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Viewing Category: Veterans
Retired general named director of state services for veteransPHOENIX — The interim leader of Arizona Department of Veterans' Services was appointed as the permanent director of the agency on Friday, Gov. Janet Napolitano announced.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Military, Veterans]Retired National Guard Brig. Gen. Richard Gregg Maxon was named interim director in March, after Patrick F. Chorpenning resigned from the post after revelations of problems at the state nursing home for veterans.
Napolitano said Maxon's leadership during the past four months has been exemplary and called Maxon "the perfect person to guide the agency."
Posted by Editor at 10:11 PM
Veterans home's restrictions liftedPHOENIX — The federal Department of Veterans Affairs has lifted referral restrictions placed on the state veterans home in the wake of shortcomings of care reported earlier this year at the facility in Phoenix, the home's parent department announced Wednesday.problems found by state and federal inspection teams during separate visits to the 200-bed home earlier this year.The action by officials of the federal agency's medical center in Phoenix means the state home is in compliance with federal and state standards and can again admit new patients, the state Department of Veterans' Services said.
A letter sent by federal officials to a home official commended the staff for "diligence and hard work" in resolving
Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]
Posted by Editor at 06:22 AM
Ousted Ariz. official: Veteran Home was no Walter ReedConditions at the Arizona State Veteran Home were blown out of proportion by the shadow of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal, the former director of the state Department of Veterans' Services said Thursday.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]Patrick Chorpenning came out swinging during a legislative hearing, blaming the media, the Legislature, the governor and the state Department of Health Services for equating the home's conditions with widely reported problems at Walter Reed.
"Everybody made it into Walter Reed," Chorpenning, an injured Vietnam War veteran, told lawmakers. "And my one-legged butt was thrown under the train."
Posted by Editor at 08:09 AM
State vets home in compliance with care standardsState investigators say the Arizona State Veteran Home now is complying with care standards, an announcement welcomed by the facility.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]During an assessment last week, inspectors focused on the problems documented in February, including call lights going unanswered and residents found smoking unsupervised. None of those problems was found again, said Sylvia Balistreri, program manager for long-term care licensing for the state Department of Health Services.
The state is recommending to a federal agency that the home be allowed to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients again.
Posted by Editor at 02:00 AM
State plan would give $3.5 mil to vets homeThe Arizona State Veteran Home could get funding from state lawmakers for the first time in years to help it address low staffing and other problems made public in a critical inspection of the facility earlier this year.A bipartisan budget proposal in the Senate calls for $3.5 million for the home next year. Republican leaders in the House said they likely will add Veteran Home funding to their spending list. Members of a special legislative panel looking into problems at the home said that they, too, will recommend more funding for the home, although by law the facility is supposed to be self-sustaining.
Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]
Posted by Editor at 09:13 AM
Legislators in favor of aid for vets homePHOENIX — In what was said to be the final session of a legislative probe into conditions at the state veterans home, lawmakers agreed Thursday state funds are needed to support the embattled, mainly self-funded facility. Committee members also tried to move beyond the partisan jousting that permeated the joint legislative hearings at their onset, ending with a moment of silence for soldiers killed in the Iraq war.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Legislature, Veterans]
Posted by Editor at 09:56 AM
AZ asked to prop up Vets HomeCiting high staff turnover, officials charged with improving the troubled state Veterans Home said Friday that they need $3.5 million in state money for capital improvements and salary increases.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]The request came as a team set up by Gov. Janet Napolitano released a report based on a 30-day review of the home, located in Phoenix and serving elderly veterans statewide.
Posted by Editor at 11:34 AM
Vet Home offered place in state budgetIf there's anything the state can do to improve conditions at the Arizona State Veteran Home, a lawmaker wants to know in time to include those actions in this year's state budget.Permalink [Filed under: Budget, Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]Rep. Ben Miranda, D-Phoenix, said he would like a list of recommendations presented to the oversight panel on which he sits before this year's state budget is completed. Budget negotiations are ongoing and the House and Senate may release their budget plans this week.
Posted by Editor at 04:21 AM
Napolitano not disciplining staff on handling of vets homePHOENIX (AP) -- Gov. Janet Napolitano said Thursday she is not planning to discipline her staff members in their response to care issues at the state nursing home for veterans.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Governor, Health Care, Veterans]State inspectors visited the home in early February, reporting to federal Medicare regulators and Napolitano's staff that they found some residents in immediate jeopardy from unsupervised smoking and staff members ignoring needs for care. The inspectors stayed at the home for several days while urgent problems were fixed.
Posted by Editor at 06:27 AM
Napolitano aide admits a 'mistake'Gov. Janet Napolitano's co-chief of staff on Wednesday said he should have notified the governor of problems at the Arizona State Veteran Home when he learned of them in mid-February.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Governor, Health Care, Veterans]"I thought the issues that were identified there were being addressed very quickly," Alan Stephens told a joint select legislative committee that is investigating problems at the state-run home, which houses about 200 patients.
Posted by Editor at 04:12 AM
Governor's chief of staff testifies at vets' home hearingGov. Janet Napolitano's Chief of Staff Alan Stephens told a legislative panel investigating patient neglect at the Arizona State Veterans Home that he should have informed the governor earlier of problems at the facility.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Governor, Health Care, Legislature, Veterans]Department of Health Services Director Sue Gerrard told lawmakers Wednesday corrective actions are be taken and that staff turnover and low pay for some care workers was a problem at the vets home and other state facilities. Most of the problems occurred on overnight shifts, she said.
