans who fall under the class-action suit, to be corrected to show the combined disability rating that they should have received by the Navy, and in some cases could allow them a medical retirement.

Navy officials on Tuesday did not respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit.

After a medical condition is evaluated on how it affects a service member’s ability to do continue their job, the Navy assigns the condition to one of four categories. The two most important for benefits are Category I, or “all unfitting conditions,” and Category II, or “those conditions that are contributing to the unfitting condition,” according to the lawsuit. So a sailor or Marine can have one main medical issue that makes them unfit for service and also have additional medical conditions that are related to the main medical issue.

Conditions in both categories are then supposed to be given a disability rating between 0% to 100%. When combined, the rating can initiate disability benefits for the sailor or Marine. If the service member receives a combined rating between both categories of at least 30%, they are entitled to a disability retirement, which includes health care. If they receive less than 30% combined, they can be medically separated with a one-time severance payment but without health care, according to the suit.

For example, Springs suffered from flat feet and the boots that he had to wear caused bunions and hammer toes that deformed his feet. He had to undergo multiple surgeries from which he never fully healed, according to the suit. His two bunions were each placed in Category I for a 20% disability rating, but his other conditions were placed in Category III, meaning they did not relate to his main medical issue, and received no ratings. He was later able to get one of the conditions moved to a Category II and rated at 10%, but it was never added to his combined disability rating, which would have allowed him to have a medical retirement.

The lawsuit alleges the Navy did not assign any disability ratings to conditions that fell under Category II for 15 years, against its own regulations.

“Indeed, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Navy admitted that not only had it failed to assign a disability rating to any service member’s Category II disabilities during this period, but also that ‘Category II diagnoses do not receive a recorded disability rating percentage, are not recorded in the [Physical Evaluation Board] system of record, and are not combined with Category I disability rating percentages,’” according to the lawsuit.

Bart Stichman, the National Veterans Legal Services Program executive director, said in a prepared statement about the lawsuit: “The Navy’s denial of benefits is not simply a bureaucratic matter. A denial can have negative repercussions in the lives of service members and their families for many years.”

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TOKYO — A Japanese flag, brought to America by a U.S. Navy sailor from the Battle of Okinawa, has been returned to the family of the soldier who carried it into battle more than three quarters of a century ago.

The signature-covered flag, brought home from the war by James Ellis Mercer, was returned by his daughter Linda Hahn, 72, of Concord, Calif.

Many Japanese soldiers carried the red and white flags inscribed with names and messages from family and friends for good luck.

The flag was accepted by Yoshinori Goto, 45, of Oita city, the grandson of Kesaji Goto, a Japanese Imperial Army soldier who carried the flag and died July 1, 1945, on Okinawa. The ceremony, which Hahn didn’t attend, took place Jan. 16 at the Gokoku Shrine in Oita.

Mercer, a machinist’s mate from Goodland, Kan., served aboard the seaplane tender USS Bering Strait. The warship supported aircraft that rescued dozens of downed airmen and sailors from stricken vessels during the Battle of Okinawa from April to June 1945.

The flag was folded inside an album of war photographs left by Mercer, who died in 2003 at age 83, Hahn said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

The family knew he served on Okinawa but not many other details of his wartime experience.

“He never talked about it,” Hahn said. “I don’t think it was a real happy time for him.”

After the war, Mercer set up a machine shop and worked on heavy vehicles such as forklifts and trucks, she said.

A retired bank employee and mother of one, Hahn contacted the Obon Society in September after hearing about their work from a friend. The nonprofit group helps Veterans and their families return old war trophies like flags and swords.

“I thought in my heart that if the situation were reversed and it was my son who was getting something from my father, I would want that,” she said.

The society tracked down Kesaji Goto’s relatives within a couple of months. Goto was from Fujiwara village in Oita prefecture. His name is written on the flag in kanji characters.

“I am thankful that they had kept it until now and even decided to return it,” Yoshinori Goto, an employee of the Oita prefectural government, told Stars and Stripes by phone.

Kesaji Goto died in his early 30s and left behind a wife and 1-year-old son, his grandson said.

The family tomb includes an engraving of Kesaji Goto’s name. So does a monument at the Peace Memorial Park on Okinawa, Yoshinori Goto said.

The family kept a photo of their fallen relative but didn’t talk about him a lot. It was a surprise when the War-Bereaved Families Association contacted them about the flag, he said.

Some Japanese relatives of war dead, citing little or no connection with the original owners, decline to receive returned flags, but Goto had no hesitation accepting it, he said.

The news was “a bolt out of the blue,” he said. “I definitely wanted to receive it.”

The flag includes his father’s name, Shoji Goto, between his grandparents’ names.

“This shows that my father was either born or at least his name was picked when my grandfather went to war,” he said.

The flag’s return gave him a chance to talk about his grandfather with his children, he said.

“I hope people will take an opportunity to think about peace,” Yoshinori Goto said.

Although he had seen a photograph of the flag before receiving it, it felt different touching it, he said. “It tells a story,” he said. “I felt the soul of my grandfather.”

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She lost 117 pounds and is buying dresses again

Not being able to adventure with her grandson was the last straw and would forever change Sharyle Robert’s life.

The Navy Veteran (pictured above) says, “My grandson told me I could not go to the beach with him because I walk funny. That cut close to the bone. That hurt.” It was in that moment that Sharyle no longer allowed her weight to make decisions for her.

As close-minded as one could be, she attended her first MOVE! class at the Orlando VA Medical Center’s William V. Chappell Veterans’ Outpatient Clinic.

She sat closest to the door and was ready to sprint out at any second. This all changed when she met MOVE! instructors Teresita Janiola and Becky Shelley.

Great things were to come. “I went to the class and it was wonderful. That is where I met Teresita and Becky. Those two ladies saved my life. After I met them, I said I’m staying and went full force into the program!”

As her biggest fan, Teresita says, “Against all odds, Sharyle did it. She kept trying and she succeeded. There is a big difference in her. Week after week her personality changed and by the time graduation came, you could see the difference in her.”

Breaking from what she knew best – fast food and ice-cream stops – she deserted her cycle of depression and transformed herself into the 117-pound lighter women she is today.

Her calorie book held her accountable

When asked what the biggest factor to her weight loss was, Sharlye said: “My calorie book. It goes everywhere with me.” The book held her accountable to not only lose weight, but to help her sustain it.

“MOVE! is not about a diet. It is a life-altering decision. It is what you do for life. If you follow the class, you will never have to worry,” says Sharyle.

The class guides Veterans to fit what is best in their lifestyle.

“The old me was stuck in the house, definitely depressed and dependent on my walker. I didn’t want to get up and move. Now, I can walk and breathe so much better. I can now walk freely,” says Sharyle.

Leaving behind limitations, Sharyle now tries new things and has found a new hobby in arts and crafts.

Able to wear a dress again

Sharyle went from being ready to dash for the door in her first MOVE! class to now encouraging Veterans to join. She tells Veterans who are interested in attending the life-changing class, “You will add days to your life. You will be happier. You can do it!”

Sharyle has gone from having to purchase men’s clothing to being able to wear a dress again. She said she feels like a woman, and the change has made all the difference in her life. Today, Sharyle can go anywhere with her grandson. As a reminder, she holds a dear picture close of the two of them at the beach for the first time.

Sharyle’s three tips to lose and sustain weight loss are to:

• Weigh yourself everyday.
• Hold yourself accountable.
• Drink water to stay hydrated.
• Carry healthy snacks. For example, Sharyle throws her favorite fruit in her bag.

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U.S. Navy Veteran Lendon Bendix of Florida said his “Trump 2020” flag was stolen over the weekend and said on “Fox & Friends First” on Thursday that he never could have "dreamed" it would happen.

“To have something like this happen is just crazy,” he added.

Sheriff’s deputies in Florida are investigating after surveillance video captured two people walking up to the flag pole on Bendix’s front yard, Fox 35 reported, adding that the people are seen grabbing the flag and pulling on it. Once the suspects grab the flag, they are seen on video running away.

“I felt violated,” Bendix said on “Fox & Friends First” on Thursday.

“I served our country. I have two sons that are serving our country right now. And I flew those flags in the beginning because there were people who were afraid to voice their support for President Trump, so I raised those flags about nine months ago.”

He said about three months later, his neighbors started raising flags showing support for Trump as well.

“I felt since I own that property, in which I do own that property and I pay taxes on the property, I have a right to express my opinion and that’s exactly what I did and my neighbors felt the same way so when the flag was stolen, I felt absolutely violated,” Bendix said.

“I felt like everything that I had served and fought for and sacrificed for was basically trying to be deprived or taken from me.”

Bendix said he had received strong reactions from people passing by his flags before--in fact, he said that during his local Fox interview about the theft, someone drove by and yelled “vulgarities” about Trump.

The Trump supporter said on “Fox & Friends First” that despite the theft, he is planning on adding even more flags.

“I think what they’re [the thieves are] trying to do, is they're trying to intimidate me or basically oppress my opinion, my personal opinion and my perspective,” he said.

He added that he has seen “some strange things in the combat zone and I promise you, they’re not going to intimidate me.”

He went on to say that he’s “going to fight for my right to speak.”

“I’m going to stick up more flags, put them up and hopefully show my support for our president,” Bendix said on Thursday morning. “I believe our president truly loves our military, I believe he loves our country and I am going to show support for that and I’m not going to be intimidated or forced to stop doing that.”

The two people in the video have not yet been identified, according to Fox 35.

“Folks who are afraid to put up their Trump flags, they shouldn’t be. I mean, if you’re afraid of it then have courage. Courage is controlled fear. Stand up against intimidation and oppression,” Bendix said.

“It’s ridiculous. These behaviors are unacceptable. You have a right to your opinion, if you differ from my opinion that’s great, however, you need to control your behavior because if you don’t, law enforcement will.”

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Pembroke woman pleaded guilty today to Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud.

According to court documents, Melisha Oxendine West pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare fraud. The charge to which West pled guilty alleges that from 2006 through July of 2017, West was employed at Townsend’s Pharmacy, located at 111 S. Main Street in Red Springs, North Carolina. During that time, West conspired with the owner of the pharmacy and others to bill fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers, such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC. According to the charge, West and others did this by fraudulently reauthorizing previously existing prescriptions from licensed medical providers, and billing health care benefit programs as though those drugs had been dispensed.

West pleaded guilty to a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine amounting to as much as twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The sentencing before United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan will not occur earlier than 90 days from today.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after United States Magistrate Judge Robert Jones accepted the plea. The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore is prosecuting the case.

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President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan includes more than $18 billion for upgrades to Veterans Affairs medical centers, work that Veterans advocates have said is long overdue.

The ambitious package — dubbed the American Jobs Plan — will be detailed by Biden in a speech Wednesday afternoon. White House officials said the goal of the spending is to “create millions of good jobs, rebuild our country’s infrastructure, and position the United States to out-compete China.”

Along with major investments in projects to rebuild American highways, ports and airports, the proposal calls for “vastly improving our nation’s federal facilities, especially those that serve Veterans.”

Administration officials noted that while the median age of private-sector hospitals in America today is about 11 years, the median age of VA hospitals is roughly 58 years. The $18 billion would be spread over a variety of modernization and new construction projects, with the goal of providing better facilities for VA medical care.

“There is a backlog of high-efficiency projects that would help increase the health security of our Veterans, put people back to work, and achieve an important national project,” officials said in a statement.

The White House did not release a list of specific VA projects the money may be assigned to. However, construction work on VA facilities has been a concern among Veterans groups for years.

In February, officials from Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars released their annual list of budget suggestions for VA, including more than $2.8 billion in major construction work — more than double what the department is scheduled to spend in fiscal 2021.

The group has also identified more than $7 billion in “seismic corrections” at VA medical centers across the country. In 2015, the VA Inspector General identified nearly 100 sites (mostly in the western United States) that could face serious risks from an earthquake.

Biden’s proposed VA infrastructure spending comes just a few months before the White House is scheduled to name members of an Asset and Infrastructure Commission for VA, A panel styled after the military’s base closure commission that will be tasked with reviewing the department’s buildings nationwide.

The commissioners (who will need Senate approval before starting their work) will spend seven months compiling their recommendations, which will be followed by a series of public hearings on potential facility closings or expansions. Final decisions on changes are expected in 2023.

How Biden’s new funding plans will factor into those decisions is unclear. If approved by Congress, portions of the American Jobs Plan would begin to be implemented this year. However, some VA facilities in need of upgrades could be on the list of places recommended for closure in coming years, calling into question the value of costly upgrades.

The White House is expected to release its fiscal 2022 plan for funding VA operations sometime next month.

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Dozens of Oklahoma Veterans deboarded a plane in a show of solidarity after one Veteran’s oxygen tank prevented him from flying last week.

According to a News on 6 report on Monday, the group of nearly 60 Veterans took a four-day honor trip to Washington, D.C. beginning May 18, but on the way home on May 22, the group got stuck in the Charlotte airport for 10 hours.

The long delay caused the oxygen tank of one of the Veterans to run out of batteries, and it couldn’t be charged on the plane’s outlets. According to the group’s leaders, without extra batteries or a charging method, airline policy stated that the man couldn’t fly.

The flight was organized by Northeast Oklahoma Veterans Freedom Tour, a nonprofit dedicated to taking Veterans on tours around the country to visit Veterans memorials and monuments. Wayne Perego, a leader of the group, said the Veterans’ decision to deboard was not made lightly, but they made a promise never to leave a soldier behind.

“We just decided that you know what, we are going to go off the plane also, if he’s going off, if they’re gonna take him off, the whole bunch was gonna go off,” he said.

The Veterans ended up staying at the airport until 5:00 a.m. Eventually, American Airlines delivered extra batteries for the oxygen tank that were flown in from Norfolk, Virginia. The airline then chartered a flight just for the Veterans.

After the airport ordeal, the group posted on Facebook, “On behalf of the Northeast Oklahoma Veterans Freedom Tour, we want to apologize to our Veterans for the issue at the Charlotte airport and we wish this would have never happened, we wanted to show our Respect and Honor to each of you during this trip.”

The group said it would not comment on the event involving American Airlines but would soon post an official statement.

News on 6 reported that the Vets were greeted by a crowd of supporters when they returned home to Oklahoma.

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163 service members committed suicide in Q3 2021

Over 150 members of the U.S. military took their own lives in the third quarter of 2021 which represents a greater total than the number of service members who have died from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

According to data released by the Pentagon, 163 service members committed suicide in Q3 of 2021 which broke down into 70 active service members, 56 reserve members, and 37 members of the National Guard.

Suicides among active members of the military dropped from Q2 to Q3 but suicides rose among reserve and National Guard members.

Nearly twice as many members of the U.S. military died of suicide from July to September than have died from the coronavirus during the entire pandemic.

As of January 8, 86 members of the military have died from the coronavirus.

In September, the total number of coronavirus deaths in the military was 43 and the doubling of deaths from September to January is partially due to the Delta variant spike, the Pentagon says.

A total of 476 members of the U.S. military committed suicide in 2021 through three quarters. In 2020, Pentagon data shows that 701 service members committed suicide.

In December, the military began taking disciplinary action against U.S. service members who had not complied with the federal government's vaccine mandate. More than 200 Marines have been booted from the United States military for refusing the vaccine.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News.

This summer, a research paper concluded that a staggering 30,177 American active military personnel and Veterans involved in post-9/11 wars are estimated to have died by suicide – a figure at least four times greater than the 7,057 service members who were killed in combat during that time.

The statistics emerged this summer in a report from the Cost of War Project – a joint research effort between Brown University and Boston University.

"Unless the U.S. government and U.S. society makes significant changes in the ways we manage the mental health crisis among our service members and Veterans, suicide rates will continue to climb," the paper warns. "That is a cost of war we cannot accept."

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More dental clinics, durable medical equipment shops and cryotherapy centers are coming to some installations, as part of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service emphasis on wellness services.

The durable medical equipment shops carry items to help with rehab, fitness and mobility, such as crutches, fitness bands, medical footwear, therapy aids, wheelchairs, canes and walkers. These shops— as well as the other wellness locations — accept Tricare and most other insurance plans, when applicable. The shops also fill prescriptions, said AAFES spokeswoman Marisa Conner.

Cryotherapy, which is the use of extreme cold in medical treatments. AAFES has cryotherapy offices at Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, Texas, and expects to open two more in 2020 at Fort Bragg and Fort Benning.

There are also optical and optometry clinics in 151 AAFES locations worldwide.

Currently, there are durable medical equipment shops in 18 AAFES locations, with five more scheduled to open in 2020. The shops are relatively new to AAFES shopping centers, but have been popular with shoppers of all ages, officials said. Their assortment also includes needed items that sometimes aren’t covered by health insurance plans.

The shops, which offer discounts to military-connected customers, are also open to the newly eligible customers such as all service-connected disabled Veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, and primary family caregivers of eligible Veterans under the VA caregiver program.

These shops might be helpful for certain service-connected disabled Veterans who wouldn’t be eligible for free equipment from the VA — such as those with 0- to 40 percent service-connected disability ratings, said Jeremy Villanueva, assistant national legislative director of Disabled American Veterans.

Those with less than 50 percent disability ratings don’t get these medically-prescribed items free of charge from the VA if the items are related to a condition that isn’t service-connected. For example, if a Veteran has a 30 percent service-connected disability rating for their post traumatic stress disorder, and happens to have bad knees, that Veteran would pay for equipment for the knees, because the bad knees are not a service-connected condition.

AAFES plans to open durable medical equipment shops this year at Tripler Army Medical Center and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo; Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.; and Camp Humphreys, South Korea.

Current AAFES durable medical equipment shops:

• Arizona: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Luke Air Force Base
• California: March Air Reserve Base, McClellan Air Force Base
• Colorado: Buckley Air Force Base, Fort Carson
• Georgia: Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Air Field
• Germany: Ramstein Air Base
• Kentucky: Fort Campbell
• Nebraska: Offutt Air Force Base
• Nevada: Nellis Air Force Base
• New Mexico: Holloman Air Force Base
• North Carolina: Fort Bragg
• Virginia: Fort Belvoir
• Texas: Fort Bliss, Fort Hood
• Washington: Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Dental offices

AAFES has dental offices at Fort Stewart, Ga., and Fort Hood, Texas. Mobile dental offices are operating at Fort Bragg, N.C., and at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. Those mobile offices are scheduled to move to permanent locations in 2020.

Additional dental offices opening in 2020:

• Arizona: Luke Air Force Base
• Georgia: Fort Benning, Fort Gordon
• Kentucky: Fort Campbell
• Oklahoma: Fort Sill
• South Korea: Camp Humphreys
• Texas: Fort Bliss, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston

Cryotherapy offices

Cryotherapy, sometimes known as cold therapy, is the use of low temperatures in medical therapy.

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We are calling on you to join DAV in the fight to ensure that veterans and survivors who are not required to file tax returns receive Rebate Recovery checks.

Public Law 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes Recovery Rebates for most American adults, subject to certain eligibility and income requirements.  However, the primary method the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will use to identify eligible individuals is federal tax returns for 2018 or 2019.  Unfortunately, this approach would not automatically send a Recovery Rebate to millions of disabled veterans and survivors who have little or no other income, and are not required to file a federal tax return for these nontaxable VA benefits.

These veterans and survivors will only receive a Recovery Rebate if they file a tax return, which for many is a significant burden. Unless quick and decisive actions are taken by the IRS and VA, a significant number of seriously disabled veterans, their survivors and caregivers - who are among the most vulnerable Americans during the ongoing coronavirus health crisis - may never receive this critical financial support. That is simply unacceptable!

For the past two weeks, we have been working to ensure that veterans and survivors will be automatically included when the Recovery Rebates are sent out.  We have engaged with the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, as well as VA and the White House.

Today, DAV and eleven other veteran service organizations (VSOs) sent a joint letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Veterans Affairs Secretary Wilkie, urging them to work together to prevent any disabled veterans and their survivors from losing this financial support.  You can view the joint VSO letter here: https://tinyurl.com/v7z78l2.

DAV will not relent in this effort, but we need your help.  Stand with those who desperately need the Recovery Rebate payment.  Please use the prepared electronic letter, or draft your own, to urge your Senators and Representative to encourage the IRS and VA to collaboratively correct this issue for veterans and survivors who are not required to file tax returns.

Thank you for all you do for America's veterans and their families.

TAKE ACTION

Medical practice billed Medicare for expensive urine drug testing it did not use

BOSTON – Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists (NAPS), a Reno-based medical practice, has agreed to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims for payment to Medicare for medically unnecessary urine drug testing (UDT).

Pursuant to the settlement agreement, NAPS admits that it ordered confirmatory UDT—testing designed to confirm the results of presumptive UDT—despite failing to first obtain presumptive UDT results. In fact, NAPS did not consult the presumptive UDT results before ordering their confirmation but continued to perform presumptive tests in-house and bill Medicare as if they were medically necessary. NAPS admits that its performance of presumptive UDT played no role in its medical decision-making regarding whether to order confirmatory UDT from a clinical laboratory.

“NAPS ordered presumptive testing in order to collect more from Medicare, not because the tests were medically necessary,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell. “It’s not supposed to work that way, of course. NAPS was improperly draining resources from an important federal program, and we commend it for resolving the matter expeditiously.”

“Healthcare providers are expected to closely follow Medicare rules and bill properly — nothing more, nothing less,” said Special Agent in Charge Phillip M. Coyne of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “When that obligation is violated, government health care programs – and American taxpayers – pay the price. We are committed to pursuing these types of allegations along with our law enforcement partners as we work to protect the integrity of our federal healthcare system.”

“Public health insurance programs, such as Medicare, incur staggering financial losses when their programs are exploited. Today’s settlement should make it perfectly clear that those who bill for medically unnecessary tests will be held accountable,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.

This settlement resolves claims brought as part of a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allows private parties to bring suit on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. In connection with today’s announced settlement, the relator will receive $150,000 of the recovery.

Acting U.S. Attorney Mendell, HHS-OIG SAC Coyne, and FBI Boston SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. The Department of Veterans Affairs also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abraham R. George and Charles B. Weinograd of Mendell’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.

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More than a week into a new benefit for about 4 million more people, there are some increases in customers, but they’re also facing some problems.

Adding to the challenge is that the new benefit, which started Jan. 1 for certain Veterans and Veteran caregivers, was launched at a time when military installations have implemented heightened security measures at their gates because of ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. That’s meant more time-consuming security checks leading to delays and long lines of traffic at many bases. These newly eligible Veterans and Veteran caregivers must go to the visitor center for an on-the-spot background check the first time they come onto an installation, and they are in the mix of those trying to get into the installation.

Commissary officials said they’re seeing a “definite increase” in new customers shopping at several locations. As of today, the top 10 in these transactions are Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; McClellan, Calif.; March Air Reserve Base, Calif.; MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; Patrick AFB, Fla.; Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla.; Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Orote, Guam and Travis AFB, Calif. Numbers of customers or amount of sales weren’t available from commissary officials.

Marine Corps bases are seeing light participation at exchanges and other resale programs, said Bryan Driver, spokesman for business and support services division, which operates exchanges and MWR activities.

The information provided by store officials was mostly anecdotal at this early stage. For example, more than 40 newly eligible Veterans shopped at the Naval Base Guam store on Jan. 1, and the exchange at Naval Air Station Key West has seen about 25 customers with these expanded privileges, said Navy Exchange Service Command spokeswoman Kristine Sturkie.

The new benefits were authorized by law for all Veterans with VA service-connected disability ratings; Purple Heart recipients; Veterans who are former prisoners of war; and primary family caregivers of eligible Veterans under the VA caregiver program. Previously those with a 100 percent service-connected disability rating, and Medal of Honor recipients were allowed the benefits.

According to the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018, a section in the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, these populations are now entitled to access to commissaries, exchanges and certain morale, welfare and recreation facilities on the same basis as military retirees.

User fees double charged

Treasury Department officials are working to correct a system error that has resulted in double charging new customers the user fee when they used a PIN debit card. Commissary officials estimate the average overcharge is about 38 cents per transaction, said Gary Frankovich, spokesman for the Defense Commissary Agency. Officials were notified of the problem Jan. 9, he said, and a temporary solution is being put into place to stop the double charges until a permanent fix is in place.

The glitch didn’t affect those using credit cards.

Anyone who was double-charged the user fee will automatically receive a refund from the Treasury Department for that amount. Officials ask that customers give officials a few days to refund the money to their cardholder accounts, Frankovich said. “Neither cardholders nor their financial institutions need to do anything to initiate a refund.”

New commissary customers with this benefit are charged a user fee to offset any increased expenses by the Treasury Department. These customers are charged 0.5 percent of transactions for PIN debit cards and 1.9 percent for credit cards. Commercial card companies charge transaction fees to retailers when customers use their cards. By law, the expansion of customers can’t include extra costs associated with using debit or credit cards in commissaries; the cost must be passed on to the customer. The user fee is only charged at commissaries, not at exchanges or other retail MWR activities, and it doesn’t apply to other previously authorized commissary customers.

Are spouses allowed on base or not?

At a number of installations, Veterans are being told their spouses or other family members can’t come onto the installation with them. Yet defense officials have told Military Times previously that these newly authorized Veterans and caregivers will be allowed to bring their spouses and family members into the stores with them as guests. These guests don’t have the new benefits, so they aren’t allowed to purchase anything. The information is also on the DoD Military OneSource website.

At MacDill, officials have published a policy that’s counter to that DoD position.

“The new legislation does not grant escort or sponsorship privileges,” according to a press release issued by the base. It states that eligible Veterans and caregivers who are granted access to the installation and to base amenities “will not be able to bring family or members or guests with them them” unless those people have base privileges through their own Veteran or military-affiliated status. Even with the limiting policy, MacDill is still among the top commissaries in terms of traffic of these new customers.

Clarification from defense officials was not immediately available. Commissary, exchange and MWR officials have no control over security procedures at installation gates.

Marine Corps Veteran Allen Compton said he called Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. — the exchange, the commissary, and the front gate — to make sure he could gain access to the base with his spouse to shop, before he drove 2 ½ hours from Tallahassee on Saturday, Jan. 4. When he arrived, the guard at the gate told him his wife wouldn’t be allowed into the base to shop.

“I found this odd, as she had been on the base numerous times with her retired father, never denied entry and never checked in, just sat in the passenger seat,” said Compton, in an email to Military Times. She also went into the commissary and exchange with her father.

When Compton and his wife went to check in at the security building, they were told they had to have an appointment, although there were only two other people waiting in the office. The next available appointment was the following Tuesday. They don’t intend to ever return, he said.

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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released new data today showing a significant increase in the use of My HealtheVet, a VA online tool designed to help Veterans make informed decisions about their health.

From January to June 2020, Veterans and providers exchanged more than 11.6 million secure messages through My HealtheVet, a 24.1% increase compared to the same period in 2019.

Veterans also made more than 11.2 million prescription refill requests through My HealtheVet; an 8.1% increase compared to the same period in 2019.

“VA’s long-standing priorities to make sure Veterans have a convenient way to manage their health through telehealth technologies is proving successful,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Investing in the development of the infrastructure early gives us the ability to quickly adapt to the current health care environment.”

VA attributes the increase in use of its online health care tools to its proactive approach to keep Veterans and VA providers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through My HealtheVet, Veterans can request VA prescription refills, review their VA medical records and connect with their VA providers by exchanging secure online messages.

My HealtheVet is a program of VA’s Office of Connected Care which works to extend Veteran care beyond the traditional office visit.

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Two years after federal funding cuts led to reduced help for homeless Veterans, the Lehigh Valley has a new source of money.

State Sen. Pat Browne and local officials on Monday announced the creation of a Lehigh Valley Homeless Veteran Fund, which is launching with $200,000 in state grant funding.

“When our country called upon them, these men and women committed themselves to service in our armed forces,” Browne said at a news conference at the Lehigh County Government Center. “Now it is our turn to answer their call and provide assistance when they need it most.”

Cuts to federal funding in 2017 led to a dearth of resources to address homelessness among Veterans in the Lehigh Valley, with many community partners forced to suspend or end their services and outreach programs, according to Thomas Applebach, director of the Lehigh County Office of Veterans Affairs.

An estimated 574 homeless Veterans live in the Lehigh Valley, according to a recent “Point in Time” count, which tracks the homeless population at the local, state and national level one night each year. Of that number, 37 were identified as unsheltered Veterans, which includes those living in vehicles and outdoor encampments.

The goal of the fund is to pool smaller donations that can be used to help larger services or assistance programs — sustainable housing, job placement, substance abuse treatment and mental health services — that serve homeless Veterans in the Lehigh Valley, Applebach said.

“This is an effort to overcome the current and possible future funding cuts to VA services,” Applebach said.

Catholic Charities of Allentown will continue to play a critical role in administering those programs and services. The nonprofit agency spent roughly $85,000 — about $1,800 per Veteran — to help homeless Veterans through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families program in 2019.

Regardless of funding cuts, Browne said it is the collective responsibility of community stakeholders to ensure that resources are available to those “whose sacrifices have helped define our community.”

The fund, managed by the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, will be overseen by a five-member committee that will evaluate applications and recommend grant awards.

Alisa Baratta, executive director of the Third Street Alliance and co-chairwoman of the Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board, said the fund presents an opportunity for civic groups and individuals to help end the vicious cycle of homelessness.

“If you or anyone you know is experiencing homelessness, know that there are hundreds of people across the Lehigh Valley waiting to help you,” Baratta said.

While the creation of the fund was largely the culmination of government cooperation, county Executive Phillips Armstrong hopes it will attract investment from the private sector.

“We were hit with a problem two years ago, and we could have just said, ‘That’s it,’ ” Armstrong said. “Instead, we did something about it.”

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Defendant admitted NECC created fraudulent prescriptions to avoid federal oversight

BOSTON – The National Sales Director of the now-defunct New England Compounding Center (NECC) was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with conspiring to defraud the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Robert A. Ronzio, 48, of North Providence, R.I., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to time served. In December 2016, Ronzio pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud the FDA. Ronzio cooperated with the government and testified at three trials of other NECC defendants.

NECC fraudulently held itself out as a pharmacy dispensing drugs pursuant to physician-created prescriptions when in fact it operated as a manufacturer distributing drugs in bulk. NECC created numerous work-around methods to make it appear to federal and state regulators that NECC was dispensing drugs pursuant to valid patient-specific prescriptions when in fact it was not.

Specifically, NECC sales representatives requested that customers (hospitals and clinics) send in a list of patient names with their orders, but informed the customers that NECC would not label the drugs with the names of patients, thereby allowing the customers to use the drugs for any patients. NECC sales representatives requested customers send patient rosters or appointment schedules with their orders, from which NECC employees created patient-specific prescriptions that could be provided to federal or state regulators. Furthermore, NECC would not request patient names for first orders and often waived the requirement entirely for certain customers or drug orders. To determine the number of patient names required, the former owner of NECC and head pharmacist, Barry Cadden, created ratios of patient names to the number of drug units sought in an order. Ronzio admitted that the reason for these work-around methods was to maintain NECC’s status as a pharmacy and avoid heightened regulatory oversight of the FDA.

The NECC criminal case arose from the nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis that was traced back to contaminated vials of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) manufactured by NECC. In 2012, 753 patients in 20 states were diagnosed with a fungal infection after receiving injections of MPA manufactured by NECC, and more than 100 patients died as a result. The outbreak was the largest public health crisis ever caused by a contaminated pharmaceutical drug.

In December 2014, following a two-year investigation, Ronzio and 13 other owners, employees, and associates of NECC were charged in a 131-count indictment. The indictment did not charge Ronzio with having any role in the drug manufacturing operations of NECC.

On July 7, 2021, Cadden was resentenced, following the government’s successful appeal of his original sentence, to 174 months in prison and ordered to pay forfeiture of $1.4 million and restitution of $82 million. On July 21, 2021, Chin was resentenced, following the government’s successful appeal of his original sentence, to 126 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Chin was also ordered to pay forfeiture of approximately $473,584 and restitution in the amount of $82 million.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D.; Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Patrick Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda P.M. Strachan, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Criminal Division, prosecuted the case.

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Military stores are gearing up for a potential 4 million extra people who will be eligible to shop at commissaries and exchanges, and to use certain morale, welfare and recreation facilities starting Jan. 1.

The new benefit was authorized by law for all Veterans with VA service-connected disability ratings; Purple Heart recipients; Veterans who are former prisoners of war; and primary family caregivers of eligible Veterans under the VA caregiver program.

It’s the largest patronage expansion in more than 60 years. Currently about 6 million total households are eligible for the benefit; this increases that number by 60 percent. Not all of the 4 million people are expected to use the benefit, because of distance and other factors, but officials are working to ensure no out-of-stock situations occur at stores in states with high populations of disabled Veterans and in states with higher cost of living.

Federal officials have determined that disabled Veterans will use their Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) to gain access to military installations, and to shop and use MWR facilities. The VHIC must display the Veteran’s eligibility status — Purple Heart recipient, former POW, or service-connected. Current Defense Department policy and the law have long allowed these benefits for Medal of Honor recipients and Veterans with 100 percent service-connected disability ratings.

Most installations’ front gate scanning systems now have the capability to scan the VHIC cards. However, these newly-eligible patrons should allow some extra time when they first visit the installation to stop at the visitor control center, where they must pass an on-the-spot background check. Depending on the type of installation, patrons may be enrolled for recurring access to allow them to proceed to the gate without stopping at the visitor control center on future visits. Spouses can’t buy anything, but they and other family members can accompany the Veteran into the store.

An estimated 37,000 Veterans qualify for the new benefit, but don’t qualify for the VHIC for various reasons. They won’t have access to the installations during the first phase of the rollout. A credentialing solution is being worked out for these Veterans, and will be rolled out at an unspecified later date.

Caregivers approved and designated as the primary family caregivers of eligible Veterans under the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers will receive an eligibility letter from the VA’s Office of Community Care.

Newly eligible customers who shop in commissaries will pay a fee of 1.9 percent of their transaction if they pay with a commercial credit card, and 0.5 percent if they use a debit card. These fees won’t apply to those paying with a Military Star card, cash or check. By law, the expansion of customers can’t include extra costs associated with using credit cards in commissaries; the cost must be passed on to the customer. Commercial credit card companies charge transaction fees to retailer when customers use their credit cards. The fees only apply to newly eligible patrons. But as has been the practice for decades, all customers pay a 5 percent surcharge on transactions, required by law to pay for commissary construction, equipment and maintenance.

The benefit extends to revenue-generating MWR activities such as golf courses, bowling centers, movie theaters, RV campgrounds and recreational lodging.

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Veterans can learn more about GI Bill benefits they’ve earned through a new three-part series just released.

The series, “Building Your Future with the GI Bill,” coincides with the third anniversary of the Colmery Act, signed into law Aug. 17, 2017.

VA’s education benefits programs, particularly the Forever GI Bill, support Veterans and their families by providing them the benefits and resources for education goals. The new three-part series serves as a roadmap to support the journey from education to employment. This series helps eligible service members, Veterans and their families. The series helps people navigate education pathways, finding the right benefits program for them.

The guides

Part One, “A Guide to Choosing Your Education Pathway,” helps GI Bill beneficiaries navigate the education pathways to lead to a fulfilling career. Earning a degree or certification allows beneficiaries to be more competitive in the workforce. This also helps them attain a higher salary and job stability, and boost employer-provided benefits. This guide provides details on education options from undergraduate, entrepreneurship, on-the-job training, and other non-traditional education options.

Part Two, “A Guide to Understanding Your Benefits”, helps future GI Bill beneficiaries navigate VA education benefits to find the best program fit for themselves. Understanding the variety of education benefits available helps Veterans and their families determine the appropriate VA benefit based on eligibility and goals. This guide provides Veterans details on supplemental programs and offer a way to compare options. It also encompasses information on additional grants, scholarships, state benefits and student loans,. This helps give a holistic view of resources available.

Part Three, “A Guide to Furthering Your Career,” helps GI Bill beneficiaries transition from education to a fulfilling career. Education is the first step. This guide outlines the process of job searching, building a network, and growth during a career. As students finish their education or training, VA can help them find the right career path.

Potential GI Bill beneficiaries should use these guides as a starting point to research the education and training options available. These guides provide help with navigating the variety of education pathways, understanding education benefits options, and building a fulfilling career.

More information

Learn more about the GI Bill and education benefits available at va.gov.

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Veterans advocates saw significant progress in 2021 in the fight to improve care and benefits for victims of burn pit smoke, but they’re hoping for even more in 2022.

The issue of toxic exposure injuries for Veterans has been a point of emphasis for outside organizations for years. This past year, advocates for those ill Veterans saw a number of bills to extend research, monitoring and benefits eligibility advance further than ever before in Congress, only to stall out at the end of the year.

Leaders in the House and Senate have promised to keep pushing those measures along. But partially in response to that momentum, the Department of Veterans Affairs has begun its own work on the issue, granting presumptive benefits to some burn pit victims for the first time.

In August, VA officials announced that Veterans suffering asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis who served in most overseas war zones after September 2001 would be presumed to have contracted the condition from the toxic smoke emanating from such pits.

That designation reduces the paperwork and proof needed to link the conditions to individuals’ time in service and speeds up the process of getting them disability payouts.

Several thousand Veterans have already been approved for the new benefits.

Then in November, White House officials announced a full review of how all future disability claims will be evaluated, including a 90-day review of numerous rare cancers believed linked to military burn pits. The results of that work should be made public in February.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough told Military Times in November that “no Veteran is going to have to wait another five or six years” for answers on the burn pit benefits.

“We are moving because of pressure from — and expectations from — our Veterans and because of a demand for accountability from the president,” he said.

Veterans Affairs officials have estimated more than 3.5 million troops were exposed to the toxic smoke from burn pits during overseas deployments over the past 20 years, but a full accounting of the injuries and illnesses that smoke caused has never been completed.

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A new interactive map could help ill Vietnam Veterans who served on U.S. ships during the war determine whether they could be eligible for Agent Orange-related benefits.

A retired Navy chief radioman has teamed with a Florida-based law firm to make the map available to “blue water” Vietnam Veterans, their widows and anyone interested in seeing where Navy and Coast Guard vessels served offshore during the decade-long conflict.

The information, said Ed Ball, director of research for Military Veterans Advocacy Inc., could be useful for determining whether a ship served in the waters designated by the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.

The law, signed June 25 by President Donald Trump, allows former service members who served on a ship that operated within 12 nautical miles of a line of demarcation established by law and have an illness presumed related to herbicide exposure apply for health benefits and disability compensation.

Ball told Military Times he has worked on the map for four years, poring over Navy ship logs and plotting the vessels’ coordinates along with the dates the ships sailed within the designated zone.

By clicking through the map, for example, Veterans can learn that the aircraft carrier America served within the limits in December 1972 near Da Nang. The Coast Guard high endurance cutter Bering Strait crossed into the designated waters once in 1968 and three times in 1970.

“Over 1,700 deck logs have been plotted to date, and we continue to add new information from the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association master list of deck logs,” Ball said.

The map is hosted by the disability law firm Hill & Ponton. Numerous law firms vie to assist Veterans in drafting and filing disability claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs; many Veterans service organizations provide similar assistance free of charge.

Matthew Hill, managing partner at the firm said Hill & Ponton decided to support Ball’s efforts to assist Veterans.

“Improving transparency and simplifying access to this data is essential as we support the Vietnam Veterans … now suffering the effects” of Agent Orange exposure, Hill said in a release.

As part of filing disability claims, Veterans must show they served on a U.S. vessel when it traversed the congressionally drawn zone.

Data from the map is derived from the National Archives and ships logs as well as the Blue Water Navy law, according to Ball.

Hill said as Veterans and family members send in additional data they have collected, the map will be updated.

Ball said service members who were on ships that aren’t yet mapped or those who served outside the zone, such as in the Gulf of Tonkin, should contact Military Veterans Advocacy and the Blue Water Navy Association if they have one of 14 diseases listed by the VA as linked to Agent Orange.

“We have other instances of exposure and they may still be able to file a claim,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Veterans Affairs has started approving claims from the nearly 90,000 Veterans who may be eligible for disability compensation. According to Ball and other members of the Blue Water Navy Association, some Veterans and widows have been notified of their claims approvals while while others are simply finding deposits from VA in their bank accounts.

Jim Caldwell, , a Navy Veteran who lives in Mission Valley California and has type 2 diabetes, checked his balance and found a deposit for $6027.05.

“Glorious and happy day,” Caldwell wrote in a message on Facebook. “Please … let the rest of the blue water navy know that it IS coming and on the way!”

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A federal jury convicted a New Jersey rheumatologist today for defrauding Medicare and other health insurance programs by billing for services that patients never received.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alice Chu, 64, of Fort Lee, owned and operated a rheumatology practice in Clifton. From 2010 through 2019, Chu billed Medicare and other health insurance programs for expensive infusion medication that her practice never purchased. Chu also fraudulently billed millions of dollars for allergy services that patients never needed or received.

Chu was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five counts of health care fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. of the FBI’s Newark Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert of the Department of Health and Human Service Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DOD-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI, HHS-OIG and DOD-OIG investigated the case.

Acting Assistant Chief Rebecca Yuan and Trial Attorney Nicholas Peone of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

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Tommy Pasquale, 24, is raising money for America's homeless Vets — 'not too much to ask' that 'they have a good place to live'

A New Jersey man is walking across the country for a very good cause.

Tommy Pasquale of Randolph, New Jersey, is on a mission to trek all the way to Venice Beach, California, from New Jersey to raise money for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

The 24-year-old left Brielle Road Beach in Manasquan, New Jersey, on Sept. 19, 2022, with the goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean by April 2023.

Pasquale said that the 38,000 Veterans who go to sleep homeless across the United States is an "unacceptable" number — especially in a country "as great as the United States."

"I think it’s not too much to ask that when they get home, they have a good place to live and rest their hat at the end of the day," he said.

Pasquale revealed to Fox News Digital that his mission is a journey "from sea to shining sea" in true American fashion.

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was forced into lockdown, Pasquale said that it's been a dream of his to "do something crazy" such as walk across the country.

"I decided if there’s ever a point where I’m going to do it, the time is now when I’m young, I’m strong and I’m healthy," he said.

"So, I went for it and I’m glad I did, although it’s definitely a little crazy."

Pasquale quit his job — he worked in software sales in New York City. He also sold his car, using the money he’d saved to take the trip.

"It should last me until I get there," he said. "But currently, I have no income."

Pasquale decided to pair the cross-country walk with the "good cause" of fighting Veteran homelessness. He has several Veterans and active-duty military in his own circle.

"I’ve always been passionate about helping out Veterans in any way I can because they’ve given so much to us," he said.

Pasquale is calling the journey "Tommy Walks America" — and he's been keeping his followers in the loop through social media.

Before the trip, Pasquale trained by walking every day. Although he was fit enough for the job, he realized the journey would be physically and mentally tough.

"I knew it was going to be challenging," he said. "I’m not quite sure if I realized how challenging it was going to be until I got out here."

"I was definitely nervous. I was excited, cautiously optimistic — but until you go out there and take the first step and start doing it, it’s all unknown."

He added, "Sometimes you just got to send it."

Pasquale said he walks at least 20 miles each day, following county highways and small back roads, while pushing a shopping cart full of essentials such as clothes, non-perishable food, toiletries, water, a journal, books and chargers.

The traveler spends most nights in a tent with a sleeping bag that he’s brought along with him.

But he’s been able to bunk with friends, too — and even people he’s met along the way — who live en route.

Since traveling about 925 miles to Nashville, Pasquale revealed that his trusty pairs of New Balance and HOKA sneakers are just about spent.

"They have served their purpose," he said. "Definitely need some new sneakers now."

Pasquale has received "a lot of support" so far from people he knows, as well as from strangers, he said — including country music star Parker McCollum, who offered Pasquale tickets to the Country Music Awards while he was in Music City on Nov. 9.

"Any time I get to stop and see something cool or stop in a cool city like Nashville, I definitely want to take my time and enjoy it," he said.

While Pasquale is a third of the way through his journey as of right now, he revealed that he’s learned a lot about himself and the world around him, especially in a nation that seems so divided.

"There are so many good people that are out there still — like, genuine, good people," he said.

"At the end of the day, most Americans just want to help out their fellow Americans any way they can, and I think it’s a pretty special thing."

He also said, "Different parts of this country are so different, but people are genuine wherever you go."

Pasquale’s goal is to raise $100,000 for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, but he believes he’ll be able to raise much more.

"I don’t think it’s out of the question to think that we could raise $1 million," he said.

He added, "Any time you get the chance to meet a Veteran, make sure you shake their hand and give them a hardy ‘thank you’ for what they do for this country."

Pasquale said that 100% of all donations he receives will go to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

Pasquale added that he plans to fly back home to New Jersey once he makes it to his final destination in California.

"When I get home, I might park it on the couch and not take any steps for about a month," he said, laughing.

Donations can be made at GoFundMe and the Tommy Walks America info page at linktr.ee/tommy_pasquale.

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TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly recently announced the launch of the new KANSASWORKS KanVet website.

The new site provides access to State of Kansas Veteran-specific resources and benefits on a one-stop, convenient web page.

“Kansas Veterans contribute significantly to their communities, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their service to our country,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Growing up in a military family, I know firsthand the sacrifices our service members and their families make to keep us safe. We are proud to help Kansas Veterans find careers in our state.”

Resources available to Veterans on the site include, but are not limited to:

Employment resources

Veteran and family assistance

Education resources

Mental health support

In addition to Veterans’ resources, the KanVet site also allows employers to take the Hire a Veteran Pledge to publicly show their commitment to the men and women who have defended our nation. This serves as a further demonstration of the state of Kansas’ commitment to providing support for Veterans, as well as signifying the desire for Veterans to remain in Kansas after their service.

“Ensuring that Veterans can easily find careers in Kansas benefits both the service members and the businesses in our state,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “This is a group of high-quality leaders who are ready to work, and they come equipped with all of the skills employers are looking for. Keeping incredible people in our state and supplying Kansas companies with a qualified, dedicated workforce is a win for everyone involved.”

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Decades after tens of thousands of troops were exposed to agent orange in the Vietnam War, many Veterans are now able to qualify for benefits. But that doesn't mean the process is easy for those who suffer.

Prior to January 1, 2020, only those who were stationed on land in Vietnam qualified for benefits. But during the war, agent orange was sprayed using helicopters and planes, which meant there was no controlling where it ended up, and impacted those on ships.

“There’s evidence that what would happen is that it would drain into rivers then drain into bays and then boats would pick it up. The ships would pick it up and use it for a drinking water,” said attorney Matthew Hill.

And while the new law helps, to get the benefits, Hill said the Veteran must prove their ship was in Vietnamese territory. It's a process that can be quite difficult.

“It’s a little tricky to figure out where the ship was, a person would have to say, I was on this ship for year and know if it ever reached a specific point in the water. The only way they can tell that is with deck logs. That’s the logs that showed where the ships were” added Hill

But, to make things even harder; many of those records are no longer public. And unless the Veteran has their own ship logs, there is little to no evidence to support the claim for benefits.

“The VA is developing their internal technology, but there is two challenges to that. One, they're not sharing it. Veterans can’t just go and say this was where I was. And two, what they did is, they took all the deck logs from the national archives and they won’t let anyone else see them,” said Hill.

To help, the law firm of Hill & Ponton created an interactive crowd-sourcing map where Veterans can upload their logs to help other Veterans find their ship and it’s all in hopes of assisting those who need it the most get the benefits they deserve.

“It’s a game changer for these people most of them individuals are not wealthy they need these benefits. They’re dealing with such awful diseases, they need healthcare top-tier healthcare” added Hill.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVVA) - A new state law provides free concealed handgun licenses to many military Veterans.

The new law exempts any honorably discharged Veteran of the nation’s military from paying for a West Virginia concealed handgun license.

According to the state attorney general's office, "The statute also reduces the application fee for non-Veteran applicants from $75 to $25. The application fee for a provisional concealed carry license now sits at $15, down from $25. An additional fee – $25 for a standard license and $15 for a provisional license – is due at the time of issuance and remains unchanged."

For a full list of states and more information regarding West Virginia concealed handgun licenses, please visit the Attorney General’s Gun Reciprocity page at www.wvago.gov.

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The Department of Defense has released a new list of locations outside Vietnam where herbicides like Agent Orange were tested and stored, a compilation that could provide some Veterans proof of exposure needed to support their VA disability claims.

But the list, published Jan. 27 by the Department of Veterans Affairs, omits more than 40 locations previously noted as exposure sites by DoD in 2018 — deletions that could undermine other Veterans’ pending claims.

The new DoD list contains nearly 150 testing and storage locations, with updates that include specific dates of release or containment, as well as 26 additions, including places like Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, and Johnston Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean.

But it deletes or alters at least 50 previously identified locations, removing some dates and omitting testing sites like Hawaii, where the DoD previously said field tests were conducted, Puerto Rico, where herbicides were sprayed in forests between 1956 and 1967, and locations in Korea where components were stored.

And while the new list contains six locations in Thailand, it adds a new clarification to those locations’ descriptions: “No herbicide was sprayed in Thailand.”

The statement is in direct opposition to Defense Department documents that explicitly state herbicides were sprayed in Thailand in the early 1970s to protect bases from counterinsurgency attacks.

According to DoD spokesman Chuck Prichard, the new list replaces the one from 2018 and is “the result of DoD’s thorough review of the records for use, storage and testing of Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides outside of Vietnam.”

“Information within those records was assessed against stringent joint VA-DOD criteria for what constitutes a location where tactical herbicides were tested, used and stored,” Prichard said.

According to Prichard, locations were selected or deleted based on criteria including the existence of an official record, to include government reports, forms, unit histories, shipping logs, contracts, scientific reports or photographs. The location must have been a DoD installation, land under control of DoD or a non-DoD location where service members were present during testing, application, transportation or storage.

The new list covers tactical herbicides including Agents Orange, Purple, Pink, Green, Blue, White and their active ingredients. Also, they must have been used in application at test sites, in labs or greenhouses, while being transported on vehicles or ships or stored.

Prichard said locations where exposure occurred under conditions already granted presumption of exposure such as Vietnam and the Korean DMZ were not included on this list.

It also does not include any places where the U.S. Department of Agriculture, academia, chemical companies or others tested or stored the chemicals if service members weren’t involved, nor areas where trained DoD personnel engaged in vegetation management and control in accordance with the DoD Pest Management Program.

Several Veterans services organizations told Military Times their analysts are comparing the old list, which dates to September, 2018 and was published by the Government Accountability Office in November, 2018, and the new version.

In its report, GAO called the list “inaccurate and incomplete,” and urged DoD to update the publication, which hadn’t been updated in more than a decade.

The office recommended that the Pentagon refine the list so that it was “as complete and accurate as available records allow,” develop a process for updating the list, develop criteria for determining locations and work with VA to keep Veterans informed of the information.

But Ryan Gallucci, director of National Veterans Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the new list does not “live up to the guidance and recommendations of the GAO report.”

“We have a lot of questions … two specific locations that GAO identified aren’t included on DoD’s new list and certain ones that seemingly had verified spraying on the old list are now off the list,” Gallucci said. “With the GAO report, DoD compelled to come up with a more comprehensive list, not go back and revise what they already confirmed.”

Veterans who served on the ground in Vietnam, on inland waterways or certain Navy ships engaged in combat operations and who have one or more illnesses thought to be caused by exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants have presumptive status for disability benefits, meaning they only have to prove that they served in the theater to receive health care and compensation.

But Veterans with one of the 14 diseases listed as Agent Orange-related conditions who were exposed outside Vietnam face the burden of proving exposure. The DoD list is instrumental in helping support many of these Veterans’ claims.

“Our message to VA would be that they should grant benefits if a Veteran has any evidence demonstrating that the spraying may have occurred, and that would be if there is an old list where DoD confirmed that there was storage or spraying,” Gallucci said.

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said the update was “necessary to improve accuracy and [for] communication of information.”

“VA depends on DOD to provide information regarding in-service environmental exposure for disability claims based on exposure to herbicides outside of Vietnam,” Wilkie said in a statement.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper added that the new list will be updated as “verifiable information becomes available.”

“DOD will continue to be responsive to the needs of our interagency partners in all matters related to taking care of both current and former service members. The updated list includes Agents Orange, Pink, Green, Purple, Blue and White and other chemicals,” used to create the defoliants, Esper said in a release.

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As part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to end Veteran homelessness, Secretary Denis McDonough last month released Master Plan 2022 detailing plans to aid homeless and other at-risk Veterans and their families at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

Master Plan 2022, released April 22, also maps the progress to date at the West LA VA campus.

“Progress on Master Plan 2022 continues to be a top VA priority, as is our commitment to eliminate Veteran homelessness across the nation,” McDonough said. “Ready access to health care is critical to meeting the mental and physical health needs of those experiencing homelessness. The West LA campus supports one of the largest, most complex medical centers in the VA system and provides Veterans with access to a full continuum of health care services.”

Los Angeles has the largest homeless Veteran population in the country with almost 10 percent of all homeless Veterans across the U.S. located there.

Implementation of Master Plan 2022 for VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System includes: enabling the West LA campus to provide supportive housing and a set of resources tailored to the needs of vulnerable Veteran populations and their families. The plan calls for over 1,000 housing units for homeless Veterans to be under construction within the next five years. 220 additional units will also be built within 10 years, and the VA will add 350 more units sometime after that.

In addition, the plan allows for interconnecting campus operations in real-time with available off-site resources including VA community-based facilities/services; state, county, city and neighborhood systems; Veteran Service Organizations and non-profit organizations.

VA officials said last month that there would be more action on the plan following years of delays.The project was created in 2016, and only 55 units have been completed so far – around 8 percent of what was anticipated to be completed so far.

The VA’s Office of Inspector General has blamed the delays an array of factors, including on land-use problems, environmental impact studies, issues with fundraising.

When the plan was rolled out, the VA assumed existing infrastructure on the campus could handle the development’s utility needs. It turned out this wasn’t the case, forcing the VA to secure $110.1 million in federal funds for utility and infrastructure improvements.

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Public-private partnership madeAmbulatory Care Center possible; 'more of a mission than a project,' says major donor

OMAHA, Neb. — Private philanthropists turned over the keys on a new clinic and outpatient care building to Veterans Affairs in Omaha Thursday.

The $86 million Ambulatory Care Center will open its doors within weeks.

It marks the end of years of work — and a fair bit of drama — to get Veterans in Nebraska and Western Iowa new health care facilities.

The aging hospital, built in the late 1940s, had been falling down a list of VA replacement priorities for years because of cost overruns on new hospital construction, especially in Denver.

It frustrated local philanthropists, who were interested in helping Veterans sooner rather than later, and in order for them to help, the law needed to change.

"Nobody thought we could do it," said former Congressman Brad Ashford, who championed the CHIP IN for Vets Act in the House of Representatives. "It's not worth having to come back to Omaha and tell Walter Scott the bill didn't pass."

It became law in 2016.

Scott, along with other individual donors and business foundations, contributed $30 million under a pilot program authorized by Congress to allow public-private partnerships to build a limited number of VA facilities.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, championed the measure in the Senate.

"It's been a long time in getting done," Fischer said of the years of work behind the scenes to push forward the idea. "It should be a perfect model for how we can get these projects done in a more timely manner."

Heritage Services, the local donor group involved in many Omaha civic projects, leveraged private money with $56 million from the VA. It managed construction, which leaders tell KETV NewsWatch 7 was on time and on budget.

The new care center is a 160,000 square-foot building with three floors. There's an outpatient surgery suite with state-of-the-art operating rooms, treatment units with private patient rooms for doctor's office visits and a radiology suite.

It will serve more than 40,000 Veterans in Nebraska and Western Iowa seeking care each year, and will allow 400 additional outpatients to visit the facility each day, according to statistics tracked by McCarthy Building Companies, the contractor for the project.

And it's the first VA medical facility of its kind with a dedicated women's clinic tucked away on the first floor.

"We see more and more women who are joining our ranks every single day," said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who's excited about the dedicated, private space for female Veterans. "They are serving across the spectrum, whether they are in logistics like I was in, or whether they are now serving in combat arms, which just a matter of five years ago was an entirely male space."

Veterans are happy to see the building finally ready to open, said Dick Harrington, a Vietnam War Veteran who serves as a greeter and host at the VA's Omaha medical campus.

"They're looking at this and saying, by God we got something here," he said. "I just kinda think about the fact that something's been done, and it's saying to the Veterans, we've got ya."

Harrington says the new space will free up square footage in the crowded hospital. He's also excited for hew housing set to open on the campus for families of Veterans undergoing care, along with expanded mental health resources.

The success of the program should come as no surprise, Ashford said in reflecting on the project.

But the billionaire who backed it from the beginning doesn't view it as a project at all.

"Knowing it was for Veterans made this more of a mission than a project," said Walter Scott Jr., in a letter commemorating the effort's completion.

He called the public-private approach "common sense."

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HOT SPRINGS, S.D. (KOTA TV) - In 2017, the Department of Veteran Affairs released its final report on restructuring the VA health system in the Black Hills.

The report stated that the preferred option would be to open a new facility in Rapid City and shrink services at the Hot Springs VA Center.

However, Monday morning, we learned that is no longer the plan.

It's been a hot topic in Hot Springs, the closing of the VA Hospital and on Monday morning, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie announced that they will take another look at the plan.

"He will take a new look at the 2017 record of decision. That's what we've been asking for and we're very grateful he said that," said Representative Dusty Johnson.

South Dakota has more than 65,000 Veterans across the state, but the VA Hospital in Hot Springs is special.

"It's incredibly important because it doesn't just serve Veterans from South Dakota, from the surrounding states they travel in to get care and from our tribal nations," said Governor Kristi Noem. "The facilities here are unlike any in the rest of the country for taking care of Native Americans and incorporating their culture into the healing process."

The facility won't just stay open, but now mental illness will be placed at the forefront.

According to Veteran Affairs, more than 1.7 million Veterans nationwide received treatment in a VA mental health specialty program in 2018.

"The budget that I presented to the congress is the largest in our history," said Wilkie. "The largest expansion is for mental health, about ten and a half billion dollars is for mental health and that is the last frontier for medicine. That is an issue we as a nation have not had a long conversation about."

Noem couldn't agree more.

"That is exactly the vision we have for this facility is to invest in PTSD treatment and mental health care for Veterans," said Noem.

Funding will also go into modernizing and upgrading the facility.

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With two COVID-19 vaccines available for emergency use and deliveries starting at VA health care facilities, many Veterans are wondering when they can receive the vaccine.

Facilities will notify Veterans at high risk for contracting the virus or those who could develop serious illness about their eligibility and when they can expect to get their vaccine.

This is possible because of VA’s new data outreach tool.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach for Veterans software program uses data in the VHA Support Service Center (VSSC) databases to find Veterans who are in high-risk groups. Because the vaccines are new and in high demand, quantities are limited. They’re being given to the most at-risk groups first.

Using database to sort Veterans by age and health conditions

VA follows the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines to determine who should be offered the vaccine first when supply is limited. Since VA medical records are electronic, facilities can use the VSSC database to sort Veterans by their ages or if they have high-risk health conditions.

It can then provide medical facilities with a list of Veterans who should be offered vaccine first.

Pictured above, registered nurse Sandra Getchell gives the COVID-19 vaccine to World War II Veteran Margaret Klessens, 96. Klessens is a resident of VA Bedford Healthcare System’s community living center.

Klessens was the first VA patient nationwide to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and has now received her second vaccine. (VA photo by Kat Bailey)

“The Vaccine Outreach for Veterans program was designed to review records of all Veterans receiving care throughout the VA health system to determine their risk level and when they should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine,” according to Stacey Campbell, VSSC’s deputy director.

Tool ensures Veterans can be easily identified

VSSC worked with the COVID-19 Vaccine Project National Integrated Project Team (IPT) Prioritization Group to develop the tool and ensure that Veterans could be easily identified based on age or underlying conditions.

The tool uses patient identifiers to show a patient’s medical conditions, age, gender, and serious and pre-existing health conditions. It also shows current disease treatments, such as chemotherapy or dialysis, and other risk factors for severe COVID-19, such as smoking or obesity.

A patient’s medical record can reveal a patient’s interest in receiving the vaccine. It also contains contact information so their local facility can notify them of their prioritized eligibility.

Veterans may be notified by their local facility using traditional mailing or electronic notification systems. These systems include VEText or My HealtheVet. Veterans also may receive calls from patient case managers.

Important tool to keep Veterans healthy and safe

“It’s helpful if providers that Veterans know and trust for their care help with outreach. We want Veterans to know this is an important tool to keep them healthy and safe,” sayid Patti Wallace, the senior clinical advisor for the VHA Office of Healthcare Transformation. She was instrumental in bringing the work of the IPT together with VSSC for use in the field.

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has multiple phases for the vaccine based on availability. Most VA facilities are in the first phase (Phase 1a), which ensures the most vulnerable people get the vaccine first.

VA facilities can start offering vaccines to those covered under Phase 1b of the CDCs allocation guidelines when they have made good progress through Phase 1a.

Dr. Jane Kim is the chief consultant for preventive medicine at the National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She has been leading a team of experts, including public health, infectious disease, pharmacy, ethics and equity in anticipation of the vaccine rollout.

Dr. Sophia Califano is the deputy chief consultant for preventive medicine. She worked with these experts to adapt CDC guidance on phased allocation of vaccine for VA. Her team worked closely with the VSSC team to develop the software tool and ensure it captured the right information and made it easy for facility outreach teams to contact Veterans.

Ensuring those most at risk are at the front of the line

Califano noted that the process to determine risk levels is intentionally straightforward to help Veterans understand why they are being offered the vaccine and how it may benefit them. This ensures that those most at risk are at the front of the line and phases can move quickly. The goal is to quickly offer the vaccine to as many staff and Veterans as vaccine supply permits.

Veterans who would be eligible in Phase 1b due to their profession may have access to the vaccine through their place of work before enough vaccine is available through VA. All Veterans and staff are encouraged to get vaccinated at their first available opportunity.

For example, their state may offer them the vaccine before VA does. You can provide a picture of the COVID-19 vaccination card to your VA provider through secure messaging and request it be added to your records.

“We want to encourage Veterans to get the COVID vaccine as soon as it becomes available to them,” Califano said. We believe this is the best path forward and the best way to protect you and your family.”

Updates on COVID-19 information will be posted on the VA Access to Care website. Also, information on COVID-19 vaccines at VA can be found here.

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A new VA subsidy will help low-income and formerly homeless Veterans afford housing in high-rent communities.

The Shallow Subsidy initiative provides low-income Veterans a fixed rental subsidy for up to two years. The subsidy is available to Veterans who are enrolled in the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program and live in communities characterized by high rates of homelessness and low availability of affordable housing. To encourage long-term self-sufficiency through employment, renters receive the subsidy for up two years, regardless of any increases in their household income.

Through a competitive application process, VA awards SSVF grants to private, non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives to provide eligible Veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other mainstream benefits that promote housing stability and community integration. SSVF has recently partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program to co-enroll Shallow Subsidy participants in employment and training programs to help them become economically self-sufficient by the end of their two-year subsidy.

The Shallow Subsidy initiative represents the benefits of VA’s ongoing use of data to adjust programs based on evidence to promote the best possible outcomes for Veterans. VA created the Shallow Subsidy Initiative after several analyses of SSVF data revealed that intermediate-term rental subsidies would remove a key barrier to long term housing stability among homeless Veterans. For the life of the Shallow Subsidy Initiative, VA will collect and evaluate data on outcomes to ensure the initiative is producing the intended results.

“With the Shallow Subsidy initiative, we’re able to increase the likelihood of long-term housing stability among Veterans who were previously homeless or at risk of homelessness in communities with challenging rental markets,” said SSVF National Director John Kuhn. “The resources made available to eligible Veterans under this initiative enable them to afford rent and other household expenses while they secure job training, employment or other income and benefit resources before the shallow subsidy ends.”

