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September 19, 2023

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By: Russell B. Lemle, PhD in the Washington Monthly

VHPI Policy Director Russell Lemle examines how the VA watchdog can better inspect the private providers funded by the cabinet agency.

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July 27, 2023

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By: Russell B. Lemle, PhD; Joseph T. Abate, DMD; Teresa Morris in the Federal Register

VHPI Policy Director Russell Lemle and two co-authors examines what happens if VA healthcare goes away.

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July 11, 2023

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By: Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early, The American Prospect

VHPI Policy Director Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early dissect a series of new Senate proposals that could dismantle the Veterans Health Administration.

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May 9, 2023

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By: Russell Lemle, The Federal Practitioner

Russell Lemle writes about how VA should tweak MISSION Act eligibility standards to recognize telehealth as a valid means of providing health

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May 9, 2023

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By: Russell Lemle, The Washington Monthly

Russell Lemle writes about how VA must create more transparency around the efficacy of suicide prevention initiatives. 

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May 3, 2023

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By: Brad Dress, The Hill

The Hill spoke with Suzanne Gordon about the potentially devastating cuts to veterans' benefits.

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April 17, 2023

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By: Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early, The American Prospect

How creeping privatization of health care services for military veterans is not helping patients or their caregivers.

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April 6, 2023

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By: Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early, The Progressive Magazine

The VA is unprepared for a flood of claims from veterans disabled by toxic exposure.

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March 7, 2023

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By:Russell Lemle and Katherine McGuire, The Federal Practitioner

Political representatives who want to show up for veterans should do everything in their power to expand – not cut – VA’s ability to authorize working from home.

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December 9, 2022

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By: Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle, The Washington Monthly

As Congress winds down, health organizations are fighting for a bill that will save and reform the alliance between VA researchers and academic medical centers.

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October  26, 2022

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By: Russell Lemle, Federal Praticioner

Ignore the critics, it’s America’s Warrior Partnership, not VA, whose veteran suicide data and conclusions are faulty

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October  20, 2022

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By: Russell Lemle and Jasper Craven, Guns & Ammo

Firearm leaders are changing the course of veteran suicide prevention.

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September 26, 2022

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By: Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle in The American Prospect

Without passing the VIPER Act, the VA's crown jewel research programs could end entirely.

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September 14, 2022

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By: Suzanne Gordon in The Washington Monthly

Republican rules are encouraging worse and more expensive care through Trump-era regulations. The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to change course. 

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September 14, 2022

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By: Suzanne Gordon in The Hill

Rather than water down benefits to vets sickened by burn pits, D.C. leaders can secure savings by curtailing expensive and unnecessary care privatization, Gordon argues. 

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August 10, 2022

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By: Suzanne Gordon and Jasper Craven, in The American Prospect

VHPI Policy Analysts dig into the supposed death of the Asset and Infrastructure Review commission, and report on a percolating effort to institute similarly misguided and dangerous closures.

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July 8, 2022

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By: Suzanne Gordon, in The Washington Monthly

VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon writes a postmortem on the AIR commission, and sketches out the next steps for keeping the VA's infrastructure protected for generations to come. 

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June 6, 2022

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By: Suzanne Gordon, in Beyond Chron

VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon plumbs VA data to understand how a proposed infrastructure plan could hobble VA care in California. 

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June 1, 2022

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How Private-Sector Care Can Harm Veterans

By: Suzanne Gordon, in The American Prospec

VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon examines the shocking case of a veteran placed into private sector pyschiatric care. 

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April 17, 2022

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The VA Is Stacking the Deck Against Vets

By: Suzanne Gordon, in The Washington Monthly

VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon unearths a series of fatal flaws inside a soon-to-meet infrastructure commission tasked with building the department's footprint for the future. 

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March 21, 2022

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Biden's VA Secretary Proposes Shutting Down Dozens of Facilities

By: Suzanne Gordon, in The American Prospect 

VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon reports on drastic new recommendations to shutter VA medical centers in rural and urban areas and eliminate much inpatient care elsewhere, including needed inpatient psychiatric beds. 

