Doctors on the scam. Well, while i was, quote, dealing with medical being in the hospital and from a hospital to a nursing home, and here they thought they were going to go ahead and own my house. Thats part of the game. Its a lot of, quote, investors. They pay certain groups. They use a lot of youngsters as well to basically intimidate people to move out of the neighborhood. They sell their house cheap, because theyre getting harassed. I was called up in utah by my name ra and said, do you have your camera on . I said, no, my cameras . No. They broke into my house. So you dont know who youre living next door to. I dealt with one individual across the street. I guess his specialty is, quote, insurance, you know, as one would say. V. A. Related. Yes, v. A. Related. Hes the one that told me to go ahead since i was in the navy, and a vet, go ahead and apply. So the corruption runs deep, as one would say. I think the v. A. Hospital, when i came to the v. A. Hospital here, it wasnt so bad. I admit that. Although i know it was a scam, because they said there was nothing wrong with my left lung. Now, that lung was collapsed back in 2011, when i was basically forced off the road. Okay. I flipped around. Could i honestly say i was going to work . Thats what they told me. They told me in the hospital i was going to work. They said i never arrived on friday night. Well, i did arrive a friday night. It was saturday morning that i was sent home an hour early. I should have been escorted home. But would i say on a bible that was i going to work . I have no idea, because i was basically com atoes. While my insurance was sucked dry. They rearranged my face. When i say rearranged, one doctor had it, quote, 48 screws, 10 plates. Next time i get my medical records, because they were stolen from my home was it by the v. A. . I dont know by who. Records were stolen. Next time, it says i had 26 screws and only, quote, 6 plates. Well, i can tell you this much. I dont feel anything on my face, under my eyes. Totally numb. My nose, it certainly isnt my nose. It looks exactly like quote a exactly like someone i dealt with. She has my towels. Her mother has my aunts sewing machine in her house. You know, a whole theft ring. Its called theft by advancement. Thats how you advance. Thats the department of corrections. Okay. I was in the navy. I was a corpsman. I joined the military, because i joined the military because i wanted to serve this great country of ours, and you know, i would die for my country. I just didnt think that it might be at one of the vas that i had to do that at. 18 months ago i went i was noticing some swelling in my feet, in my one foot. It got progressively worse. I called my primary care. I got his nurse. That was at the time where you could actually get through the telephone. Well, he kept putting me off. The doctor is not here, blah blah blah. Well, i managed to get a copy of my medical records, and it said that it said in there the doctor had wanted me to come in on an emergency appointment, call her and so he put a message back to the doctor that said, called patient trying to tell her to come in for an emergency appointment with the doctor. She refused because she cant find child care for her four children. I aint never had a child in my life. Then he tries to back it up when i confront him with it. He says, but you told me you couldnt find child care for your four children. That shows you right there, dumb, dumber and oh, my god. Well, finally after about, what, nine months, they finally did the message was getting to my doctor, which imthe best primary care there is here. Oh, yeah, i went to john mccains office, and that somehow just opened up the doors. Well, they did an mri, and they found out i had a torn peroneus brevis, which is the tendon from your toe. Over the years after jumping out of airplanes and that stupid stuff we like to do in the military, it took a toll. Well, january 10th, they set up for me to have surgery. I was so excited. January the 8th el get a phone call from the surgeon. Hes wanting to know if we can postpone or reschedule the surgery, because he has to go to the airport to pick up hi family members. Ive never heard of a doctor calling and asking Something Like that. So i said, well, i really dont want to do that. He goes, well it was the 15th. In the meantime i had a heart attack, and that what was really funny, i had gotten out of the hospital all right. When he called back to reschedule it again. I go, did you know we had a heart attack . He said, well, we cant do it at all. Ive had five cancellations, two when i was right there ready to have it done. Then the third one or the fifth one was just, what, 2 1 2 weeks ago, 3 weeks ago . I was on the table butt naked ready go, and they stop the surgery because my blood sugar which i did the preop on the 18th, this was the 29th. I did the preop on the 18th. So they knew all my bloodwork. Nobody called me, and i kept trying to get it on my healthy vet but that blood work would not come up. I dont know if it was because it was a preop or what, but i never got it. Of course, you cant call these clinics, because you get big spring texas with somebody named john who speaks some other language that you cant even understand. So i get in there thinking they didnt call me, so everything must be okay. Well, my blood sugar was high then. Nobody called me to let me know. There was enough time to do that. So they stopped the surgery. Well, for the preop, i had gone in, and i dont understand this, how these Nurse Practitioners or these rns actually it wasnt a Nurse Practitioners. It was an rn. He was actually giving me, okay, i want you off your plavix, this, this, and this. I said, well, does the doctor know about this . Im not on anything else to sustain me. I cant take aspirin eerks no, this is regular protocol. You dont need to talk to the doctor. I didnt talk to the doctor. They took me off plavix, like i said i was supposed to have surgery the 29th. I ended up in channela regional with a heart attack again, because when they took the plavix away for the five days i formed two blood clots, one of them stuck to my extent that i had gotten in january, and basically i was 100 occluded. I would have died in my sleep that