Since 2011, SSVF has served over 800,000 people, including over 170,000 dependent children. Of those who exited the SSVF program to date, 84% found permanent housing; another 10% found safe, temporary housing.

SSVF was established in 2011 as the first VA-administered homeless prevention and rapid rehousing program to serve Veterans and their family members. In addition to the recurring SSVF grants already awarded, VA has also committed $50 million in nonrecurring awards to support shallow subsidies in the following communities:

• California: Alameda (including Oakland), Contra Costa, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara
• District of Columbia: Washington
• Hawaii: Honolulu
• Illinois: Cook County
• New York: New York City and Bronx, Queens, Kings and Richmond counties
• Washington: Seattle

Veterans who live in any of the targeted communities who wish to be considered for the program should visit the Homeless Programs Office at their local VA medical center or contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).

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LUBBOCK, Texas — Right across from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, the brand-new VA clinic prepares to open its doors.

The building has been under construction for months, and now their grand opening is right around the corner. The Administrator for the Outpatient Clinic, Antron Patton, said the entire project has been with Veterans in mind.

“All of our efforts are lined with taking care of the Veteran,” Patton said. “All of our health care professionals are expected to perform as a team and provide whole health for the Veteran.”

The former clinic operated with limited resources and forced many patients to drive up to 266 miles for annual or routine check-ups. The new facility will offer patients primary care essentials like X-Ray, Radiology, CT, MRI and cardiology.

Other features of the clinic include a separate entrance for patients who seek treatment for military sexual trauma to allow for discretion.

“Military sexual trauma is, unfortunately, a big thing and having their own entrance way to their own sitting area, to me, that’s phenomenal,” said Paul Cuellar, Veteran’s coordinator at Refuge Services, Lubbock.

The Veterans Administration Chief of Community Outpatient Nursing, Dalton Keel, said the clinic is expanding its mental health programs for patients.

“We’ll have a larger mental health capacity. That base is fundamental for our Veteran care, one of the real things we’re looking to enhance so that we can create a more welcoming environment for Veterans to come into,” Keel said.

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Getting into shape traditionally tops many people's lists when it comes to New Year's resolutions. But after a tumultuous past year, focusing on mental health needs is also important. Recently passed legislation aims to help America's military Veterans with both.

Last month, President Trump signed the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act after it easily passed in Congress in a rare instance of bipartisan support, as part of a package called the Veterans COMPACT Act of 2020.

Among other things, the new legislation calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement programs and policies related to transition assistance, suicide care, mental health education and treatment. More specifically, it requires the VA to establish a task force to investigate the benefits of outdoor recreation therapy for Veterans.

In the not-too-distant future, struggling Veterans could be prescribed outdoor activities as treatments; a welcome alternative to pharmaceuticals or a more traditional approach to therapy.

Former Navy SEALs Dustin Kisling and Josh Jespersen helped champion the new law. Starting from the ground up, they reached out to friends, family, colleagues and fellow Veterans alike, urging them to contact members of Congress to help push passage of the bill.

The potentially life-saving legislation, Kisling explains, was just too important to fail.

"If something like this gets enacted and they recognize the outdoor therapeutic approach, it has the potential to make great changes," he says. "If advancing this option can save one life, then I'm passionate about it."

A 2020 study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs found that an average 17 Veterans died by suicide every day in 2018 — more than 6,400 a year.

In 2019, Kisling and Jespersen founded the Veteran's Outdoor Advocacy Group, promoting outdoor therapy as a recognized and legitimate form of treatment for Veterans.

"I'd love to see an end to Veteran suicide, but I don't know that'll happen. I view this as a way of making an impact on brothers and sisters," Kisling says.

In Jackson, Wyo., former Navy corpsman Cam Fields has pioneered something he calls shred therapy. Fields is the founder and CEO of Front Country Foundation, a non-profit that teaches Veterans how to safely access the mountains on skis and snowboards. But he isn't selling anything. Front Country Foundation provides a skill set for Veterans overcoming traumas.

"I'm not in the business of hosting ski trips, this is a tool," he says. "I want these guys to be able to go home and do this on their own or with their group and feel safe and good about what they're doing. Giving them the tools to go home and deal with whatever they're going through."

At the moment, Fields can only accommodate so many Veterans over the course of the winter. When the foundation's funds dry up, he pays for expenses out of pocket. Flying Veterans to Wyoming and working with them on his own dime in hopes they will return home a little better than when they arrived.

A 2019 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates 37 to 50% of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans have been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Unfortunately, that often leads to self-medication. More than one-in-ten Veterans have a substance abuse problem.

If the VA's task force finds promising results while exploring outdoor recreation therapy, costs for participation in programs such as Front Country Foundation could be covered. No different than paying for a prescription, Fields explains.

"What we are hoping to see is it becomes more of a thing so Vets don't feel pressured to take a pharmaceutical," Fields said.

"A lot of people just think of therapy as siting in an office, but you can get outside, bike, climb, ride. It's just, not being confined in four walls," he says, advising, "Let your mind and soul breathe."

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In his first message to Veterans and department staff since his confirmation, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough promised to base all of his decisions around “whether it increases Veterans’ access to care and benefits and improves outcomes for them” as he takes on the task of reforming the massive federal bureaucracy.

“At this moment when our country must come together, caring for you, our country’s Veterans and your families, is a mission that can unite us all,” McDonough said in a statement shortly after he was sworn into office Tuesday.

“The president has called on every American to embrace our responsibility to support our Veterans and their families. So this administration will work with other federal departments and agencies … and with other state and local organizations, both public and private, who have the best interests of Veterans and their families at heart.”

McDonough, who served as chief of staff under President Barack Obama, is only the second non-Veteran to be confirmed to VA’s top leadership role. The Senate voted 87-7 on Monday in favor of his nomination, and Vice President Kamala Harris formally swore him into office less than 18 hours later.

Most of the themes in McDonough’s first message as secretary echoed the same promises, he outlined in his confirmation hearing last month.

He said the department is prepared to “do everything in our power to help Veterans get through this pandemic [and] help them build civilian lives through education and jobs worthy of their skills and service.” He also promised to keep the department’s focus on ending Veterans suicide and homelessness while making VA a place that “welcomes all Veterans, including women, Veterans of color, and LGBTQ Veterans.”

In a nod to scandals that undermined the last months of his predecessor, former VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, McDonough also said that his leadership team will put an emphasis on preventing discrimination and sexual harassment throughout the VA system. Numerous Veteran groups and Democratic lawmakers had called for Wilkie’s resignation for mishandling a sexual assault claim by a Veteran visiting the Washington, D.C. VA medical center.

“All VA patients, staff, their families, caregivers, survivors, visitors, and advocates must feel safe in a workplace free of harassment and discrimination,” McDonough said. “I will not accept discrimination, harassment, or assault at any level or at any facility within VA. We will provide a safe, inclusive environment for Veterans and VA employees.”

The White House has yet to release the names of nominees of other senior VA appointees, including McDonough’s top deputy and head of VA health care programs. On Tuesday, McDonough hinted only that those nominees would reflect “the incredible diversity that defines our Veteran population and all of America.”

Specific announcements on those personnel are expected in coming weeks.

McDonough said that now that his confirmation is finished, he is moving forward to “fight like hell to give our Veterans and their families the benefits, services, respect, and dignity they deserve,” echoing a line he has used numerous times since his own nomination was announced in December.

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It's well-documented that Paxlovid — a 5-day course of antiviral pills from Pfizer — can reduce the risk of hospitalization in COVID-19 patients who are more likely to develop severe illness.

Now, researchers from the Veterans Health Administration find that taking the medication may also reduce the risks of later developing long COVID, according to a new study that was posted online this weekend and has not yet undergone peer review.

"We've already known for some time now that Paxlovid reduces the risk of acute problems," says Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the VA Saint Louis Healthcare System, and co-author of the study, "Now we are adding the observation that Paxlovid also reduces the risk of long COVID."

The drug, which has been available in the U.S. for almost a year, is provided for free by the federal government at pharmacies across the country. It requires a prescription, and patients with COVID-19 must start it within five days of symptom onset.

Less virus, less long COVID?

In the study, long COVID was defined as developing one or more symptoms — including heart issues, blood disorders, fatigue and trouble breathing — one to three months after testing positive. By these metrics, patients that took Paxlovid were 26% less likely to develop long COVID.

To get to this finding, the researchers combed through electronic health records from more than 56,000 patients in the VA health system who tested positive for COVID-19 between March and June 2022, and had at least one risk factor for severe disease. They compared health outcomes of 9,000 patients that had taken Paxlovid early in their course of illness, with 47,000 patients that had not.

The benefits of taking Paxlovid didn't just apply to those who were unvaccinated. Patients who were vaccinated or boosted, or had repeat COVID-19 infections, had a similar reduction in the risk of developing long COVID, the study found.

The study is a preprint, meaning it was shared publicly before being reviewed and Vetted by outside researchers. But experts who were not involved in the study tell NPR the findings make sense, given how Paxlovid works.

The antiviral drug stops the virus from replicating in cells. "We know that one of the key factors that predict long COVID is detectable virus in the bloodstream at the time of infection," Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease physician at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote in an email. "So it stands to reason that interventions that prevent the virus from making more copies of itself would therefore lead to a lower risk of long COVID."

Past studies have shown that Paxlovid reduces the risks of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. "Since the trigger of long COVID is acute infection with SARS-CoV-2, it makes intuitive sense that anything that lowers the severity of this infection would reduce the risk of long COVID, whether it's Paxlovid or other antiviral treatments," Dr. Paul Sax, an infectious disease physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, wrote in an email.

A starting point

Still, experts view the study as only a starting point for exploring the potential uses of Paxlovid. The VA study was observational, based on data entered into patient health records – in Sax's view, "the imprecision of the [long COVID] diagnosis makes definitive conclusions from this study challenging, especially with a retrospective review."

But the value of the study is that it points researchers down promising pathways for more research, says Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at UCSF. "It's hypothesis-generating," she says, "It's exciting and hopeful [to think] that if you reduce the viral load... down to undetectable [early in the illness], maybe you can prevent post-COVID symptoms" altogether – a theory she thinks researchers could pursue.

Both Sax and Gandhi say they would feel more confident in the results if they were replicated in additional studies, especially in experimental, randomized controlled trials that compare long COVID outcomes in patients who took either Paxlovid or a placebo. The VA study's findings are also limited by the fact that the participants were predominantly white men, raising the possibility that the benefits of Paxlovid could be different in other groups of patients.

Currently, Paxlovid is only authorized for use in patients who have risk factors – like being older or having underlying health conditions – that put them at high risk of developing severe disease. Al-Aly says the reduction in long COVID risk, raised in his study, suggests others might benefit from taking Paxlovid, too. But many patients who currently have long COVID were relatively young and healthy before they got COVID-19 and may not have qualified for Paxlovid when they tested positive, he says.

"Does Paxlovid use in a lower-risk population reduce the risk of acute problems and subsequently reduce the risk of long COVID?" Al-Aly wonders, "I think that's a question that we all need to solve over the next several months."

It's also an open question whether a higher dose or a longer treatment course could provide a greater benefit, Chin-Hong says.

Side effects that include nausea and an off-putting taste have given patients pause about using the product. Reports of COVID rebound in Paxlovid patients, where the illness flares up after a seeming respite, has made some prescribers ambivalent about the product. These are real considerations, Al-Aly says, but they should be weighed against the benefits of Paxlovid treatment, including reduced risks of hospitalization and death in the acute phase, and the potential for avoiding long COVID in the months after.

Gandhi says the study's findings may now factor into clinicians' decisions, even if the results are preliminary and have not yet been replicated.

"This study is pushing me to use [Paxlovid] in people who are over 65, vaccinated and boosted, because it's probably going to have other benefits beyond preventing hospitalization," she says.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs launched a new suicide prevention outreach program earlier this month to contact the more than 200,000 troops who leave the military annually. The goal is to reach out to each at least three times in the first year of transition to civilian life to inform them of the availability of VA mental health services.

Veterans in the first year of transition are particularly vulnerable, and the stress "can lead to challenges or unmet health care needs," VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in remarks announcing the launch of the "Solid Start" program for new Veterans.

Under Solid Start, Veterans in the first year of transition will be contacted via phone, email or text at least three times to keep them abreast of available benefits and services and to offer help navigating the system.

Other Veterans and some dependents are being recruited to make the contacts, according to the VA.

Solid Start is part of the VA's new focus on outreach in suicide prevention. Wilkie and other VA officials have previously noted that at least 14 of the previously estimated 20 Veterans who die by suicide daily have never had contact with the department.

The VA altered its calculation of the daily suicide rate for Veterans in its annual National Suicide Prevention Report, released in September, based on data from 2017, the most recent available.

The report said the daily suicide rate for Veterans is now calculated at 17 under a different assessment method. The lower number was arrived at by eliminating active service members, as well as former National Guard and Reserve members who had never been federally activated, from the overall count, the VA said.

Whether the daily rate is 17 or 20, most suicides occur in the first year of transition, VA officials said in a news release on the Solid Start program.

"Veterans within their first year of separation from uniformed service experience suicide rates nearly two times higher than the overall Veteran suicide rate," the release said.

"I think we get it" on the need for more outreach, Dr. Matthew A. Miller, acting director of the VA's Suicide Prevention Program, said at a Dec. 4 hearing of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel.

Miller said the emphasis under Solid Start will be to make contact with transitioning Veterans within the first month of discharge, separation or retirement to "offer them connections and resources," and to offer them "connections to mental health services."

However, he said in prepared testimony that the VA "alone cannot end Veteran suicide," noting the expansion of the department's "suicide prevention efforts into a public health approach" including more involvement with local and state providers.

"We must do more to support Veterans before they reach a crisis point, which is why we are working with internal partners like VA's Homeless Program Office and [the] Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation," in addition to outreach to "multiple external partners and organizations," Miller said.

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Health issues are the main concern facing Veterans in the first year after leaving the military — more than jobs or personal relationships, a new survey of nearly 10,000 Veterans has found.

While most Veterans said they were satisfied and functioning well at work and in their social lives, more than half reported having a physical health problem and a third said they had a mental health condition.

The survey, conducted by researchers from the VA National Center for PTSD and elsewhere, also showed that women Veterans had a higher prevalence of mental health conditions than men and lower satisfaction with overall health, while enlisted Veterans reported poorer health and work satisfaction than officers.

The research, published Thursday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, sought to determine what the most pressing challenges encountered by Veterans in the first year of transition — a period during which they must find a new home, job, health care and community.

The results could help guide development programs to support former service members, explained lead author Dawne Vogt, a research health scientist with the VA’s National Center, the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine.

“We wanted to see what the broader population looks like in terms of their health and well-being, with the idea that this can inform how we prioritize the support that we provide to Veterans as they go through transition,” Vogt said.

What the researchers found was that new Veterans face a “pretty high health burden,” reporting chronic pain, sleeping disorders, anxiety, depression, arthritis and other conditions.

But the study also found that most of the 9,566 respondents were employed (68 percent), functioning well at work (86 percent) and satisfied with their jobs (65 percent), nine months after leaving service.

They also reported being in an intimate relationship (80 percent) and were satisfied with it (68 percent). And the majority also reported being involved in their communities (60 percent).

“Most Veterans reported relatively high vocational and social well-being, a finding that highlights the resilience of the Veteran population... that should be reassuring to those concerned about the well-being of newly separated Veterans,” the authors wrote.

Where these Veterans encountered problems, however, is with their health.

The survey found troops who had deployed to war zones had more health problems than those never assigned to a combat zone, and women Veterans reported higher rates of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, than men.

Men experienced higher rates of chronic pain, sleeping issues, arthritis, hearing loss or tinnitus, high blood pressure and high cholesterol at higher rates than women.

More than 200,000 troops leave military service each year. Advocates for Veterans and researchers point to the first year of transition as a critical period for former service members’ well-being and acclimating to civilian life.

While past studies have indicated that Veterans flail in the first year of leaving the military, Vogt said their survey did not show this to be the case.

“There have been some studies... that suggested there were lots of problems with Veterans finding jobs. That’s not really what we saw. We saw they were doing well in lots of ways,” Vogt said.

The surveyors reached out to nearly 47,000 Veterans who left the service in 2016 and received survey responses from 23 percent of the group.

Chief among findings was that enlisted Veterans fared worse in the first year than officers, reporting higher rates of mental and physical health conditions, lower employment and lower rates of satisfaction with their health, jobs and relationships.

The survey also found that between six months and nine months after the transition, assessments of job performance declined, a data point Vogt said could be related to health problems.

Veterans who left the military in fall 2016 were invited to participate in the research. Respondents were surveyed at three months and nine months after discharge.

While the small sample size points to the survey’s limits, Vogt expressed confidence in the results because her team looked at characteristics of those who didn’t respond, and after comparing them with the characteristics of those who took the survey, found similar circumstances, suggesting "our results aren’t too biased,” she said.

Vogt added that if the study had limitations, it is likely that the health conditions were under-reported because those surveyed may not recognize that they have a health problem or were reluctant to discuss personal health issues.

The researchers say their findings can help not only the VA, which provides services and care for Veterans, but the 40,000 advocacy and health groups that provide programs and services to transitioning Veterans.

Vogt said the findings suggest that health concerns should be prioritized when planning transition support and programs.

Vogt has discussed the findings with VA officials managing the Transition Assistance Program and the Solid Start program — an initiative in which VA contacts all new Veterans in the year after discharge — to add a medical screening awareness component to such programs.

“The results are really applicable to those efforts,” Vogt said.

She added that the team continued to survey the Veterans after their departure and plans to analyze the results to determine how the health and well-being of these former service members changes over the years.

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The newVeterans Village inPlacentia gives homeless Vets housing, financial, and health assistance plus a community to lean on.

PLACENTIA (KABC) -- There is a new place for Veterans to call home in Orange County. The Veterans Village in Placentia is a 50-unit apartment development that gives homeless Vets a roof over their head, financial and health assistance and a community to lean on.

"You can provide high quality amenities, high quality building, craftsman style building for our Veterans. And it's not what people would think when they think when they think of serving homeless Veterans," said Damien Arrula, Placentia City Administrator

"If you look at this building, I don't think you'd think to yourself - oh this is actually funded with government funding. It's a real combination of the private and public sector coming together to make a nice product," said Adam Kroshus of Mercy Housing.

It's a partnership with Mercy Housing, a non-profit focused on permanent supportive housing for Veterans, seniors and families.

"These are apartments. All of the residents will have a lease, they'll make rent payments just like any other tenant would, there will be a lot of supportive services here, but the model really is about stability and longevity in housing," Ed Holder of Mercy Housing.

"Each tenant who moves in is required to do an individual service plan with a service provider. They determine what their needs are to actually help them get back on their feet," said Kroshus.

The City of Placentia worked with the county on the project, which is funded mostly by low-income housing tax credits.

"Here's individuals who have provided for and served their country, our country and made this what it is today. This is very deserving of them, this is what we need to do for them," said Placentia Mayor Ward Smith.

To live here, residents will pay no more than 30% of whatever type of income they're on. The other portion is subsidized through a Veteran's affairs program.

"We can solve homelessness if we do this. At least for Veterans, which is something to be said if we can do that in our lifetime," said Arrula.

The grand opening of Veterans Village is the end of July. Veterans could start moving in as soon as the first week of August.

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It’s no secret the funds Social Security uses to pay benefits are running low.

New proposals on Capitol Hill aim to fix the program’s solvency.

Just how dramatic those changes will need to be depends on how soon changes are put through.

Likewise, people who are planning for their retirement now may also want to make adjustments based on unforeseen events that could pop up.

That includes any potential cuts to Social Security retirement benefits.

“When you’re looking at all these ‘what ifs,’ the adjustments you make now in order to plan for something later are much smaller,” said Joe Elsasser, founder and president of Covisum, a Social Security claiming software company.

To that end, Covisum has developed a calculator to help consumers and financial advisors gauge just how impactful any Social Security benefit cuts could hit their bottom line in retirement.

To be sure, benefit cuts are not a given.

One year ago on Thursday, the Social Security Administration released projections indicating its trust funds could become depleted in 2035, at which point 79% of promised benefits would be payable.

An official update is expected to be released soon with the agency’s annual trustees report. Other projections have already speculated that the expiration date could be sooner due to economic repercussions from the Covid pandemic.

To fix that shortfall, experts generally expect some changes. Benefit cuts are among the possibilities, as well as potential payroll tax increases, or a combination of both.

In 1983, when President Ronald Reagan ushered in the last major Social Security reform to fix the program’s then-ailing finances, changes included gradually raising the retirement age to 67 and imposing some taxes on benefits for the first time.

The key for anyone who is looking toward claiming Social Security retirement benefits now is not to base the decision on worries of what changes could be coming.

“The temptation may be to act on fear,” Elsasser said. “It’s rarely the best track for financial planning.”

“Having a realistic understanding of the impact, even in a bad case, is better than going in with your eyes closed,” he said.

Covisum’s new calculator helps advisors evaluate Social Security claiming decisions. For many people, that is the cornerstone of their retirement plan, Elsasser said.

The calculator can stress test clients’ plans against benefit cuts and other negative scenarios such as poor market performance or negative health situations to see if their plan would still be OK.

“If it is, then you don’t have to act on fear,” Elsasser said.

If it is not, then adjustments like reducing lifestyle expenses or working longer may be necessary.

