RE: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,177212,00.html

My experience with the VA was very Frustrating. I found after 1995 the VA Health care and Claims had improved down here in San Diego. Although the past 30 years I've become a professional individual in getting things done threw the VA nest of bureaucracies and I have helped many Vets obtain full Medical care and there 100% compensation including State Disability and Social Security. Now for you Guys and Gals that have or about to enter separation I believe your confidence will get you threw this as you read on. First of all you are untitled to your benefits so if you want them you have to go balls out and put in 100% and if you think the system is just going threw it's motion and you'll be all right. forget it your just spinning your wheels. The VA wither it's the hospital or the administration does not belong to anyone that is connected to it. The VA Belongs to You! It's yours! With that approach in mind go get your Benefits I mean ever thing and go for the 100% compensation or a pension "the Works!" Start Now! Fill out those forms including Social Security & State Disability. See a Service Officer 1st floor at the VA hospital and stay away from the DAV!
Go to the Royal Order of the Purple Hart those people are on the Ball. You. Call the VA yourself every couple of months and see what your claims status is.

Keep your patients, presidents,and start researching the system. Talk to other Vets Ask questions be proactive. Find out what the hells going on! Now about Your VA hospital. observe the system and how it works and start working it. I mean stick with the program. Your health and wellness is the most valuable Thing you will ever have! It took me over a year before I started receiving payments but at least by that time everyone knew who I was. Go ahead and email me jackthrt3@san.rr.com if you have any questions I'll call you and we will work it threw. Hold off contacting any Senators or Congressman until you have exhausted all your resorces...................Now. Welcome Home We all love You.

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From above, it is Military not Royal, and the individual person is whom you need to seek, not just the organization. Find a veterans service officer who will provide the services you need. Being elgible for VA healthcare is not always a cut and dried set of facts. VSO's usually are up on the facts.

Simply find a good veterans service officer and follow their advice.

Shredding Our Trust in the VA
Larry Scott | October 13, 2008
Many veterans who have filed disability claims with the Veterans' Benefits Administration (VBA) of the Department of Veterans' Affair (VA) will relate horror stories of misdated, misfiled or lost documents all leading to delays in processing or an outright denial of the claim. The mantra for veterans dealing with the VBA has become: "Delay, Deny and Hope that I Die."

It has been assumed by many veterans, their Service Officers who help file claims and attorneys who specialize in veterans' law that the VBA operates in such a way as to deliberately stall or hinder the claim process with the goal of frustrating the veteran to the point where they just forget about the claim and go away. This isn't some grand plan to purposely hurt veterans, but rather a combination of ignorance, arrogance, incredibly bad management and non-existent oversight. While this viewpoint has been labeled cynical by some and outright paranoid by others, new information is surfacing that shows the cynics, and even the paranoids, to be correct.

What We Know

The VA's Office of Inspector General (VAOIG) has been conducting audits, or investigations, of a number of VA Regional Offices (VAROs). There are over 50 VAROs around the country, each set up to handle the claims of veterans in a particular geographical area.

The latest series of VAOIG investigations centers on charges that VARO administrators and employees deliberately falsified "timeliness" statistics sent to the VA's Central Office (VACO). This would be information that shows when a claim was received and how, with a documented timeline including date/time stamps, it moved through the process.

The first heads have begun to roll in this investigation. During the week of October 6, 2008, four employees at the New York VARO, including the Director, were placed on administrative leave. More accurately, they were removed from their positions awaiting the outcome of the investigation. Sources close to this investigation say that those removed, and others, were found to have been fudging the "timeliness" figures. And, there are allegations that documents, including paperwork essential to the claim process had been destroyed.

Another VARO under investigation is Detroit. On September 5, 2008, VARO employees were called to a meeting with the main topic being their poor performance levels. They were told that the Director had been called to Washington to answer questions regarding the poor performance.

