1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,640 All across America and around the world, this is Veterans Radio. 2 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:15,920 This is Veterans Radio. 3 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,840 Welcome to Veterans Radio. 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,560 I am Jim Fossone. 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:22,880 I'm the officer of the deck today. 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:24,760 We've got some great programs for you. 7 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,760 I think you'll find very interesting. 8 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:34,640 We always want to remind you you can find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook site 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,680 or at the web. 10 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:43,120 VeteransRadio.org is our new URL, VeteransRadio.org. 11 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:48,520 Where we're on the web 24-7, you can find a lot of our podcasts there as well. 12 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:55,080 We post new ones every Tuesday, so you can get a new story, a new interview, 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,960 something you didn't know before by going to VeteransRadio.org. 14 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:04,240 And before we get started, we want to thank our sponsors. 15 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:13,680 First up, we want to thank National Veteran Business Development Council, NVBDC.org. 16 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:19,360 It was established to certify both service disabled and veteran-owned businesses. 17 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:25,920 You'll find out how they can help your business by going to NVBDC.org. 18 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,360 We want to thank Legal Help for Veterans. 19 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:35,000 Legal Help for Veterans fights for veterans disability rights all across the nation. 20 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:47,280 You can reach them at 800-693-4800 or on the web at LegalHelpForVeterans.com. 21 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:51,320 We want to welcome to VeteransRadio today Chris Colley. 22 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:58,760 He is the CEO of the VA Detroit Medical Center and recently appointed this year. 23 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,240 And he's got a lot of great background we're going to talk about and some new ideas 24 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:09,560 and just helps shed some light on the John Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit. 25 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,040 Director Colley, welcome to VeteransRadio. 26 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:13,880 Well, hello, Jeff. 27 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:14,960 Thanks for having me. 28 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:22,320 I'm excited to be able to get the exciting news out what the Detroit VA is bringing these days. 29 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:29,720 Well, let's set this up first by, I'll explain a little bit, but then I'm going to ask you to add to it. 30 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,040 Director Colley did his undergraduate work at the University of Illinois. 31 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,280 He obtained a master's in healthcare administration. 32 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,520 He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. 33 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:45,200 You've been with VA for 24 or 25 years. 34 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:51,080 You've had various leadership roles and headed up different medical centers. 35 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,000 Round out your background a little bit. 36 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:54,880 This is clearly a passion of yours. 37 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:57,200 It's your professional career. 38 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:03,320 Tell us what puts you in a great spot to be the CEO of the VA Detroit Medical Center. 39 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:04,000 All right. 40 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:09,560 Well, I'll tell you my story coming into the VA. 41 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:11,840 Right, graduated from the University of Illinois. 42 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,120 I've got a degree in kinesiology. 43 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:19,240 I had plans to become an athletic trainer for the Chicago Bears. 44 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:20,480 Yes, I said it. 45 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:28,480 I am very impressed with the Lions, by the way, and am following them. 46 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:30,560 But I had plans to do that. 47 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:39,000 When I graduated, waiting on the next semester to come around in the fall to get my master's degree in physical therapy, 48 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:49,360 I went back home and there was an article in the newspaper that the local VA was hiring kinesiotherapists. 49 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:50,560 And I said, what? 50 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,360 Don't know what that is, but I have a degree in it. 51 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:54,880 I'm not doing anything this summer. 52 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:56,400 I'll go check that out. 53 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:03,560 So I started at the VA in Danville, Illinois as a student trainee kinesiotherapist. 54 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:07,160 And just figured I'm just biding my time for the summer. 55 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:11,200 And I really enjoyed working with the veterans. 56 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:20,400 But I will tell you, one particular day, I was working with a veteran and he had a speech impediment. 57 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:22,280 I couldn't understand what he was saying. 58 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:25,240 He was permanently in a wheelchair. 59 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:31,520 He kept using his motions with his hands like he was chopping at his knees. 60 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:32,920 I didn't know what that was. 61 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:39,480 And I asked the nurses later, I said, hey, what's this guy's story? 62 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:40,760 Why does he keep doing that? 63 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:42,000 Does he have pain in his knees? 64 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:43,040 Something I need to know. 65 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:47,400 And they said, well, no, he's a baton death march survivor. 66 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:48,000 Oh, boy. 67 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,600 I'll tell you, Jim, it stopped me in my tracks. 