There is also a free version of the calculator available to consumers.

That version requires four data points: year of birth, benefit amount at full retirement age, percentage of a hypothetical benefit cut and the year that cut occurs.

Then it compares results of a person’s lifespan in five-year increments based on how early they claim — from age 62 or as late as 70 — and how that would be impacted if benefit reductions are put in place or not.

Ultimately, the results can be a starting point for people to evaluate what the potential results could be, which will hopefully lead them to avoid claiming early — and therefore take reduced benefits for life — just because they are afraid of benefit cuts, Elsasser said.

Research indicates those cuts would likely be less than 25%, if they happen at all, he said.

Notably, the calculator does not factor in the idea that benefits could go to zero. Because current tax revenues still support the program, that’s a highly unlikely scenario, Elsasser said. Even younger generations should continue to see income from the program in the future.

“The likelihood of it going to zero is as close to zero as you can get,” Elsasser said.

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To use their healthcare benefits, Veterans are required to successfully navigate one of the most complex and least user-friendly bureaucracies around. The Veterans’ Administration (VA) has been underfunded for years as it continues to suffer from insufficient hospitals and a broken, backlogged benefits system.

The VA consists of over 412,000 employees (plus contractors), 6,000 buildings, including 1,600 health care facilities, 144 medical centers and more than 1,200 outpatient sites. The last two decades of war have produced the greatest number of Veterans since the Vietnam era, putting additional stress on an increasingly complex system that has also been plagued with scandal, overwork and disappointment.

For example, of the roughly 520,000 pending VA claims for disability compensation and benefits, 191,000 are considered to be backlogged (defined as older than 125 days). Exacerbated during the pandemic, much of the important work at the National Personnel Records Center at the National Archives and Records Administration (the team that helps with processing disability claims) was stopped and 90% its staff were sent home.

Historically assistance and instruction for the individual Veteran has been provided by VA intake officers, Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) and internet instruction for self-help. Unfortunately, all of these avenues have proven inadequate to the challenge.

The VA continues to fight an increasing backlog making their direct assistance all but entirely a thing of the past. The on-line instructions are wholly inadequate for the average Veteran because of the innate complexity of the system on a par with the IRS. The VSOs have always been the long pole in this tent but their shrinking membership, service disparities given the state you live in, and ever-lowering visibility in the community makes their assistance less and less the effective stopgap they once were.

Over that last decade, private consulting agents who work on a contingency basis have become an effective private sector solution to this lack of this assistance for Veterans. These are non-government actors that, similar to VSOs, can help Veterans work through benefits claims and assist in each step of the process. They typically work on a contingency model which means they do not get paid unless there is a benefit increase for the Veteran. As is the case with a most private enterprise, these consultants have extensive staff expertise and systems in place to be as efficient as possible.

Much like hiring an attorney to assist in the process, the Veteran gets the same help from these consultants at a fraction of the cost of lawyers and on a success-fee basis. To safeguard against fraud or incompetence, these consultants must be accredited by the VA to provide these services.

Government bureaucrats preparing the Biden Administration’s VA budget request have included a prohibition of these consultants from being able to be accredited. This prohibition is a revival of a failed attempt by Montana Senator Steve Daines in the last Congress to eliminate the consultants from the process of providing individual assistance to Veterans.

Whether this proposal is rooted in a desire to protect attorneys and their hourly fees (attorneys are not similarly prohibited by the VAs proposal), punish private enterprise looking to supplant a bloated and inefficient government bureaucracy or just a desire to stop being showed-up by an efficient and helpful organization; the proposal is misguided and completely without any consideration for the long-suffering Veteran.

These types of consultants are all but essential in other interactions citizens have with our government. From private tax preparation to private ambulance services and a host of others; private companies providing direct services to citizens to assist in their interactions with government are as common as they are often indispensable.

Considering the backlogs to initial intake for new claims alone, the VA should be looking to streamline and expand the levels of private assistance to its own inability to do this important task. There are ways to ensure that these consultants remain reliable, capable and effective. Simply eliminating them is a lazy, non-solution to what is largely a non-problem.

In proposing this legislative change, the Biden VA and others in Congress cite the high costs and challenges to accrediting, overseeing and occasionally policing private consultants. Basically, the VA says they can’t advise and assist the Veteran on their own but allowing private help is too difficult to accept. Congress should reject the tired bureaucratic whine of “too hard” and insist that they continue to accept this private help, get over themselves and get better at integrating it successfully.

In Congress, I sat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, previously I served in the Army, and I am a member of the American Legion – one of the main VSOs providing this non-government assistance to the Veterans. In my opinion, the need for private consultants supplementing an inadequate bureaucracy, over stressed VSOs and expensive attorneys is not only preferable but necessary.

The VA can and should do better and needs to drop this budgetary request and embrace private help to its government mission.

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LOS ANGELES – A New York man is scheduled to be in federal court this afternoon after being arrested Monday on a kidnapping charge stemming from his alleged abduction of a 68-year-old woman with dementia at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Johnny Ray Gasca, 51, of Bronx, New York, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed today with one count of kidnapping, an offense that carries a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

The FBI arrested Gasca on Monday afternoon outside a Hollywood motel. The victim was rescued at the same time.

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, the victim was kidnapped at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Monday after attempting to obtain a medical appointment at the VA facility. The victim was accompanied by a long-time friend, and as the two of them “approached their car, Gasca appeared unexpectedly,” the affidavit states. “Gasca put his arms around [the victim] and pushed her toward a gold-colored pickup truck that was parked nearby. Gasca then picked [the victim] up and threw her into the rear portion of the truck’s passenger compartment.”

After the Department of Veteran Affairs Police Department contacted the FBI later in the morning, the victim’s friend told agents she recognized Gasca, believed he previously was in some kind of relationship with the victim, and suspected Gasca may have taken some of [the victim’s] money from her bank and retirement accounts, according to the affidavit.

The witness also reported that the victim previously noted she was missing some of her credit cards, and when the two went to the victim’s bank to review her accounts, bank records showed a $35,000 withdrawal from the victim’s retirement account, followed by a number of Venmo, MoneyGram and PayPal transactions that the friend believed the victim did not have “the knowledge or wherewithal” to conduct, the affidavit states.

Within hours of beginning its investigation, the FBI located the victim’s phone at The Dixie Hollywood Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, where agents converged. Soon after, Gasca and the victim exited the hotel, leading to Gasca’s arrest.

During an interview recounted in the affidavit, Gasca described the victim as his girlfriend and told agents that, after leaving the VA facility, they stopped at a bank where the victim made a $15,000 withdrawal.

A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The FBI investigated this matter and received substantial assistance from the VA Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Reidy of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan -- A Newaygo woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for engaging in a fraudulent scheme that targeted children’s benefits programs administered by the Social Security Administration and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

On October 27, 2021, Terrie Lynn Christian, 58, pled guilty to defrauding the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) of over $550,000 by obtaining benefits for two fictitious children. The fraud began in 2002 and was not discovered until 2019. She also admitted to perpetrating the same fraud against the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”). This scheme netted her over $109,000 between 2003 and 2019.

Christian appeared before U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou today for sentencing. The judge imposed a sentence of 30 months in prison, supervised release for three years after release, and an order of restitution. Judge Jarbou stated that Christian deserved this sentence because she had stolen benefits from money earmarked to help the children of military benefits and the poor.      

U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge stated, “This was a brazen long-term fraud that succeeded as long as it did only because Christian knew how to exploit the safeguards built into these two child-welfare programs for years. Fortunately, law enforcement caught up with her and now she must face the consequences.”

Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the SSA, said: “Ms. Christian created fictitious identities and falsified documents to obtain Social Security benefits for non-existent people for nearly 17 years. Her egregious acts resulted in a fraud loss of over $540,000. My office will continue to uphold the integrity of SSA and investigate those who defraud and misuse its programs. I thank the Newaygo County Sheriff’s Office and the Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General for their assistance in this investigation. I also thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for holding her accountable for her criminal actions.”

“The VA OIG will continue to vigorously pursue those who would steal from VA benefits programs and taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Billingsley of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Central Field Office. “We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this joint investigation.”

The Inspector General offices of the SSA and VA investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey prosecuted it.

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This two-year mission led Biggio on a journey across the United States

After Andrew Biggio bought a 1945 M1 Garand rifle, he brought it over to show his neighbor, World War II Veteran Corp. Joseph Drago. When Drago held the rifle in his hands, his eyes lit up. The frail, elderly man was suddenly overcome with a burst of energy and began talking about the Battle of Okinawa. The rifle had unlocked memories that Drago had kept unspoken for 50 years.

When Drago was done speaking, Biggio, a Veteran himself who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, asked his neighbor to sign the rifle. The young Marine always wanted to remember those precious hours.

Thus began Biggio’s mission to find as many World War II Veterans as possible, record their stories, and collect their signatures on his rifle.

This two-year mission led Biggio on a journey across the United States, to every corner of the country. He found soldiers from each theater, each service branch – he wanted to represent the whole war on his rifle.

The result of all this was a new book, "The Rifle: Combat Stories from America's Last WWII Veterans, Told Through an M1 Garand," which came out earlier this month. Biggio’s work is a treasure trove of memories and wisdom from some of our nation’s last living Veterans of history’s costliest war. Their stories are raw, honest, inspiring and heartbreaking.

I was fortunate enough to interview Biggio on the latest episode of my podcast, "Newt’s World," and hear some of these stories. Biggio, a police officer, is also the founder of the Boston Wounded Vet Ride, which raises money for wounded Veterans.

What’s so striking about these Veterans is that they were just regular Americans – ordinary men thrown into an extraordinary time, as Biggio phrased it. Many of them went on to become police officers, firemen, doctors, teachers, lawyers. But they are all genuine heroes, as were those who died fighting for their country.

Indeed, that 19-year-old worker at a refrigerator factory in Kentucky who died storming the beaches of Normandy, and that 25-year-old highway laborer from Pennsylvania who was killed in Iwo Jima, did more for the American people than anyone serving in government today could ever hope to do. They saved Western civilization, plain and simple.

We are all forever in their debt – and therefore owe it to the members of the greatest generation to ensure their legacies live on.

This is why Biggio’s project is so important: Today, a tiny sliver of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II are still alive. And, sadly, they are dying quickly. It is our sacred duty as a nation to document and cherish their memories. We can all learn from their insight and experiences, just as Biggio did, and transmit their values to future generations of Americans.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM NEWT GINGRICH

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Republican defense lawmakers are pushing for the next emergency coronavirus funding package to include a hefty boost for defense spending, saying that the pandemic’s effects on military spending have cut across an array of program and procurement accounts.

“Socially distanced production spaces, provision of PPE, self-quarantining, disrupted logistics have generated significant bills,” the group wrote in an open statement on Thursday. “These COVID-related effects made defense programs less efficient and more expensive, and DOD cannot redirect money from other crucial priorities to cover these costs.”

The comments lawmakers — Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.; House Armed Services Committee ranking member Mac Thornberry, R-Texas; House Appropriations Committee ranking member Kay Granger, R-Texas; and the appropriations committee’s defense panel ranking member Ken Calvert, R-Calf. — come amid negotiations on the latest multi-trillion relief package between House Democrats and White House officials.

Defense officials have said publicly they need at least $10 billion in emergency funding to cover pandemic-related costs and avoid exhausting other modernization and readiness funds.

A plan unveiled by Senate Republicans late last month included more than $29 billion in new funding for the Defense Department, including more than $7 billion in funding for purchase of new equipment.

But congressional Democrats have attacked that plan as containing too many items unrelated to real needs created by the coronavirus crisis.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., in June said he believes the Defense Department can handle the new costs within their existing budget. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., last month blasted the Republicans for prioritizing “a wish-list from the Department of Defense for manufacturing of planes, ships, and other weapons systems” over more pressing community needs.

Thursday’s statement was designed to counter that criticism, with the Republican lawmakers calling it “short-sighted” not to invest money back into national security needs.

“The Department of Defense cannot afford to incur over twenty billion dollars in unfunded coronavirus impacts without damaging their hard-fought readiness gains and combat capability,” the group wrote. “It would be wrong to ask them to.”

The lawmakers also noted that military leaders have “been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 while simultaneously holding the line against terrorists abroad and competitors like Russia and China.”

And they also noted that money assigned to the military can also be directed to “critical small businesses representing thousands of employees” through the department’s Defense Production Act authority, giving a critical lifeline to the defense industrial base.

Whether their argument has any impact on the current negotiations remains to be seen.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters on Wednesday said he didn’t see any compromise package as realistic if a deal isn’t reached with congressional Democrats by Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on Thursday the two sides still remain far apart on key issues of unemployment assistance and other issues.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Francine Kendzia, 43, of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo who is handling the case, stated that between January 2015 and November 2017, while employed at MacLeod’s Pharmacy, the defendant conspired with others to defraud a health insurance company by submitting fraudulent prescription claims. The scheme involved the submitting of reimbursement claims for prescriptions the conspirators fraudulently claimed were called in by a medical provider and which were never filled. As a result, the insurance company paid MacLeod’s Pharmacy $39,703.12 for the fake prescriptions.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services, office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott Lampert; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; and the New York State Education Department, Office of Professional Discipline, under the direction of Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2021, before Judge Sinatra.

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Final Co-Defendant Awaits Trial in December

LITTLE ROCK—A ninth defendant has pleaded guilty in connection with a $12 million scheme to generate prescriptions for expensive compounded drugs paid for by TRICARE. Kenneth Myers Jr., 43, of Alpharetta, Georgia (formerly of Little Rock), pled guilty to conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute today before United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.

Myers collected nearly $70,000 for recruiting TRICARE beneficiaries to receive expensive compounded drugs, for which TRICARE paid over $340,000. Myers acknowledged offering TRICARE beneficiaries money to receive the drugs and that medical providers, including co-defendant Joe David May a.k.a. Jay May, 40, of Alexander, rubber stamped prescriptions without consulting the TRICARE beneficiaries.

Upon learning a federal agent planned to interview a TRICARE beneficiary about his prescription, Myers instructed the man to lie by claiming he had been examined by a doctor before getting his prescription. When Myers was later interviewed, he lied to the FBI by claiming he played no role in securing prescriptions and instead directed beneficiaries to consult their own doctor.

In pleading guilty to the kickback conspiracy, Myers joins Albert Glenn Hudson, 40, of Sherwood; Derek Clifton, 39, of Alexander; Donna Crowder, 66, of North Little Rock; Jennifer Crowder (formerly Bracy), 38, of Little Rock; Keith Benson, 50, of North Little Rock; Keith Hunter, 52, of Little Rock; Angie Johnson, 50, of North Little Rock; and Blake Yoder, 40, of Scott.

Conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Trial of the 10th and final defendant, May, is set for December 6, 2021, before Judge Baker. May faces charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, violating the anti-kickback statute, aggravated identity theft, lying to the FBI, and falsifying records in a federal investigation.

Jonathan D. Ross, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Little Rock Field Office, and Miranda Bennett, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and HHS-OIG. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander D. Morgan.

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'Shelters don't provide the safe and caring environment that our warriors deserve'

A New Jersey high schooler – who one day wants to serve in the U.S. military – raised $12,000 in order to get homeless Veterans off the street.

In September 2020, Michael Ferrara caught wind of a social media challenge raising awareness about Veteran suicide. The Houses for Warriors, a Colorado-based nonprofit that helps get homeless and at-risk warriors off the streets, started a push-up challenge.

Ferrara told Fox News that he was taken aback after realizing that people who fought for this nation were living on the streets.

"I think that's absolutely unacceptable," Ferrara said.

At the time, Ferrara was training for the Marine Corps Marathon. He decided to dedicate the race to the Houses for Warriors charity and reached out to friends and family on Facebook for help.

"I felt like I was earning my donations rather than just asking for money," he said.

As a result, Ferrara raised $10,315. At school, through various fundraising events, he garnered an additional $1,164.

With $12,000 in hand, Ferrara was able to help the Houses for Warriors open its first group home for homeless Veterans in Colorado.

"I decided to raise money for a Colorado nonprofit living in New Jersey because a homeless Veteran is a homeless Veteran," he said. "Our Veterans have fought for all 50 states, not just one. So, I feel it would be wrong of me to not raise money for homeless Veterans just because they happen to live in a different state."

The home, funded largely by Ferrara's donation, will get up to nine homeless Veterans off the streets.

"I've always looked up to our Veterans, the people that have served our country, because they're out there every single day, they're going to put their lives on the line," Ferrara said. "I have a great respect for the people who are willing to and have sacrificed everything to serve our country and to keep America free. "

Prior to Ferrara's efforts, Houses for Warriors helped get Veterans off the by finding them a bed at local shelters.

"With this house, they were able to eliminate the shelter process," he said.

For Houses for Warriors CEO Andrew Canales, it was a blessing.

"Shelters don't provide the safe and caring environment that our warriors deserve to get back on their feet," Canales told Fox News.

Canales stressed that shelters are a "very triggering place for Veterans" due to the "constant open drug use, higher encounters with violent and aggressive individuals with severe mental health issues, the constant risk of theft and their personal property being stolen."

This is on top of the fact that many of their "warriors are experiencing PTSD themselves," he added.

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The first battles of the Civil War [were] a wake-up call to the U.S. Medical Department,” said Kristen Pearlstein during a virtual science café presented by the National Museum of Health and Medicine. “Over the next three years, we see a number of innovations put into place that will permanently alter and improve the course of military medicine,” Pearlstein concluded.

Pearlstein, the museum’s Anatomical Collections manager, gave a brief history of the challenges military medicine faced at the onset of the American Civil War in April 1861, and how the military adapted and responded during the course of the war.

Initial challenges to military medicine stemmed from limited medical knowledge and lack of organization in the medical corps. With no established medical evacuation or military hospital system, the wounded could remain on the battlefield for days with little or no care. When men were finally removed from the field, they often received inadequate medical care as military surgeons had insufficient training and experience with combat injuries, most never having treated a gunshot wound.

Slower and less-damaging round musket balls from previous conflicts were used less frequently in favor of larger, heavier conical-shaped Minié balls that spun faster. This and other ‘advancements’ in weapons technology created more injuries, crushing bone and leaving large wounds.

Some of the biggest medical challenges stemmed from the lack of proper sanitation and sterilization. Germ theory had not been widely adopted, so medical environments were plagued with dirty hands, unsterile equipment, and overcrowded unhygienic camps where the spread of disease was hard to control.

By August 1862, things changed; an organized system of medical care and evacuation was established through the use of triage, ambulance support, field and general hospitals, and transportation via hospital trains and ships. Pearlstein noted by the end of the war, more than 1 million soldiers had received care in a federal military hospital.

Wound infections were prevalent and surgical interventions were increasingly used to address contamination, as military surgeons performed a large number of successful amputations and excisions (partial removal of a bone or joint). With advances in the administration of anesthesia, new types of surgery, like facial reconstruction surgery, were also developed. After the war, the large number of amputees led to improvements in prosthetics.

Perhaps one of the most significant responses to Civil War military medical challenges was the compilation of medical knowledge.

Founded in May 1862, the Army Medical Museum (known today as the National Museum of Health and Medicine, a division of the Defense Health Agency Research and Development Directorate) was established for collection purposes. Tasked with the gathering of reports, documents, artifacts, and specimens that showed examples of wartime injuries and diseases, the Army Medical Museum sought to understand and improve prognoses for soldiers. This culminated in development of the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion, a six-volume account that documents lessons learned from the battlefield. According to Pearlstein, Medical and Surgical History is, to this day, one of the most extensive data collection efforts in the history of wartime medicine.

For more information on the museum’s collection of Civil War materials, visit the museum website.

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Bolstered by new state-of-the-art equipment, with up-to-the-minute capabilities and as-soon-as-possible abilities, linking medical imaging to MHS GENESIS continues to advance in proficiency.

Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Bremerton’s radiology department unveiled the latest in advanced X-ray technology on May 27, 2020, and by doing so, further enhanced connectivity to the Department of Defense’s new, modern electronic health record – known as MHS GENESIS.

The new x-ray system features digital readout with wireless transfer reporting, directly linked to MHS GENESIS, affording providers immediate availability to view reports and imaging conducted for their patient(s).

“In broad terms, the radiology techs take the X-rays on the new system and then send it to our Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS)- called Synapse. The radiologists then review the images on Synapse and dictate a report. The report for the exam is then sent to MHS GENESIS,” explained Navy Cmdr. Terrel Galloway, NMRTC Bremerton radiologist.

Galloway attests main advantages of the new X-ray machine are the ease of use expressed by the radiology technologists taking the actual X-rays, along with the ability to take dual energy X-rays which helps with chest X-Ray evaluation.

“It is very beneficial for primary care providers to be able to both look at the images in PACS and also receive our reports on MHS Genesis,” said Galloway, noting that the entire process is also fairly close to real time as the radiology technologists load the digital X-ray images right away.

“Therefore, anyone who has access to the PACS on their computer can look at the images fairly quickly. Depending on the workload and the urgency of the X-ray, they may get interpreted and reported fairly quickly, within an hour if needed immediately, but usually within the day for routine studies,” added Galloway.

The addition of the new equipment can be traced back to 2018 when Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Marc Gasbarri checked into the radiology department. As an X-ray technician, he quickly realized that his new command could use some upgrading to enhance their X-ray capabilities. He then set about the process to replace the old with the new.

Thanks to his proactive determination, adding the new machine further enhances the command’s radiology support capabilities.