Posted by Editor at 03:57 AM
Mecham apparently not neglected at vets homeFormer Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham is a patient at the Arizona State Veteran Home, but there is no suggestion that he has suffered the neglect that has spurred numerous investigations into the facility.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]
Posted by Editor at 02:47 AM
Reports say Napolitano aware of nursing home troubles in FebruaryGov. Janet Napolitano's office knew of problems with the care provided by a state nursing home for elderly veterans weeks before they were publicly acknowledged, published reports have charged.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Governor, Health Care, Veterans]The Arizona Capitol Times and other media outlets reported the story Friday, citing Napolitano administration e-mails showing state agencies and Napolitano's office were notified of problems at the Arizona State Veterans Home in Phoenix in February. News of the problems at the vets' home came out in late March.
Posted by Editor at 07:03 AM
Az lawmakers want answers on vets' homePHOENIX - A special legislative committee on Monday requested testimony from a state agency head and senior aides to Gov. Janet Napolitano regarding conditions at the state's nursing home for veterans and the state's response.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Legislature, Veterans]The request for testimony at a Wednesday committee hearing follows disclosure that senior members of Napolitano's staff, including Co-Chief of Staff Alan Stephens, were notified six weeks before Napolitano said she learned that state inspectors found serious shortcomings in care at the home during a February routine re-certification visit.
Posted by Editor at 06:45 AM
Tangled up in red tape? Try SOS to lawmakersGlenna Kornegay felt like she was in a maze called the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Grijalva, Miscellany, US House, US Senate, Veterans]After spending eight years trying to get her father veterans benefits to treat his post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in World War II, she went to the office of U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat. The Tucson man is now getting treatment.
Posted by Editor at 06:47 AM
Advisory panel begins studying veterans issues for Rep. MitchellA lack of prompt medical care, slim tuition reimbursements and ineffective job placement programs plague Arizona veterans, according to a council advising U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Mitchell, Veterans]Mitchell's Veterans' Advisory Council members said that the problems could lead to a future wave of homeless servicemen unless federal veterans programs are improved.
Posted by Editor at 06:40 AM
Panel to start veterans home probeState lawmakers on Wednesday morning will delve into the reports of neglect at the troubled Arizona State Veteran Home when a special legislative committee convenes for the first time.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Legislature, Veterans]The 94-page report outlining reported patient neglect will be presented to lawmakers by the Arizona Department of Health Services and legislative staff. Legislators also will learn of the department's plan of action for the home.
Posted by Editor at 06:38 AM
Gov. last to know in veterans home problemPHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano's top aides knew about problems at the state veterans home for more than a month and told the governor only after a media inquiry.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Governor, Health Care, Veterans]Susan Gerard, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said in an interview Friday that she told the governor's co-chief of staff, Alan Stephens, about the problems on Feb. 9.
But it wasn't until last Friday — March 23 — that the governor says she found out about the review showing patient neglect at the state's sole facility for elderly veterans.
Posted by Editor at 10:33 AM
Political Notebook by Daniel Scarpinato: Politics in, politics out in vet-home neglect caseLawmakers arrived at work on Monday promising to investigate patient neglect at the state veterans home — and to do so by putting politics aside.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]Pressed by Notebook on whether a legislative committee he wanted to create would be bipartisan, Speaker of the House Jim Weiers responded: "Everything we do here is bipartisan."
Needless to say, Notebook tried its best to keep a straight face. When the members were announced, Democrats were included in the list, but is a committee with two Republican co-chairs really bipartisan?
Posted by Editor at 10:29 AM
Napolitano, lawmakers tangle on handling of vet home responsePHOENIX - Republican legislators charged Wednesday that Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano's hiring of a politically connected law firm to represent the troubled state nursing home for veterans could create a conflict of interest.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Governor, Legislature, Veterans]Napolitano denied the charge. She said her priority is quality of care and that she picked the law firm because of its recognized expertise in dealing with health care regulators, not because of some of the lawyers' connections to her administration
Posted by Editor at 07:39 AM
Legislators launch inquiry on veterans home neglectFallout over reports of patient neglect at the state veterans home continued Tuesday with the resignation of the state’s director of veterans services and the launch of a legislative probe.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]Patrick Chorpenning, director of the Arizona Department of Veterans Services, which oversees the Phoenix home, resigned Tuesday amid growing pressure stemming from reports of poor care and conditions at the Arizona State Veteran Home.
Posted by Editor at 07:38 AM
AZ vets home awaits criminal probePHOENIX - Already reeling from a critical audit, officials at the state veterans home learned Wednesday that a criminal probe is being launched into accusations of patient neglect.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]Citing state law that gives him "exclusive jurisdiction" over cases of adult abuse, Maricopa County Attorney Andy Thomas requested a laundry list of records from the home, which serves elderly veterans statewide.
Posted by Editor at 07:01 AM
Law firm represents both sides in state veterans-home reviewPHOENIX — A law firm appointed by Gov. Janet Napolitano to review conditions at the state veterans home following allegations of patient neglect and nepotism has also been hired by the home to contest some of those same allegations.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Governor, Health Care, Veterans]But both the governor's spokeswoman and the firm — which is staffed by the spouses of two Napolitano appointees and other political allies — say the dual role is not a conflict.
Posted by Editor at 05:23 AM
Veterans agency chief quitsFaced with mounting criticism over patient neglect and allegations of nepotism at the only state-run nursing home for veterans, Patrick Chorpenning resigned Tuesday as director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Governor, Health Care, Veterans]Gov. Janet Napolitano appointed Brig. Gen. Richard Maxon as interim director.
Posted by Editor at 01:41 AM
Buck stops at the topThe wheels are in motion to unearth what went wrong at the Arizona State Veteran Home - to track down the facts, punish the guilty and fix what went wrong.Permalink [Filed under: Federal Government, Health Care, Veterans]
Posted by Editor at 01:16 AM
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