68 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:58,400 Maybe I was naive, Midwest kid. 69 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:02,120 And I read about baton death march. 70 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,120 And I went back and did a little research and studied it. 71 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:09,400 And I tell you, my respect just went through the roof. 72 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:18,080 And I said, how am I, what honor do I have of treating this guy who went through so much? 73 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:23,520 And they talked about, right, so he's chopping at his knees because his knees were broken 74 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,920 as he was on that march. 75 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:28,040 And he survived. 76 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:33,720 And I just said, wow, I get it, want to be an athletic trainer for Chicago Bears. 77 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:38,160 OK, but holy cow, this mission is cool. 78 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:43,280 And I know you said, yeah, I had a 25 years service, actually 28. 79 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:44,800 That was 28 years ago. 80 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:45,200 Wow. 81 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,440 Never left the VA. 82 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,840 I am not a veteran. 83 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:52,120 I didn't serve. 84 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,600 And that's when I said, this is how I'm going to serve. 85 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,200 This is how I'm going to serve my country. 86 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:58,440 I'm going to serve the veterans. 87 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:00,280 And I've been with it ever since. 88 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:03,840 And it is an absolute passion and honor to do that. 89 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:09,000 Well, you've certainly, yeah, if you risen through the ranks and before your current 90 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:15,480 stop at a CEO in Detroit, you were the executive director of the Lita Lutz VA Medical Center 91 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:17,680 in Saginaw, Michigan. 92 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:21,680 Again, a long, a long way from being a summer intern. 93 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:23,040 And it is right. 94 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:30,560 So coming out of being a summer intern and just knowing I wanted to do more for the veterans, 95 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:36,480 there were some legislations and laws that were being passed back in the day that I whole 96 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:37,480 hardly agreed with. 97 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:43,960 But I'm just going to be honest with you, I didn't feel that leadership was doing it 98 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:45,200 correctly. 99 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:51,720 I just had this inkling, yes, this naive kid out of Illinois that I felt that I could 100 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,240 do a little bit better. 101 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,840 And so that was my goal is to get in some type of leadership. 102 00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:02,440 And I did not have a goal of being the CEO of a hospital at the time, but I wanted to 103 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:11,880 get into some type of supervisory and really start charging folks with, this is the mission, 104 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:14,320 this is servant leadership, this is how you get back. 105 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:21,200 So just over time, yes, I took different jobs as a patient education coordinator, chief 106 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:28,560 of prosthetics at Mountain Home, Tennessee, and then moved up to Michigan and went to 107 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:36,560 Ann Arbor back in 2009 as the executive assistant to the associate director, the COO. 108 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:43,560 And that's when I really got a taste for the C-suite, what the executive leaders can do, 109 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:49,360 what impact they have done only in the facility but on the veterans directly. 110 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:53,280 And that's what I really said, now this is really what I want to do. 111 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:57,720 So from there, right, I advanced my degree, became a fellow in the American College of 112 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:02,200 Healthcare Executives, went through a lot of leadership development trainings and was 113 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:10,320 given the opportunity to be the COO of the Ann Arbor VA and really enjoyed it. 114 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:15,520 And then from there, yeah, I became the CEO at the Saginaw VA Medical Center. 115 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:17,800 Now Saginaw is in our market. 116 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:19,400 It's in our Michigan market. 117 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,840 Saginaw is a level three complexity. 118 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:27,360 Low, they don't have any inpatient beds other than a nursing home. 119 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:33,360 But what really kept tugging at me was Ann Arbor though is a 1B facility. 120 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:37,040 It's a very complex facility and I missed that. 121 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:44,000 So when given the opportunity to take over Detroit, which is a 1C complexity, and that's 122 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:51,040 just, man, that's just Nicola and Dimes away from being a 1B facility, I really jumped 123 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:52,040 at that chance. 124 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:59,120 Now, being in Michigan since 2009, working with Detroit always felt that Detroit just 125 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,720 had felt like they had more offer. 126 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:09,160 And I really felt that, you know, if given the opportunity, I think this facility can 127 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:10,160 excel. 128 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:15,440 And I tell you, Jim, since I've been here, that's what I've seen. 129 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,360 The folks here are so eager. 130 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:19,360 They're anxious. 131 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:20,360 They're ready to go. 132 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:22,000 I mean, kind of easy for me. 133 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:27,720 I don't want to say that too much, but really just letting loose of the reins, the employees 134 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,200 here, they get it. 135 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:31,360 They get the mission. 136 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,920 Yeah, let's talk a little bit about the Detroit VA Medical Center. 137 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,440 It's number of employees, number of beds. 138 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:43,400 Give folks some sense in this around the country. 139 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:47,720 Give them some sense of what goes on at the Detroit VA Medical Center. 140 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:54,160 And we're talking to Chris Cawley, who's the CEO of that center, appointed this year. 141 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:58,760 And honestly, he's appointed because, you know, there were some challenges at the Detroit 142 00:09:58,760 --> 00:09:59,760 Center. 143 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,920 So, but tell, give us that sense of what's there at the complex. 144 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:06,040 Yeah, absolutely. 145 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,600 You're right, Jim, there were some challenges. 146 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,000 And we're going to be digging out of that. 147 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:12,960 Already started a lot of things. 148 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:18,680 But the Detroit VA, like I said, is a level one C facility. 149 00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:25,680 So what that means to the veterans, high complexity, full tertiary facility. 150 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:29,480 So we have, you know, a full emergency department. 151 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:33,680 We have full surgery capacity. 152 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:39,800 We have a lot of specialties that the lower level facilities don't have, such as the Battle 153 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,240 Creek and the Saginaw. 154 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:48,160 So we offer everything just about the only thing we're missing right now is cardiology. 155 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:53,680 And we're working on that to add cardiology, which will increase our complexity rating. 156 00:10:53,680 --> 00:11:02,960 We have about 150 beds ranging in med surge to CLC, which is the community living center 157 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:04,280 that's our nursing home. 158 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,480 We have that on site as well. 159 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,760 We have ICU, step down units. 160 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:14,600 We have an inpatient mental health ward that has 25 beds. 161 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:21,840 Now I really want to stress that this state as a whole really is missing inpatient mental 162 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:23,840 health. 163 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,320 It doesn't matter where you go and it doesn't need necessarily for veterans. 164 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:32,040 I'm just saying the state as a whole is lacking inpatient health. 165 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:36,320 When we have just increased, we were at 19 inpatient mental health beds. 166 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,120 We have just increased to 25. 167 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:44,400 And that's been very helpful for other facilities, Saginaw and Battle Creek, who refer veterans 168 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,800 over here for those services. 169 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:52,600 And how many employees work at the Detroit Medical Center? 170 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,400 Yeah, we've got just over 2,300. 171 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:01,760 And Jim, I'm going to tell you though, one year ago today, we were sitting probably at 172 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:05,280 about, I don't know, 1900. 173 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:07,600 Well that's been one of the challenges, right? 174 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,400 You got to have appropriate staffing to do all this. 175 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,840 And it's at 2,300, what sort of goal? 176 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,520 What do you need to get to to say, okay, I'm fully staffed. 177 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:18,520 I can move to the next level? 178 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:19,520 Absolutely. 179 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:20,680 Well, I think we are, right? 180 00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:24,000 So I think that was the goal of 2,300. 181 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,360 Wasn't something we just pulled out of thin air. 182 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:30,080 This was a number that we looked across all services and said, what is it that you need 183 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:39,240 to, one, improve quality, improve access for the veterans who want wait times to decrease? 184 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:43,480 What is it that you need to run your service appropriately? 185 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:47,600 And that was a number that we shot at and we've reached that. 186 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,320 And we're really starting to see a turn. 187 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:56,160 Primary care, for instance, I will tell you, admittedly, our wait times in primary care 188 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:57,840 are not that good. 189 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,480 But boy, have we improved over the last couple of months. 190 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:08,160 Just last month, we hired seven new primary care physicians. 191 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:10,040 In one month, they came on board. 192 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:11,040 That's huge. 193 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:12,040 That's huge. 194 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:13,040 That's huge. 195 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:14,040 Yeah, that is. 196 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:15,040 Well, that's just one area. 197 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:21,880 One of the things I wanted to talk about, because a lot of people don't realize this, 198 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:28,720 let's talk about the academic affiliations that Detroit Medical Center has, because really 199 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:36,160 all around the country, these big VA medical centers are generally associated or originally 200 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:41,720 located and associated with that academic thought in mind. 201 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:45,360 So tell us about the affiliations you have. 202 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:46,360 Yeah. 203 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:52,200 So yeah, that is historically what one of the VA stands on. 204 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:59,720 We're a learning organization and legislation was passed, I mean, it could have been 80 205 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:08,240 years ago, for that matter, that we provide residency for new physicians. 206 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:12,280 Our academic affiliate is Wayne State University. 207 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:19,360 So every year, we have a rotation of residents that come in, year one as they're going through 208 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:26,440 their studies, they graduate to fellows, and they get all their training here on site. 209 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:30,320 They rotate through different disciplines. 210 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:35,080 And yeah, you're right, across the country, I don't know that I have the exact number, 211 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:41,520 very large percent of physicians across this country at one point in time, walk through 212 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:44,400 a VA medical center as part of their training. 213 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:49,160 Yeah, I don't remember the number exactly either, but it's something astounding, like 214 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:57,720 80% of all physicians have done some training at the VA, and that's good on all fronts. 215 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:01,240 And that's also true with some nursing programs. 216 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:06,120 I don't know if you're affiliated with any nursing programs. 217 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:11,240 I don't recall that we have nursing programs affiliations, but I will tell you that what 218 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:18,520 we do here is try to grow our own, whether it be RN, transition to practice, that we're 219 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:19,520 going to be starting. 220 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:24,840 So these are RNs that come out of school that don't have any experience. 221 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:30,840 However, we will hire them on as an RN, but they take a year to go through a transitional 222 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:31,840 phase. 223 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,840 They're mentored, they get on the job training, they have somebody a proctor with them the 224 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:36,840 whole time. 225 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:45,440 And after one year, they're fully ready to become an RN on their own, but we did that 226 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,440 within our own house, so we screwed through it our own if you will. 227 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:53,520 And the point of that is, and I guess I want you to talk a little bit about this, all of 228 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:58,880 this, whether it's hiring new folks or training up nurses to maybe be the full RN or being 229 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:04,400 affiliated with an academic, the goal of all that is patient care and outcomes, isn't 230 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:05,400 it? 231 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:09,120 Well, yeah, let's cut to the chase, right? 232 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:11,640 That is it, absolutely. 233 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:18,760 We need to provide the highest quality of care for veterans and not only high quality, 234 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,000 it's got to be timely, and it's got to be what they need. 235 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:27,400 Now, I'll tell you that the Mission Act came out and said, look, a couple of things, right? 236 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:32,920 If the VA does not provide the service that you need, we'll send you to the community. 237 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:38,720 If you live 30 minutes away from primary care, we'll send you to the community. 238 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:44,080 If you're 60 minutes away from specialty care, we'll send you to the community. 239 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:52,200 I am absolutely fine with sending the veteran wherever they need the care. 240 00:16:52,200 --> 00:17:00,720 I prefer they get the care in the VA, and that's why we're adding all of these staff 241 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:02,360 so that we can improve quality. 242 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:04,520 We can improve weight times. 243 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:10,000 When we talk about distance that you have to drive, let me speak to this real quick. 244 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,060 We have, currently, we have two outpatient clinics. 245 00:17:13,060 --> 00:17:19,360 We have one in Pontiac and we have one in Yale. 246 00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:21,200 That's not cutting it, Jim. 247 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:22,560 We need to get out there, right? 248 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:29,520 I'm just going to ask you, Jim, if you lived in South Lion or something of that nature, 249 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:33,400 and you had to go to your primary care provider just to get your blood pressure taken, and 250 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:38,360 you got to fight this Detroit traffic, come all the way down here just to get your blood 251 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:43,440 pressure taken and withdrawn, that's old days. 252 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:44,440 We can't do that anymore. 253 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:46,280 It's just a disincentive. 254 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:50,480 It's a disincentive, and I agree with you, the outpatient clinics, and there seems to 255 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:54,280 be some of this is Congress, right? 256 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:56,200 Congress has got to fund these things. 257 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,320 They have to fund them, yes. 258 00:17:58,320 --> 00:17:59,320 And then you've got to. 259 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,480 But we also have to plan strategically. 260 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:10,800 And so I am excited to say at the early 2024, we're opening an outpatient clinic in Trenton, 261 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:11,960 in the downriver area. 262 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:13,960 We are very excited about that. 263 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:17,880 That's going to have primary care, mental health, and lab services. 264 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:19,600 And that's just to get started. 265 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:25,200 That's just to at least create a presence down there while we lease some space. 266 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:29,520 And then on the backside, we're going to be looking to build a new outpatient clinic and 267 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,920 actually stand alone that belongs to us. 268 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:34,920 We're doing that. 269 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:40,400 We just had a meeting two weeks ago with Selfridge Air National Guard Base, creating 270 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,280 a presence on site there as well. 271 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:51,320 We're looking in Macomb County, Oakland County, and Port Huron. 272 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:55,960 So Yale is too far away from Port Huron. 273 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,560 The mission, it's 40 minutes away, and you're already missing those veterans. 274 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:01,040 So we're going to move that closer. 275 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:07,200 So getting to bringing care closer to where the veterans are, and that's our goal. 276 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,280 We need to grow, and that's what we're going to do. 277 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:15,640 We've really, our number of veterans, we call them Uniques, a unique veteran, a unique 278 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:21,560 social security number, if you will, has been declining over the last couple of years. 279 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:26,760 And partly because we have not been flexible, this facility has not been flexible to get 280 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,000 out there in the community, one, to recruit them. 281 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:37,040 Two, you said it, there has been some negative news coming out of the Detroit VA, but we're 282 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:38,800 here to fix it, right? 283 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:43,400 And getting out there, providing that high quality care. 284 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:48,240 Number one, if I had to get a message across to veterans, I'm just asking, hey, give us 285 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:49,240 a chance. 286 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:54,320 If you've been here before and you said, give us another chance, I will tell you things 287 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,160 have changed, guaranteed. 288 00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:00,280 Well, and we all know in every organization, it starts at the top, and they've brought 289 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:07,760 you in with your set of experiences to push that change, to be a change agent. 290 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:10,560 So these are all good things to hear about. 291 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:15,880 And it really is about delivering the services the veterans need for their care. 292 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:19,880 You mentioned some specialties. 293 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:29,240 There are areas where your DACs and healthcare teams are really kind of especially or unique 294 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:30,400 in serving veterans. 295 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,640 And that's why there's a lot of talk about community and care. 296 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:41,200 But I've also talked to a lot of researchers who say the private sector doesn't understand 297 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:43,600 military veteran issues. 298 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:45,080 That's why we have the VA system. 299 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:50,880 So talk to us about some of the specialties that you have in Detroit that you're just 300 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:56,600 not going to find these kind of experiences maybe with other physician groups. 301 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,000 Oh, that's a good point. 302 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:01,560 So one, let's talk about mental health real quick, right? 303 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:15,040 So our mental health staff, our psychologists, psychiatrists, they have been trained in veterans, 304 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:18,880 not disabilities, but the needs of what veterans need. 305 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:20,800 Yeah, they're health issues. 306 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:21,800 Yep. 307 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,080 Health issues, that's right. 308 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,040 And the public sector has not been. 309 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:37,040 And so we strive a lot on whether it be PTSD, whether it be other mental health issues, we 310 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:41,080 really stand far and above the community in that. 311 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:45,280 So I would just say if you're a veteran and need a mental health, you may want to try 312 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,800 the VA first. 313 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:48,800 They get it. 314 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:49,800 They know it. 315 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:50,800 They've seen it all. 316 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:54,320 And I'm chances are they will be able to help you. 317 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:56,560 So that's the big one. 318 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:01,160 Other specialties, surgery, for instance, we have really grown our surgery department 319 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:02,160 here. 320 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,440 I've got a new chief of surgery, Dr. John Paisley. 321 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:07,440 What? 322 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,720 This guy is a breath of fresh air. 323 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:12,840 He's exciting. 324 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,320 The staff really look up to him. 325 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:19,800 He's got a vision that's really going to take our surgery department to the next level. 326 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:25,680 The one, for instance, is plastics and hands, and we talk about orthopedics. 327 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,560 We actually give referrals from the Ann Arbor VA. 328 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,280 So we do go back and forth. 329 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:34,560 We send some referrals over there for some surgeries. 330 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,400 They send folks over here for specifically plastics and hands. 331 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:44,040 And that's very, very exciting that we're able to share our specialties like that. 332 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:45,440 Well, and that's what you want. 333 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:51,720 You want the best care for the veteran at whichever hospital is best equipped for that. 334 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:58,120 And we don't want to duplicate services because money is not unlimited in the VA system. 