At that meeting, VARO officials announced an "amnesty period" for anyone who had old claims at their desk or stashed in other places around the office, a direct procedural violation. Employees were told to turn in paperwork so they could try to get the "timeliness" numbers up. Officials also stated that a VAOIG team would be coming shortly to inspect the VARO and urged all employees "to be prepared."

By mid-September the VAOIG team had arrived at the Detroit VARO. What they found staggers the imagination. VAOIG discovered hundreds of claims, documents critical to claims and other valuable information in the shredder bins. Those bins were removed from the shredder area and the documents were screened by upper management.

It is unclear if the VAOIG team actually "seized" any of the documents in the shredder bins. What we do know is that after the VAOIG investigators left the Detroit VARO, management continued to find more critical documents in shredder bins. A meeting was called and the Director told employees that it was known who had thrown out the documents and that they would be fired. The "amnesty period" for turning in mail kept at employee's desks was extended in the hope of turning up all "lost" claim documentation.

On October 2, 2008, the Detroit VARO Director began a "no record mail" program. This was meant to find all mail in the offices for which there, literally, was no record. Quoting from an employee directly involved in this process: "…discovered in the thousands of pieces of ‘no record mail' we found original applications, medical evidence for veterans' claims that had not been included in the decisions, informal claims (that likely could affect original dates of claims), and other relevant identifiable mail items."

On October 7, 2008, quoting again from the VA employee, "…the Director, Service Center Manager and other top management ransacked our work areas in search of mail that was being stored/stashed at individual's desks. They sent some individuals home, and the others were told to wait in the break room until the end of their shift. I can't attest to what they found in the work areas, but individuals were pulled aside and questioned."

Then, on October 9, 2008, quoting again, "During a training session the Director…stated that other regional offices have already placed numerous supervisors on administrative leave in regards to ‘cheating' on their numbers, and that with as poor as our station numbers [are]…at least we aren't cheating on our numbers, or at least not cheating well."

So, what is being done in the Detroit VARO to put an end to this mess? Not much. The VA employee adds with a noticeable sadness, "…They don't seem to have any answers yet. They have juggled the supervisory staff around to different departments for some reason, and have been telling us to stand by for further training on our job functions. There are still items of mail at my desk currently that I have been told to hold on station since they don't know the disposition of these types of mail yet [and]…they keep finding new piles of mail that date back to March of 2008 [and further] that's had no action taken on it."

What We Don't Know

At this time, we don't know how many VAROs have been caught up in this investigation or if the VAOIG teams just went out to "sample" some VAROs and hit pay dirt in New York and Detroit.

We also don't know what VACO is going to do about this. A highly-placed VACO official, when told that this information was going public, gulped, paused, and said, "I can't talk about that." And, one of the VAOIG investigators who was at the Detroit VARO will not return phone calls on this matter.

The worst part is, we don't know if any documents were actually shredded. By its very nature, shredding would eliminate the evidence of what was shredded. We may never know unless a VA employee comes forward and says that they did it or saw it done.

CYA Time

We will have to wait for the VAOIG reports before we can get a handle on how widespread this problem of "timeliness" is. Is this happening at all 50+ VAROs? A number of former VA employees have said that they believe the "timeliness" issue exists in all VAROs. They are of the opinion that there is widespread abuse of documents as they come in to the VARO. No one felt that any VARO Director would actually tell employees to hide or destroy documents, but the general feeling is that this is "winked at" and a standard way of handling the paperwork crunch at the VAROs.

Several former VA employees have postulated about how the VAOIG reports will turn out. They feel that the VA will claim that any hiding or destruction of documents was done at the lowest possible level and without the consent or knowledge of anyone above that person's grade, then make promises that it will never happen again. A former VA attorney decided that it is impossible for such "widespread abuse to occur" without knowledge of its existence at all levels of the VARO.

We can expect statements of outrage from VA Secretary James Peake. We can expect hearings from the politicians on Capitol Hill. But, what will this really accomplish? Will any of this change the way the VAROs operate? Don't count on it.

