Please READ this !!! Update page 2

[Mimi Q]

 

[Microcell]

My goodness.

 

[KrnB]

Unbelievable. How disgusting that our vets are treated this way.

I'm so sorry that you and your DH had to go through all of this. I agree that you should consider sharing your story with the paper (when/if you are ready). The more people are aware of what happens there, the better chance that it will finally get corrected.

 

[LauraR]

That is totally appalling.

I'm so sorry for everything you and your husband had to go through. I'm glad he's in a better place, and I hope you will be O.K. You have my deepest sympathies.

 

[missypie]

It made the headlines here yesterday that the Dallas VA hospital was rated the worst in the nation. In a perverse way, I think the horrible press may actually be a blessing for the veterans...with that public slap in the face, there will be so much attention on them that they'll have to improve it. I wish, in the time of war and patiotism, that the candidates would have made the condition of our veterans' hospitals a campaign issue!

 

[Pin Wizard]

Meanwhile, Kornak apparently used false credentials to get a research job at Stratton in 1999.

According to the indictment, Kornak never finished medical school because he was dismissed from St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada in 1984 for falsifying transcripts. On his federal employment application, Kornak also allegedly lied about his undergraduate performance at The College of Saint Rose in Albany and stated he had never been convicted of a crime. In 1992, Kornak was convicted of federal mail fraud in Pennsylvania for falsifying information on a medical license application.

Despite not having a medical license, Kornak went by the title "doctor" at Stratton and carried business cards -- printed by the Department of Veterans Affairs -- that indicated he was a medical doctor.

The revelations about Kornak's past triggered nationwide reforms of VA hiring practices.

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!! Don't they do their homework and VERIFY credentials? That's appaling!

There was an opening at a VA hospital recently in the general area for what's a credentialing specialist on the outside. That wasn't what the ad called it. Just a clerical position! I was shocked to see that basically, the job for the "family" of enlisted personnel. You've got to be kidding me! They treat it like it's a clerical job. These days credentialing is a field to be certified in. Hey, as long as you can type 40 wpm with them, you're in. Sickening that no one dug enough or it was all glossed over when found.

 

[C.Ann]

Amazing that human life and suffering has such little value..

This is the update from todays paper:

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Authorities set to widen VA inquiry
Former Stratton worker pledges cooperation in probe of corruption in drug trials as part of plea deal

By BRENDAN J. LYONS, Staff writer
First published: Wednesday, January 19, 2005

ALBANY -- Federal authorities will widen their investigation of corruption in the cancer research program at Stratton VA Medical Center following Tuesday's guilty plea by a Clifton Park man who masqueraded as a doctor and falsified records to enroll veterans in experimental drug studies there.
Paul H. Kornak, 53, of Clifton Park, pleaded guilty to three felony charges, including criminally negligent homicide, and faces a maximum prison term of up to 20 years and more than $1 million in fines and restitution. Kornak admitted causing the death of one veteran by forging the victim's medical records in order to enroll him in an experimental drug study.

Kornak's attorney, E. Stewart Jones Jr., said his client hopes to avoid a lengthy prison sentence by cooperating with authorities and helping them build a case against top officials at Stratton.

"He was clearly nothing more than a technician, a pawn," Jones said. "It was a culture where rules weren't followed."

Kornak had faced a 48-count felony indictment and the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison. He signed a plea deal with federal authorities Tuesday afternoon in which he pledged to cooperate in the ongoing investigation.

Bruce T. Sackman, who heads the northeast office for the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, attended Kornak's plea hearing along with other criminal investigators. He said the probe at Stratton is ongoing and may intensify with Kornak's cooperation.

Kornak's case triggered congressional action because he carried the title "doctor" at Stratton -- including on his VA business card -- but never finished medical school. He also had a criminal record when Stratton hired him, for forging his credentials in Pennsylvania in 1991 when he tried to obtain a medical license.

"No one in authority at the VA believed he was a doctor," Jones said.

Still, patients and their families did. Among them are the widows of several veterans who, according to the Food and Drug Administration, may have died prematurely or suffered because Kornak allegedly falsified their medical tests and health histories in order to push them into the drug experiments.

