From:
Kirt P. Love
Dear Secretary
McDonough,
My name is Kirt P. Love. Im a disabled combat veteran for the Gulf war.
I find it
necessary to try and contact you through multiple sources as
I have asked
others to include the VA Gulf War Research Advisory
Committee to pass on information on my behalf. But, Chairman Lawrence
Steinman has
made it clear he intends to blackball me and keep my
recommendations from you and others.
Part of this I
understand, this chairman was hired by VA to follow he
letter
of the law of the charter rather than think outside the box. So
he is
nothing like his predecessor Jim Binns that VA
despised. Only,
Jim Binns was interested in healthcare / benefits because Gulf
war
vets
had no other options. Enough so he helped me get the late VA
ACGWV to try and address that. VA sabotaged that by putting ringers
on the
committee, a very short tenure of 18 months, and then pretty
much
buried any of its findings.
For the first
few months, I literally set the tone on that committee. Then
Chairman Cragin developed a attitude and
began to brow beat me in
public
at meetings. He began endorsing the Seattle PDICI, and a doctor
Stephen Hunt
who I found was hostile to Gulf war vets. He believed that
our plight
was somatic, and I was quite offended by his clinic in Seatte.
Enough so I
opposed the final report and dissented on the vote because
it
endorsed him. I was proven right later on as he met in secret with VA
Gulf War Task Force, and over time onto the RAC itself. Pushing his
agenda.
When my
committee was closed in 2009, VA did not follow up any of
the
recommendations in our final report. Its answer to the GWVIS was
a pre
and post 911 report at best. It closed the door on spouses and
children
of Gulf war vets. It ignored the numerous problems with CFR
38 ss 3.317 on the issues with service
connection. Mainly
that this law
has a
loop hole using the term Undiagnosed illness that allows for a
92% refusal rate. VA ignored the need for specialty care or benefits
for
Gulf war veterans that standard VAMC’s could not
provide, much
less
the now infamous War Related Illness and
which
became a on time throw away exam. Since 2009, it been a
shut
out. The RAC gagged, and now filled with a internal monopoly
of
characters that only work with people in there inner circles.
Ive
had a tremendous ongoing issues with my own medical
care because
VA uses
generalized medicine in the
come
in, they try to address the one biggest problem – do minimal testing
and
then your lucky to get seen again in 6 months. Im not
making any
head
way because VA’s 2 visits a year policy which does not allow
for
developing ongoing base line to find anything but rudimentary
conditions. So much gets left out of bloods labs alone, and its taken
me
years to figure out conditions largely on my own by other means.
If this is how
it is nation wide, then VA is creating long term problems
for
itself waiting for veterans to go critical – then the long term care
of
dealing with that.
As to medical
recommendations to the RAC, Ive made them since 2002
and my
most pressing is the before and after DNA analysis to show
specific
genetic markers before an after the war. Been working on this
one
hard since 2010. Take the cryo HIV blood samples
taken before the
war
that AFIP stored, and extract enough DNA to sequence the genome.
Then a current
sample extracted and sequenced. Compare before and
After ro see the genetic damage that does not match the general
population.
It would put a end to the debate of was there a causal agent. The RAC
Chairman
Steinman said my idea was brilliant, then never said a
word
again
or made a recommendation on this.
Im
ahead of my time, and I proposed glutamate research to the RAC in
2005 that
several took interest in. Now its all the buzz in
genetic circles.
I understand
molecular biology, chemistry, and have even built my own
gas
chromatograph and mass spectrometer from scraps, DIY. Enough
so
that I turned around my pancreatic and gall bladder issues on my own.
Only, now Ive incurred some kind of nerve damage this winter that has
created
new problems with anything attached to
my Vagas nerve. I think
I had Covid rather than a cold, and Im
that one in three unlucky persons
that
develop organ issues. As the signs were there in December and
January that the nerves were in trouble. Tremendous pain all
along them.
Only, the Waco
VAMC isn’t interested in this in any way and have been
quite
/ conditional slothful about my current issues. They are trying very
hard
to look at anything but.
My point is,
Gulf war veterans have no where to go to deal with healthcare
and
benefits issues to there plights. We only have the RAC and they are
not
looking outside research. In fact, there recommendations have not been
very
brood and sadly conditional. The committee keeps veterans limited to
the
side chat bar they largely ignore, and public recommendations is just
mostly
the same 6 people trying to get notoriety. Its either one shot comments
about
what people cant get done, or regulars trying to monopolize the
committee. Of which the committee plays favorites with. It’s a circular
argument
rather than a soap box. They could at least let vets vote on
ideas
they want proposed. The chairman ignored that and anything else
I have said
the last 2 years.
I was
prophetic in 2009, and much of what I said at those ACGWV meetings
came
to pass. What Im angry at is VA has not done anything
better without
my
presence in all this. Im being ignored,
and we don’t even have any kind
of
public reporting system since the last post 911 report. Im
not being proven
wrong.
Im just
being given contempt by people allowing status quo. That
has
not worked for me or the vets of
The RAC has
not produced any viable treatment research programs, its
ignoring
the veterans in favor of VA researchers that support a 1995 private
agenda
deployment health keeps alive. There is something almost sinister
about
the current RAC committee. Its nothing like its former entity
and staff.
So I have no
choice but to kick off a very systematic approach to reaching
you.
Eventually ending back at Congress as I show as each attempt is
ignored.
I can not trust that any other entities are being fair with what they
share
with you concerning our plight. Ive been careful
never to email
secretaries of VA as they just instantly put up spam filters. So this on
should
make it through before VA blocks this one too. Ive
done this before,
its
how I got my rating in 2002 after meeting with sec Principi’s
staff.
Gulf war
veterans deserve better representation at VA in
and
its been most unfair how most of us have been shut out by others.
As healthcare
and benefits issues are not being addressed. The extension
of 3.317
is a bad joke because it itself did not change. What was added to
it did
not improve chances of service connection. As to medical care, people
such
as myself need specialized clinics rather than general medicine that
wont
find squat. This has produced faulty medical data for decades that
keeps
the research off base. As we cant even get good medical baseline
for
blood labs that show trends. Not just minimal blood / serum but more
higher
end endocrine labs that show metabolic disorders more closely.
As I suspect
subtle GI tract anomalies have begun to get critical for folks
other
than myself.
If this seems
hostile, I apologize. But, when your health is miserable every
day
and you cant get people to care, its hard to be polite. Covid
has really
messed
up our care, and provided VA this internet meeting system that
keeps
angry vets at bay. If your not in DC, then we can
ignore you. So
I find the
current meeting system offensive at best. Its fine for internal
workings,
it’s a stiff arm to people when the committee is malicious in
nature.
If I was being
taken care of, you would not even know of me or have to
endure
any contact with me. But, the system is flawed – biased – and
indifferent. Its forcing me to take this more vocal
track. So it would be
nice
if I heard back from you. What I anticipate is along protracted fight
till I
end up in the news papers saying the Secretary of VA is indifferent
like
with Sec of VA James Peake. I did it before, I can do
it again if need
be. I
hate the media, have stayed off the radar of purpose.
But, I cant
await
on others to do anything – its up to me once more.
Thank you for
your time and consideration.
Sincerely
Kirt P. Love
Director, DSBR
Former VA ACGWV 2009
Advocate since 1997