ColoVet,
If this is affecting you or people you know - have them contact their senators and representatives and tell their story and how their pain is real and especially if they have tests & updated diagnoses to prove it.

I Googled "VAMC decided to wean vets off their pain meds"

there is also a flip side like this article - sad but probably true....
[Veterans were being given morphine, OxyContin and similar narcotics with a high potential for addiction -- often two, three or more such drugs in large doses -- for months, even years, on end, she says. Time after time, when she checked patients' charts, Gray could find no up-to-date diagnosis or lab results that would justify such treatment. ]
http://www.military.com/news/article...ibed-meds.html


This is interesting-
[Joint Commission Pain Standards

Patient’s right to pain control
Thorough assessment
Effective pain management
Patient rehabilitation
Staff education
Patient and family education
Quality improvement—“fifth vital sign”]
here- http://www.hadit.com/forums/index.ph...tanyl-cut-off/