335 00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:00,360 You've got to work and cooperate together. 336 00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:05,120 It's great to hear that you guys are. 337 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:11,200 And one of the things that a lot of veterans have is sleep apnea or sleep problems. 338 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:15,600 Is there any work that's being done there or any specially work that's being done at 339 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:17,720 the Detroit VA Medical Center? 340 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:22,200 Chris Colley, director, give us some insight and what's going on in that area. 341 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:29,880 Well, as a matter of fact, we have a very large research department and there's a lot 342 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:33,480 of research going on specifically for sleep apnea. 343 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:40,480 Now our new chief of research, Dr. Chaudhry, she was our chief of sleep. 344 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,040 And she's got a lot of research background. 345 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:50,480 She's doing a lot of research on Gulf War veterans and sleep apnea in that arena. 346 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:56,120 Very, very impressed at what she's brought forward and what she brings to the table, 347 00:23:56,120 --> 00:23:59,800 not only in the research department, it's not only going to help the Detroit VA, it's 348 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:03,520 going to help every VA across the country what they're doing. 349 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:08,480 So our sleep department though, in general, they get it. 350 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:14,320 We talk to them, so they know what Gulf War veterans went through, what other veterans 351 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,200 in other areas went through. 352 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:20,680 And so they can specifically tune in to what their needs are. 353 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,280 Okay, I'm going to ask you the hard questions now. 354 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:26,600 Everybody's listening going, hey, wait a minute, Jim, you're not, you're not hitting Chris 355 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,560 with the stuff that people want to want to know about. 356 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:30,560 Hit me both of them. 357 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:31,560 That's right. 358 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:34,160 What are the top three or four issues that you're working on? 359 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:36,440 Because there were challenges that had to be overcome. 360 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:38,360 And that's why you're there. 361 00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:41,720 So what are those top issues that you're working on? 362 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:45,240 Let me put it this way, Jim. 363 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:46,520 I'm going to tell you a little story. 364 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:51,320 And I share this with, anytime I get in front of veterans, you got a favorite restaurant 365 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:53,080 you go to, I assume. 366 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:54,080 Absolutely. 367 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:58,120 You go there and you get a steak every time it's perfect. 368 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:01,600 And you go there one time and the steak is not that great. 369 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,480 And you figure, well, you know what, the chef's having a bad date. 370 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:05,480 That's okay. 371 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:07,160 It's my favorite place to go. 372 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:11,280 But you go back the next time the steak still isn't all that great. 373 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:16,240 And well, the customer service wasn't all that great either. 374 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:18,800 So unfortunately, you just got to say, you know what, just something's happened here. 375 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:19,800 I'm not sure what it is. 376 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:21,480 I'm not going back. 377 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:27,760 So one day, Jim, you see a sign on the wall says under new management. 378 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,320 What does that tell you? 379 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:32,640 Well, hopefully my steak will be better. 380 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,520 Right, right, right, right. 381 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:39,840 It tells me that, you know what, somebody recognized something and a change has to be 382 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:40,840 made. 383 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,400 And that's what's happening here. 384 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,760 So some of the things that we're working on, I will tell you, one of the issues right off 385 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:51,160 the bat is customer service. 386 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:58,120 So when I walked in the door the first day I was here, I talked about the all employees 387 00:25:58,120 --> 00:25:59,960 survey. 388 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:00,960 What does that mean? 389 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:01,960 Right? 390 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:02,960 People looking at me like, are you kidding me? 391 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:03,960 You're the new CEO. 392 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:05,800 You know, we've got all these issues going on. 393 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,720 You want to talk about a survey of the employees? 394 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:14,840 Yes, I do, because I want to know where the employees feel about working at the Detroit 395 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:15,840 VA. 396 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:17,000 What are the issues here? 397 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:21,280 Because we're not going to make change unless I know what the issues are. 398 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:28,960 And so there's been a big resounding feedback from the employees. 399 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:30,400 They let their voices be known. 400 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:34,320 And that was great because in the past that was not allowed. 401 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:36,400 They were not psychologically safe. 402 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,240 They could not speak up. 403 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,160 There's fear of reprisal. 