WEBVTT 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:06.780 All across America and around the world. This 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:13.220 is veterans radio. This is veterans radio And 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:17.839 now your host for today's program Dale Throneberry 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:22.480 Hey and welcome to veterans radio, my name is 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:26.239 Dale Throneberry a cw2 helicopter pilot in Vietnam 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:30.359 1969 Wow, that's a long time ago. I can't probably 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:34.520 stop that introduction I keep thinking it adds 00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:36.420 to my credibility a little bit if we're doing 00:00:36.420 --> 00:00:39.520 this program. So anyway, welcome to our monthly 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:41.840 benefits program. Really excited to have you 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:45.140 all listening in. So if you have a question for 00:00:45.140 --> 00:00:48.299 our experts, you can give us a call here at 734 00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:55.159 -822 -1600. That's 734 -822 -1600. We are gonna 00:00:55.159 --> 00:01:01.140 be talking with a doctor. Imagine that. Dr. Jason 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:04.579 Vasse, who was with the VA at VA Boston Health 00:01:04.579 --> 00:01:06.620 Care System. And we're gonna be talking about 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:09.439 prostate cancer and what the VA is doing and 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:11.319 some of the research that he has been involved 00:01:11.319 --> 00:01:16.349 with. We've also got... General Falzone, Carol 00:01:16.349 --> 00:01:18.310 Ann Falzone will be here to answer any of your 00:01:18.310 --> 00:01:21.230 benefit questions. If you have any, just call 00:01:21.230 --> 00:01:23.510 that number I just gave you. And of course, if 00:01:23.510 --> 00:01:25.510 you have any questions about anything going on 00:01:25.510 --> 00:01:28.609 on our program, we really appreciate your contacting 00:01:28.609 --> 00:01:32.469 us and letting us know what is happening. A couple 00:01:32.469 --> 00:01:34.549 of announcements that I did wanna get in before 00:01:34.549 --> 00:01:42.870 we talk about prostate cancer. Anyway, all right. 00:01:42.939 --> 00:01:46.879 Two big events coming up. Number one is here 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:49.599 locally in the Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Michigan 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:53.000 area is Thunder Over Michigan. Thunder Over Michigan 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:56.939 is coming up on June 20th to 22nd at the Willow 00:01:56.939 --> 00:01:59.680 Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan. For those 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:01.480 of you that have been around this area for a 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:04.239 while, this is a really, really great air show. 00:02:04.579 --> 00:02:06.879 And this year it's highlighted by the US Navy. 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:09.780 Blue Angels are going to be there putting on, 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:13.699 I think it's four performances. on the Saturday 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:18.159 and Sunday. Obviously, if you like airplanes, 00:02:18.219 --> 00:02:21.400 this is the place to be on that weekend. They've 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:24.719 got the Blue Angels. They've got the C -130 Fat 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:28.199 Albert. They've got Air Force. What is it? The 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:32.520 F -22 Raptor Demonstration Team, C -17 Globemaster, 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:36.479 KC -135 Strato Tanker. They've got a guy who 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:40.360 does sky riding called Ghost Rider Air Show. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:43.219 They've got Skip Stewart and what Skip does is 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:46.280 he's an acrobatic pilot and he does things where 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:50.879 he defies gravity with airplanes. And all of 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:52.960 these things are available to you. All you've 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:56.939 got to go to is ThunderOverMichigan .org to get 00:02:56.939 --> 00:02:59.159 the tickets and find out all about the arrangements 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:02.259 that need to be made. But this is a great, great 00:03:02.259 --> 00:03:05.979 opportunity for you to see some vintage aircraft. 00:03:06.199 --> 00:03:08.800 They have always a nice, great static display 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:12.180 of aircraft out there. And I think it's really 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:15.419 worthwhile. This is one of our great local attractions 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:18.639 for veterans that I really encourage you to write 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:21.400 it down in your calendar. Again, that's June 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:25.460 20th through 22nd, thunderovermichigan .org. 00:03:25.629 --> 00:03:28.210 Check it out. The other thing that I want you 00:03:28.210 --> 00:03:31.289 to be aware of, of course, is to save the date. 00:03:32.110 --> 00:03:35.289 Save the date. Here we go. Save the date for 00:03:35.289 --> 00:03:38.830 Radio on the River. It's our fourth fundraiser 00:03:38.830 --> 00:03:40.990 for Radio on the River, and it's going to be 00:03:40.990 --> 00:03:44.370 Sunday, September 28th. And it's going to be 00:03:44.370 --> 00:03:46.330 out at Freedom River this year. So if you want 00:03:46.330 --> 00:03:49.150 to find out more about Freedom River, it's freedomriver 00:03:49.150 --> 00:03:52.689 .org. And it's a great organization. They have 00:03:52.689 --> 00:03:55.650 a beautiful facility out in Pinkney, Michigan 00:03:55.650 --> 00:04:00.889 where we've got space for everything. Lots of 00:04:00.889 --> 00:04:03.009 space. It's going to be available to everybody. 00:04:03.150 --> 00:04:04.949 We're going to have music. We're going to have 00:04:04.949 --> 00:04:09.740 storytellers. We're going to have food. Food's 00:04:09.740 --> 00:04:12.479 always important, right? And we've got raffles 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:14.800 with all kinds of gifts that we're going to be 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:19.439 raffling off and speaking of airplanes we're 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:23.120 going to have the UH1 Huey from the Michigan 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:25.939 Flight Museum is going to be there for giving 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:28.939 you a chance for rides and the tickets for the 00:04:28.939 --> 00:04:31.279 rides are separate, but it's going to be out 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:34.000 there as a static display for a while too. So 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:36.079 all of this is going to take place on Sunday, 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:40.639 September 28th. of this year. This is our only 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:43.459 fundraiser of the year and we encourage you to 00:04:43.459 --> 00:04:47.040 go to our website. The information is there for 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:49.879 you and as we get closer we'll start talking 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:51.899 about how you can get tickets and so on and so 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:54.319 forth. But we really want you to do that. So 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:57.040 you've got an opportunity here. You've got airplanes 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:01.500 going off all over the place on June 20th to 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:05.220 22nd. Here locally in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and 00:05:05.220 --> 00:05:07.800 then September 28th. We're gonna be out at Frieda 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:09.199 River And you're gonna be able to get a ride 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:12.160 on a Ui who knows maybe they'll let me let me 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:15.699 at the controls That would be really cool. So 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:21.910 That's all I got for coming attractions so before 00:05:21.910 --> 00:05:24.170 we get into the program we got to thank our sponsors 00:05:24.170 --> 00:05:26.629 because again without our sponsors and without 00:05:26.629 --> 00:05:29.389 you we could never be on the air like we do keep 00:05:29.389 --> 00:05:31.649 telling these stories we've been doing this now 00:05:31.649 --> 00:05:38.569 since november of 2003 wow 2003. It's a lot of 00:05:38.569 --> 00:05:40.370 stories, but there are so many more to go. All 00:05:40.370 --> 00:05:42.670 of you veterans out there, you all have a story 00:05:42.670 --> 00:05:45.670 to tell, and we want to help you tell that story 00:05:45.670 --> 00:05:48.370 and get as many of them out there as we possibly 00:05:48.370 --> 00:05:51.129 can. So in order to thank these people, we start 00:05:51.129 --> 00:05:53.529 off with Legal Help for Veterans. Legal Help 00:05:53.529 --> 00:05:56.170 for Veterans specializes in veterans disability 00:05:56.170 --> 00:05:58.970 claims. Give Legal Help for Veterans a call at 00:05:58.970 --> 00:06:05.319 800 -693 -4800. or go to their website, legalhelpforveterans 00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:08.660 .com. The National Veterans Business Development 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:12.279 Council, better known as NVBDC, is the nation's 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:14.779 leading third -party authority for certification 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:17.860 of veteran -owned businesses. For more information, 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:21.720 go to their website, nvbdc .org, or give them 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:28.160 a call at 888 -237 -8433. We talk about NVBDC 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:30.360 quite often on this program, and there are two 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:32.569 reasons. Number one, they are great. supporter 00:06:32.569 --> 00:06:34.870 of Veterans Radio. And the second thing is, if 00:06:34.870 --> 00:06:36.930 you are a veteran -owned business, you need to 00:06:36.930 --> 00:06:40.069 be certified in order to do business with the 00:06:40.069 --> 00:06:42.430 federal government or with many contractors out 00:06:42.430 --> 00:06:44.870 there. And that means that you have to certify 00:06:44.870 --> 00:06:47.269 that you are really a veteran -owned business. 