Special Libraries, September 1967

Volume 58, Issue 7https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1967/1006/thumbnail.jp

Special Libraries, September 1962

Volume 53, Issue 7https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1962/1006/thumbnail.jp

Battling Red Tape: Veterans Struggle for Care and Benefits

More than 1.5 million troops have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. 30,000 troops are counted among those wounded in action. But hundreds of thousands of others have suffered injuries not recorded in the official tally, including the many veterans with serious mental health problems. These veterans are overwhelming the military and veterans' health care and disability systems.As a result, hundreds of thousands of wounded troops and veterans are being forced to wait months and even years for medical appointments and disability compensation. Some veterans with serious mental health problems have committed suicide while waiting for counseling, and others have fallen into debt awaiting compensation from the military or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).A major cause of the delays is the maze of paperwork that troops and veterans must navigate to get care or benefits. The military and the VA have separate health care systems and separate disability benefits systems, each with an exceptionally complicated and confusing bureaucracy.The medical care offered through the Department of Defense (DOD) is some of the most advanced in the world. But some wounded troops are suffering delays in treatment because the military does not use a consistent digital medical records system. Moreover, troops too wounded to continue their service must chaperone complicated paperwork through an arduous and confusing process of medical evaluation. Some veterans' advocates believe the Army is taking advantage of troops' confusion to lower disability ratings and save money. According to the Dole-Shalala Commission tasked with addressing the problems faced by troops at Walter Reed, less than 40% of wounded troops say they are satisfied with the disability evaluation system.For those who have left military service, the Veterans Affairs system can provide health care and benefits. Unfortunately, the transition from the DOD to the VA is far from seamless. Crucial DOD paperwork, including medical records and military service records, regularly gets lost in the shuffle from DOD to VA. Moreover, the transition from top-echelon military hospitals to a local VA facility can mean a reduced standard of care.Changes to VA eligibility rules have restricted access to VA health care and contributed to the 1.8 million veterans who lack health insurance. But even for those veterans with access to the VA system, delays and bureaucratic hurdles are commonplace. High demand has created a huge backlog for mental health treatment, making care "virtually inaccessible" at some clinics, according to at least one high-ranking VA official.The VA disability benefits system is also massively backlogged. There are about 400,000 pending disability claims, including 83,000 that have been waiting six months or more. The average wait-time for a disability claim is 183 days, or about six months. For claims that are appealed, the wait-time skyrockets to 657 days, or almost two years. Despite the backlog, the VA's claims processing staff has not substantially increased. In the meantime, veterans too wounded to work are often unable to support themselves or their families.The public outrage over bureaucratic neglect and shoddy conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center shined a light on the many problems facing wounded troops and veterans. A wide array of recommendations has been made, but whether these solutions will be effectively implemented remains to be seen

Special Libraries, September 1966

Volume 57, Issue 7https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1966/1006/thumbnail.jp

Precaution, governance and the failure of medical implants: the ASR(TM) hip in the UK

Hip implants have provided life-changing treatment, reducing pain and improving the mobility and independence of patients. Success has encouraged manufacturers to innovate and amend designs, engendering patient hopes in these devices. However, failures of medical implants do occur. The failure rate of the Articular Surface Replacement metal-on-metal hip system, implanted almost 100,000 times world-wide, has re-opened debate about appropriate and timely implant governance. As commercial interests, patient hopes, and devices’ governance converge in a socio-technical crisis, we analyse the responses of relevant governance stakeholders in the United Kingdom between 2007 and 2014. We argue that there has been a systemic failure of the governance system entrusted with the safety of patients fitted with medical implants. Commercial considerations of medical implants and the status quo of medical implant governance have been given priority over patient safety despite the availability of significant failure data in an example of uncertainty about what constitutes appropriate precautionary action

Special Libraries, September 1978

Volume 69, Issue 9https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1978/1007/thumbnail.jp

Special Libraries, March 1970

Volume 61, Issue 3https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1970/1002/thumbnail.jp

Special Libraries, September 1970

Volume 61, Issue 7https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1970/1006/thumbnail.jp

The ISCIP Analyst, Volume II, Issue 22

This repository item contains a single issue of The ISCIP Analyst, an analytical review journal published from 1996 to 2010 by the Boston University Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy