With all the current attention being paid to veterans’ issues, I thought you all might be interested to know that the VA "Compensation and Pension" exams are now being done by a contract firm, not by VA doctors. These are the exams that determine how much disability compensation the veteran will get and whether he or she will be able to get medical care at the VA for their various medical problems. The Chairman of the Board of the contract firm, "QTC" is a former Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
With all the current attention being paid to veterans’ issues, I thought you all might be interested to know that the VA "Compensation and Pension" exams are now being done by a contract firm, not by VA doctors. These are the exams that determine how much disability compensation the veteran will get and whether he or she will be able to get medical care at the VA for their various medical problems. The Chairman of the Board of the contract firm, "QTC" is a former Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The firm that is doing the exams is called QTC, and their website is http://www.qtcm.com. Previously VA doctors did the comp and pen exams, which became part of the patient’s VA health record. Now that QTC does them, they are not entered into the veteran’s VA health record. This is not to say that they are impossible to get a hold of – it just takes time, effort, and the patient’s cooperation, instead of being automatic.
According to their own website, QTC is the largest private provider of government-outsourced medical and disability examination services in the nation. Their 25-year history delivering technology-driven examination solutions not only benefits their customers but also the industry as a whole. (Note that the customer is not the patient, it is the entity who pays for the exam and testing).
They were the first and only private examination provider awarded the Pilot Program Contract to perform Compensation and Pension examinations for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The US Senate called upon QTC for expert testimony regarding the value of such third-party examinations for the purpose of government-based programs.
The Chairman of the Board of QTC is none other than Anthony Principi, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under GWB. Again, the following information is taken directly from QTC’s website.
Anthony J. Principi's executive experience and familiarity with health care service and benefit programs make him uniquely qualified to lead QTC's future initiatives. He was QTC's former president of Medical Services, and left only after being appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the fourth Secretary of Veterans Affairs - the nation's second largest government program with a $64 billion budget and 230,000 employees. Mr. Principi is a combat-decorated veteran, having graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He first saw active duty aboard the destroyer, USS Joseph P. Kennedy, and later commanded a River Patrol Unit in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Mr. Principi earned his Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University and then transitioned to the United States Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps. He has worked on several national policy issues, and has since maintained various federal-level government positions including: Counsel to the Chairman on the Senate Armed Services Committee; Republican Chief Counsel and Staff Director of both the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and the Senate Committee on Armed Services; Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs during the administration of President George H.W. Bush; and, most recently, Chairman of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. Mr. Principi also chaired the Federal Quality Institute, and the Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition Assistance. He later served the private sector as a partner in the San Diego, CA, law firm of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scrips; and Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin IMS.
In sum, Mr. Principi left QTC to be Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs, and later went back to QTC and won the incredibly lucrative contract to do the comp and pen exams that determine the level of benefits the veterans get. Furthermore, if he has a medical degree, it is not noted in his bio. Rather, he is a lawyer – directing an organization that makes health care decisions for veterans.