00:06:48.490 --> 00:06:50.769 So these are the folks to do that. Again, that's 00:06:50.769 --> 00:06:55.220 MDBDC. PuroClean, known as the paramedics of 00:06:55.220 --> 00:06:58.360 property damage, East PuroClean office is independently 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:01.360 owned and operated. In fact, PuroClean is one 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.480 of the nation's leading restoration franchise 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:08.540 programs and they give a 25 % off fee for all 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:12.339 veterans. So pretty cool. So for more information, 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:15.959 go to PuroClean .com. The Charles S. Kettles 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:18.500 VA Medical Center here in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 00:07:18.579 --> 00:07:21.959 For more information, go to va .gov slash Ann 00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:25.879 Arbor Health Care. And finally, the Erwin Prescorn 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:29.399 American Legion Post 46 and the Charles S. Kettles 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:32.660 Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 310, both 00:07:32.660 --> 00:07:35.519 of Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you'd like to support 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:38.360 Veterans Radio, and we hope that you really do 00:07:38.360 --> 00:07:41.420 like to do that, we'd like you to go to our website, 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:44.160 veteransradio .org and click on the donate button. 00:07:44.410 --> 00:07:47.370 Thank you in advance. We really appreciate your 00:07:47.370 --> 00:07:52.129 ongoing support. So joining me now, as I mentioned 00:07:52.129 --> 00:07:54.790 earlier on, is we're going to talk. Now, we talk 00:07:54.790 --> 00:07:56.810 all about this research and things that the VA 00:07:56.810 --> 00:08:00.610 does. And this is just kind of a quick aside 00:08:00.610 --> 00:08:05.769 on my part, is that we've got great medical facilities. 00:08:05.870 --> 00:08:08.550 We've got great benefit programs. But one of 00:08:08.550 --> 00:08:10.910 the main things that the VA does is research. 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:14.420 We got to make sure that we keep the funding 00:08:14.420 --> 00:08:17.220 coming in so we can keep doing all this research. 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:21.339 So joining me on the line right now is Dr. Jason 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:24.959 Vasey. Dr. Vasey is a doctor and medical researcher 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:28.339 with the Harvard Medical School and the VA Boston 00:08:28.339 --> 00:08:31.399 Health Care Center. According to this document, 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:33.799 it says he cares for patients as a primary care 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:37.440 physician, studies how to use genetic information 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:39.720 to improve medical care for the past 10 years. 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:42.629 He has led the the Genome to Veterans Research 00:08:42.629 --> 00:08:44.970 Program, I'm going to get into that one, which 00:08:44.970 --> 00:08:47.269 looks at how genetic testing can help doctors 00:08:47.269 --> 00:08:50.409 choose safer, more effective treatments for individuals 00:08:50.409 --> 00:08:52.929 and provide a more accurate understanding of 00:08:52.929 --> 00:08:56.409 someone's disease, disease risk. Dr. Vassey also 00:08:56.409 --> 00:08:58.429 worked with patients in large studies like the 00:08:58.429 --> 00:09:01.250 Million Veteran Program, and is a lead researcher 00:09:01.250 --> 00:09:04.929 for the VA's All of Us research program. So without 00:09:04.929 --> 00:09:07.750 further ado, Dr. Vassey, welcome to Veterans 00:09:07.750 --> 00:09:10.059 Radio. Well, Dale, thanks so much. It's an honor 00:09:10.059 --> 00:09:11.759 to be here and get to talk to your audience about 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:15.440 some of the work we do. Well, I'm really excited 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:19.960 to talk to you because some of the chaos that's 00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:23.039 going on out there and misinformation is that 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:26.460 we want to make sure that the VA does keep getting 00:09:26.460 --> 00:09:29.179 their research funding because of all the wonderful 00:09:29.179 --> 00:09:32.659 things that they do. I know if you're up in the 00:09:32.659 --> 00:09:35.919 Boston area, I know that's a you know, a world 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:38.960 -class institution much like ours here in Ann 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:41.460 Arbor with its affiliation with the research 00:09:41.460 --> 00:09:45.039 that's done at the University of Michigan. So 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:47.899 yeah, so let me tell me what it is that you're 00:09:47.899 --> 00:09:49.940 up to up there. It sounds really interesting. 00:09:50.190 --> 00:09:53.690 Yeah, so in general, I wear two hats. One, I'm 00:09:53.690 --> 00:09:55.590 a primary care doctor for veterans. So I have 00:09:55.590 --> 00:09:58.909 a primary care clinic at the Jamaica Plain campus 00:09:58.909 --> 00:10:01.490 of the VA Boston Health Care System. So I see 00:10:01.490 --> 00:10:04.409 veterans in my primary care clinic there. But 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:06.690 as you mentioned, I'm also a researcher. And 00:10:06.690 --> 00:10:08.629 both of those hats kind of inform the other. 00:10:09.230 --> 00:10:11.470 So me taking care of patients on the front lines 00:10:11.470 --> 00:10:15.269 day to day informs the research I do. And then 00:10:15.269 --> 00:10:17.389 I think the research I do also then helps me 00:10:17.340 --> 00:10:19.299 bring some of that insight back into the clinic 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:21.399 and how I take care of veterans also. So it's 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:24.059 kind of a nice, it's kind of a hand in hand, 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:26.559 one informing the other. So it's a really privileged 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:32.700 place to be and very exciting too. The overall 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:35.080 theme of my research is we've heard a lot about 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:37.580 kind of the genetic revolution or the genomic 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:40.440 revolution. We've learned a lot about the human 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:43.379 genome over the last 20 years, but I think many 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:45.220 patients are still probably wondering when is 00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:48.029 that going to trickle down to the way my doctor 00:10:48.029 --> 00:10:51.450 takes care of me. When is that gonna, where does 00:10:51.450 --> 00:10:53.649 it make a difference in my healthcare? And when 00:10:53.649 --> 00:10:55.389 am I going to start seeing maybe some of the 00:10:55.389 --> 00:10:59.330 benefits of that? So I wear my kind of excited 00:10:59.330 --> 00:11:02.649 in genomics research hat, but also my really 00:11:02.649 --> 00:11:04.889 practical where the rubber meets the road primary 00:11:04.889 --> 00:11:07.570 care doctor hat to kind of figure out how do 00:11:07.570 --> 00:11:10.149 we design the studies to figure out where genetic 00:11:10.149 --> 00:11:13.049 testing is appropriate to actually improve outcomes 00:11:13.049 --> 00:11:15.110 specifically for veterans since that's where 00:11:15.110 --> 00:11:18.480 I work. And so I'm here today primarily to tell 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:20.779 you about a prostate cancer clinical trial that 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:23.500 we're doing, but I've, for the last 15 years, 00:11:23.539 --> 00:11:26.879 I've been working in this area of bringing genetics 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:29.639 or genomics where appropriate to primary care 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:31.960 and specifically the care of veterans. Could 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:34.899 you explain that a little bit to me, you know, 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:37.779 what the Genomes to Veterans Research Program 00:11:37.779 --> 00:11:40.679 is? Yes, that's the, it's essentially the team 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:44.379 I lead that, that conducts these studies that 00:11:44.379 --> 00:11:46.860 I've been in charge of. So one of them is the 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:49.440 progress study that we'll talk about. There have 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:53.000 been others. So there's been, I do some work 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:54.919 in the Million Veteran Program, which your audience 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:57.379 might be familiar with. And I'll tell you more 00:11:57.379 --> 00:11:59.259 about that because that has actually informed 00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:02.340 our prostate cancer study. I've also led clinical 00:12:02.340 --> 00:12:05.460 trials of pharmacogenetic testing. And so you 00:12:05.460 --> 00:12:07.889 might be able to guess from the name. Pharmaco 00:12:07.889 --> 00:12:10.669 is medication and genetics. So that means how 00:12:10.669 --> 00:12:14.629 does your body's own DNA influence how a particular 00:12:14.629 --> 00:12:17.970 drug might work or not work for you, which might 00:12:17.970 --> 00:12:19.730 be different from the general population based 00:12:19.730 --> 00:12:22.169 on your genetics. So I've led some clinical trials 00:12:22.169 --> 00:12:26.750 in that work, other types of screening studies 00:12:26.750 --> 00:12:29.090 for other genetic diseases, all of this with 00:12:29.090 --> 00:12:32.210 the theme of how do we take these ideas from 00:12:32.210 --> 00:12:35.389 very kind of cutting edge, but ivory tower, perhaps 00:12:35.389 --> 00:12:38.350 ideas and actually bring it to the real world 00:12:38.350 --> 00:12:41.529 of primary care. And so prostate cancer is just 00:12:41.529 --> 00:12:43.870 one of those examples, the Genomes to Veterans 00:12:43.870 --> 00:12:48.590 Research Program is my team of other scientists, 00:12:48.809 --> 00:12:51.990 research assistants, data analysts, project managers 00:12:51.990 --> 00:12:54.210 who helped me run these studies, all of them 00:12:54.210 --> 00:12:59.879 within the VA. Wow. Again, it's kind of I don't 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:02.179 think that the public and many of the veterans 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:04.899 out there probably aren't aware of all the research 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:08.000 that is going on in the various VA hospitals 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:11.659 across the country. Yeah. Well, and that's why 00:13:11.659 --> 00:13:13.799 I'm grateful for this opportunity today to come 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:15.519 to share with your audience about one study that 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:20.059 we're doing. But you're right. I think you might 00:13:20.059 --> 00:13:23.200 be aware that the VA just celebrated its 100th 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:26.669 year anniversary of its research program. phenomenal 00:13:26.669 --> 00:13:32.070 when you think about that 1925 is when VA began 00:13:32.070 --> 00:13:34.809 realizing we not only do we need to take care 00:13:34.809 --> 00:13:37.350 of veterans, but we are uniquely positioned to 00:13:37.350 --> 00:13:40.009 do the research to help take care of them better. 00:13:40.389 --> 00:13:43.490 So things like the nicotine patch, the first 00:13:43.490 --> 00:13:47.210 successful liver transplant, hundreds of other 00:13:47.210 --> 00:13:50.210 medical innovations occurred because of VA research 00:13:50.210 --> 00:13:54.090 actually in funded by VA done. VA research facilities 00:13:54.090 --> 00:13:58.309 by VA investigators. So it is, I don't know, 00:13:58.389 --> 00:14:01.110 I don't know if it's our kind of the US is best 00:14:01.110 --> 00:14:04.570 kept secret or not. But, you know, here, I'm 00:14:04.570 --> 00:14:05.990 here to get the word out at least about this 00:14:05.990 --> 00:14:08.470 one clinical trial that I'm leading. But I'm 00:14:08.470 --> 00:14:11.830 one of hundreds of others of investigators in 00:14:11.830 --> 00:14:15.129 the VA doing similar work. All right, let's let's 00:14:15.129 --> 00:14:18.330 get into your your latest research project then. 00:14:18.889 --> 00:14:23.690 Sure. Well, so Prostate cancer is a big concern 00:14:23.690 --> 00:14:28.190 for the VA. Prostate cancer is the most common 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:32.309 cancer among men. The prostate is a small organ. 00:14:32.750 --> 00:14:35.090 It doesn't really do much except just sit there 00:14:35.090 --> 00:14:38.450 under your bladder, but it is prone to developing 00:14:38.450 --> 00:14:43.210 cancer. There is kind of run -of -the -mill, 00:14:43.289 --> 00:14:46.129 low -grade prostate cancer that is very common 00:14:46.129 --> 00:14:49.809 and that we often say people will die with instead 00:14:49.809 --> 00:14:52.190 of die from because it's not serious, it doesn't 00:14:52.190 --> 00:14:54.409 spread, but if you looked at the cells under 00:14:54.409 --> 00:14:57.129 the microscope, technically they're cancer cells, 00:14:57.330 --> 00:14:59.929 but they can be very quiet and stay dormant for 00:14:59.929 --> 00:15:02.210 years. Then there's really aggressive prostate 00:15:02.210 --> 00:15:04.389 cancer that can spread really quickly to other 00:15:04.389 --> 00:15:07.549 parts of the body, cause a lot of pain, cause 00:15:07.549 --> 00:15:10.409 a lot of disability, and ultimately lead to death. 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:14.600 And right now, even in 2025, we don't have great 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:17.299 screening tests to be able to identify which 00:15:17.299 --> 00:15:20.299 men are at risk for going on to develop prostate 00:15:20.299 --> 00:15:23.159 cancer in the first place, let alone which men 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:27.679 are likely to go on to develop this high risk 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:30.480 kind of aggressive prostate cancer. So that's 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:32.740 different from other cancers that we screen for. 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:35.759 Colorectal cancer, for example, we know that 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:39.629 starting at age 45, Everyone should be screened 00:15:39.629 --> 00:15:41.909 for colorectal cancer either with a colonoscopy 00:15:41.909 --> 00:15:44.110 or with an annual blood stool test or another 00:15:44.110 --> 00:15:47.470 similar technology. We have pretty well -established 00:15:47.470 --> 00:15:51.029 guidelines for that. Similarly for breast cancer, 00:15:51.669 --> 00:15:54.370 annual or biannual mammograms we routinely recommend 00:15:54.370 --> 00:15:58.330 for women. Prostate cancer we don't have a great 00:15:58.330 --> 00:16:01.720 screening test for. We have the PSA blood test. 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:04.480 And so that's the most common, that is the test 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:07.259 we have to screen for it. But a lot of men who 00:16:07.259 --> 00:16:09.500 go on to develop prostate cancer might have normal 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:12.820 PSA values or a lot of men who don't have prostate 00:16:12.820 --> 00:16:15.980 cancer have a high PSA value in their blood. 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:18.919 And they end up going through unnecessary tests 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:21.940 and procedures, maybe even a prostate biopsy 00:16:21.940 --> 00:16:24.500 to show that no, they didn't in fact have cancer. 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.600 So we don't have great ways of identifying men 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:29.399 who are at high risk for prostate cancer, and 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:31.720 we don't have a great screening test for it. 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:36.159 So that's kind of the problem here in primary 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:38.720 care when we're talking to men about how to manage 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:43.259 their risk of prostate cancer. So as I said, 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:47.600 my interest is when we've invested a lot in the 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.019 last 20, 25 years in the Human Genome Project. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:54.470 So now we've learned a lot about the genetics 00:16:54.470 --> 00:16:58.149 of what makes an individual more or less at risk 00:16:58.149 --> 00:17:03.629 for prostate cancer. And so now we actually can 00:17:03.629 --> 00:17:06.829 put some of those even hundreds of genetic markers 00:17:06.829 --> 00:17:09.809 together to calculate a score, someone's genetic 00:17:09.809 --> 00:17:13.470 risk score for how likely or unlikely they are 00:17:13.470 --> 00:17:16.720 to develop prostate cancer in the future. and 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:20.359 the million veteran program, which is a landmark 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:22.960 achievement for VA research and has enrolled 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:27.980 1 million veterans plus across the country to 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:31.279 voluntarily donate DNA specimens, complete surveys, 00:17:31.900 --> 00:17:33.920 answer questions about their medical history. 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:36.980 Because of that, we now know a lot about the 00:17:36.980 --> 00:17:39.000 genetics of which men go on to get prostate cancer 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:42.160 and which ones don't. So it was time for a clinical 00:17:42.160 --> 00:17:45.180 trial to see, all right, what if we could take 00:17:45.180 --> 00:17:48.160 men who are eligible for prostate cancer screening 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:52.859 and prospectively, kind of proactively, give 00:17:52.859 --> 00:17:54.940 them their risk score. Tell them whether they're 00:17:54.940 --> 00:17:58.000 low risk, average risk, or high risk for developing 00:17:58.000 --> 00:17:59.759 prostate cancer. And maybe that will help them 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:02.200 and their doctors make more specific, tailored, 00:18:02.660 --> 00:18:06.220 personalized decisions about the right screening 00:18:06.220 --> 00:18:09.900 program for them. So hopefully what that And 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:12.079 so that's the clinical trial that's ongoing now. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:15.079 And the hope is that the men who are high risk 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:18.960 based on their genetic score get screening, get 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:22.299 it regularly, ideally identify cases of prostate 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:24.759 cancer early on so it can be treated before it 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:27.200 becomes aggressive. And then maybe the low risk 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:30.890 men on the other side of the spectrum. will, 00:18:31.329 --> 00:18:34.549 if they have one PSA value that's a little higher 00:18:34.549 --> 00:18:36.609 than normal, maybe take it with a little grain 00:18:36.609 --> 00:18:39.269 of salt, repeat it in a few months, see that 00:18:39.269 --> 00:18:41.369 it's normal, and they could actually avoid getting 00:18:41.369 --> 00:18:44.329 unnecessary biopsies. So really helping a more 00:18:44.329 --> 00:18:47.650 kind of moving from a one size fits all approach 00:18:47.650 --> 00:18:50.150 to hopefully a more personalized risk prediction 00:18:50.150 --> 00:18:54.769 for these for these men. Oh, I mean, that's, 00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:57.069 that's kind of interesting. So what, what are 00:18:57.069 --> 00:18:59.089 some of the markers that that you're looking 00:18:59.089 --> 00:19:04.769 for? So all of these markers are in a person's 00:19:04.769 --> 00:19:08.609 DNA. So our DNA is the genetic code of our body 00:19:08.609 --> 00:19:10.990 that tells our body how to make proteins and 00:19:10.990 --> 00:19:14.089 cells and how they all come together. And we 00:19:14.089 --> 00:19:17.769 now know that there are hundreds of markers, 00:19:18.130 --> 00:19:21.349 each of them associated with a very tiny increased 00:19:21.349 --> 00:19:23.950 risk of prostate cancer. But if you add them 00:19:23.950 --> 00:19:26.769 up, and in fact, the score that we're using in 00:19:26.769 --> 00:19:32.019 this study has has more than 600 different markers. 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:35.180 Each of these one markers alone doesn't say, 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:37.119 oh yes, you will for sure get prostate cancer 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:40.900 or not, but you can kind of add them up and essentially 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.460 put someone on a bell curve of risk based on 00:19:43.460 --> 00:19:48.180 these markers. So, and a lot of, you know, it's 00:19:48.180 --> 00:19:52.819 in many, many different genes across the genome. 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:57.299 Some of them we don't fully understand why. why 00:19:57.299 --> 00:19:59.460 they are associated with prostate cancer. But 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:02.319 we know that in big studies, when you look at 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:05.059 cohorts of millions of people, those who have 00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:07.380 prostate cancer are more likely to carry this 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:10.660 particular change than that one. And so we were 00:20:10.660 --> 00:20:12.759 able to add up a score like this. And as I mentioned, 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:15.299 we developed it in the Million Veteran Program, 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:21.480 but then partnered with other large studies that 00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:26.579 had biobanks of DNA and they knew who developed 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:28.779 prostate cancer in that group and who didn't 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:31.180 just to replicate the findings to make sure the 00:20:31.180 --> 00:20:33.859 score also predicted prostate cancer in those 00:20:33.859 --> 00:20:36.299 groups outside of the million veteran program. 00:20:36.619 --> 00:20:39.019 And the score works there too. So that gave us 00:20:39.019 --> 00:20:42.299 more confidence to move forward with this clinical 00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:47.599 trial that we're now enrolling. This stuff is 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:52.170 really interesting, obviously. To me and to any 00:20:52.170 --> 00:20:55.009 other male who happens to be listening out there 00:20:55.009 --> 00:20:57.829 is you know, what what are some of those markers? 00:20:58.210 --> 00:21:01.269 That that you were mentioning of the 600 that 00:21:01.269 --> 00:21:04.470 you know that our primary care First you have 00:21:04.470 --> 00:21:06.750 to you know, if we do our blood tests or PSA's 00:21:06.750 --> 00:21:11.130 and they go. Oh Okay, let's move on to this test. 00:21:11.390 --> 00:21:15.250 Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know as a primary care 00:21:15.250 --> 00:21:18.710 doctor myself I I make sure I design kind of 00:21:18.710 --> 00:21:21.589 the tests and the the information around them, 00:21:22.049 --> 00:21:23.789 where the primary care doctor doesn't need to 00:21:23.789 --> 00:21:28.029 remember 600 different markers to order. So the 00:21:28.029 --> 00:21:33.069 way this is, it's described as a single genetic 00:21:33.069 --> 00:21:35.890 risk score, and they order that single test. 00:21:36.329 --> 00:21:39.569 Turns out you can do a DNA test from blood, but 00:21:39.569 --> 00:21:41.910 you can also do a DNA test from saliva, which 00:21:41.910 --> 00:21:44.589 makes it a lot easier. So for this clinical trial, 00:21:45.049 --> 00:21:47.049 if veterans are interested, they can go online, 00:21:47.109 --> 00:21:49.930 learn more, and we can send them a saliva kit 00:21:49.930 --> 00:21:54.990 to spit in at home, and it mails it back to us 00:21:54.990 --> 00:21:58.230 in the lab. So the primary care doctor doesn't 00:21:58.230 --> 00:22:01.369 need to keep 600 different genetic markers in 00:22:01.369 --> 00:22:05.130 their heads and know which ones mean what. The 00:22:05.130 --> 00:22:08.670 end result is the report will be based on all 00:22:08.670 --> 00:22:11.930 those markers. Are you low risk? Are you average 00:22:11.930 --> 00:22:14.789 risk? Or are you high risk? And so it's like 00:22:14.789 --> 00:22:17.509 I said, it's not a crystal ball. It is an additional 00:22:17.509 --> 00:22:20.390 risk factor that you may or may not have been 00:22:20.390 --> 00:22:23.369 aware of before getting the test. And hopefully 00:22:23.369 --> 00:22:26.630 that allows, because right now the current recommendation 00:22:26.630 --> 00:22:32.829 by the national guideline writers and that the 00:22:32.829 --> 00:22:36.269 VA follows is every man should have an individualized 00:22:36.269 --> 00:22:39.369 decision with their doctor about whether screening 00:22:39.369 --> 00:22:42.809 is right for them. But that's pretty hard, right? 00:22:43.029 --> 00:22:45.230 You know, like, so they would, first of all, 00:22:45.390 --> 00:22:48.079 you know, That's an in -depth conversation. And 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:49.779 I don't know if you've been to your primary care 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:52.259 doctor lately, but they're pretty busy and they 00:22:52.259 --> 00:22:54.779 have a lot of other things. They have a lot of 00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:56.480 other things to talk about in a pretty short 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:59.799 visit. So having a real in -depth conversation 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.059 about the risks and benefits of prostate cancer 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:03.779 screening and whether it's right for you and 00:23:03.779 --> 00:23:07.119 really sussing out your risk factors, even though 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:09.059 it's what we should be doing, a lot of times 00:23:09.059 --> 00:23:11.299 that happens. A lot of times it gets kind of 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:14.200 short attention in an otherwise really busy primary 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:19.319 care visit. So this helps that conversation along 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:22.339 a little bit more. OK, you're at high risk. For 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:25.160 you, I recommend screening. I strongly recommend 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:29.140 it. It's a blood test called a PSA. Let's order 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:32.559 that today. And for the low risk individuals, 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:35.700 it could be, well, you know what? You're at low 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:39.589 risk. You've told me today that here are the 00:23:39.589 --> 00:23:41.589 other 10 things you wanna talk about. Let's talk 00:23:41.589 --> 00:23:43.529 about prostate cancer screening another time 00:23:43.529 --> 00:23:46.390 because it's safe to put that off until your 00:23:46.390 --> 00:23:50.069 next visit. But this is, it's not a crystal ball. 00:23:50.210 --> 00:23:52.150 It's not gonna say you for sure will, you for 00:23:52.150 --> 00:23:55.210 sure won't. But it's just, it's a more precise 00:23:55.210 --> 00:23:58.809 risk factor than we otherwise have in clinical 00:23:58.809 --> 00:24:01.829 care. But the PCP doesn't need to know all 600 00:24:01.829 --> 00:24:04.349 genetic markers. They can just order the test 00:24:04.349 --> 00:24:06.170 and they'll get a result that essentially says, 00:24:06.460 --> 00:24:10.680 high average or low risk. And then if they want 00:24:10.680 --> 00:24:13.460 to read kind of the fine print of how that was 00:24:13.460 --> 00:24:16.380 calculated, that's provided too. But the take 00:24:16.380 --> 00:24:18.559 home message is we try to make that very clear 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:22.500 about what that means. Dr. Vasi, I've got a question 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:26.099 being a nurse. And you just said something really 00:24:26.099 --> 00:24:29.019 critical for me that the physicians are really 00:24:29.019 --> 00:24:34.240 busy. And you are very in being in the VA system. 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:38.660 I know how extremely busy you are. So a part 00:24:38.660 --> 00:24:42.220 of your team, do you have a nurse or a clinical 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:46.799 nurse specialist or a PA that, you know, my husband 00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:50.240 is getting these results and you know, trust 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:52.460 me, when you go for a mammogram and you're waiting 00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:56.019 for the results, there is high tension, you know, 00:24:56.140 --> 00:24:59.900 and is there anything that... these men could 00:24:59.900 --> 00:25:02.700 do as they're going through the genomics and 00:25:02.700 --> 00:25:07.539 the studies. And we can't get to you to get reassured. 