Shredding Our Trust

Although it is not clear at this time whether any documents related to a disability claim were shredded at any VARO, it is safe to assume that they weren't sitting in a shredder bin waiting to be processed by a claims representative. What has been shredded is veterans' trust in the VA.

By deliberately hiding vital documents and delaying claims, the VBA has lived up to its reputation and to the slogan so many disgruntled vets hate to say but know is true: "Delay, Deny and Hope that I Die."

VA executives are fond of touting their agency as "non-adversarial" when it comes to the disability claim process. Prior to his confirmation as VA Secretary, Dr. James Peake promised the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs that he would "do the right thing" for veterans. It appears he missed the mark.

The VA's biggest fear is that the VAOIG investigations will open the doors to, perhaps, tens of thousands of re-filed claims from every veteran, Service Officer and attorney who has had a claim or appeal timed-out because their paperwork was "not received in a timely manner." While that would add to the huge backlog of claims facing the VBA at this time, it may be the only solution.

The VBA has shredded veterans' trust in the disability claim process. It's time for them to re-earn that trust.
-end-

For several decades the situation has been similar and veterans have been told this over and over. It is simply the big organization guys just buy whatever they are told by the 'good ole boys' as I have stated many times. Thus quite often being scorned more than not, for saying what I know to be the truth.
Some of you should remember, a few years ago VA employees being fired and then proscecuted for destroying evidence in Claims Folders. Ahhh short memories indeed.
I am so glad Larry Scott has managed to get the forum to advise veterans of what is going on. I just pray this time people listen!

I can say this article speaks the truth. I worked at VA Regional office and files are miss-stamped. I would see files sit around for weeks. I processed those files one day when the other person was off and I was told by others to slow down and pace myself. Additionally, I saw files date stamped with incorrect dates so to appear timelines were being met. I no longer work for the VBA, I left because of the work environment.

I don't even know where to start but here goes,it has been seven years that i have been trying to get help from the VA and it has been a battle, loss of my records absolutely true that happen more than three times to me, trying to get information on my case impossible, trying to get someone to help me next to impossible even Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson was not able to make a difference and now i am 65 years old and still suffer from all my aliments and yes i probably will die before anything is resolved. I voluntered to go to Vietnam and if asked again i would do it in a heartbeat, to bad our government is full of wortless afraid to make a decisson with all the facts right in front of ther faces but either lost or ignored facts.

Whoever gets elected today has PROMISED to do\
something about the VA. As a disabled, retired
VA employee and disabled vet I can tell you what MUST be done because I have seen it up front and personal. Clean the VA out from the bottom up, the Administration, based on my observations is loaded with ARROGANCE, AVARICE,
GREED and a COMPLETE disconnect from Management to the little people who make the operation function. High salaries, BONUSES, abuse of the use of volunteers and a complete disregard of what is good for the vet, his family and their
employees, add to the mix a factor of human nature Management playing around with female
subordinates and you have a recipe for disaster.
If you would like to join me in fighting to end BONUSES to these malcontents please contact me
at Ronbocop55@msn.com or 352-750-4765 and we'll
put a group together.
Ron Ouellette aka Ronbo

My situation is similiar because it involves the timeliness and effectiveness from DVA. It has been over four (4) yrs since my involvement (October 22,2004) with them (DVA). Its November 2008, the last letter I received was early 2006 quote: we are still working on your inquirey, and will reply later, you do not need to reply to this letter (or similar wording). Their unproffessional ability to communicate has cause my Credit Scores to fall in disgrace. It shows my Medical Bills were sent to the Collection agencies.

I wrote to my Congressman, he in turn contacted someone in charge in Washington. Washington in charge, sends a letter directly to whos in charge of making the decision DVA office at my location. In turn,its a merry go around. DVA (my location)writes to Washington in Charge, who replys to my Congressman. My Congressman writes saying, theres nothing he can do. Because the VA Hospital was available I had gone to a General Public Hospital instead. Its true but, I don't believe my Congressman was told the reason why I did this. And, I still cannot understand why the DVA at my location is rejecting this claim. pay this overdue Medical Bill. The Collection agency has and Credit Score disaster.

In 1999 the VA rated me 100% disabilty for PTSB and unemployable. over 12yrs as a Lawman couldn't handle the stresses.
2002 moved from Paradise to the Deserts AZ. On Oct 22, 2204, I awoke around 4am and I couldn't situp on the edge of the bed. The left side of my body felt paralysis,had a stroke,My wife drove to the emergency hospital, they scanned my brain,prognosis with bleeding in my brain. Hospital not setup for brain surgery, medevac by helo to another hospital 170 miles away. My wife also inform the billing department that, I was 100% VA disable, she always went to the VA Clinic and inform them.

Theres two VA hospital in this state. My wife notified the VA hospital that, I normally go for treatments. This VA hospital#1 paid all of the medical bills. VA hospital#2 would not pay whatever exsisting medical payments. This where all the problems I have, is related to the DVA office at this VA hospital#2.

Theres is only one reason why the DVA, VA hospital#2 will not pay any of the Medical Bills. Its because VA Quote: The VA hospital was available and I did not utilize this option. That is the main factor of their denial.

They no do Evaluate the Situation I had Stroke, bleeding in the brain, possible surgery. So instead of my wife driving me to the EmergencyRoom Hospital. She is to drive me to the VA Hospital 170 miles away. Best she drive directly to the VA hospital Morgue, if that is the case.

VA hospital#1 could not comment only that both VA hospital have different policy or rules.

I wrote this letter, because theirs nobody can strraighten this out.The DVA in hosp#2 has denied my claim, its in LIMBO for years. and the DAV, wheres this hearing I'm suppose to go to..another LIMBO..

Ole saying in the Marine Corps: Go, see the Chaplin...

I have dealt with the VA since 1967. First, as a veteran requiring treatment; second, as a veteran's claim representative.

It is my opinion the VA medical claims and delivery system is obsolete, obstructive, abusive and, counterproductive to the goal of providing competent, timely medical care to veterans. The inherent delays inescapable in a system moribund with tons of paperwork serve to increase veterans' suffering. Many times causing irreversible injury and damage because of delayed treatment and incorrect diagnoses.

Apart from a couple of research and teaching facilities concentrating on injuries and diseases unique to the combat experience, there is no justification for the continuation of the Veterans Administration as it is now constituted. None. When a specialist is required, the veteran is most often referred to a civilian doctor or, suffers an agonizing delay many times months, while awaiting an appointment with a VA "specialist" who is inevitably out of touch with the case and many times medically incompetent. The civilian doctor option is by far the most beneficial outcome - if he can keep the VA at a distance.

I urge every veteran to begin the drumbeat "DELETE VA WITHOUT DELAY" Models for federally funded delivery of medical care in the veteran's home town by his family doctor already exist. Follow the example. By ridding the system of the hacks, coffee-doughnut hounds, and obsolete, expensive buildings remote from the veteran in every sense, many more dollars will be available to treatment without a budget increase. Care will be better and more available and, most importantly, more immediate!

I can think of no valid reason to continue the VA's torturous existence.

DELETE THE VA WITHOUT DELAY, DELETE THE VA WITHOUT DELAY

To make off like the VA is just "incompetant, ignorant, with bad managers" is ridiculous. No where in the US is this allowed to happen, except at the VA. The VA has no respect for anyone. They must drop ALL restrictions on the amount of time a veteran has to file a claim or appeal. The Court of Veterans Appeals must resign to avoid being the farce that the VA is making of the claims process.