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March 17, 2022

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The VA Needs More Funding, Not More Privatization

By: Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early, in Jacobin 

VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early interrogate President Joe Biden's broken promises to veterans through the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission. The two clearly show that the commission's work is in direct opposition to Biden's pledge to 'Build Back Better."

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February 10, 2022

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A VA Critic Becomes Virginia’s New Veterans Affairs Chief

By: Suzanne Gordon, in The Washington Monthly

VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon examines the work and writing of Daniel Gade, a powerful veterans' official with a deep disdain for the veterans' safety net.

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February 4, 2022

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Veterans Lack Quality Information for Community Care 

By: Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analyst, in The Federal Practitioner

VHPI Policy Analyst Russell Lemle interrogates the many issues veterans face when seeking high-quality care in the private sector. 

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January 19, 2022

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Trump’s VA Legacy: Human Capital Mismanagement

By: Suzanne Gordon, Senior Policy Analyst, in The American Prospect

VHPI Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon investigates a dysfunctional Trump-era reform that's making it impossible to hire key VA staff amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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December 16, 2021

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It's Clearer Than Ever VHA Must Remain the Primary Provider of Veteran Care

By: Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analysts, in The Hill

VHPI Policy Analysts Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle push for fundamental reforms of the VA's highly flawed quality and access standards for private care.

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November 5, 2021

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Broken Promises: Veterans Healthcare is Being Replaced by the Private Sector

By: Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analysts, in The Hill

VHPI Policy Analysts Suzanne Gordon and Russell Lemle dig into and analyze concerning new data around the proliferation of private care appointments for VA patients.

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October 27, 2021

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The VA Is Ripe for Right-Wing Attacks. Here’s How Biden Can Stop Them.

By: Suzanne Gordon and Jasper Craven, Policy Analysts, in The Washington Monthly

VHPI Policy Analysts Suzanne Gordon and Jasper Craven offer a vigorous proposal on the best move to re-invigorate the VA: nominate a permanent Undersecretary of Health

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October 13, 2021

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VA Firearm Policy Got It Half Right

By: Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analyst, in The Federal Practitioner

VHPI Senior Policy Analyst Russell Lemle offers a mixed analysis on the VA's firearm policy and examines the power of messages co-signed by credible partners. 

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September 30, 2021

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VHA Caregivers Provide Privatization Reality Check

By: Suzanne Gordon, Senior Policy Analyst, in The American Prospect

VHPI Senior Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon examines two new distressing surveys by VA clinicians offering urgent warnings about the department's dysfunctional community care program. 

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September 9, 2021

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A September 11 Reckoning: Calculating the Full Cost of War

By: Suzanne Gordon, Senior Policy Analyst, in The American Prospect

VHPI Senior Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon reports on the mounting healthcare costs of the ongoing Forever Wars which, while rarely discussed,  will end up being the single largest expenditure in the War on Terror.

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August 25, 2021

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Legislation Assuring Automatic VA Enrollment is Vital

By: Russell Lemle and Suzanne Gordon, Senior Policy Analysts, in The Hill

VHPI Senior Policy Analysts Russell Lemle and Suzanne Gordon report on the urgent need to pass EVEST Act, which would greatly open the door to veteran patients. 

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August 18, 2021

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Dems Fight to Make VA Health Care Enrollment Easier for New Veterans

By: Suzanne Gordon, Senior Policy Analyst, in The American Prospect

VHPI Senior Policy Analyst Suzanne Gordon reports on the EVEST Act, which, if passed, would help veterans during their tough transition to civilian life. 

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May 20, 2021

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The Veterans Who Bury Their Own

By: Jasper Craven, Policy Fellow, in The New York Times

Jasper Craven wrote about the honorable work inside the third, largely overlooked wing of the Department of Veterans Affairs: The National Cemetery Administration

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May 20, 2021

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Trump Set in Motion a Plan to Privatize the VA. Will Biden Enable It?