00:25:07.779 --> 00:25:10.539 Could I call in and ask to talk to a member of 00:25:10.539 --> 00:25:14.279 your team? Yeah, well, so the I should say the 00:25:14.279 --> 00:25:16.700 clinical trial that we're doing is still a research 00:25:16.700 --> 00:25:21.220 study. So absolutely not only so they can always 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:25.640 call me and my team, which not only has me, but 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:30.019 also has three genetic counselors. on staff who 00:25:30.019 --> 00:25:31.839 actually are the ones who deliver the results 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:35.240 when they get back. So we are including the primary 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:38.140 care teams. We're letting them know that their 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:40.759 patients are participating in this study, but 00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:43.200 we are doing, because it's a clinical trial, 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:46.559 we are taking care of ordering the test, giving 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:48.480 the results back to the patient and telling them 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:51.480 what it means, and then also providing that information 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:54.829 to the PCP. And then we're on standby if the 00:25:54.829 --> 00:25:56.829 PCP has follow -up questions for us about what 00:25:56.829 --> 00:26:01.809 that means. If this moves into more routine healthcare, 00:26:02.410 --> 00:26:04.490 I think we absolutely have to think about some 00:26:04.490 --> 00:26:08.029 of those kind of team -based models. Right now, 00:26:08.130 --> 00:26:11.549 a lot of the nurses I work with in primary care, 00:26:11.950 --> 00:26:14.109 they are having those first conversations. They're 00:26:14.109 --> 00:26:16.630 the ones who are ordering the fecal occult blood 00:26:16.630 --> 00:26:22.839 cards when they see that a person is due. As 00:26:22.839 --> 00:26:25.680 a part of this research, we're also doing some 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:28.339 interviews with primary care doctors and their 00:26:28.339 --> 00:26:31.359 nurses. And right now, they're all saying, I 00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:33.819 didn't learn anything about genetics in medical 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:35.839 school or in nursing school. I don't know how 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:39.299 to talk to my patients about this. I would need 00:26:39.299 --> 00:26:42.279 a lot of help. I'm not ready for this. So that's 00:26:42.279 --> 00:26:44.960 why we want to first do the clinical trial that 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:47.000 shows, does this actually work? Does this improve 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:49.240 outcomes? Does this actually help us identify 00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:52.650 high risk men? and get them appropriately screened. 00:26:52.730 --> 00:26:55.509 And if it does, then there's a lot of those implementation 00:26:55.509 --> 00:26:58.369 questions about how do we get doctors, patients, 00:26:58.650 --> 00:27:02.170 nurses, the whole team ready to bring this into 00:27:02.170 --> 00:27:07.210 routine care. That's excellent. And I'm sure 00:27:07.210 --> 00:27:10.500 you're... teaching the patients this and counseling 00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:13.940 them is the right word along the way. So I'm 00:27:13.940 --> 00:27:16.759 going to give you a question because it's really 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:18.940 pertinent when we get the calls at Legal Help 00:27:18.940 --> 00:27:22.880 for Veterans and Veterans say, okay, I'm in this 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:26.359 study, I'm doing this trial, could I apply for, 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:30.059 I have prostate cancer? And we're saying, okay, 00:27:30.299 --> 00:27:32.640 sure, we could put in a claim, we could help 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:38.369 you. But Then they sometimes say, well, you know, 00:27:38.450 --> 00:27:41.990 I've been I get a negative result, which is good. 00:27:42.589 --> 00:27:46.009 Do I still proceed with my claim? How would you 00:27:46.009 --> 00:27:49.490 encourage us out in the field to take care of 00:27:49.490 --> 00:27:53.200 these veterans? Should we? put in a claim because 00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:55.180 you never know what's going to happen down the 00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:57.960 line. And that's what I guess as the nurse in 00:27:57.960 --> 00:28:01.039 me, I would tell them, yes, let's file a claim. 00:28:01.400 --> 00:28:04.319 And then in a year, you've got a year to touch 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:08.579 it. If something else comes up, we've got an 00:28:08.579 --> 00:28:12.380 active claim and then we could proceed. So that's 00:28:12.380 --> 00:28:16.839 one question. So what is your advice? Well, so 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:19.359 if someone is diagnosed with prostate cancer, 00:28:19.710 --> 00:28:22.609 inside like in the setting of this clinical trial 00:28:22.609 --> 00:28:25.890 or outside it's prostate cancer so that and they 00:28:25.890 --> 00:28:28.289 should they should file the claim as they would 00:28:28.289 --> 00:28:30.210 whether or not they had participated in this 00:28:30.210 --> 00:28:35.130 research study so that's the um now if they got 00:28:35.130 --> 00:28:38.329 a if they if their genetics said they were at 00:28:38.329 --> 00:28:40.849 high risk for prostate cancer and they get a 00:28:40.849 --> 00:28:44.470 screening test it's normal they get a psa a year 00:28:44.470 --> 00:28:47.029 or two later that's normal then they don't have 00:28:47.029 --> 00:28:49.599 prostate cancer um but it might it might mean 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:52.420 that in the future they're at risk there they're 00:28:52.420 --> 00:28:55.759 still at risk for getting it um and so you wouldn't 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:58.680 file a claim for prostate cancer unless you actually 00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:00.640 have been diagnosed with prostate cancer you 00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:02.779 wouldn't file a claim for kind of being at risk 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:06.220 for it um you know we saw a lot of this we still 00:29:06.220 --> 00:29:08.359 see a lot of this with Agent Orange right but 00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:12.410 even even then for prostate cancer being a presumptive 00:29:12.410 --> 00:29:14.430 condition with Agent Orange, you still have to 00:29:14.430 --> 00:29:16.470 have the diagnosis of prostate cancer before 00:29:16.470 --> 00:29:18.589 you file that claim for prostate cancer, even 00:29:18.589 --> 00:29:22.039 if you've been exposed to Agent Orange. So my 00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:27.059 follow -up is a veteran has prostate cancer or 00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:30.259 lung cancer, whatever. They go in for the surgery 00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:33.859 and they've had, let's say there's follow -up 00:29:33.859 --> 00:29:38.880 or pre. I know a couple patients right now are 00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:41.619 having the radiation for a period of time. They 00:29:41.619 --> 00:29:44.200 do have prostate cancer. They're thinking the 00:29:44.200 --> 00:29:47.119 best way to treat it is do the radiation and 00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:50.140 then after the radiation, get another CAT scan. 00:29:50.190 --> 00:29:53.890 and then go immediately into chemotherapy. So 00:29:53.890 --> 00:29:57.750 with one, he's at the latter part of the chemo 00:29:57.750 --> 00:30:00.849 and they're seeing good results. Now a claim 00:30:00.849 --> 00:30:04.150 has been filed because he has prostate cancer, 00:30:04.430 --> 00:30:07.130 but then we've seen some that have had the prostrate 00:30:07.130 --> 00:30:10.869 removed. and then their claim is dropped from 00:30:10.869 --> 00:30:15.509 say 70 or 80 down to zero because they remove 00:30:15.509 --> 00:30:18.730 the prostrate. Do you have any advice for that? 00:30:18.750 --> 00:30:24.230 It doesn't make sense to me. Anytime patients 00:30:24.230 --> 00:30:26.410 start to ask me about the benefits and claims 00:30:26.410 --> 00:30:30.730 process, I have to... make sure I connect them 00:30:30.730 --> 00:30:35.289 with the experts because it's not me. The situation 00:30:35.289 --> 00:30:37.309 described does not make sense to me, but I don't 00:30:37.309 --> 00:30:39.829 know the particulars of that particular patient. 00:30:39.829 --> 00:30:42.150 Well, thank you so much because I wasn't putting 00:30:42.150 --> 00:30:44.890 you on the spot, but this is what we see and 00:30:44.890 --> 00:30:48.769 we go back and say, wait a minute. We're told 00:30:48.769 --> 00:30:52.029 that if I have breast cancer or lung cancer, 00:30:52.309 --> 00:30:55.849 you need a five -year window. So why are you 00:30:55.849 --> 00:30:59.339 taking away my benefits after a year and a half 00:30:59.339 --> 00:31:03.220 yeah i i do not know i don't i don't know the 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:06.660 details there that's a question we have to find 00:31:06.660 --> 00:31:10.420 another source i think on that one i've had some 00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:11.859 friends that have been done that we've been talking 00:31:11.859 --> 00:31:16.079 with dr jason vassey about the research he is 00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:19.059 doing into the genomes of prostate cancer and 00:31:19.059 --> 00:31:22.170 it's kind of really interesting to me how this 00:31:22.170 --> 00:31:25.190 thing is working and how it's going to work. 00:31:25.490 --> 00:31:29.269 And you mentioned a little bit ago about DNA 00:31:29.269 --> 00:31:32.130 testing. Yes. And that people could send you 00:31:32.130 --> 00:31:34.130 the samples. Could you tell us how we go about 00:31:34.130 --> 00:31:37.210 doing that? Sure. So the study that we've been 00:31:37.210 --> 00:31:42.319 talking about is called the PROGRESS trial. funded 00:31:42.319 --> 00:31:46.700 by the VA, and any veteran who is eligible for 00:31:46.700 --> 00:31:49.079 prostate cancer screening by our current guidelines 00:31:49.079 --> 00:31:52.160 is eligible for the study. So that currently 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:55.799 means between the ages of 55 and 69, because 00:31:55.799 --> 00:31:57.799 that's right now the patients that we usually 00:31:57.799 --> 00:32:00.400 talk to about prostate cancer screening, and 00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:02.779 you cannot have previously had prostate cancer. 00:32:02.970 --> 00:32:07.950 or a prostate biopsy. Or if you've had your prostate, 00:32:07.950 --> 00:32:12.710 having had your prostate taken out. But otherwise, 00:32:13.849 --> 00:32:16.509 veterans who receive VA healthcare between the 00:32:16.509 --> 00:32:20.470 ages of 55 and 69 are eligible. And they can 00:32:20.470 --> 00:32:23.490 go directly online to learn more about the study. 00:32:24.029 --> 00:32:29.609 And so that is at progress -study .org. So progress 00:32:29.609 --> 00:32:35.240 -study .org. And there they can read all about 00:32:35.240 --> 00:32:38.380 the study. There's a link to where this clinical 00:32:38.380 --> 00:32:41.079 trial is registered on clinicaltrials .gov, which 00:32:41.079 --> 00:32:44.819 is a requirement of clinical trials. There's 00:32:44.819 --> 00:32:48.000 the contact information for the VA IRB. So they 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:50.119 can call the IRB and make sure we're a legitimate 00:32:50.119 --> 00:32:53.079 study and that we're real and that we are authorized 00:32:53.079 --> 00:32:55.460 to do this. And then they can read more step 00:32:55.460 --> 00:32:57.680 by step about what the process is. And the process 00:32:57.680 --> 00:33:01.960 is very easy. through that website. If they're 00:33:01.960 --> 00:33:04.000 interested, there's a button that says, get started. 00:33:04.339 --> 00:33:05.880 And that's where they answer a little bit about 00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:08.279 their history to confirm that, no, they've never 00:33:08.279 --> 00:33:10.720 had prostate cancer or a biopsy and that they're 00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:13.640 interested and eligible. There's a way of signing 00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:17.480 an informed consent document there through the 00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:21.380 website. And then if the veteran decides to enroll, 00:33:21.960 --> 00:33:25.480 after completing a survey, we mail to their home 00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:30.200 address a saliva kit. So we have now successfully 00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:33.440 enrolled. Our goal is to enroll 5 ,000 veterans 00:33:33.440 --> 00:33:35.279 into this trial. We've already enrolled more 00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:38.700 than 1 ,600 from every state and three U .S. 00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:43.579 territories. So we really can come to you. And 00:33:43.579 --> 00:33:47.299 then it takes about a month for the laboratory 00:33:47.299 --> 00:33:51.500 to process those results. And then, as I said, 00:33:51.859 --> 00:33:56.380 essentially it is the... We give kind of the 00:33:56.380 --> 00:33:59.400 fine print nitty gritty details in some of the 00:33:59.400 --> 00:34:01.700 subsequent pages of the report, but the real 00:34:01.700 --> 00:34:03.859 headline on the first page of the report is, 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:06.880 are you low, medium or high risk for prostate 00:34:06.880 --> 00:34:10.420 cancer? And then what does that mean? And what 00:34:10.420 --> 00:34:12.340 are some talking points that you could take to 00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:15.500 your PCP about? And similarly, we have a version 00:34:15.500 --> 00:34:18.599 of that that we also then send on to the primary 00:34:18.599 --> 00:34:22.619 care provider themselves too. And then that is... 00:34:22.829 --> 00:34:27.010 So the trial does not require people to get MRIs 00:34:27.010 --> 00:34:29.949 or biopsies or surgeries or treatments or medications 00:34:29.949 --> 00:34:34.070 because then we just observe what the veteran 00:34:34.070 --> 00:34:36.170 and their healthcare providers decide to do that 00:34:36.170 --> 00:34:38.630 information over. On average, it's going to be 00:34:38.630 --> 00:34:42.630 about a five -year study. So we're not requiring 00:34:43.070 --> 00:34:45.409 If we tell you you're at high risk, you're not 00:34:45.409 --> 00:34:48.309 required to get prostate cancer screening. We 00:34:48.309 --> 00:34:50.269 hope that you and your doctor will have that 00:34:50.269 --> 00:34:52.389 discussion and maybe decide that you do want 00:34:52.389 --> 00:34:54.909 to proceed with prostate cancer screening, but 00:34:54.909 --> 00:34:57.429 it's not mandatory. And similarly, if we tell 00:34:57.429 --> 00:35:00.449 you you're at low risk and you say, I don't know, 00:35:00.570 --> 00:35:02.650 my neighbor had prostate cancer and I saw that 00:35:02.650 --> 00:35:04.570 it didn't go well for him, I definitely still 00:35:04.570 --> 00:35:06.849 want to get screened. you're allowed to do that 00:35:06.849 --> 00:35:11.889 also. But we do think that this risk information 00:35:11.889 --> 00:35:14.690 will help veterans make more tailored decisions 00:35:14.690 --> 00:35:16.710 based on their own circumstances and risk levels 00:35:16.710 --> 00:35:21.769 and preferences. Wow. This is just one example 00:35:21.769 --> 00:35:25.610 of what's going on at your local VA. Well, it's 00:35:25.610 --> 00:35:27.789 national. Yeah, and it's national. Yeah, we're 00:35:27.789 --> 00:35:29.809 a we're a Boston based team. But like I said, 00:35:30.449 --> 00:35:33.230 veterans across the country are eligible to participate 00:35:33.230 --> 00:35:35.610 in this and we can we can send out a kit to you. 00:35:35.769 --> 00:35:38.070 We can get this these results into your hands 00:35:38.070 --> 00:35:41.489 and into your primary care doctor's hands wherever 00:35:41.489 --> 00:35:44.190 you're getting care across the US. I think that's 00:35:44.190 --> 00:35:46.929 great. This is awesome what you're doing. And 00:35:46.929 --> 00:35:50.789 as I think we've said, numerous times, the VA 00:35:50.789 --> 00:35:55.510 has the greatest and the best research departments 00:35:55.510 --> 00:35:58.389 around the country, everything that you're, you 00:35:58.389 --> 00:36:01.369 know, you're analyzing and trying to diagnose 00:36:01.369 --> 00:36:04.269 and help our veterans, but you're also helping 00:36:04.269 --> 00:36:08.090 the normal citizen because when, when you get 00:36:08.090 --> 00:36:11.090 these findings and they're being published, you're 00:36:11.090 --> 00:36:14.349 helping other primary physicians and surgeons 00:36:14.349 --> 00:36:17.829 take care of our, our patients. And so does it 00:36:17.829 --> 00:36:20.900 matter? Well, Thank you for the great care our 00:36:20.900 --> 00:36:23.699 veterans are getting, but we're helping all Americans 00:36:23.699 --> 00:36:27.579 with some of these disease processes. So thank 00:36:27.579 --> 00:36:30.139 you very much for what you're doing. Well, it 00:36:30.139 --> 00:36:35.119 really is my privilege to be able to take care 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:38.139 of veterans and they help inform the research. 00:36:38.179 --> 00:36:40.039 And then the research I do helps me take better 00:36:40.039 --> 00:36:43.320 care of them. It really is just a privileged 00:36:43.320 --> 00:36:45.860 place to work. Um, well, you know, one other 00:36:45.860 --> 00:36:48.860 comment as a nurse, if you step back and if the 00:36:48.860 --> 00:36:52.239 audience could see you, I love the emblem on 00:36:52.239 --> 00:36:55.980 your chest that says, I care because most that's 00:36:55.980 --> 00:36:58.920 our mantra with nurses, you know, we go out there 00:36:58.920 --> 00:37:01.780 and as my husband would say, we're caring and 00:37:01.780 --> 00:37:04.920 sharing all the time. So I love that emblem you 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:08.139 have on. So I did, I know, I know the audience 00:37:08.139 --> 00:37:09.980 can't see me, but I did decide to wear some VA 00:37:09.980 --> 00:37:14.110 swag today for the energy. There you go. All 00:37:14.110 --> 00:37:17.090 right that website again is is progress study 00:37:17.090 --> 00:37:21.130 org Progress dash study. Yeah, there's there's 00:37:21.130 --> 00:37:24.150 a hyphen there dot. Okay. That's right Make sure 00:37:24.150 --> 00:37:26.369 that yeah, any of you that are in that age group. 00:37:26.369 --> 00:37:29.590 I'm too old But if you're in that age group, 00:37:30.050 --> 00:37:32.809 why not? Yep, and if you prefer if you prefer 00:37:32.809 --> 00:37:35.510 phone, we do have a toll free number So that's 00:37:35.510 --> 00:37:40.010 okay eight three three six zero seven five two 00:37:40.010 --> 00:37:43.469 eight one And that's also on the website, but 00:37:43.469 --> 00:37:50.150 that's 833 -607 -5281. Wow. Well, you know, this 00:37:50.150 --> 00:37:53.010 has been very, very informative, Dr. Vasian. 00:37:53.130 --> 00:37:55.610 I greatly appreciate you taking your time out 00:37:55.610 --> 00:37:57.530 of a Sunday afternoon to come on and talk to 00:37:57.530 --> 00:38:00.909 us. If you have anything in the future that you 00:38:00.909 --> 00:38:03.989 want to share with our audience, please let us 00:38:03.989 --> 00:38:05.929 know. We'd be more than happy to help out. This 00:38:05.929 --> 00:38:08.949 has been great. Well, absolutely. Yeah, my pleasure. 00:38:09.170 --> 00:38:11.030 Yeah. And keep up the good work you're doing 00:38:11.030 --> 00:38:13.769 too. Thank you. We'll get that word out together. 