Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 05/19/2003

Dear Sgt. Shaft,
I am a member of a small group of blinded and visually impaired veterans. We are interested in remaining active for self and family and in advocating for our brother veterans.

Often, new devices to assist veterans with vision loss may be discussed at our monthly meetings or just in everyday phone conversations. We had quite a unique experience during our annual 2001 state convention meeting. A Mr. Rasick, developer of “Script-Talk”, an audible prescription reading device, spoke to us and demonstrated this device.

Quite amazingly, Script-Talk, reads an entire medicine label so that those of us with vision loss can recognize and take the required dosages of prescribed medicine. This really hit home to us as we operated Script-Talk and listened to Mr. Rasick explain the nuances of the device. You see, one of our members had just the day before taken a wrong medication. He experienced several days of discomfort but just as easily could have had major complications, hospitalization and even worse. Remember, that convention meeting was 18 months ago or so.

The Script-Talk has bumped along with ever so slow of progress to be piloted and has yet to be put out in the pharmacies of Veterans Administration Medical Centers. This summer, the software for the label printing is to be upgraded to a level allowing it to function throughout the Veterans Administration system.

It seems that something like this device that could save lives, give vets back their independence and self worth could move along “a little faster”. How many vets do you think have to take the wrong medication or miss a dosage of medication before the Script-Talk is issued to the blinded veteran?

The Veterans Administration speaks loudly and often about quality of life and preventive health and independence for the disabled veteran. This is a chance to put those words into action! Our veterans require a method of safe scheduling and taking medicines and medicine identification. Give that knowledge and assurance to disabled veterans by placing this device into every pharmacy, NOW, please.

We can “see at night,” “hear a flea jump in the sand,” “electronically neutralize whole cities during combat missions,” and “send a smart bomb into a bunker vent stack,” but do not seem to be able to get a simple software program and printer going in the pharmacies of the Veterans Administration Medical Facilities.

What’s the hold-up, Sarge?
Thanks from a “grunt” corpsman,
Max Hearn

Dear Max:
The Sarge has forwarded your missive to Under Secretary for Health Robert Roswell, an avid supporter of this wonderful assistive technology. Script-Talk is available at many of the VA medical centers. In early June, it will be available for blinded veterans who use the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Shaft Kudos
To Secretary Anthony J. Principi and the Department of Veterans Affairs for announcing the award of a design/build contract for a new Blind Rehabilitation Center and Spinal Cord Injury Center at the VA Medical Center in Hines, IL. This award will provide for the construction of a 34 Bed Blind Center and a 68-Bed SCI Center including parking, landscaping, new utility systems, elevators and relocation of the oxygen storage tank. The $26 million general construction contract was awarded April 16, 2003. An additional $1.2 million has been allocated for parking facilities. Project duration was set at 540 calendar days.

To country music star Travis Tritt, who, on April 24, received a Department of Veterans Affairs Public Service award from Under Secretary for Health Dr. Robert Roswell. The award, which recognized the musician’s longstanding support of veterans and veterans’ issues, was presented at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “We are truly grateful for Travis Tritt’s dedication to the men and women who serve and have served in uniform,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi. “He has shown through the years that he shares our commitment to veterans through his efforts to raise awareness of VA and the veterans we serve.” Tritt recently visited troops and their families at Fort Riley, Kan., and Fort Bragg, N.C. Following the ceremony Tritt and Roswell visited with patients and staff. “It’s a great honor to visit the men and women who wore the uniform and sacrificed to defend our freedom and way of life,” Tritt said. “Veterans deserve our unfailing respect and attention for the sacrifices they have made.” Travis Tritt was awarded the Hall of Fame Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 2001, served as a spokesman for the Disabled American Veterans from 1993-1996, and was awarded the VA Secretary’s Award in 1993 for his work with veterans.

Another hats off to VA Secretary Anthony Principi for seeing that veterans insured by the Hartford Life Insurance Company or the USAA Life Insurance Company may be eligible for a refund of their VA co-payments. In a recent settlement with the Department of Veterans Affairs and a coalition of insurance industry groups, Hartford and USAA paid VA approximately $11.1 million. The settlement involves payments for care provided by VA to insured veterans with Medicare or Tricare supplemental coverage from Jan. 1, 1995 through Dec. 31, 2001. Veterans insured by Hartford or USAA who paid VA co-payments for VA medical care they received from Jan. 1, 1995 through Dec. 31, 2001 may ask VA for a refund of their co-payments on a first-come, first-served basis. All requests for refunds must be postmarked by April 1, 2004. VA will notify by mail those veterans who may be eligible for refunds according to records on file. Other veterans who believe they may be eligible for a refund may obtain a claims application form by calling a special toll-free number (1-866-258-2772) between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., EST, Monday through Friday. They also may download the application from the VA website at www.va.gov/hottopic/.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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