For several years, the VA has been under fire for repeated instances of negligence. Reports released by CBS in 2013 revealed that medical professionals associated with the VA prescribed 259% more narcotics than in 2002, and that individualized therapy had fallen by the wayside. An affiliate of the VA explained anonymously in a TV interview how prescribing narcotics made it easier to “move along and get to the next patient” in a more timely fashion than taking the time to assess and treat each soldier’s individual needs.
Most recently, the VA has undergone scrutiny for placing ailing veterans on a secret “waiting list” before they can receive treatment. While many of the VA facilities promise that no veteran goes 14 days without receiving treatment, the recent deaths of several veterans who passed away before they could receive treatment proves otherwise.
In fact, The Blaze includes a statement made by 16 House lawmakers on the issue: ““recent revelations about avoidable patient deaths, delayed treatments, falsified records, secret waiting lists, and cancelled appointments, coupled with systemic IT security failures, project cost overruns, and a backlog that has more than doubled since 2009, clearly demonstrate widespread incompetence and a lack of transparency within the Department of Veterans Affairs”.
As a result, the VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has been asked to resign from his position. However, he refuses to step down, and his decision is surprisingly not met with overwhelming backlash by all. Attorney General Eric Holder admits that there will not be multiple investigations conducted upon the Veterans’ Administration in lieu of these scandals. Instead, it is something “on [the DOJ’s] radar screen,” but is not something that will be immediately investigated, since the VA general is supposedly already on the case.
This news regarding the VA’s corruption does not surprise some, such as Roxann Abrams, who founded her non-profit organization after the VA did not step in to help her suffering son after he was discharged from three tours in Iraq. In fact, Abrams included a statement on her organization’s website, Operationiv.org, that says “the VA and Army [have admitted] that their VA system is broken”.
To combat the VA’s negligence, Operation: I.V, a 501(c)3 non-profit, helps combat veterans heal from both PTSD as well as traumatic brain injuries. Its founder, Roxann Abrams, is a Gold Star Mother who lost her son SFC Randy Abrams in 2009. Randy took his own life after experiencing a PTSD flashback from his service in Iraq. Randy had undiagnosed PTSD- a common occurrence among combat veterans either due to mistakes made by the medical field or simply the individual’s failure to report such grave symptoms.
As a result of her son’s death, Abrams founded Operation: I.V. so that combat veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan have a place to receive treatment through a specialized “VIP”, or “Veteran Intervention Plan” program. “VIP” offers ten different rehabilitation programs, including hyperbolic oxygen therapy, service dogs, and anxiety reduction therapy. Additionally, veterans may also partake in programs such as job retraining, business mentoring, and educational assistance. Again, while there is no cure for PTSD, the programs provided by Operation: I.V. can drastically improve a veteran’s mental health and overall outlook on life!
Abigail Fazelat is a contributing writer for Operation: I.V., a non-profit organization founded by Gold Star Mother Roxann Abrams who lost her son SFC Randy Abrams to PTSD. Randy took his own life after experiencing a wartime flashback- an experience not uncommon to any combat veteran. As a result, Abrams founded Operation: I.V. as an “intravenous of help” for other Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and contemplating suicide. Fazelat has worked for the organization since October 2013 under a pseudonym.