00:38:14.230 --> 00:38:16.769 All right. Take care, everyone. Thank you very 00:38:16.769 --> 00:38:19.909 much. Bye. We are going to take a quick break 00:38:19.909 --> 00:38:21.769 when we come back on we're going to be talking 00:38:21.769 --> 00:38:24.110 a little bit about what's going on in the world 00:38:24.110 --> 00:38:28.630 of VA benefits. So stick around. You're listening 00:38:28.630 --> 00:38:32.340 to Veterans Radio. The Medal of Honor is the 00:38:32.340 --> 00:38:34.519 highest award for valor in combat given a member 00:38:34.519 --> 00:38:36.719 of the Armed Forces of the United States. There 00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:39.659 had been over 3 ,400 recipients of the nation's 00:38:39.659 --> 00:38:42.900 highest award. This is one of them. P .S .E. 00:38:42.940 --> 00:38:45.840 Eugene Obregon pulled a fellow Marine to safety, 00:38:46.059 --> 00:38:48.380 then shielded his body with his own. Details 00:38:48.380 --> 00:38:53.800 after this. If you have a VA claim denied by 00:38:53.800 --> 00:38:55.780 the Board of Veterans' Appeals, contact Legal 00:38:55.780 --> 00:39:00.389 Help for Veterans at 1 -800 -693 -4800. They're 00:39:00.389 --> 00:39:02.530 experts in handling cases before the U .S. Court 00:39:02.530 --> 00:39:04.510 of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Their number 00:39:04.510 --> 00:39:09.130 again, 1 -800 -693 -4800. While serving as an 00:39:09.130 --> 00:39:11.070 ammunition carrier for machine gun squad that 00:39:11.070 --> 00:39:13.489 was temporarily pinned down by North Korean fire, 00:39:14.210 --> 00:39:16.710 Obregon observed a fellow Marine fall wounded. 00:39:17.349 --> 00:39:21.010 Armed only with a pistol, he unhesitatingly dashed 00:39:21.010 --> 00:39:23.010 from his covered position to the side of the 00:39:23.010 --> 00:39:26.050 casualty. Firing his pistol with one hand as 00:39:26.050 --> 00:39:28.789 he ran, he grabbed his comrade by the arm with 00:39:28.789 --> 00:39:31.059 the other hand, and dragged him to the side of 00:39:31.059 --> 00:39:34.960 the road. Still under enemy fire, he was bandaging 00:39:34.960 --> 00:39:37.579 the man's wounds when hostile troops of approximately 00:39:37.579 --> 00:39:40.780 platoon strength began advancing toward his position. 00:39:41.900 --> 00:39:43.980 Quickly seizing the wounded Marine's carbine, 00:39:44.280 --> 00:39:46.400 he placed his own body as a shield in front of 00:39:46.400 --> 00:39:49.260 him and lay there firing accurately and effectively 00:39:49.260 --> 00:39:52.059 into the hostile group until he himself was fatally 00:39:52.059 --> 00:39:55.860 wounded by enemy machine gun fire. Obregon enabled 00:39:55.860 --> 00:39:57.780 his fellow Marines to rescue the wounded man 00:39:57.960 --> 00:40:00.360 and aided essentially in repelling the attack. 00:40:00.679 --> 00:40:02.519 The Medal of Honor series is a production of 00:40:02.519 --> 00:40:06.219 Veterans Radio. Military veterans touch everyone's 00:40:06.219 --> 00:40:08.199 life. I'm guessing right now you're thinking 00:40:08.199 --> 00:40:12.039 of a veteran, a close friend, relative. Maybe 00:40:12.039 --> 00:40:14.780 it's you. Even the toughest of us sometimes need 00:40:14.780 --> 00:40:17.260 help but don't know where to turn for support. 00:40:17.800 --> 00:40:19.500 You don't need special training to help a veteran 00:40:19.500 --> 00:40:21.900 in your life. We can all help someone going through 00:40:21.900 --> 00:40:24.519 a difficult time. Learn how you can be there 00:40:24.519 --> 00:40:27.500 for veterans. Visit veteranscrisisline .net. 00:40:28.769 --> 00:40:31.309 VeteransCrisisLine .net, a message from the U 00:40:31.309 --> 00:40:38.389 .S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We're back 00:40:38.389 --> 00:40:41.250 here on Veterans Radio and joining me right now 00:40:41.250 --> 00:40:46.090 on the line is our benefits expert, retired Brigadier 00:40:46.090 --> 00:40:50.090 General Carol Ann Faustone, Air Force nurse, 00:40:51.269 --> 00:40:54.070 and now strongly affiliated with Legal Health 00:40:54.070 --> 00:40:58.139 for Veterans. Well, Carolyn, that was really 00:40:58.139 --> 00:41:01.360 interesting, I thought, to be able to finally 00:41:01.360 --> 00:41:07.019 talk to a researcher from the VA. I just think 00:41:07.019 --> 00:41:10.019 it's so important that our veteran community 00:41:10.019 --> 00:41:15.099 especially realize what's going on. That was 00:41:15.099 --> 00:41:17.380 excellent. I was so excited because, you know, 00:41:17.559 --> 00:41:22.920 this is what our monthly benefits program does. 00:41:23.239 --> 00:41:26.800 We try to get the word out there to our men and 00:41:26.800 --> 00:41:31.059 women who have served to talk about what is out 00:41:31.059 --> 00:41:33.960 there for their health care. And for me, once 00:41:33.960 --> 00:41:37.039 again, as a nurse, that was great to hear, you 00:41:37.039 --> 00:41:40.860 know, the team approach, trying to diagnose and 00:41:40.860 --> 00:41:44.739 get things. I didn't ask Dr. Vasi this, but I 00:41:44.739 --> 00:41:48.500 think their goal with the genetics, the DNA testing, 00:41:48.940 --> 00:41:53.010 doing all of this is to get it early enough so 00:41:53.010 --> 00:41:57.519 that you know you're you're not that high risk 00:41:57.519 --> 00:42:02.039 anymore. As we talked about friends, he's got 00:42:02.039 --> 00:42:05.039 a great prognosis because they caught it in stage 00:42:05.039 --> 00:42:09.079 one. They caught it so early. But when it gets 00:42:09.079 --> 00:42:13.960 to stage four and it's down the line, it's harder 00:42:13.960 --> 00:42:17.159 then to go through the radiation and then the 00:42:17.159 --> 00:42:23.329 chemo and to get a good outcome. when we hear 00:42:23.329 --> 00:42:26.610 things like this that are going on, it is great 00:42:26.610 --> 00:42:31.329 for our audience to share. I certainly agree 00:42:31.329 --> 00:42:34.349 with that, and I'm hoping that we get an opportunity 00:42:34.349 --> 00:42:38.170 to talk to Dr. Fassi in the future, find out 00:42:38.170 --> 00:42:40.530 more about, and maybe he can refer us to some 00:42:40.530 --> 00:42:43.289 other folks that we can get on. Just let people 00:42:43.289 --> 00:42:45.389 know what's going on. And I thought that your 00:42:45.389 --> 00:42:47.690 question was really interesting, since we're 00:42:47.690 --> 00:42:50.489 kind of in a short portion of the benefits thing. 00:42:50.969 --> 00:42:53.269 that if you do have prostate cancer, then you 00:42:53.269 --> 00:42:56.929 can get benefits. But as soon as they remove 00:42:56.929 --> 00:43:03.769 that, you're done. And the idea is that there's 00:43:03.769 --> 00:43:08.190 a five -year window on most cancers that I'm 00:43:08.190 --> 00:43:10.909 familiar with. So it doesn't seem to make any 00:43:10.909 --> 00:43:14.010 sense that they would just, no pun intended here, 00:43:14.889 --> 00:43:19.110 just stop. Just because it's not there anymore. 00:43:19.369 --> 00:43:23.050 We do see it for lung cancer, some of the breast 00:43:23.050 --> 00:43:26.190 cancers. Yes, you know, they remove part of the 00:43:26.190 --> 00:43:29.309 lobe, and then you're out there with radiation 00:43:29.309 --> 00:43:31.630 and chemo. And then they say, Okay, you're cured. 00:43:31.929 --> 00:43:35.289 Well, you haven't gone to that five year period. 00:43:35.349 --> 00:43:38.849 And, and to be honest, I know some women with 00:43:38.849 --> 00:43:41.469 breast cancer that have gone beyond the five 00:43:41.469 --> 00:43:44.760 year and guess what? comes back it comes back 00:43:44.760 --> 00:43:49.099 and so um when that happens for our veterans 00:43:49.099 --> 00:43:52.340 we tell them let us know because sometimes you 00:43:52.340 --> 00:43:55.739 get the letter before we do um and they said 00:43:55.739 --> 00:43:58.719 they're reducing us they're reducing mine from 00:43:58.719 --> 00:44:03.599 70 to nothing or 100 to nothing um but if we 00:44:03.599 --> 00:44:06.619 get those results quickly we hear from our veteran 00:44:06.619 --> 00:44:11.559 we put in and a stop reduction. Why are you doing 00:44:11.559 --> 00:44:15.320 this? So that you're not, you know, pulled out 00:44:15.320 --> 00:44:18.360 of the system. It's dramatic to go from 100 % 00:44:18.360 --> 00:44:22.519 to zero. Right. And, and speaking of that, you 00:44:22.519 --> 00:44:25.380 know, I don't know that we brought this up. But 00:44:25.380 --> 00:44:28.219 if you're being represented by whether legal 00:44:28.219 --> 00:44:31.039 help for veterans, a county counselor, a VSO, 00:44:31.239 --> 00:44:36.269 and you're going in for surgery for that Part 00:44:36.269 --> 00:44:38.889 of your claim that you have a disability. Let's 00:44:38.889 --> 00:44:43.409 say a 20 a 40 percent when you're going Under 00:44:43.409 --> 00:44:47.070 undergoing surgery and then the recovery period 00:44:47.070 --> 00:44:51.710 whether it's rehab Or just that convalescent 00:44:51.710 --> 00:44:54.909 period you should notify your representative 00:44:54.909 --> 00:44:58.750 Because there's forms we fill out and you then 00:44:58.750 --> 00:45:02.289 go to a hundred percent during surgery in your 00:45:02.289 --> 00:45:05.380 convalescent period And so then they could drop 00:45:05.380 --> 00:45:08.719 you back down, you know, knees is a good example. 00:45:09.679 --> 00:45:12.179 And then our veterans will say, well, why was 00:45:12.179 --> 00:45:14.780 I dropped? Well, this is the convalescent period, 00:45:14.940 --> 00:45:18.139 the surgery convalescence. And we explain that. 00:45:18.400 --> 00:45:22.280 But sometimes they believe you're cured and they 00:45:22.280 --> 00:45:26.400 will reduce you totally. So it's it's always 00:45:26.400 --> 00:45:28.659 and I'm not going to say it's going to happen 00:45:28.659 --> 00:45:32.579 in all the cases. But, you know, we're all individuals 00:45:32.579 --> 00:45:35.750 and It depends on the person that's reviewing 00:45:35.750 --> 00:45:39.929 our case. So you got to veterans communicate 00:45:39.929 --> 00:45:43.789 with your representative what's going on. And 00:45:43.789 --> 00:45:46.349 we try to keep our veterans really in tuned. 00:45:46.750 --> 00:45:48.869 Oh, we're going to apply you for convalescence 00:45:48.869 --> 00:45:53.650 or we're going to do this. But we got to stay 00:45:53.650 --> 00:45:57.230 in touch with one another. Yeah, I have heard 00:45:57.230 --> 00:46:02.250 that from many veteran friends who have had have 00:46:02.250 --> 00:46:04.909 had cancers that have been removed and so forth. 00:46:05.809 --> 00:46:08.710 And once they're diagnosed, evidently it jumps 00:46:08.710 --> 00:46:11.809 right up to 100%. And then as soon as it's gone, 00:46:12.210 --> 00:46:16.469 it comes back down to zero or can't go lower 00:46:16.469 --> 00:46:20.110 than zero, but it seems like they do. But I think 00:46:20.110 --> 00:46:21.909 they have to be aware of that. And I was not 00:46:21.909 --> 00:46:27.789 aware of the idea, if I had to have a... a knee 00:46:27.789 --> 00:46:29.909 replacement or a hip replacement or something 00:46:29.909 --> 00:46:32.809 that's caused as a service -connected disability, 00:46:33.750 --> 00:46:38.230 that they would bump that up temporarily while 00:46:38.230 --> 00:46:40.809 I'm going through the surgery and my rehab? Right. 