“At this point, we have one of the most state-of-the-art facilities out of anywhere,” Gasbarri said, citing that the new radiologic system can support well over 100 patients daily and if necessary, is capable of operating around the clock.

In 2017, the initial deployment in DOD of MHS GENESIS took place at the 92nd Medical Group, Fairchild Air Force Base, Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor and Madigan Army Medical Center.

Naval Hospital Bremerton was actually the first site with a significant inpatient population to use MHS GENESIS to provide results of radiology studies completed at one military treatment facility for another.

The initial success came two years ago when 92nd Medical Group sent two radiology studies to NHB use of MHS GENESIS, which were read by radiology providers and finalized in approximately 30 minutes.

That set the standard. Using MHS GENESIS eliminated the need for multiple electronic systems which reduced potential errors, increased reliability, and produced prompt results.

“Our new system is instantaneously linked to MHS GENESIS allowing providers to see imaging minutes after it is completed by the technologist. It’s so beneficial, and capable of giving high definition imaging and a more clear interpretation to providers. This system increases our world-wide Navy Medicine mission,” noted Gasbarri.

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Columbia, South Carolina – Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Tony Lee Covington, 50, his wife Priscilla Covington, 51, and his sisters Vanessa McPhaul, 56, and Mary Moses Covington, 51, all of Raeford, North Carolina, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme to defraud South Carolina Medicaid of over $3.6 million.

According to evidence presented during the defendants’ guilty plea and sentencing hearings, the family members founded two companies, Preferred Care Incorporated and Saving Grace Outreach. The two companies claimed to provide rehabilitative behavioral health services to disabled, low-income individuals in South Carolina through the Medicaid program. Instead, between 2014 and 2016, the companies billed South Carolina Medicaid millions of dollars for “crisis intervention,” a service offered to individuals experiencing extreme emotional distress like suicidal thoughts or mental breakdowns.

During the hearings, the government indicated that despite the companies having fewer than 20 clients, they billed more in total for crisis intervention services than the entire South Carolina Department of Mental Health. Clients contacted by investigators indicated that while they had received some services from the companies, they never received any crisis intervention. Evidence in the case indicated that the services provided by the companies should have been billed at approximately $9.00 an hour, but by billing the services as crisis intervention, the companies were instead paid $67.88 per hour.

Although Medicaid instituted an audit of Preferred Care once the irregular billing was discovered, the family immediately started Saving Grace Outreach to continue the fraudulent billing practices.

“Stealing from agencies that serve those in distress is shameful, and illegal,” said Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart. “This office worked with our partners in the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office to not only prosecute these defendants, but to put a stop to their illegal practices.”

“This case shows the great working relationship between our office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and illustrates how we use that cooperation to hold criminals accountable,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said. “This Medicaid Fraud Scheme enabled providers to steal millions of dollars from taxpayers, which means there’s less money available for people who actually need medical care.”

United States District Judge Mary Lewis sentenced Tony Covington to 51 months in federal prison, Priscilla Covington to 39 months in federal prison, Mary Covington Moses to 33 months in federal prison, and Vanessa Covington McPhaul to 33 months in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. All defendants were given a three-year term of court-ordered supervision and ordered to repay $3,647,094.83 in restitution to South Carolina Medicaid.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson prosecuted the case.

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ABINGDON, Va. – A Dobson, North Carolina man pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to distribute medically illegitimate prescriptions for Schedule II opioids and Suboxone, as well as conspiring to use, in the course of the distribution of controlled substances, the DEA registration number of another person.

According to court documents, Charles Wilson Adams Jr., 50, worked for “Company L” that operated medical clinics in the Western District of Virginia, including in the Galax, Lynchburg, and Christiansburg areas. The clinic focused on pain management and opioid addiction treatment.

Adams worked as a counselor for Company L, though he had not applied to the Virginia Board of Counseling to become a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. Adams was referred to inside Company L as “Dr.” but has never been a medical practitioner or possessed authority to prescribe controlled substances.

Adams admitted that he and other non-medical professionals exerted influence or control over medical decisions and treatment of patients, including the prescribing of Schedule II pain medications and Suboxone, a Schedule III drug used to treat opioid addiction.

As part of his plea, Adams also acknowledged Company L employees pre-signed blank prescriptions for distribution to patients without office visits. Further, at the direction of Company L’s owner and others, employees used DEA registration numbers of medical providers to prescribe Suboxone to patients, even when those providers were in other cities or states and did not see the patients. Adams was aware of Company L’s practices and their illegitimacy yet took part in them anyway.

“Adams chose to use his position to assist in the illegal distribution of powerful opioids rather than their use for legitimate medical purposes, thus causing additional harm to the community,” Acting United States Attorney Bubar stated today. “We are grateful for the extensive investigation conducted by federal, state and local law enforcement located in three states, whose hard work is holding the defendant accountable for his crimes.”

“This individual put the health of patients and his community in jeopardy by participating in the prescribing of dangerous drugs and other medical treatments indiscriminately when he was not qualified to do so,” said Attorney General Herring. “The opioid crisis continues to devastate communities and families across Virginia, and we will not tolerate healthcare providers who do not handle or prescribe highly addictive drugs appropriately and safely. I want to thank our local, state, and federal partners for their help on this important case as well as my award-winning Medicaid Control Fraud Unit for their continued hard work and dedication.”

“Prescription drugs are to be prescribed for legitimate medical reasons by appropriately licensed medical professionals,” said Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe from illegal prescription drugs.”

“Our investigation into Adams’ illegal distribution of highly addictive pain medication at the height of an overdose epidemic, emphasizes his criminal indifference for human life,” said Jared Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Washington Field Office. “Today’s guilty plea emphasizes our commitment to the tireless work of investigating and prosecuting those responsible for fueling opioid addiction and deadly overdoses in our area – saving lives in our communities.”

Adams pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to use, in the course of the distribution of controlled substances, the DEA registration number of another, one count of conspiring to distribute Suboxone, and one count of conspiring to distribute oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, methadone, and fentanyl. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2021. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, including offices in southwest Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Department of Health and Human Service are investigating the case, with the assistance of the Carroll County (Va.) Sheriff’s Office, Mt. Pleasant (S.C.) Police Department, Christiansburg (Va.) Police Department, Mt. Airy (N.C.) Police Department, Amherst County (Va.) Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Attorney Offices of the Middle District of North Carolina and District of South Carolina.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Cagle Juhan, Janine Myatt, and Randy Ramseyer are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Andrew Barras, ARPO North, Criminal Division, Fraud Section.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Raleigh woman with Adulteration of Medical Devices, Paying Illegal Remunerations, Making and Using Materially False Healthcare Documents, Mail Fraud, and Conspiracy.

According to the Superseding Indictment, between 2014 and 2018, Anita Louise Jackson, 58, billed Medicare more than $46 million for allegedly rendering more than 1,200 incidents of “balloon sinuplasty” services to more than 700 patients. Her practice, Greater Carolina Ear, Nose, and Throat (GCENT), received more than $5.4 Million for the services. During portions of this same time period, Jackson was the top-paid provider of balloon sinuplasty services in the United States, despite the location of her practice outside of a major metropolitan area. Jackson profited substantially from these billings to the Medicare program.

Jackson is charged with Adulteration of Medical Devices, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 331(k), 333(a)(1), 333(a)(2), and 351(a)(2)(A); ten counts of Paying Illegal Remunerations, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)(2)(B); 3 counts of Making False Statements Relating to Health Care Benefits, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1035(a)(2); two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 102A(a)(1); three counts of Mail Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341; and Conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. If convicted, Jackson faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for Mail Fraud, 10 years for Paying Illegal Remunerations, and 5 years for Conspiracy and Making False Statements. Aggravated Identity Theft carries a 2-year mandatory prison sentence, consecutive to any other punishment. Jackson also faces fines exceeding $250,000.

The speaking Superseding Indictment is attached in full to this press release.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore is prosecuting the case.

If you feel that you or someone you know may be a victim in this case, you are encouraged to contact HHS-OIG at (336) 542-1494 to make a report.

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ATLANTA – North Georgia Healthcare Center, Inc. (“NGHC”), a Ringgold, Georgia, based nonprofit corporation and healthcare provider, as well as its CEO, Delaine Hunter, have agreed to pay $130,000.00 dollars to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by causing the submission – between January 1, 2012 and September 10, 2018 – of medically unnecessary claims for Schedule II controlled substances to the United States and State of Georgia. Specifically, the Complaint alleges that Dr. Gary Smith, a former NGHC physician, improperly prescribed opioids without appropriate medical review and judgment of medical necessity.

“Medical professionals are trusted to prescribe controlled substances in compliance with the law and in a manner that protects the health and safety of their patients,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “We will continue to vigorously pursue those who breach that trust using every tool at our disposal.”

“Healthcare fraud is not a victimless crime, with fraudsters often preying on beneficiaries across the country. Especially insidious is the fraud committed by heath care practitioners who are trusted to prescribe only medically necessary, quality services to patients,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, our agency will continue to protect the public by holding those responsible for such schemes responsible for their actions.”

“We are fighting the opioid epidemic on many fronts, including holding those accountable who improperly prescribe without appropriate medical review and judgment,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “These types of allegations will receive our full attention because of the potential harm to Georgians and the improper use of taxpayer dollars.”

“The opioid addiction crisis in this country affects everyone to include the military and their families,” stated Special Agent in Charge Cynthia A. Bruce, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “This settlement is another step forward in striking at the heart of physician assisted addiction and holding those medical professionals accountable for unethical service.”

To be reimbursable under Government insurance programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare, drugs prescribed by a physician must be (1) rendered pursuant to the prescriber’s medical judgment, and (2) reasonable and medically necessary. Additionally, under Georgia law, only physicians – and not mid-level practitioners such as physician assistants – can write prescriptions for Schedule II drugs, which includes, but is not limited to, opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. Where a physician assistant interacts with a patient and concludes that the patient requires a Schedule II drug, the doctor that supervises the physician assistant must concur that the pertinent Schedule II drug is medically necessity and must sign the associated prescription.

The Government alleges that physician assistants – and not Dr. Smith –saw most of the patients at NGHC. Dr. Smith only visited NGHC one afternoon per week, and rarely saw patients or reviewed their charts. The Government further alleges that Dr. Smith routinely signed stacks of prescriptions (which included, but were not limited to, prescriptions for Schedule II drugs) for patients that he had neither seen nor otherwise evaluated. Finally, the Government alleges that NGHC’s CEO failed to promptly address this behavior once alerted to it by several NGHC employees.

Dr. Smith, in a separate settlement agreement with the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, has agreed to a voluntary 10 year exclusion from participation in all federal healthcare programs. As result, both Dr. Smith and any provider using Dr. Smith’s services will be unable to obtain reimbursement for care provided to any patients insured under a government healthcare program, such as Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia by a former NGHC employee under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private citizens to bring lawsuits on behalf of the United States and obtain a portion of the government’s recovery. The case is captioned United States and Georgia ex rel. Krysta Mangrum v. LabCorp, et al. (Civil Action No. 1-18-cv-312). The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service of the U.S. Department of Defense – Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paris A. Wynn and Assistant Attorney General Sara Vann handled this matter.

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BOSTON – A registered nurse pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester in connection with tampering with morphine prescribed to a nursing home resident in her care.

Gwen Rider, 42, of Northborough, pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product and one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and deception. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Aug. 15, 2022. Rider was arrested and indicted in April 2021.

Rider was a registered nurse employed by a Worcester County nursing home. From approximately 11:00 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2020 until 7:00 a.m. the following morning, Rider was on duty in a unit specializing in care for residents suffering from dementia. During her shift and while entrusted with the care of a resident suffering from dementia, Rider tampered with a bottle of morphine sulfate prescribed to the patient by removing some of the morphine and adding water to the remaining supply. Morphine sulfate is a Schedule II controlled substance under federal law. A nurse on a subsequent shift administered the adulterated morphine to a patient before the tampering was discovered.

The charge of tampering with a consumer product provides for a sentence up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and deception provides for a sentence of up to four years in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Margret R. Cooke, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; and Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Northborough Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy and Kristen M. Noto of Rollins’ Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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BOSTON – A Norwood woman was arrested today in connection with fraudulently receiving federal workers’ compensation benefits and disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA).  

Karen Nolan, 64, was indicted on two counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements. Nolan will make an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal.

According to the charging document, from approximately November 2017 through August 2021, Nolan repeatedly stole federal workers’ compensation benefits, as well as Social Security disability benefits from approximately July 2019 through August 2021. It is alleged that in April 2019, Nolan falsely reported to the SSA that she had not worked since 2017 due to a medical disability but was actively employed at a dermatology practice at the time. It is further alleged that Nolan made similar false statements to the Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs in May 2021.

The charges of theft of public funds each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charges of making a false statement each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Jermaine Jack, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; and Kate Mulligan, Chief of Investigations, Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts, made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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See here for the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus information.

What is VA doing?

VA has implemented an aggressive public health response to protect and care for Veterans in the face of this emerging health risk. We are working directly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal partners to monitor the outbreak of the virus.

VA has administered over 100 COVID-19 tests nationwide while taking aggressive steps to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

These measures include outreach to Veterans and staff, clinical screening at VA health care facilities, and protective procedures for patients admitted to community living centers and spinal cord injury units.

What should Veterans do?

Any Veteran with symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath should immediately contact their local VA facility. VA urges Veterans to call before visiting – you can find contact information for your closest VA facility.

Alternatively, Veterans can sign into My HealtheVet to send a secure message to VA or use telehealth options to explain their condition and receive a prompt diagnosis.

Upon arriving at VA, all patients will be screened for flu-like symptoms before they enter in order to protect other patients and staff. A VA health care professional will assist you with next steps once this screening process is complete.

At this time, VA is urging all visitors who do not feel well to please postpone their visits to VA facilities.

How to protect yourself

Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent the COVID-19 infection and no medication to treat it. CDC believes symptoms appear 2 to 14 days after exposure. Avoid exposure and avoid exposing others to an infection with these simple steps.

• Learn to use VA Video Connect through the VA mobile app store or by contacting your VA care team, before any urgent problems arise.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An easy way to mark the time is to hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice while scrubbing.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick or becoming sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue (not your hands) and throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Getting a flu shot is recommended.

VA COVID-19 Cases

Nationally, as of March 16, 2020, VA is tracking the following Veteran patients with either a CDC confirmed or a locally, presumptively confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. This is a rapidly evolving situation and VA will provide updated information as it becomes available and verified.

5 Confirmed Veterans

• 1 Denver – home quarantine
• 1 Palo Alto – VA Inpatient
• 2 Southern Nevada – 2 VA Inpatient
• 1 Togus – home quarantine

25 Presumptive Positive Veterans (awaiting CDC confirmation)

• 1 Arizona – VA Inpatient
• 2 Atlanta – 2 home quarantine
• 2 Bronx – 2 home quarantine
• 1 Cleveland – VA Inpatient
• 1 Denver – VA Inpatient
• 1 Fresno – home quarantine
• 1 Hudson Valley – home quarantine
• 1 New Orleans – VA Inpatient
• 1 Portland – 1 community hospital
• 5 Puget Sound – 2 home quarantine, 3 VA Inpatient
• 1 San Francisco – home quarantine
• 2 Sioux Falls – 2 home quarantine
• 3 Southeast Louisiana – 3 VA Inpatient
• 1 Togus – home quarantine
• 1 Tucson – VA Inpatient
• 1 White River Junction – VA Inpatient

Deaths: 1 (up 0 from yesterday)

For more information

More can be learned through the following CDC sites, about:

• Status of outbreak*
• Frequently Asked Questions*
• Information for Travelers*

* Links with an asterisk (*) next to them will take you outside the VA website. VA is not responsible for the content of the linked site.

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See here for the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus information.

What is VA doing?

VA has implemented an aggressive public health response to protect and care for Veterans, their families, health care providers, and staff in the face of this emerging health risk. We are working directly with the CDC and other federal partners to monitor the outbreak of the virus.

On March 27, VA shared its COVID-19 response plan. This best-practice guide is a valuable tool, which may be useful nationwide for the medical community.

• Read the VHA COVID-19 response plan
• Read the VHA COVID-19 response plan press release

VA has administered over 48,862 COVID-19 tests nationwide, while taking aggressive steps to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

These measures include outreach to Veterans and staff, clinical screening at VA health care facilities, and protective procedures for patients admitted to community living centers and spinal cord injury units.

Part of the department’s “Fourth Mission” is to support non-VA health care systems in the event those systems encounter capacity issues. VA is currently supporting non-VA health care systems’ COVID-19 response efforts in the following ways:

• VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange campus, to assist COVID-19 response
• VA to assist New York City with COVID-19 response
• VA announces ‘Fourth Mission,’ actions to help America respond to COVID-19

What should Veterans do?

Veterans with symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath should immediately contact their local VA facility. VA urges Veterans to contact VA before visiting – you can find contact information for your closest VA facility. Alternatively, Veterans can sign into My HealtheVet to send secure messages to their VA providers or use telehealth options to explain their condition and receive a prompt diagnosis.

Read responses to Veterans' frequently asked questions about accessing their VA benefits.

Upon arriving at VA, all patients will be screened for flu-like symptoms before they enter in order to protect other patients and staff. A VA health care professional will assist you with next steps once this screening process is complete.

At this time, VA is urging all visitors who do not feel well to please postpone their visits to VA facilities.

How to protect yourself

Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent the COVID-19 infection and no medication to treat it. CDC believes symptoms appear 2 to 14 days after exposure. Avoid exposure and avoid exposing others to an infection with these simple steps.

• Learn to use VA Video Connect through the VA mobile app store or by contacting your VA care team, before any urgent problems arise.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An easy way to mark the time is to hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice while scrubbing.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick or becoming sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue (not your hands) and throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Getting a flu shot is recommended.

VA COVID-19 Cases

Real-time, map-based data on COVID-19 case counts is available on VA’s Access to Care Website.

For more information

More can be learned through the following CDC sites, about:

• Status of outbreak*
• Frequently Asked Questions*
• Information for Travelers*

* Links with an asterisk (*) next to them will take you outside the VA website. VA is not responsible for the content of the linked site.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A registered nurse and nurse practitioner who allegedly billed and received more than $2.3 million dollars from commercial health insurers and Medicaid for services he falsely claimed to have performed on patients in Rhode Island, New York, and Florida is in federal custody in Florida and will be brought to Rhode Island to face health care fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering charges, announced Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus.

It is alleged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Rhode Island on August 6, 2021, that among his schemes, Alexander E. Istomin, 55, of Florida, routinely submitted claims for health insurance payments for in-person patient services he claimed to have performed in East Greenwich, New York, and Florida, but that investigators determined were at times when Istomin was actually in another state or out of the country. In other instances, Istomin allegedly billed insurance companies and Medicare for services he claimed to have provided to patients who themselves were out of state or out of the country at the time.

It is alleged in the indictment that as part of the scheme Istomin waived copayments for some Medicare patients despite being aware that waiving copayments is prohibited by Medicare. By waiving copayments, they otherwise would be responsible for, Istomin induced his patients not to report his fraudulent billing to Medicare.

According to information presented to the court, no patient services were provided at Istomin’s East Greenwich business, Rhode Island Diagnostic Center, or his New York office. Neither office is equipped to provide patient care. It is alleged that Istomin rented and used the East Greenwich office space in name only for billing purposes and to receive insurance payments made payable to his Rhode Island business.

The indictment alleges that since February 2014, in Rhode Island, the Eastern District of New York, the Southern District of Florida, and elsewhere, Istomin fraudulently billed and received approximately $2,309,468.16 from commercial health insurers and Medicare for services he did not provide to patients. The indictment charges Istomin with health care fraud, eight counts of mail fraud, and money laundering.

The government has moved in the indictment that, upon a conviction for health care fraud and mail fraud, Istomin shall forfeit to the United States any and all interest in any property, real or personal, from proceeds traceable to his alleged criminal fraudulent activity, totaling $2,309,468.

A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Istomin was arrested on August 11, 2021, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, by agents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the FBI.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan, with the Assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Rogers.

The matter was investigated the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the FBI.

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GREAT FALLS – Two Montana nurse practitioners have been sentenced for conspiring to defraud Medicare of millions of dollars. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris sentenced Janae Nichole Harper, 34, of Kalispell, to 12 months in prison and Mark Allen Hill, 54, of Edinburg, North Dakota to 9 months in prison. Both defendants will be placed on supervised release for 3 years after their release from prison. Additionally, Harper was ordered to pay $4,307,934.58 in restitution and Hill was ordered to pay $5,054,866 in restitution.

Harper was a licensed nurse practitioner in Montana, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina and Wyoming and was enrolled as a medical provider with Medicare. Hill was a licensed nurse practitioner in Montana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington.

In court documents filed in Harper’s case, the government alleged that from Nov. 18, 2017 through July 16, 2019, Harper worked with certain staffing and telemedicine companies to commit health care fraud and received money to sign brace orders that were prepared by telemarketers who had no medical training or certification. Harper routinely signed these orders for Medicare beneficiaries regardless of medical necessity. Harper signed approximately 7,673 brace orders, which resulted in $8,259,849 billed to Medicare, of which Medicare paid approximately $4,307,934. Harper was paid at least $94,395 for the orders she signed.