Jayne Steubing, one of the widows, cried softly after watching Kornak answer "guilty, sir," three times during a video-conference plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. In addition to a charge of criminally negligent homicide, Kornak pleaded guilty to making a false statement on his job application and mail fraud, which carries a maximum prison term of up to 20 years.

"Where's the outrage," Steubing said outside court. "I just hope it's the beginning. ...It was just very painful because Carl trusted him with his life. He trusted the VA with his life."

Carl Steubing, a decorated World War II Army veteran, died at Stratton VA in 2002, two weeks after being given an experimental breast cancer drug to treat his esophageal cancer. The mail fraud charge against Kornak stemmed from falsified records he mailed to a drug company regarding Steubing's treatment.

Jayne Steubing is one of several widows who are suing Kornak and his former boss, Dr. James A. Holland, as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs. Last June, Holland was identified in court papers by federal authorities as a target in the criminal investigation. He was fired from Stratton two years ago and now works for a Georgia hospital.

The criminally negligent homicide charge against Kornak was filed in connection with the death of James J. DiGeorgio, a 71-year-old Air Force veteran from Brunswick who died at the hospital in June 2001 while being infused with experimental drugs.

A Times Union investigation found that Stratton's cancer research program was the target of internal complaints dating back to the mid-1990s. In fact, hospital staffers said they were retaliated against for warning hospital administrators as early as 1994 that cancer patients were being placed at risk and being enrolled in drug studies without their consent.

In April 2000, after two pharmacists from Stratton brought their concerns to the FBI, the agency backed away from investigating the allegations because they were informed by the VA's Office of Inspector General that one of the pharmacists was under investigation. The pharmacist, Jeffrey Fudin, was later cleared of wrongdoing.

Then, in 2002, the alleged corruption at Stratton became public when a Texas drug company, Ilex Oncology, which was funding cancer studies, uncovered "irregular documents," according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Based on Ilex's concerns, the VA's Office of Inspector General opened the investigation that led to Kornak's indictment.

A separate investigation by the Food and Drug Administration uncovered widespread fraud and forgery in Stratton's cancer research program that may have led to as many as five patients' deaths, according to the FDA's report.

Kornak, who is married and has children, will remain free on $50,000 bond until his sentencing scheduled for May 27 in U.S. District Court in Albany.




All Times Union materials copyright 1996-2005, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y.
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[Chicago526]

what a slug!

I always knew the VA system wasn't what it should be for our vets. But I never knew it was THIS bad.

C. Ann, you really need to take your husband's treatment to the press. Your experiance plus this Kornak case should get the attention of national press, I'd think!

I'm so very sorry for your loss, and your horrible treatment.

 

[KrnB]

"He was clearly nothing more than a technician, a pawn," Jones said. "It was a culture where rules weren't followed."

Oh puh-leeze... what a crock of crap that lawyer is!

This hospital really does need to be brought to justice. Go get 'em, C.Ann!

 

[KarenC]

I wish, in the time of war and patiotism, that the candidates would have made the condition of our veterans' hospitals a campaign issue!

Not to turn C. Ann's thread into a political debate, but John Kerry frequently referred to the problems with veterans benefits during the campaign. The problem is that unless we know of someone who has suffered because of these conditions, we don't listen.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/12/eveningnews/main635591.shtml

 

[KarenC]

C.Ann,

I mean this in the nicest way. My impression of you is that you are a firecracker. You've put so much energy into the care of your husband. Perhaps, in his memory, you can use that energy to make a difference for other veterans.

While others have advised getting your husband's story to the press, I still think you should contact your representative in Congress. Each congressperson has a website that lists their constituent services. Among these services is helping people deal with various government agencies, including veterans affairs. Congress oversees this agency and it is from there that changes can be made. You, and others with stories like yours, need to educate our congressman so they can educate the people about the shabby treatment we give our veterans.

You can write a letter to your congressman, and send a copy as a letter to the editor of your local paper. It can't hurt, and maybe it will help.

God bless you and keep you strong.

Karen