Today, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie visited the Washington DC VA Medical Center (VAMC), where he met with facility and regional leaders and received updates on recent progress in Veterans’ care and plans for further improvements at the facility.

Of the 25 recommendations made to the facility in a recent Inspector General report, the facility announced it has addressed or resolved six, and is working to resolve the remaining 19.

The DC VAMC has now put in place changes/improvements in six broad areas:

  • Bringing in skilled leaders in quality improvement, purchasing, a new deputy chief of staff and others;
  • Assuring reliable availability and sterilization of instruments for surgical procedures;
  • Establishing and maintaining an electronic inventory to identify needed equipment rapidly and in a timely fashion;
  • Implementing financial controls for purchasing supplies to maximize use of taxpayer dollars;
  • Building and maintaining effective systems that facilitate audit of current and future progress;
  • Assuring timely access to Veteran appointments, particularly in prosthetics.

VA has identified a new permanent director for the facility, who will be announced and begin serving there in the near future. In the interim, VA announced that, beginning in two weeks, DC VAMC Chief of Staff Charles Faselis will serve as acting director of the facility. The current acting director, Adam M. Robinson Jr., will return to his previous position as director of the VA Maryland Health Care System.

“We had a good visit today, and I appreciated hearing from facility and regional leadership on the important work that has been done to address the Inspector General’s concerns, as well as plans for resolving all its remaining recommendations,” Secretary Wilkie said. “There have been substantial improvements over the past few months in practice management, logistics and prosthetics in particular, and leaders have a strong plan ahead for even more progress in the coming weeks.”

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3 Comments

  1. Brian Russ August 13, 2018 at 15:03

    We Vietnam veterans need the five new presumptive condition add to the Agent Orange list NOW. We have waited over 50 years for Bladder cancer ( see book from 1982 “Waiting for an Army to Die” chapter one. ) More testing is a waste of our time and more of us will die before 2020. The VA should make them presumptive conditions regardless of what the OMB says. The list should never have gone to the OMB in the first place because it is the VA’s obligation to put us veterans first.

  2. Federico Galang Tolentino Jr August 7, 2018 at 01:49

    Dear Sir/Madam;

    My name is Federico Galang Tolentino Jr., My last Social is (redacted).  I served and protected the United States of America, with OTH discharge, on June 1986 (I was rapped in U.S. Navy). I have post traumatic episode, since then, I never been with any man or a woman, I have not have any sexual activities for almost 32 years (1986-2018).

    I am very sorry for telling you about my personal delima. Would you please get me help, to obtain my dental problem, and Veteran housing (Section 8, for low income housing), and also Veteran Employment Assistance. I want to have a military lawyer, I need referrals to help me obtain my rights for Veteran Benifits.

    I respectfully request your kind assistance for “Dental Implant” for Full Lower Denture. I have Delta Dental (via Medicaid)/ State of California Medical Dental Program.

    I am now U.S. Citizen, and U.S. Veteran homeless, no income, unable to eat properly. I need help very badly.

    I am a live-in caregiver for twenty years for Mr. Alfred Eagan  Frederiksen, he died at age of 100.

    Mr. Frederiksen did not put  or include my name on his rental agreement, now I am evicted by the property management and force me legally to vacate Mr. Alfred Eagan Frederiksen’s home in Alameda County, Hayward, CA.  

    I look forward to your reply. Thank you so much.

    Respectfully,

    Tolentino, Jr., Federico Galang
    (redacted)
    Fairfield  CA 94534      

    (redacted)

    Email(s):
    (redacted)

    NOTE:
    I have State of California medi-cal dental program, but it does not cover the dental Implant.

    I have been in the United States of America for 33 years. (June 8, 1985 – Present).

    • Doug Snyder August 9, 2018 at 20:22

      Best wishes & thanks for serving our country…see below for local assistance

      Fairfield Outpatient Clinic
      Intranet | Internet | Parent Facility
      103 Bodin Circle, Travis Air Force Base
      Fairfield, CA 94535
      Phone: 707-437-1800 Or 707-437-1800
      View Map: Bing – Google
      Driving Directions
      Parent Facility: Sacramento VAMC
      Phone: 916-366-5366 or 800-382-8387

      https://vaww.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?ID=810&dnum=All

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