404 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:41,160 That's changing. 405 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:46,120 Now people are raising their hand and going, hey, look, I don't think this is right. 406 00:26:46,120 --> 00:26:49,520 Look, I think this may harm the veteran. 407 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,560 And I think in the past that was shyed away from. 408 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:58,160 Well, now we're getting folks who are saying, look, if you don't change or if this happens, 409 00:26:58,160 --> 00:26:59,480 it's going to harm the veteran. 410 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,040 These are called close calls. 411 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:06,440 We're having more close calls than we're having adverse events. 412 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,560 So we're actually catching them ahead of time because people are raising their hands. 413 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,200 So that psychological safety, that was a big issue. 414 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,560 I talked about customer service. 415 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:17,440 We really need to improve in that area. 416 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,280 I'll be honest with you. 417 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:25,560 So there were places where you would go and the person would, it was almost like you were 418 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:31,960 bothering them when you walked up to the counter and we've done a lot in that area. 419 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:37,120 Lot of folks have responded also and we've seen improvements in that area. 420 00:27:37,120 --> 00:27:42,000 And then I talked about just that one, just overall, our decrease in veterans and we really 421 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:43,000 need to increase it. 422 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,400 This is how we get our funding. 423 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:50,600 I do want to say for the veterans who are out there who are saying, hey, you know what, 424 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:52,200 I don't need it. 425 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:54,560 Give it to the veterans who deserve it. 426 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,280 Well, the reality is it's already paid for. 427 00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:58,840 It's already there. 428 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:02,520 But if we don't get your service, we don't bring you in. 429 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:07,360 That's a unique, remember I talked about, that goes in through the big calculation in the 430 00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:10,720 sky, which is how we get our funding. 431 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:18,840 So I will tell you, you may not qualify for healthcare being paid by the VA. 432 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,120 You still get your care here. 433 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:27,520 If you have Blue Cross Blue Shield and maybe you're not service connected and you don't 434 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:33,000 fall into one of those categories, you still get your care here just like any other hospital. 435 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:37,760 Well, just charge your insurance company just like anybody else would. 436 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:38,760 Go ahead and get that now. 437 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:43,280 You may not think you need it now, but it'd be nice if you were already in the system, 438 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:44,280 somewhere to happen. 439 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:45,280 You're already in the system. 440 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:47,480 That's what we tell everybody. 441 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:53,960 We tell everybody that we get involved at Veterans Radio and at my full-time job. 442 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:55,460 Go register. 443 00:28:55,460 --> 00:28:59,240 You may not qualify for healthcare by VA at the moment. 444 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:00,520 You may feel you don't need it. 445 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:05,920 But get in the system because life changes, events change. 446 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:06,920 You lose a job. 447 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:10,400 You lose an insurance package, whatever it might be. 448 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:11,840 But get in the system. 449 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:19,960 So registration, getting registered is a big deal and that helps as you're talking about 450 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:24,720 making sure you've got enough Veteran units to justify continuing the programs. 451 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:25,720 Yeah. 452 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:33,640 I will say if you have an opportunity, go on Hospital Compare. 453 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,360 It's a website. 454 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:40,680 This is the first time that the VA has been allowed to participate. 455 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:44,760 So what this does, it's comparing all the hospitals in the community and you look up 456 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:49,920 any biting, gives them a rating like a hotel star rating. 457 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,600 The Detroit VA is a four-star facility. 458 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:58,280 The four-star facility, I want to put that out there and I'm not going to say what everybody 459 00:29:58,280 --> 00:29:59,280 else is. 460 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:01,480 Go ahead and do your own comparison. 461 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:06,720 We do have a goal to become a five-star and we already know the areas that we're lacking 462 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:08,760 to keep us from a five-star. 463 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,560 But being a four-star, it's pretty cool. 464 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:13,560 I'm telling you. 465 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:15,640 And getting to a four-star bus. 466 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:16,640 Right. 467 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:17,640 Right. 468 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:22,200 Getting that mentality across to people that, hey, don't run down our reputation. 469 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:28,680 We're a four-star and we're moving to five and the employees are moving to five. 470 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:33,440 That's the kind of culture change you're trying to drive, I think. 471 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:34,760 Definitely correct. 472 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:35,760 Okay. 473 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:37,160 You talked customer service. 