According to the Insurance Journal, veteran's medical malpractice is rising as more and more soldiers seek medical care and get less than satisfactory results. Last year alone, the U.S. government made more than 400 payments to resolve VA malpractice claims throughout the United States. One of the victims of a medical malpractice mistake was a man with the initials C.E., who went to a veteran's medical center in Philadelphia to get teeth pulled in 2007. The somewhat common procedure went wrong, and the individual was permanent incapacitated.

The $1.75 million settlement is only one of many, according to agency records. Last year, the total cost for resolving VA medical malpractice claims came to $91.7 million. This is the highest sum in at least 12 years. The cases against the VA are concerning a wide variety of situations. Some claim that they have received delayed treatment or were the victims of a mis-diagnosis. Others say that they had procedures performed on the wrong body parts.

Some U.S. lawmakers and veteran's advocates claim that there are deep flaws in the agency's health-care system. The rapid rise in malpractice judgments against the Veteran's Administration mirrors a pattern of preventable veteran deaths and other safety issues at hospitals serving the same patients. The chairman of the House veteran's committee claims that what's missing from these hospitals and doctor's offices isn't money or manpower, but accountability.

The House committee recently scheduled a hearing in Pittsburgh to learn more about a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in one VA hospital that resulted in at least five veteran deaths. Part of the reason for the rise in VA medical malpractice claims is the fact that more veterans are taken advantage of CA medical care. Some are asking for more complicated treatments then were previously used. Advanced medical technology has allowed some veteran's to survive battlefield injuries that would have caused death in previous wars, and need constant treatment for these wounds.

Also, many of the veterans that are now seeking medical attention are younger. These younger veterans often get larger payments if something goes wrong due to the fact that they will suffer the consequences of the mistake for a long amount of time. According to the Insurance Journal, the median age range of veterans who served after September 11^th, 2001 was 25 to 34. The veterans who served in the Korean War, Vietnam War, and World War II were all over 65 when they were considered veterans.

Often medical malpractice claims are decided based on the "years of damages" that will be suffered. This means that if an 80 year old has a life expectancy of 85, and suffers accidental paralysis at the hands of a doctor, he will probably receive five years' worth of damages. If a 20 year old suffers the same medical error, then he will be entitled to 65 years of damages.

The VA has 152 hospitals and about 19,000 work specifically with veterans throughout the United States. Last year alone the VA attended to about 5.6 million veterans. This is a 32% increase since 2002. Most of the mistakes are because of poor oversight. Not all veteran's medical malpractice claims actually get paid. In fact, many legitimate claims are ignored because the veteran fails to fill out paperwork correctly or because of another complication.

A lot of lawyers don't understand how to best sue the VA in a way that is thorough and covers all bases so that a veteran can get a settlement. If you are looking for a medical malpractice lawyer who can work with you and get you a VA medical malpractice case that you want, then talk to an attorney today for more information.