By: Suzanne Gordon, VHPI Senior Policy Analyst, in the American Prospect

 Suzanne Gordon reported about the threats of the VA's impending Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission

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April 20, 2021

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Biden's Infrastructure Plan Would Finally Fund VA's Hospital Upgrades 

By: Russell Lemle and Suzanne Gordon, Senior Policy Analysts, for The Hill

Russell Lemle and Suzanne Gordon, two of VHPI's Senior Policy Analysts, wrote an op-ed in The Hill analyzing how President Biden's infrastructure plans could bolster the VA in key ways. 

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April 7, 2021

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St. Louis Veterans Affairs Expects To Give 80% of Patients COVID-19 Vaccine By Summer

By: St. Louis Public Radio; Source: Suzanne Gordon

VHPI Policy Fellow Suzanne Gordon spoke to St. Louis Public Radio about the impressive work by the Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate care and administer vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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March 2021

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By: Joan Cook PhD; Source: VHPI analysis

Joan Cook, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, wrote in the Federal Practitioner about VHPI's recent analysis of a groundbreaking study into the "VA advantage."

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March 25. 2021

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By: Chris Serres; Source: Suzanne Gordon

The Star Tribune spoke with VHPI Policy Fellow Suzanne Gordon in its report on how the VA “has emerged as a success story in the furious race to vaccinate people against the deadly [coronavirus]."

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Oct. 15, 2020

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By: Dave Philipps; Source: Russell Lemle

The New York Times cited VHPI Policy Analyst Russell Lemle, Ph.D., in its report on how “the gun control debate complicated an effort to encourage frank talk by health professionals about the risks posed by firearms.”

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April 14, 2020

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Trump’s VA Secretary insisted before Congress that hiring to fill 50,000 vacancies at the Department of Veterans Affairs shouldn’t be a priority. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

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March 20, 2020

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The Veterans Health Administration has a big role to play in the COVID-19 pandemic. But have repeated attempts to privatize the agency hindered its ability to respond? Read more from VHPI’s Suzanne Gordon and Jasper Craven at The American Prospect.

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November 27, 2019

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How a suicide prevention bill became another way to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read it at the American Prospect.

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September 13, 2019

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The VA is actively creating the Community Care Network as part of the VA MISSION Act’s implementation. But why aren’t officials sharing information with Congress? Read it at Washington Monthly.

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June 6, 2019

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High risks potentially await veterans as the VA MISSION Act is launched. It’s likely that high cost awaits American taxpayers, too. Read it at the American Prospect.

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April 19, 2019

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Gordon spoke to KFPA radio about her new book and how the VA provides the best model for national healthcare.

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April 16, 2019

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VA officials admitted that the VA MISSION Act would likely ‘stumble’ in its first days of implementation. One veterans’ advocate warned of the problems veterans could face from the private sector. Read it at the American Prospect.

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February 1, 2019

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Access standards are driving the conversation around the VA MISSION Act’s implementation — not the clinical needs of veteran patients. Read more at the American Prospect.

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March 11, 2019

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Former leaders of the Concerned Veterans for America seem to be using old talking points to deny privatization efforts at the VA. Read it at the American Prospect.

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January 15, 2019

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By: Jasper Craven & Suzanne Gordon

The MISSION Act was supposed to fix the problems with an expensive program that outsourced veterans to the private sector. But did it make those mistakes permanent? Read it at the American Prospect.

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Unhealthy Skepticism

Major reports in U.S. health care publications say the private sector isn’t prepared to care for veteran patients. Why is Congress moving ahead with its plan anyway?

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August 29, 2018

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By: Jasper Craven & Suzanne Gordon

“A behind-the-scenes race by private companies, some offering questionable – or at least unproven – treatments for the signature injury of modern war: post-traumatic stress disorder.” Read it at Reveal News from the Center for Investigative Reporting.

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March 6, 2018

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Major reports in U.S. health care publications say the private sector isn’t prepared to care for veteran patients. Why is Congress moving ahead with its plan anyway?

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April 11, 2018

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By: Jasper Craven & Suzanne Gordon

Steven A. Cohen has hired lobbyists in D.C. while expanding his network of veteran mental health clinics. Is he ‘greasing the wheels of VHA privatization?’ Read it at The Nation.

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