474 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:43,680 You talked getting enough people through the doors and expanding the service territory. 475 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,080 Any other issues that you go, yep, we're working on this. 476 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:49,680 I want to dispel any rumor about this right now. 477 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:51,680 Oh, boy. 478 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:52,680 Yeah. 479 00:30:52,680 --> 00:31:01,840 So, well, there was a big OIG, Office of Inspector General, that came through last year and then 480 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:03,560 the final report came out. 481 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,120 And yeah, it smeared some ugly on us. 482 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:11,480 But I will tell you, if you read the report, the final report, what it says, our response 483 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:18,120 to them is that, you know, it says, we'll be compliant in January 2024. 484 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:22,720 That standard templated response that you have to give. 485 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:26,720 We've already replied and responded to every one of those issues. 486 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,360 They've all been corrected. 487 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:32,960 Reason we can't say they're compliant right now is we have to show sustainment. 488 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:37,840 We got to show that six months worth of, you said you were going to do this. 489 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:38,840 Oh, yeah. 490 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:39,840 Well, you are. 491 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:42,360 You're doing it and so that's fine. 492 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:46,960 We have challenged everybody to step up, meet that challenge. 493 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:49,960 I will tell you when the OIG report came out, I did not hide it, Jim. 494 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:51,280 I didn't put it under my desk. 495 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:53,400 I didn't sit on it, put it under a carpet. 496 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:57,160 I sent it out to every employee. 497 00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:01,880 And we put it on our Facebook page because I want everybody to know we're not hiding 498 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:02,880 behind this. 499 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:03,880 We're transparent. 500 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:05,560 This is the truth. 501 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:07,360 This is what happened. 502 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:10,440 But it's not what's happening today. 503 00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,680 And it's not what's going to happen in the future, guaranteed. 504 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:15,080 Well, that's why we have you on. 505 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:23,200 That's why we have on the CEO of the VA Detroit Medical Center, the John Dingell Medical Center 506 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:28,720 because we want all of our veterans to get the top care and, you know, it hurts all 507 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:32,080 of us when we say, oh man, they're not living up to that expectation. 508 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:36,520 We want to hear from leadership that they're heading in this direction and they're getting 509 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:37,760 the job done. 510 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:42,360 And Chris Collier, I really appreciate you taking some extra time to talk to Veterans 511 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,840 Radio today to get these messages out. 512 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:46,840 And we'll be back. 513 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:52,880 We'll talk to you some more in the future to see how the progress has gone and give 514 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:57,600 you a chance in a forum to talk to the larger veteran population in the area. 515 00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,480 Yeah, let's do that. 516 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:01,640 Next time I'll give you an update on the Fisher House. 517 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:06,040 We just broke ground last week and I'm super excited about that. 518 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:12,680 Well, we are Veterans Radio big supporters of Kate and the Fisher House team and have 519 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:13,800 them on regularly. 520 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:19,280 So we've been following the progress and so that's going to be a great addition for the 521 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:23,160 Detroit Medical Center to have that Fisher House nearby. 522 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:27,760 Chris, thanks for the time today. 523 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,040 Really do appreciate it. 524 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:32,800 You bet, have a great day. 525 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:35,720 And I want to thank everybody for listening to Veterans Radio today. 526 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:37,200 I am Jim Fawcone. 527 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,600 It's been a pleasure to be your host. 528 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:44,320 I'm a Veterans Disability lawyer at Legal Help for Veterans and you can reach us at 529 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:51,920 800-6934800 or legalhelpforveterans.com on the web. 530 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:56,800 You can follow Veterans Radio on Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet radio 531 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:01,400 shows by visiting us at veteransradio.org. 532 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,120 That's veteransradio.org. 533 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:07,320 And until next time, you are dismissed. 534 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:11,800 If you have a VA claim denied by the Board of Veterans Appeals, contact Legal Help for 535 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:16,000 Veterans at 1-800-6934800. 536 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:20,040 They're experts in handling cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 537 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:23,960 Their number again, 1-800-6934800. 538 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:29,600 We again want to thank our national sponsors, the National Veterans Business Development 539 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:38,400 Council, NVBDC.org, VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, the Vietnam Veterans of America, 540 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:47,520 Charles S. 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