VA stalling on care, judge told at S.F. trial
(04-21) 17:30 PDT SAN FRANCISCO
(excerpts)
....Justice Department lawyer Richard Lepley countered that the VA runs
a "world-class health care system." He said the changes the plaintiffs
seek in their lawsuit - better and faster mental health care, and more
rights
for veterans appealing denials of benefits - are beyond the judge's
authority. "Of course we're obliged to provide health care," Lepley
said, but "the court does not have standards to determine the speed or
the scope or the
level of that care." ...
....The lawsuit plaintiffs - Veterans for Common Sense in Washington,
D.C., which claims 11,500 members, and Veterans United for Truth, a
Santa Barbara group with 500 members - want him to order the VA to
provide immediate treatment for suicidal veterans and prompt care for
those suffering from post-traumatic stress....
....The lawsuit is a proposed class action on behalf of 320,000 to
800,000 veterans or their survivors. ...
....Veterans who seek benefits within the VA's grievance system have no
right to a lawyer and no right to demand records or question opposing
witnesses, Erspamer said. The plaintiffs want Conti to grant those
rights and to
require the agency to set a timetable for deciding claims. ...
...."These kinds of medical decisions are not something that this court
can inject itself into," Lepley said. He referred to the plaintiffs as
"single-interest groups" and said the legal rights they seek in the VA
benefit system, such as the involvement of lawyers, are "not in the
patients' interest."
This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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