night if el hadnt got that severe pain. So they put in another stent. I tried to call the pod atrick clinic, well, you call us in a year and well talk to you. You know, i did not i didnt join the military because, you know, i knew that 20 years later i would need medical care. I joined the military because i felt proud of this country. I wanted to be part of this count country, you know, no matter what. So i ghif all the way, like they say you sign the check all the way up to and including your death, but were not getting that back. Were getting people that are giving us a bunch of baloney, you know, talking out of both sides of their mouth. I see that done im in here quite a bit, at least three times a month. Im just getting sick and tired of it. Im sick and tired of seeing these little nonveteran kids talking to these older veterans like theyre dogs. Believe me, if im here and i hear it, you probably heard my name. I stand up, and let me tell you, they dont get away with it, nothing on my time. You know, these people up on the front lines when they check you in and all that, they should t not i swear. I went to nursing school, paramedic school. I have all these things. These people have never gone they have no medical training at all. But they can stand up and tell you, go home and well call you. Thats not the way that works. If you were in a civilian hospital or civilian Doctors Office and a patient came in and said im having chest pains and you go, go home, well call you . Thats termination right there. These people are allowed to turn people away. I was here the other day, a little 17, 18yearold just gotten out. Shes tim mid and said im having a bad time. I feel like im going to hurt myself. Its like oh, my god. Well, the girls told her we dont have any of your paperwork. You need to go home and called you. This poor child walking out of there. Were trying to tell her about the opal clinic. You know the people in the primary care didnt even no it existed. Where is that add . You dumb ass, its right around the corner. I just dont get it. Turned that poor little girl away. The whole night i had a friend who was with me, the whole night thats all i worried about, am i going to read about this poor girl whos gone out, you know, death by cop or death by whatever, and all because you dont have the time to take the time. Thats not right. If it werent for the veterans, before and after and now, there wouldnt be a job for these civilians to have and to treat people that way, and they need to understand that. Were not here for them. Theyre here for us, and by damn it theyre going to do it if i have my way about it. Dont ever Say Something bad to a veteran, because i will clock you, and i will take your name and number. I have someone else with me that will do the same thing, only she hits harder. Patient advocate, thats an oxymoron to me, because how can you have somebody help somebody who works for the v. A. . Theyre complaining about the v. A. And theyre helping them for the v. A. I had a bad experience with them. When i heard her go into a room and tell the doctor, well, what do you want me to do to get rid of her . That pissed me off and i let her know about it. That is not right. Thats all ive got to say. All right. Thank you. Hello. Im dave. Im a bit overwhelmed, kind of tired. More importantly, besides the bitch session, which i might have a couple bitches about, we need easy money in the in the things going in one ear and out the other. More importantly, with all the money theyre putting into the v. A. And stuff, this is phoenix. Were a huge city. Veterans made arizona what it is, and at this time theres no doubt in my military mind that there should be two shifts. Instead of everyone living the luxurious life and going home at 4 4 00. Secondly patient advocate, as weve discussed a few times, should have like a patient advocate that can you can kind of communicate with. As a team player that we were taught so much in the military, someone that, again, can help you with your treatment plan. Trying to keep it as short as i can. Ive got thirdstage lung disease, yada, yada, yada, and what is happening to all these people . Sharon helmman, is she still collecting money . What the hell is going on . Dr. Bloom was my pulmonologist, and just like the rest of the v. A. , he conveniently retired. Thats what they just conveniently do this and that. Im a licensed aircraft mechanic, licensed electric trunk mechanic, United Airlines since 1990, been seeing these pieces of shit for 2 1 2 years. I was finally terminated with United Airlines may 31st of this year, and im blackballed. Again, the Police Officers not the last like four times, but previous to that, have always like, again, messed with. The whoa thing is a big fucking joke. Its a big fucking joke. Its like the walnut shell game, or hot potato. Theres so many people here, that no one is accountable. They just pass the buck to another person. But if were going to keep having these town meetings, we need we need the v. A. Staff in here, you know, because we can bitch and complain all we want, whatever. Okay. Thank you. I dont know if anybody knows it, its International Peace day today. How perfect im honored as a mother of a veteran who served in desert storm to speak to all of you. What he would say he died last october. What he would say to me, through the eight years that he went on the waiting list and died october 25th, i was with the personal advocate here at the hospital when he died, the phone call came. He would say, mom, dont do it for me. Do it for the other veterans. And thats why im here. And im appalled to hear what all is going on here. I want to tell i my medical experience, at 10 years old i was changing diapers of a baby that was born with his bladder out and his even is on the side. At 16 i was my mothers, my fathers nurse, because my mother wouldnt assist him. So i changed his trach. I cleaned it, i showed him a mirror after he had four places in his jaw broken, two broken wrists and a broken leg. Hes an irishman from illinois, and im proud to say im a farmers daughter. I want you all to know the crisis in medical care that were in. Ive assisted five or six people in hospice to die. So we all are here for temporary