In court documents filed in Hill’s case, the government alleged that from Oct. 15, 2017 to April 24, 2019, Hill worked with certain staffing and telemedicine companies to commit health care fraud and received money to sign unnecessary brace orders for Medicare beneficiaries regardless of medical necessity, often without ever talking to the Medicare beneficiary to determine whether the braces were medically necessary. Hill signed approximately 7,097 brace orders, which resulted in $10,055,436 billed to Medicare, of which Medicare paid approximately $5,054,866. Hill was paid at least $124,900 for the orders he signed.

Both defendants previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Kakuk and Darren Halverson, Trial Attorney, and Robyn Pullio, former Trial Attorney, Fraud Section, Criminal Division of the Justice Department and investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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Orange County executive awaits judge decision on restraining order to halt migrant transportation

As dozens of migrants check in to Orange County, New York hotels, the county’s executive has sued to stop the immigration surge after watching Veterans get kicked out for migrant vacancies.

"We're waiting, hopefully, today to get a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court. We're in front of a judge right now, we're waiting for her to make a decision which would help us, but we are really on our own," Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said on "Varney & Co." Monday.

"But it is a tough situation," he continued, "and unfortunately, we're seeing people like our Veterans kicked out of the hotels in exchange for homeless migrants in New York City."

According to the Orange County official, state police and the sheriff’s office have continued to uphold the migrants’ emergency declaration, but ordered them to "run to hotels." In response, Neuhaus filed a restraining order directed at New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ migrant transportation plan and the hotels housing them.

The community’s greatest concern, he argued, is the lack of information and transparency from the mayor’s office.

"We have no information [on] who these people are. Do they have IDs? Have they been Vetted? My community is up in arms about this," Neuhaus said. "And really, we're getting zero answers from New York City."

"They give us no information. And [from] the emergency management side of the house, it is completely disturbing and it's very frustrating," the executive added. "We expect that relief coming from the judge, hopefully, in the next day."

Earlier Monday on "Fox & Friends First," New York State Assemblyman Brian Maher, R., slammed the Biden administration and New York officials for allowing Veterans to get booted from hotels.

"So the Biden administration, Governor Hochul, and the city of New York, they all have a part in this, and it's a total embarrassment," Maher told co-host Joey Jones. "It's a slap in the face to Veterans, to citizens of New York in this country, who are really being cast aside to allow for asylum seekers to come here."

"At the end of the day, when it comes to this particular situation, you had combat Veterans who were homeless, who were told to get out of their hotel," Maher also said. "After one day, Sharon and her team scrambled to find them locations, and right now, what we've tried to do is let those Veterans know we appreciate them. We're embarrassed by what's happened to them, but we have their backs."

New York City taxpayers are allegedly footing the bill for the migrants’ hotel stays, Neuhaus claimed.

"The governor passed $1 billion in spending for this immigration crisis. So I think that's why this all started: as soon as that passed, New York City started booking rooms upstate New York," the executive said. "So I think they're going to try to get part of that money and use that to reimburse it."

There were reportedly 20 Veterans who were told they would no longer receive temporary housing at the hotels – 15 of those former service members were at the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh, Orange County.

This is the same hotel migrants arrived at last week in what was New York City Mayor Eric Adams' attempt to alleviate the impact of the southern border surge on the Big Apple's already-strained resources.

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Veterans were denied the request after filing for permit to NYPD back in February.

Mayor de Blasio is refusing to allow a group of military Veterans to march on Staten Island on Memorial Day — after welcoming public pot smokers to puff their way down Broadway in last week’s Cannabis Parade.

"It’s a slap in the face," Jamie Gonzalez, 57, a Marine infantryman who saw combat in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, told The Post.

Gulf War Vets like Gonzalez were set to be given special honors in Staten Island’s 102nd annual Memorial Day Parade this year to mark the 1991 conflict’s 30th anniversary — until the city pulled the plug.

"For many of us, a parade is a form of closure," Gonzalez said. "We gather together and support each other."

"I’m incensed," said Ted Cohen, 82, a retired Air Force reservist who was on alert through the Cuban Missile Crisis. "It’s pathetic."

The United Staten Island Veterans Organization, the association of 16 local Vets’ groups that has sponsored the annual march for decades, filed a request for a parade permit with the NYPD on Feb. 27, following the same procedure they use every year in keeping with the city’s official rules.

On March 9, the department nixed the request, citing de Blasio's emergency executive order restricting public events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. City Hall did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The brush-off came despite myriad marches in the last year that have been recognized by the city, officially escorted by cops, and often featured elected officials in the line of march. They included a slimmed-down St. Patrick’s Day Parade in March, when de Blasio participated; countless Black Lives Matters protest marches; and the cannabis rally and parade May 1, when revelers hoisted a huge inflatable spliff along a 17-block route and heard speeches from Sen. Chuck Schumer among others.

One city official said that the Vets have become caught in the bureaucratic no-man’s-land of de Blasio’s haphazard coronavirus rules.

"People are just marching. That’s the new normal," the official said. "The Staten Island people had the decorum and respect to go the proper way [and] they are suffering for their civic-mindedness.

"No one else is even asking permission."

The Island Vets, whose predicament was first reported in the Staten Island Advance, are enraged by the unequal treatment.

"Look, have any parade you want, I have no problem with that," said Volker Heyde, 78, the commandant of Staten Island’s Marine Corps League. "But for the city to put dopeheads over Vets is just dishonoring us."

Attorney Brendan Lantry sent a "good faith" letter to the NYPD Friday to demand a parade permit by Monday, citing the Cannabis Parade as precedent.

"Under the equal protection clause, it’s unconstitutional for the city to pick and choose between groups like this," Lantry said. "There’s a clear double standard going on here."

The group will file a lawsuit next week if necessary, he said. A legal permit is also important for insurance reasons, as many elderly Vets are participating and could need coverage against injury.

The Veterans’ permit application estimated that 1,000 participants would march down Forest Avenue from Hart Boulevard to Greenleaf Avenue, a 18-block stretch of the leafy commercial street in West Brighton.

About 200 potheads partied at the New York City Cannabis Parade, which culminated in a Union Square rally where politicians praised the state’s new legal-weed law.

But the pot-rally organizers appear to have found a back door to get their event approved.

"We got a permit from the Parks Department," rally spokesman Stu Zakim said. "We had a police escort the whole way, they shut traffic down, all that stuff."

Lantry called the stealth permit process "insane."

"There’s a reason this goes through NYPD — for security for those in the parade and those on the sidelines," he said. "Parks should have no role in this parade, as it never has for a century."

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"It's not about finding ships," Tim Taylor said. "The importance of our work is to connect families and bring some type of closure and peace even generations later."

Since she was a young girl, Helen Cashell Baldwin had been haunted by the mystery of what happened to the doomed Navy submarine USS R-12.

Baldwin's father, Fredrick Edward Cashell, and 41 other men died in June 1943 when the submarine sank off the Florida Keys during a World War II training exercise. The R-12 could not be found, and as Baldwin went from an 8-year-old girl to a 75-year-old woman, she all but lost hope that it would ever be discovered.

"As a teenager, I found myself looking for him, because there was never a funeral," Baldwin said. "There was never a memorial service.... There was nothing."

But in 2011, a relative forwarded her a website claiming that the submarine had been found. Ocean explorer Tim Taylor, who set up the site, wanted to get in touch with relatives of the victims.

Within months of speaking with Taylor, Baldwin and her two siblings boarded a boat and headed out into the Atlantic with Taylor and his wife and fellow explorer, Christine Dennison. About 11 miles off Key West, Taylor took out his computer and pulled up drone images of the long-lost vessel — a sight that Baldwin said took her breath away.

Then they held a memorial service for her father and the other men who died aboard the R-12, tossing 42 roses into the water directly above where the submarine lay at the bottom of the ocean.

"That was a completion of 70 years of waiting," said Baldwin, now 86, weeping as she spoke. "It was a life-changing experience."

Taylor's team has found a total of seven Navy submarines — five of which disappeared during World War II — bringing a measure of closure to hundreds of family members like Helen Baldwin.

Taylor was honored this week with the Navy's highest civilian award, the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. His team is credited with having discovered the final resting places of 288 men, all locked inside what had become sunken tombs.

"Every one of these lost submarines, along with our other ships, to the U.S. Navy is a hallowed site," Sam Cox, a retired rear admiral who is director of Naval History and Heritage Command, said at the ceremony at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.

"It's a last resting place of sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country, and in effect, it's the Arlington National Cemetery for the Navy," he said.

In an interview just before the ceremony, Taylor said he is motivated by a desire to bring comfort and closure to family members denied the chance to fully mourn their loved ones.

"It's not about finding wrecks. It's not about finding ships," Taylor said. "The loss of someone even 78 years ago, and not knowing where they are, leaves a hole in families. The importance of our work is to connect families and bring some type of closure and peace even generations later."

The son of a Navy Veteran who fought in World War II, Taylor has spent his life exploring the ocean's uncharted waters.

He began his career focused on scientific explorations, leading to his discovery of numerous reefs around the world. He participated in shark research projects and underwater archaeological missions, and he hosted several National Geographic expeditions.

Around 2010, Taylor became interested in finding historic military shipwrecks.

"I knew I had the technology and the skills and the background to find these things," Taylor said.

He began researching lost submarines. Then he started plotting them out using the same navigational programs he turned to for other exploration projects.

Technological breakthroughs changed the way exploration could be done. Gone were the days of lowering hundreds of feet of cable and dragging imaging devices through the waters.

Now he had access to autonomous robots that use sonar to detect objects in the dark depths of the seas and the oceans.

"These autonomous vehicles, we just throw them in the water," said Taylor, who said they have been programmed for the task.

Taylor likened the robots to the rovers used to explore Mars.

A needle in a haystack

Built in 1918, the R-12 was the oldest submarine used in World War II. It was recommissioned as a training vessel in 1940.

On June 12, 1943, the R-12 headed out from Key West to practice launching torpedoes. But as the boat prepared to dive, the forward battery compartment began to flood, and the sub sank in 15 seconds, according to a Navy Court of Inquiry.

The hunt for the R-12 came at a unique time in Taylor's life. He was set to be married two months later to Dennison, a polar ocean explorer who became an integral part of the expedition.

They put up $750,000 of their own money to fund the search. And in October 2010, Taylor ventured out into the waters off Key West and detected a large object about 600 feet below the surface. He knew almost immediately that he had discovered the R-12.

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, and when you realize you have found it, the magnitude of the moment hits home," Taylor said.

As Dennison put it: "It wasn't just locating that submarine, but it was locating a crew of heroes that had been in their final resting place."

Taylor and Dennison returned to the site a year later with a new underwater vehicle equipped with a high-definition camera. They returned to land with high-resolution images of the R-12.

The discovery became a turning point for the intrepid newlyweds. They launched the Lost 52 Project dedicated to locating the 52 U.S. submarines that disappeared during World War II.

"It was not like any other discovery I had ever made," Taylor said of finding the R-12. "There were 42 souls on board that vessel. And submarines contain and keep water out. They keep bodies and souls in. And it became a responsibility for us to connect those lost sailors with their families."

They set out to raise money to expand their operations. And in the last 10 years, Taylor's team has found six more submarines off Hawaii, Alaska, Panama, the Philippines and Japan.

Taylor and Dennison continue to search for more World War II-era Navy vessels that never returned to shore. They believe it is essential for private explorers — and the philanthropists who fund them — to take up the challenge of scouring the seas and oceans for lost military vessels.

"This is a daunting task," Taylor said after he accepted his award from the Navy. "We strive to set an example that others will follow."

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A local home healthcare provider has agreed to pay half a million dollars to the government and close its operations as part of a False Claims Act settlement.

According to court documents, Academy Health Care Services is a home healthcare agency based in Dayton providing service to patients in Ohio, many of whom are disabled and living in group homes.

Academy’s owners include Jagdish, Nita and Vijay Patel, all of Ohio.

The settlement unsealed today details that the healthcare provider’s billing practices routinely caused Ohio Medicaid to pay at a higher level of reimbursement than warranted by the services provided as well as the setting in which the services were provided.

From 2014 until 2017, Academy billed for individual healthcare services when any services it actually provided were in group settings. Further, Academy nurses did not spend the time required with patients to receive reimbursement for individual services.

The healthcare provider will pay $500,000 in total, of which $250,000 is restitution.

As part of the settlement, Academy agrees to cease operations no later than June 30, 2022, and agrees that after Dec. 31, 2021, it will no longer provide services to beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs, including the Ohio Medicaid program, and will not submit claims for any services provided to beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the settlement and commended the work of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Ohio Department of Medicaid. Deputy Civil Chief Andrew M. Malek and Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Rawlings are representing the United States in this case.

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A former Insys Therapeutics sales representative, whose trial had commenced, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Ohio to conspiracy to defraud the United States for her involvement in a scheme to pay kickbacks to a doctor to induce him to prescribe Subsys, a dangerous sublingual fentanyl spray.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Nicole Georges, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, admitted to her involvement in a kickback scheme initiated by Insys Therapeutics in which practitioners were incentivized to prescribe Subsys by receiving payments through a sham “Speaker Program.” Georges facilitated “speaker payments” to her co-defendant, Dr. Jimmy Henry, whose prescribing of Subsys dramatically rose during the period in which he received payments from Insys, despite not engaging in many of these speaking events. Georges also assisted in facilitating insurance paperwork through Insys to assure that the Subsys prescriptions issued by Henry would be reimbursed by insurance programs, including Medicare and Ohio Medicaid. Georges received significant bonuses for her so-called “sales” of Subsys. For his part, Henry pleaded guilty to the distribution of controlled substances and violating the Anti-Kickback Statute on Sept. 8.

Georges faces a statutory maximum penalty of 60 months’ imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI, HHS-OIG, Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Christopher Jason and Katherine Pridemore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force. Since its inception in October 2018, the ARPO Strike Force, which operates in 10 districts, has charged more than 90 defendants who are collectively responsible for distributing more than 105 million pills. Since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,600 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for approximately $23 billion. In addition, the Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

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A home away from home for Veteran families

The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System has been selected as one of 12 sites to receive a Fisher House.

“This is great news for Veterans and their immediate family members. This will be the first Fisher House in the state of Oklahoma,” said Assistant Director Jeff Bennett.

A Fisher House is “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. These beautifully furnished and decorated homes enable family members to be close to their loved one during an extremely stressful time, hospitalization for a combat injury, illness or disease.

A stay at a Fisher House is completely free of charge

“Support from their loved ones plays an integral role in healing and recovery for Veterans,” said Bennett. “We are very grateful to VA and the Fisher House Foundation for approving our request.”

In the picture above, from left, Bennett, Audrey Umhoefer, public affairs officer, Tim Jenne, engineering foreman and Rowene Lant, chief of engineering, inspect the plans for the new Fisher House.

The VA Fisher House will support access to care for thousands of additional Veterans traveling to VA facilities for treatment. There is not yet a timeline for construction of the Fisher House.

These homes are normally located within walking distance of the treatment facility or transportation between the two is available. Typically, the houses are 5,000 to 16,800 square foot homes donated by the Fisher family and Fisher House Foundation. Each house provides between 8 and 21 suites.

Can accommodate up to 42 family members

Fisher Houses are professionally furnished and decorated in the tone and style of the local region. The houses can accommodate 16 to 42 family members. They feature a common kitchen, laundry facilities, spacious dining room and an inviting living room with library and toys for children.

Newer houses are 100% handicap accessible and include elevators. A Fisher House is a temporary residence and is not a treatment facility, hospice or counseling center.

VA shares a long and successful relationship with Fisher House Foundation. Its first build was in 1994 and the program continues to experience growth in 2020. The VA Fisher House program plans to expand from 49 to at least 72 Fisher Houses by 2030.

The Fisher House Foundation constructs the homes on government land (military installations or VA facilities). On completion, the foundation donates the houses to VA or the Department of Defense (DOD). That organization then assumes responsibility for the operation, maintenance, upkeep, and staffing. There are 91 Fisher Houses internationally.

For more information on the VA Fisher House Program, visit www.socialwork.va.gov/fisher.asp.

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As a retired Marine, I appreciate the recognition we give our Veterans each November. These gestures of gratitude mean a lot to those who have served. But, respectfully, we need to provide more than gestures to our older Veterans. We need to help them get the care and benefits they’re entitled to, because they won’t ask for it themselves.

I serve as director of Veterans’ health and support services at Capital Caring Health, the largest nonprofit provider of health, advanced illness, hospice and at-home care services in the Washington, Maryland and Virginia region. We provide compassionate hospice care, but much more. We leverage relationships with state-level Veterans Affairs offices, accredited agencies, and established Veterans’ organizations to help former military members get the care, benefits and assistance they need, earned and deserve. We’re helping Veterans who have never thought of themselves first. They were raised not to ask for help, but they need someone to advocate for them.

Vietnam Veterans, in particular, have unique challenges. For example, there are 14 presumptive diseases associated with Agent Orange. Many of these Veterans don’t know they’re entitled to benefits. For example, we recently worked with a Veteran whose wife contacted their local Veterans Affairs office to get her husband enrolled for benefits. They had just experienced a house fire and used up their savings to repair the damage. This man hadn’t seen a doctor in more than a decade, and he was totally bed-bound. His wife was unemployed as she cared for her husband 24 hours a day. We connected him with a doctor — an Air Force Veteran no less — who diagnosed him with Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is a presumptive disease associated with military service and, therefore, qualified him for benefits. We then had a Veterans’ services officer go to the man’s home and complete his application for a service-connected disability and submit to Veterans Affairs. Neither the man nor his wife would have had the time or energy to take these steps. This Veteran got a 100 percent service-connected designation for Veterans’ compensation benefits and received monthly, tax-free financial assistance. It made a tremendous difference.

As another example, an oncology nurse navigator at one of the hospitals we work with once asked me if I could meet with one of his patients. This man had prostate cancer and stage 4 lung cancer and yet he was still working at a local grocery store, because he had to. Both of those conditions are presumptive conditions to Agent Orange exposure, but he didn’t know that. We arranged for a Veterans service representative from the Department of Veterans Services in his home state to submit his claim after explaining that they would do all the heavy lifting and he’d just need to sign the paper allowing them to act on his behalf. And sure enough, in less than a month, he secured the benefits he had rightly earned, and — well into his 80s — he could finally retire.

Older Veterans are often quick to say, “I’m doing OK, don’t worry about me.” But if we don’t, who will? We all need to ensure older Veterans get the care and compensation they earned and deserve, so they and their families receive the support they need when it matters most.

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Mission BBQ announced a generous gift of $533,462 for America's Veterans and a group that honors their service

One company has stepped up in a big way, on Armed Forces Day, May 21, 2022, to honor America's Veterans — and those who assist them, honor their service and keep them top of mind.

During an appearance on "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Saturday morning, Bill Kraus and Steve Newton, co-founders of Mission BBQ, announced from Ft. Myers, Florida, a donation of over $500,000 to the Honor Flight Network as part of their work in honoring all of America's military, past and present.

"Mission BBQ is the story of a couple of best friends that had a love of barbecue, but more importantly, a love of country — and wanted to build something that meant something," said Bill Kraus.

"And so we did open our first location on Sept. 11, 2011 — to serve, honor and thank our American heroes," he added.

Kraus said that his group "stand[s] alongside wonderful organizations" in America such as the Honor Flight Network — and is "forever thankful" for all that they do.

To show its gratitude, his group presented a check in the amount of $533,462 to the Honor Flight Network as part of Mission BBQ's ongoing devotion to, and support of, America's military heroes.

The money was raised through the sale of Mission BBQ's American Heroes cup, he said on Saturday morning.

The Honor Flight Network, said Matt Shuman, president and chairman of the board, "since [its founding in] 2005 has flown just over 250,000 Veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials raised in their honor."

Honor Flight Network has over 130 hubs — and Veterans come from all over the nation to visit the memorials in D.C., he also said.

The group is "incredibly thankful to their friends at BBQ Mission," he said, so that they can serve more of America's Veterans.

They still have 50,000 Veterans on the wait list to make that trip and visit the memorials, he said.

Now, they will be using the generous donation to help make that happen for those who await a trip.

Last year at this time, the folks at Mission BBQ donated more than $1M to the USO.

"We step forward, we give back … to better our country in some small way," said Bill Kraus last year on "Fox & Friends" in announcing that award.

Armed Forces Day, an annual holiday since 1950, pays tribute to the men and women who serve across all six branches of the U.S. military.

Last year, in a piece published by Fox News, Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich noted of Armed Forces Day, "The security of our freedom, democracy and homeland are made possible through the selfless courage, patriotism and sacrifice of the American heroes in the U.S. armed forces."

They added, "We invite you to join us in thanking the members of our U.S. military on this Armed Forces Day. May God continue to bless our American military heroes and their families."

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BASTOGNE, Belgium – It wasn’t the thunderous booms of shelling or the acrid smell of smoke that filled the air on Saturday. It was the click of horses’ hooves on paved roads in a celebratory parade. The smell of churros coming from the Christmas Market on Rue Joseph-Renquin, the main stretch in downtown.

And, it was bursts of fireworks – harmless pink slivers in the night sky.

Thousands from around the world descended on Bastogne, a town of almost 50,000, to celebrate the country’s liberation.

Monday marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, a bloody altercation with Hitler's Nazi war machine that began Dec. 16, 1944, and stretched into late January 1945. It was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front, but it was a costly one: An estimated 19,000 American soldiers died during the five-week battle.

The weekend's scenes were a distant cry from the snow-covered conflict that erupted in the Ardennes Forest three-quarters of a century ago as Germans, supported by powerful tanks and armored carriers, raced to stretch the advancing Allied front lines. A "bulge" was created in the American lines ⁠– but the units held and repelled the Nazi counterattack.