00:46:41.030 --> 00:46:43.110 But you have to apply for it. It just doesn't 00:46:43.110 --> 00:46:45.250 happen automatically. It's just like anything. 00:46:45.610 --> 00:46:49.349 I can't read your mind. But if you don't apply 00:46:49.349 --> 00:46:52.510 for it, you know, if the veteran passes, the 00:46:52.510 --> 00:46:56.610 spouse has one year to get the substitute in. 00:46:56.730 --> 00:46:59.789 And that was what, you know, all the rumor that 00:46:59.789 --> 00:47:03.449 or the the saying when the veteran dies, your 00:47:03.449 --> 00:47:07.070 claim dies. Well, that's not true. If you handle 00:47:07.070 --> 00:47:10.699 it the right way. and you do the substitute within 00:47:10.699 --> 00:47:14.659 a year. So we found out find out a veteran dies. 00:47:15.760 --> 00:47:19.679 I had one in preparation this afternoon got a 00:47:19.679 --> 00:47:23.820 call from the daughter. And so, you know, so 00:47:23.820 --> 00:47:26.519 there's there's ways to keep the claim going. 00:47:26.820 --> 00:47:30.079 And that's what I would encourage. And if you 00:47:30.079 --> 00:47:34.599 don't know, just call your representative and 00:47:34.599 --> 00:47:39.260 try to find out what's going on. Wow, absolutely, 00:47:40.880 --> 00:47:46.179 absolutely. Is there anything new that you have 00:47:46.179 --> 00:47:50.179 heard on the benefits side of what's going on? 00:47:50.420 --> 00:47:55.500 I mean, is it taking longer? I don't think they've 00:47:55.500 --> 00:47:58.019 cut back on personnel yet, but it sounds like 00:47:58.019 --> 00:48:00.599 they're going to. Well, I think they're trying. 00:48:00.760 --> 00:48:05.199 I think I saw last week a note from the secretary. 00:48:05.559 --> 00:48:10.119 of the VA secretary Collins that they have reduced 00:48:10.119 --> 00:48:14.159 the amount of times in with claims development 00:48:14.159 --> 00:48:16.900 by like something like twenty six twenty seven 00:48:16.900 --> 00:48:20.639 percent. But please be excused there might be 00:48:20.639 --> 00:48:24.639 errors so we're being very cautious we're being 00:48:24.639 --> 00:48:28.639 very cautious when we get an answer to make sure 00:48:28.639 --> 00:48:32.570 that. everything equals equals one plus one equals 00:48:32.570 --> 00:48:39.150 two, not four. And that you got the proper award. 00:48:40.469 --> 00:48:43.590 Some things are being deferred. This is interesting 00:48:43.590 --> 00:48:45.670 because if you put in for two or three things, 00:48:46.130 --> 00:48:49.070 one might be deferred, but we don't want that 00:48:49.070 --> 00:48:54.849 deferred to get lost. And so we peg it for a 00:48:54.849 --> 00:48:58.809 certain period of time that we will go back and 00:48:59.019 --> 00:49:01.880 And say what happened to this part of the claim 00:49:01.880 --> 00:49:06.480 so you know there's there's many. I don't wanna 00:49:06.480 --> 00:49:10.780 say. tricks, but there are many things that we 00:49:10.780 --> 00:49:14.360 need to follow up on. We owe that to our veteran. 00:49:14.719 --> 00:49:17.519 And if the veteran has questions, we try to get 00:49:17.519 --> 00:49:22.579 them those answers. Good one, why did my disability 00:49:22.579 --> 00:49:26.539 rating drop in a certain area? Or when am I going 00:49:26.539 --> 00:49:29.639 to get an answer? But I would just say we're 00:49:29.639 --> 00:49:34.159 trying to be proactive and look at everything 00:49:34.159 --> 00:49:37.380 that comes in to make sure our questions got 00:49:37.380 --> 00:49:40.780 answered with your opinion that's being given 00:49:40.780 --> 00:49:43.900 to you. I think that's really important for people 00:49:43.900 --> 00:49:46.380 to realize, you know, we keep, we keep talking 00:49:46.380 --> 00:49:48.440 here, especially during our benefits program 00:49:48.440 --> 00:49:52.420 about keeping in touch with your agent, whether 00:49:52.420 --> 00:49:54.659 it's, you know, whether it's a legal help for 00:49:54.659 --> 00:49:57.699 veterans or it's a, your local VSOs, county, 00:49:58.360 --> 00:50:00.920 you know, facility, whatever it is, but you need 00:50:00.920 --> 00:50:03.960 to keep in touch with them, because there are 00:50:03.960 --> 00:50:06.539 changes going on. And there is some, you know, 00:50:06.539 --> 00:50:08.539 right now, there's a little confusion out there. 00:50:09.059 --> 00:50:12.340 And I think the comment that he made, you know, 00:50:12.400 --> 00:50:14.820 there may be mistakes is that maybe they're handling 00:50:14.820 --> 00:50:17.960 some of these claims a little bit too fast. And, 00:50:17.960 --> 00:50:21.199 you know, we have to go back and, you know, you, 00:50:21.639 --> 00:50:24.500 luckily, we have people like you out there that 00:50:24.500 --> 00:50:28.820 can go back and find out what happened. And that's 00:50:28.820 --> 00:50:31.900 so important, I think. Don't give up. Don't give 00:50:31.900 --> 00:50:37.099 up. But another area that we're seeing, it's 00:50:37.099 --> 00:50:40.519 interesting, an increased process of what's happening 00:50:40.519 --> 00:50:46.139 with exams, okay? So the other day, we send you 00:50:46.139 --> 00:50:48.420 in for exam, I'll just use a simple one, your 00:50:48.420 --> 00:50:51.179 knees. So you're going in for your knees, you 00:50:51.179 --> 00:50:55.000 would expect to see an orthopedic, surgeon, an 00:50:55.000 --> 00:50:56.920 area like that that's going to evaluate your 00:50:56.920 --> 00:51:01.460 needs. So we get a response that it was reviewed 00:51:01.460 --> 00:51:04.900 by a primary care physician. And we're scratching 00:51:04.900 --> 00:51:10.679 our head to say, wait a minute. So it was the 00:51:10.679 --> 00:51:13.360 veteran who called us and said, I went in the 00:51:13.360 --> 00:51:18.360 room. I was maybe there five minutes. It didn't 00:51:18.360 --> 00:51:21.860 seem like what I answered. You know, I have pain, 00:51:22.280 --> 00:51:26.440 I can hardly walk. Walk for me and okay, we're 00:51:26.440 --> 00:51:30.179 done. And you know, is that an adequate exam? 00:51:30.340 --> 00:51:34.579 And so now, I'm glad they reported it to us. 00:51:35.739 --> 00:51:38.639 You make a few calls, but then we wait for the 00:51:38.639 --> 00:51:42.739 decision. So if the decision comes back, well, 00:51:42.800 --> 00:51:46.619 we denied your knees, then it's our responsibility 00:51:46.619 --> 00:51:50.309 to look and see. Okay, was it the appropriate 00:51:50.309 --> 00:51:54.929 physician or provider that examined that case? 00:51:55.210 --> 00:51:58.570 And so now we're going back and saying we need 00:51:58.570 --> 00:52:01.889 another exam because we don't think this was 00:52:01.889 --> 00:52:05.730 the proper way to do it. So is that time consuming? 00:52:06.289 --> 00:52:10.579 Yes. Dale, we all have the recipe, who's supposed 00:52:10.579 --> 00:52:13.739 to examine what part of your body's when you're 00:52:13.739 --> 00:52:17.380 going in. And I think those are some of the things 00:52:17.380 --> 00:52:20.079 that are a little frustrating. If you know you're 00:52:20.079 --> 00:52:23.260 supposed to have an oncologist, maybe to review 00:52:23.260 --> 00:52:27.139 some of the cancers, or a pulmonologist, we were 00:52:27.139 --> 00:52:30.820 talking lung earlier, then I don't think a primary 00:52:30.820 --> 00:52:34.340 care physician is going to be able to tell the 00:52:34.340 --> 00:52:38.690 correct story. We're watching some of the stuff. 00:52:39.010 --> 00:52:41.050 And I saw the quote the other day that I think 00:52:41.050 --> 00:52:45.090 we all know. Let's do it right the first time. 00:52:45.590 --> 00:52:49.150 And I think that's where it gets into some frustration 00:52:49.150 --> 00:52:52.190 for our veterans. Yeah. What a concept. Get it 00:52:52.190 --> 00:52:57.610 right the first time. We keep working on it. 00:52:57.769 --> 00:53:01.630 We keep working on it. We're not giving up. We 00:53:01.630 --> 00:53:04.610 greatly appreciate the effort that your organization 00:53:04.610 --> 00:53:07.690 and so many of these VSOs across the country 00:53:07.690 --> 00:53:10.449 are are doing the same thing they're really dedicated 00:53:10.449 --> 00:53:12.909 to what they are doing and so we want to make 00:53:12.909 --> 00:53:16.309 sure that um you know talk to your VSO out there 00:53:16.309 --> 00:53:19.789 if you have a question give them a call that's 00:53:19.789 --> 00:53:22.769 what they're there for to VSOs county counselors 00:53:23.239 --> 00:53:26.539 My colleague wasn't able to be here today from 00:53:26.539 --> 00:53:30.260 Washtenaw County, but that's a great organization 00:53:30.260 --> 00:53:33.880 to call. And Dave is always there to help the 00:53:33.880 --> 00:53:39.150 veterans in the Washtenaw area. So great. We 00:53:39.150 --> 00:53:41.170 got a minute to go. And thank you very much, 00:53:41.309 --> 00:53:43.469 Carol Anne, for being on the program today. Thank 00:53:43.469 --> 00:53:45.369 you, Dan. And I hope it was most informative 00:53:45.369 --> 00:53:47.429 to you out there as an audience. I wanted to 00:53:47.429 --> 00:53:49.949 just remind people that next week's program, 00:53:50.170 --> 00:53:52.630 Jim Falzone is a host. He's going to be talking 00:53:52.630 --> 00:53:56.670 to a United States Navy vet, David Brown, about 00:53:56.670 --> 00:53:58.889 going through the BUDS program and the Navy Seal. 00:53:59.010 --> 00:54:02.659 I think that's going to be cool. And also, Air 00:54:02.659 --> 00:54:05.320 Force veteran MD with that was at the Pentagon 00:54:05.320 --> 00:54:08.280 in 9 -11. These are two great stories I encourage 00:54:08.280 --> 00:54:11.400 you to tune in next week every Sunday or if you 00:54:11.400 --> 00:54:14.400 listen to us in a podcast You're going to be 00:54:14.400 --> 00:54:18.239 finding it there every week. So I'm really interested 00:54:18.239 --> 00:54:21.500 in hearing Jim's stories and I get to go out 00:54:21.500 --> 00:54:24.360 West next week for the weekend I'm going to California 00:54:24.360 --> 00:54:27.860 for my brother -in -law's 90th birthday So we 00:54:27.860 --> 00:54:30.760 got 10 seconds to go. So next week, tune in. 00:54:30.820 --> 00:54:32.980 Until then, this is Dale Thromery for all of 00:54:32.980 --> 00:54:36.139 us here at Veterans Radio, and you are dismissed. 00:54:57.480 --> 00:55:03.659 and guide her through the night with a light 00:55:03.659 --> 00:55:11.719 from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, 00:55:12.639 --> 00:55:22.900 to the oceans, white with foam. God bless America, 00:55:24.139 --> 00:55:37.420 my home sweet. Oh God bless America, my home.