reasons. What we do with that short span of time that were here, assist everybody, be as advocate for civil rights. Learn the gettysburg address. Get out there in your community and establish help. Go get a degree in medical professions. You know were overloaded. Everybody knows were overloaded. The v. A. Knows were overloaded. Were all overloaded. Everybodys overworked. Do you get it . Do you get it . Everybody should get it. Do your part. Do your part to assist. I know, i understand. I hear you. I know theres mistakes. And i know theres people that didnt hear my son when he had a tumor in his face and he had to get on the waiting list. And so he proceeded to go to the State Hospital and say im nuts, i know i am, help me. Three times. At the State Hospital. No help, nothing. Value options. Go to value options. Well give you a good drug. Oh, no, they went out of business. They had to hide and change the name for magellan. Yes, my father worked at the State Hospital. I spent six years visiting my son, and i got to watch. I got to watch him die. I got to watch the doctors overdrug him and give him bladder cancer. When i requested the records, i was told i had to pay 50 cents a page. Can you imagine six years . Of medical records at the State Hospital . I requested when the governor from the department of health, from the State Hospital, from the v. A. , everybody that i could, can we please have his record . Yeah, the first records are supposed to be free from the v. A. , but guess what . He knew there was no assistance at that time. He entered in peacetime as a mine man. Does anybody know what a mine man is . Who knows what a mine man is . Nobody. They dont tell you what a mine man is. A mine man hauls explosives and bombs. He delivers bombs. It was peacetime. I married his chicago cub father because president kennedy said if you got married, you didnt have to go to war. Where are we now . Thank you. My name is Staff Sergeant richard harris, retired. 23 years Army National guard, army reserve, afghanistan 2002, iraq 06, 07. Standing here pretty ablebodied. Okay . Im 40 disabled. Ive got all my limbs, thankfully. I just want to say i filed. I filed my claims after i retired, because theres a stigma of they bond want any broke soldiers. I was a mid level nco, had soldiers reporting, i was counseling, encouraging, mentoring, still in the reserves after afghanistan and iraq for another two years before i retired after 23 years. Going to do pt tests and everything, and you go in the locker room afterwards, and people were cleaning up, it looks like a damn pharmaceutical convention, because you have half the units on the psychotropics, trying to deal with the stress. I was a triathlete. Now i get winded after about 45 minutes of a workout. I used to be able to work out eight hours a day and longer. Okay . I was just solid. Now my wife complains because im fatigued all the time. I dont want to complaint, i want to solve the problem. I havent been to the v. A. , except for today, because i had registered with the what was it, the gulf war registry. Something i wasnt told about in 2010 when i first filed my claims. I filed nine claims, two were approved, two were denied, five were forgotten, okay . Ive overcame another four of those, and the two that were declined through naturopathic means out of my own pocket. Thank god i am employed, and thank god i do have insurance outside of the v. A. And i even changed my whole career to go into psychology and everything to help vets, to deal with this stuff. Im working on applying for my masters and i help volunteer for encouraging vets and Different Things like that. Like a peertopeer type of thing . Most definitely. Good. But i just want to say your system is broke. If i can help, i will. You know, if theres anybody who needs somebody to talk to, some other medical advice, ive saved myself from surgeries through naturopathic means, and ive overcame a few things. Its funny, the two things or one of the things that was approved was ibs, and its kind of fitting, because the army and the v. A. Has been a pain in the ass ever since. Thats about it. I do like this. I mean youre asking for suggestions, whats going good, whats going bad. I will say just kind of real quick that gulf war registry, you have its a study, its not necessarily there to help with your claims, although it will hopefully long term. I think its kind of misguided. I mean, if you do your research, there was Chemical Exposure in afghanistan before i know if i read my history right, the russians when they left bagram airfield, they sprayed commercial pesticides, killing tens of thousands of people. Ive seen the grave yards. I was there early. We were kicking around in the dust a foot thick, breathing it. That was one of the my first concerns when i left my exit eval. Ive suffered from Different Things ever sinced. So im here to help with that study. You know, ive volunteered for a lot of different thing, but i dont know, the whole system is broke. Thanks. Thank you. Hi. My name is ed. Im an army veteran. I had a whole bunch of things i want to do go over, but it seems like everybody has already hit on everything. So a couple things i really wanted to touch on is the papers youre passing out on how these people fill it out, this is the first time this has happened. You know, theyve had these suggestions boxes all over the v. A. That the people have never did anything with. As a matter of fact, some of them are still up. Whos going to be following up on these . What i do is i go through them. I have to figure out a way to communicate with all of you. I really dont have an easy way to do it. Like with my employees, ill email them the actual cards and we provide updates on whats happening with the various suggestions. Im going to try to figure out a way to do that, maybe at a subsequent meeting to tie some invite things that were raised, show that were trying to fix them and move forward with new comments. Another question i had, why isnt somebody taking minutes on whats going on here . Weve got lots of staff. And is this going to be are we going to be able to have access to it . I dont know. Ill talk to the director over there. I think there was a request from cspan, right . So c pan is recording thi