Within weeks, the Allies finished their sprint across Europe and took the fight to Hitler's backyard.

This weekend, each glass storefront in the quaint downtown row was painted with a scene of the war: Pictures of tanks, gun barrels and kissing sailors all looked out on streets full of reenactors dressed as American soldiers and Belgians waving paper American flags.

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September 11 isn’t all bad for Hugh Williams.

Yes, there are memories of the terrorist attack on the U.S. 18 years ago. But it’s also his birthday, and the World War II Veteran will hit a milestone today.

Williams will be 100.

“I’m doing pretty good,” he said after stepping carefully out onto the front porch of a daughter’s Powder Springs house to chat.

He was in his second year at Lincoln University, a historic black college in central Missouri, when the attack on Pearl Harbor came. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had enacted a peace-time draft the year before. Williams was home in Kansas City for Christmas break when he received his draft notice by mail.

He was inducted in January 1942 and released in November 1945, having served 22 months in the European campaign.

The war was an inflection point for African-Americans. The prejudice that constricted his life before the war was alive and well in the Army. But what prejudice took away, the demands of the war began to slowly give back. The country needed millions of the men and women doing thousands of jobs.

In 1941, fewer than 4,000 African-Americans were serving in the military and only 12 had become officers, according to the World War II Museum. By 1945, more than 1.2 million African-Americans would serve in uniform. Though most black units were given support roles behind the front lines, the wartime needs and lobbying by civil rights groups and supporters saw black units begin to take leading positions — such as Gen. George S. Patton’s 761st tank battalion, which fought in four major campaigns, including the Battle of the Bulge.

Williams trained at Fort Sill, Okla., and shipped out of Fort Leavenworth in Kansas as part of the 9th Calvary Regiment, an African American unit with a history dating to 1866.“I was in the cavalry, but not a cavalryman,” Williams said.

He was trained as an administrator in battalion headquarters, handling everything from payroll to personnel. He rose to the rank of sergeant. As his black unit rode trains to the East Coast to embark for north Africa, soldiers had to sit in the back cars and keep their window shades pulled down. His fading memory still retains that unfair treatment of his men, who were going overseas to fight for freedom for others.

It was not until 1948, when President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981, that a policy of racial equality in the U.S. military was established, though it would take years to implement.Williams said he had a job to do, despite conditions.“

We were all in it together,” he said.

The 9th Calvary landed in North Africa in 1944, according to regimental history.

Williams remembers seeing the French ships that had been sunk in the harbor of Casablanca. He recalls the poor state of the locals who had been living under German occupation, and he remembered being strafed by German planes while encamped. Part of his regiment was sent to support other divisions in Europe. Williams was among them.

His daughter, Zarle Williams, traveled back to Europe to see some of the places he described, but Williams said he got enough his first go round.“

I wouldn’t want to go back. I saw too much,” he said.

According to the World War II Museum, about 496,777 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II were alive in 2018. Nearly 400 die daily.

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“I was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment in July 2018. I was classified as a limb salvage patient for the doctors had discovered a giant mass in my right foot. As a Marine, I was struggling a lot mentally more than anything else. At the time, I was pretty much bound to a wheelchair or on crunches. I had to wear a walking boot for over 400 days. It was an extremely rough time in my life until I was exposed to the Wounded Warrior requirement that all Marines will do something active and productive to enhance their resiliency and recovery.”

Archery was the first adaptive sport and therapeutic activity I was introduced to, which opened a whole new world for me. I loved going to archery practice and from there I kind of just expanded my possibilities. Archery was the one thing that got me up in the morning, especially on days I didn’t want to get up. WAR-P adaptive reconditioning activities and sports gave me a sense of purpose at a time where I felt I had no purpose in the Marine Corps anymore.

Renewed Passion to Compete

Track is my favorite adaptive sport to compete in. As a Marine and someone with two legs, I hated running. But when I was limb salvaged for 14 months, I missed what I couldn’t do, and running was the biggest thing for me. I love running now. I’m on a track team now and it’s a freeing experience to be able to run again.

My participation in various adaptive sports and reconditioning activities in the WAR-P led to my selection to participate in the Marine Corps Trials at Camp Pendleton, California. During my first Marine Corps Trials in 2019, I competed in six adaptive sports: wheelchair racing, wheelchair rugby, seated volleyball, archery, shooting, and swimming.

Two weeks after the Trials, I had my right leg amputated below the knee. I begged and asked, ‘If I heal enough can I do the Warrior Games?’

Nobody believed I could do it.

I worked hard and showed up a month before the Warrior Games with my doctor’s approval to compete. In only eight weeks post amputation, I competed in the 2019 Warrior Games, in Tampa, Florida, representing the USMC as one of 40 Marine team members. I competed in four adaptive sports: wheelchair racing, wheelchair rugby, archery, and swimming. I competed with over 300 RSMs and Veterans representing teams from the Army, Navy, Air Force, SOCOM, and a couple of international teams from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Being able to compete in the Warrior Games was incredible. It felt good to see all these other athletes because either someone is inspiring you or you are inspiring someone. As military we’re all competitive against each other but there’s still such a comradery. The Warrior Games is a competition like nothing else in the world.

The Road Ahead

My biggest takeaway that I’ve learned from Military Adaptive Sports is don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do. When I was limb salvaged everyone was like, ‘you’re not going to run track.’ I did it in a wheelchair and now that I’m an amputee, I can run on a blade. If you set your mind to it, you can do whatever you want.

I see myself continuing with the adaptive sport community for the rest of my life. I’m connected to a lot of adaptive sport and recreation organizations. It gives me a sense of belonging when I’m with people like me.

Now, I’m training for the Paralympics in snowboarding and I credit that to Military Adaptive Sports Program and WAR-P. Because of the Warrior Games, various adaptive sports contacts, and my confidence level in my own adaptive sports abilities, I realized that making the U.S. Paralympics team is a dream that I can make a reality. When I achieve my goals [now] it’s so much more rewarding because I had to work harder to get there.

Connecting Disabled Veterans

Anytime I meet someone who is a disabled Veteran, I ask ‘Have you ever done the Warrior Games?’

I give them contacts if they are interested in participating in adaptive sports. The Warrior Games was such a big thing for me mentally and emotionally that I feel like everybody should have the chance to participate.”

To learn more about Military Adaptive Sports, visit Warrior Care.

To learn more about the USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment and the WAR-P Program visit https://www.woundedwarrior.marines.mil/.

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Raised in a small Alabama town, I signed up for the Air National Guard right after high school, intending to earn money for college and to see the world. My time in the Guard exposed me to new experiences and taught me the value of service and, after six years in the military, I thought I could handle anything that came my way.

But then I was sexually assaulted, and I became lost. Overwhelmed by trauma, I turned to drugs to escape. I left the military, and my addiction deepened, overtaking every facet of my life. At 29, I was arrested for a drug-related crime and sent to prison.

The shame I felt over my crime and incarceration was all-consuming. I'll never forget reading the title on my indictment, United States of America vs. Carla Bugg. I felt I'd forfeited any right to be recognized for my service, and I was pretty sure the military didn't want anything more to do with me.

What I didn't realize was just how many Veterans become incarcerated. One in three of our 19 million Veterans report having been arrested and booked at least once, and roughly 181,500 are behind bars. Many land there because of struggles with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries or substance use disorders, risk factors that make the jarring transition from military service to civilian life all the more challenging.

I now work at an agency that helps people leaving prison or jail by connecting them with treatment and jobs. Like me, many Veterans I meet feel they disgraced the uniform when they committed their crime. And like me, most did not mention their Veteran status when entering the criminal justice system. What's odd, however, is that nobody ever asks.

That oversight can have major consequences, and it's not a new problem. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter issued a memo noting that "we lack comprehensive information about imprisoned Veterans" and directing federal agencies to collect accurate data. Sixteen years later, Congress began requiring that states have a policy for identifying the Veteran status of people in prison in order to be eligible for certain grants. Unfortunately, these attempts never brought about much change.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed tools to help law enforcement, jails and courts verify a person's Veteran status, but they are rarely used. Just nine of 18,000 police agencies in the U.S. and 11% of 3,100 jails use the systems.

Further complicating the identification challenge is an inconsistent definition of the term "Veteran." The federal government, the states, criminal justice agencies and individual programs for Veterans all differ in the specific criteria they use to determine who is, and who isn't, a Veteran. Length of military service and type of discharge are among the conflicting variables.

All of this adds up to a big problem: Too many Veterans fail to receive targeted treatment for their unique set of problems while incarcerated, and many who might qualify for special treatment courts or other opportunities to be diverted away from jail or prison never get the chance. Without proper interventions to address their PTSD, addiction or other challenges, many Veterans struggle as they reenter society -- and some commit more crimes. That's bad for individuals and for public safety, as well.

I witness the fallout from this cycle every day in my work, and my frustration is one reason I joined the Council on Criminal Justice's Veterans Justice Commission. Our panel, led by former Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta, both Veterans, is examining why so many Veterans land in prison or jail, and developing recommendations to help change that trajectory.

This month, we released our first proposals for action, addressing problems Veterans face at the front end of the justice system, from arrest through sentencing. Improving the identification of Veterans when they encounter the system is one of them. We also recommend expanding access to Veterans treatment courts and increasing other opportunities for Veterans to avoid prosecution, conviction or incarceration if they complete programs requiring them to take responsibility for their actions and address issues underlying their criminal offenses. Finally, we're urging the federal government to establish a National Center on Veterans Justice to fund badly needed research and coordinate Veteran support across the country.

As I know well, Veterans who end up in our justice system face a special struggle, one overlaid with shame over breaking the laws of a nation they once fought to protect. By identifying Veterans at the front door of the justice system, and getting them the treatment they need, we can reduce crime and do better by those who have served.

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Veterans have access to a 24/7 online health library that provides information and education about treatments and conditions offered by VA.

The Veterans Health Library (VHL) has over 1,500 health sheets and 150 videos in both English and Spanish. It gives Veterans access to health information to help them make informed decisions on their care. VA clinicians are also aware of the VHL. The medical content in the library aligns with Department of Defense and VA clinical guidelines.

Becky Hartt Minor, a health educator and program manager for the VHL, said the program has grown.

“The VHL is nearly eight years old, and we average nearly a million page views a year,” she said. “We know Veterans want a source for medical information that is relevant and provides easy to read information on health conditions ranging from PTSD and Mental Health to Chronic Pain and Heart Disease.”

What Veterans are saying about the Veterans Health Library

“I was preparing for cardiac surgery and wanted more information. Something to supplement what my provider and nurse practitioner had already given me. I stopped by the VA facility library, got on the computer and got into the VHL. It was easy to find the trusted health information I needed.

“Within seconds, I was able to view several cardiovascular videos, download a few online guides, and print out several educational pamphlets. I was amazed with the quantity and quality of the information I found on my heart condition and pending procedure.”

The VHL both is mobile friendly and offers links to other VA resources. It can be also be accessed on the MyHealtheVet web site where Veterans use secure messaging to communicate with their VA care providers and order their prescriptions for home delivery.

Unlike other health web sites, the Veterans Health Library is free of advertisements and pop up ads. Visit Veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov today to stay well and well-informed.

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VBA and AFHRA employees go above and beyond to help hundreds

VBA and Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) researchers recently discovered military records confirming the participation of Air Force personnel who deployed to Vietnam for Operation Babylift.

Since many Veterans’ personnel files didn’t include participation in this operation, these Veterans could not prove Republic of Vietnam service. The discovery has led to VA awarding retroactive benefits to eligible Operation Babylift participants and survivors.

EvacuatingSaigon

Operation Babylift began during the evacuation of Saigon from April to June 1975. Hundreds of Air Force security, police and other service members went on temporary duty (TDY) orders to travel from Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines to Tan Son Nhut, to evacuate US, Vietnamese and other third-country nationals at the end of the Vietnam War.

Clara Beheler, a VBA Quality Review Specialist at the Roanoke Regional Office, was working a claim for an Air Force Veteran who stated that he was sent TDY to Vietnam in support of these operations. She was unable to verify the Veteran’s participation based on the documents in his personnel file, service treatment records, or through extensive online research.

Beheler, however, was not deterred. She contacted Barry Spink, a researcher from AFHRA at Maxwell AFB, Ala., to assist her in finding records for this event. After an exhaustive search of archival records that lasted many months, Spink found the records that confirmed participation.

“I was so excited for all of the Veterans and survivors that I knew would be helped by finding these records,” Beheler said. “Whenever I can find information that places a Veteran in Vietnam, it makes my whole day.”

Above and beyond

The TDY orders that Beheler and Spink found didn’t just confirm Vietnam service for the Veteran whose claim she was working, it also confirmed in-country service for hundreds of other Veterans–many of whom had claims previously denied due to a lack of documentation. The list included the names of 296 security forces personnel that supported Saigon airlift operations.

As a result of the find, VBA was able to grant the first claim. It paid benefits to the 87-year-old surviving spouse who was previously denied Dependency and Indemnity Compensation in 1988. Ironically, the spouse had also participated in Operation Babylift. She lived at Clark AFB at the time and greeted the women and children as they stopped there on their way to the United States.

Beheler’s team didn’t stop there. With this new-found information, the records research team began examining other similar claims.

“Finding these records are life changing for so many people,” Beheler said.

To date, VBA has awarded nearly half a million dollars in retroactive benefits to 16 Veterans or survivors–with more coming in the next few months.

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Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that AMEET GOYAL, an ophthalmologist in Rye, New York, pled guilty yesterday to perpetrating a seven-year healthcare fraud scheme by falsely billing for millions of dollars of procedures he did not perform, and also to fraudulently obtaining two Government-guaranteed loans intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic while facing charges on pretrial release for the healthcare fraud scheme. GOYAL pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel to all charges in a six-count superseding Indictment.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Dr. Ameet Goyal was an experienced eye doctor who became blinded by greed and routinely defrauded patients who trusted him to heal their eyes. He grossly overbilled minor ophthalmological procedures, billed for tests and procedures that were never performed, falsified medical records, attempted to corrupt others in his practice to abet the scheme, and sent patients who refused to pay his fraudulent charges to collections. Already facing charges for defrauding patients and insurers of millions of dollars, Goyal committed a new fraud in applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans on behalf of two separate businesses and lying on the applications. Goyal looted over $630,000 in federal funds earmarked for legitimate small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Goyal has now admitted to both fraudulent schemes, agreed to forfeit $3.6 million, and faces the possibility of a significant term of incarceration.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:

At all relevant times, GOYAL owned and operated the ophthalmology practice Ameet Goyal M.D. P.C., doing business as Rye Eye Associates, with offices in Rye, Mt. Kisco, and Wappingers Falls, New York, and Greenwich, Connecticut (the “Practice”). Between 2010 and 2017, GOYAL engaged in widespread healthcare fraud by consistently “upcoding” simpler, lower-paying surgical procedures and examinations as complex, higher-paying major operations in fraudulent billings submitted to Medicare, private insurance companies, and patients. As a result, GOYAL fraudulently obtained at least $3.6 million in payments for procedures he did not perform. As part of the scheme, GOYAL routinely falsified patient medical records, authoring fictitious templated operative reports that matched the complex operation he billed rather than the different minor procedure he actually performed. GOYAL also pressured other employees in the Practice to engage in the scheme, and threatened the livelihood of employees who refused to comply. GOYAL caused patients to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for fraudulently billed charges, and initiated debt collection proceedings against patients who did not pay the full amounts of those false charges.

For example, GOYAL and others at the Practice routinely treated patients for an excision of a chalazion, a small bump on an eyelid, typically removed in less than 15 minutes. An excision of chalazion, when billed truthfully under its associated code, paid the Practice approximately $200 on average from patients and insurance programs. However, GOYAL systematically billed an excision of chalazion and other similar superficial eyelid procedures as if he had performed an orbitotomy together with a conjunctivoplasty, which are complex surgeries into the orbit of the eye, often to remove an orbital tumor together with grafting to close the resulting wound, that typically take an hour or more to perform. These substantial surgeries, as billed, paid the Practice approximately $1,400 on average from a combination of insurance and patient out-of-pocket payments. GOYAL also upcoded certain superficial procedures as an excision and repair of eyelid, a type of higher-paying eyelid surgery involving reconstruction or removal of certain lesions other than chalazions. During the relevant time period, GOYAL billed less than 40 chalazions under the billing code designated for excision of chalazion, while billing over 1,400 orbitotomies, over 700 bundled conjunctivoplasties, and over 1,600 excision and repair of eyelid surgeries, all of which he claimed to have personally performed. The scheme involved numerous other CPT codes for procedures and examinations not performed or upcoded, resulting in at least $3.6 million of ill-gotten gains for GOYAL.

On November 21, 2019, an indictment (the “Indictment”) was returned in the action United States of America v. Ameet Goyal, 19 Cr. 844 (CS) (S.D.N.Y.), charging GOYAL with healthcare fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements relating to healthcare matters. On November 22, 2019, GOYAL was arraigned on the Indictment and placed on pretrial release pursuant to an order that notified GOYAL of the potential effect of committing a criminal offense while on pretrial release.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Applicants with pending criminal charges are ineligible for PPP loans. The PPP also limits each eligible borrower to one loan, and a maximum loan amount calculated based on a business’s average monthly payroll expenses.

In or about April 2020, GOYAL applied to the SBA and Bank-1, a federally insured institution, for over $630,000 in Government-guaranteed loans through the SBA’s PPP Program. Specifically, on or about April 21, 2020, GOYAL applied for a loan in the amount of $358,700 for the business “Ameet Goyal,” with his own social security number and email address. On or about April 29, 2020, GOYAL applied for a second loan in the amount of $278,500, with a business name “Rye eye associates,” using the Employer Identification Number for Ameet Goyal M.D. P.C and a different email address controlled by GOYAL. To substantiate each loan, however, GOYAL submitted the exact same underlying payroll expense report, showing the same employees and payroll costs.

On both applications, GOYAL falsely answered that he was not facing any pending criminal charges, and electronically placed his initials “AG” directly under his “No” response. GOYAL also falsely certified, among other things, that his business would not receive another PPP loan until the end of the year. After obtaining approval from Bank-1 and the SBA through his fraudulent misrepresentations, GOYAL executed loan notes for two loans. On May 4, 2020, GOYAL received the first loan of $358,700, and on May 11, 2021, GOYAL received the second loan of $278,500. GOYAL used the business checking account into which these funds were deposited to pay business and personal expenses, including by making a $1,800 payment to a country club in Westchester, New York, within days of receiving the first loan.                    

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GOYAL, 58, of Rye, New York, pled guilty to all six counts in the Superseding Indictment. The first count charged healthcare fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; the second count charged wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and the third count charged making false statements relating to health care matters, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Counts four, five, and six charged that while on pretrial release, the defendant committed the following offenses, respectively: bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; making false statements on a loan application, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and making false statements in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Additionally, a conviction under counts four, five, and six, if committed while on pretrial release, provides for an additional maximum sentence of 10 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence of imprisonment.

The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

GOYAL is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seibel on January 6, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.            

Ms. Strauss praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Office of the Inspector General of the SBA, whose expertise and diligence were integral to the development of this investigation and the guilty plea.

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The United States also Agreed to A $450,000 Settlement to Resolve False Claims Act Liability

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dr. James W. Heroman, 43, formerly of Charlotte, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer on Monday, October 4, 2021, and pleaded guilty to receiving and delivering a misbranded medication, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General for the region including North Carolina, and Justin C. Fielder, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Miami Field Office, join Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer in making today’s announcement.

Dr. Heroman is an ophthalmologist and the former owner of a now-closed ophthalmology clinic, Carolina Retina and Vitreous Consultants (CRVC). According to plea documents filed with the court, as early as September 2013, Dr. Heroman caused CRVC to order and receive an unapproved, foreign and cheaper drug which he used to treat patients with macular degeneration, instead of using Lucentis®, the medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of the condition in the United States. As Dr. Heroman admitted in court yesterday, he purchased the foreign, unapproved medication because it cost less than the name brand Lucentis®. At the same time, Dr. Heroman caused CRVC to bill Medicare for the non-covered and non-reimbursable unapproved medication as if it were FDA-approved and kept the difference in price as profit.

In addition to pleading guilty to the criminal charge, Dr. Heroman and CRVC have also agreed to pay $450,000 to resolve the United States’ allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, when they knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims for payment to Medicare related to the administration of unapproved medications. The claims resolved by the civil settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer said, “Dr. Heroman sought to increase his profit margins by using an unauthorized medication, potentially putting the health of his patients at risk. Together with our law enforcement counterparts, we will investigate and prosecute physicians who choose to fill up their pockets at the expense of their patients.”

“Physicians who provide non-FDA approved drugs to their patients unnecessarily place those in their care at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Jackson. “Working with our law enforcement partners, our oversight agency will investigate such fraud schemes that threaten the health of patients and the integrity of federal health care programs.”

“U.S. patients rely on FDA oversight to ensure that the drugs and medical devices they use are safe and effective. Rogue health care professionals who obtain foreign unapproved medical products, and dispense and administer those products to their patients, put the health of those patients at significant risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Fielder. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who choose to put the public’s health at such risk.”

A sentencing date for Dr. Heroman has not been set. The charge of receiving and delivering a misbranded medication carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer commended HHS-OIG and and FDA-OCI for their investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Savage is prosecuting the criminal case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Armstrong is in charge of the civil proceedings.

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