Well 1 When You Go To Your Appointments Make Sure VERY Sure Your PaperWork is In Order What You Talked About With Your Doctors Nurse Etc..When You Go To Release Of Information And Its Not Its Your Right To Go Back To where Ever You was And Make It Right And LAW Too If They Dont Want To Fix As They Say Go Up The Chain OF Command Even To Your Senators and Congressman Thats what there There For!!! Also Wanna Make Regional POED Always Send A Green Card With Your PaperWork This Means SomeOne Has To Sign For Your PaperWork and Then You Get The Copy Back That Way They Can`t Say well It Came In On This Time Or That Time You Have a GreenCard States who signed for the paperwork what date and what Time Its Called U.S Postal Service Certified mail and I loved Them Cause They Couldnt Say I didnt send My Claim Work THEY WORK FOR YOU YOU DONT WORK FOR THEM REMEBER THAT And I WON Took Me 7 Years But I DIDNT QUIT My Service Offices 2 Both Came From VFWs They Told Me What To Get I Got It And My Regional Office didnt Like That Oh By The Way A Food For Thought Send Only a Bit at A Time Also not all Of It Brothers and Sisters I Throught and Almost Gave Up Till I Found These Guys Then The AfterBurns Kicked In Thanks My Brothers And Sisters For What You Done For Me If It Wasn`t For People Like You Id Have Nothing!!!!!!

Ronbo, sounds like you have a good idea there but the problems start at the top and thats where the first heads should roll. I have been in companies that tried to fix the problems from the bottom up and it never worked for except for a short time then business as usual.
One major problem that has to be stopped in the VA system if my facts are right is to stop the yearly bonuses. From what I hear each regional office competes for these bonuses. These bonuses are awarded for saving the VA system money. The best way for them to save money is to deny or at least delay claims, thus they are ordered bu the top dogs to automatically deny any claims, request for increases, etc.
One man in our local area called the Waco, Tx. Regional Office requesting the status of his claim and was given the usual run around. The man staited that at the speed that they work he would be long dead before they even considered it, the account representative's response was "good, then we wont have to pay out anything". We have had many claims last for 15 to 20 years and I am sure other regions have the same thing. What the VA wants you to do is get fed up and quit, don't or they win. The article above shows that our complaints are getting someones attention, this attention may be because this is an election year, or not, but there is the next election, and the next, etc. Keep letting your politicians and your regional offices know you are not happy you as a Vet. are being treated.
nran1@yahoo.com Norm

Im a Retired Vet,I cant work because of my medical conditions.The VA Has sent me to there compensation and Pension doctors,witch have said that I have the medical problems for which the VA hospital doctores have been seening me and giveing me medication.My mistake was not leaveing Puerto Rico in time and had To put up with the incompetence of the Idiots working at the VA administration,Who on one paper they denie me benefits and on the back side they explain that the benefits have been denied becouse I sumitted it the wright way.I know this sounds crazy.I Have a condition where I take medication and the medication gives me Drepresion and a mood disorder the C & P doctor said that I had the disorder,and it was sumitted as a secondery position to the medication that Im Takeing and a condition that I have.some Idiot denied me the compensation becouse I Had to summite it as a secondery condition.Now can somebody in Puerto Rico or who overlooks the people looking at these cases to DO there Jobs or quit so someone that really whants to help the Veterans In PR,get what we have erned not disserve.I also whant to thank the DAV,for the help they give the veterans to deal with the PRVA and there own set of rules.So somebody please investigate,see Why things like this go on Im shure theres plenty of people that would like to work in the VA not only for a check or bonus, but for they satisfation of seeing the Puerto Rican Vets get the same treatment the other Vets get ,and IM not talking about the region that PR is under. I know the Regional officers have to know this is happening or there more idots that the people causeing the problem.

FYI - It is not just the claims for injuries that are mishandled by the VBA, but the simple family dependancy claims. The VA never notified me of my daughters' upcoming removal from my list of dependancy due to age requirements (18 years old). However, I was aware of the limits and attempted an ounce of prevention by submitting the documents to report that she was still in school (High School) full time, which the age limit then extends to 23. I thought that it had worked, my fault for not performing a COLA calculation on my retirement/disability payments is basically what they are telling me. The next year came and I filed the form once again. However, this time I looked at my pay and COLA structure and found that she was removed. She is now 21, still in school, my youngest was subsequently removed at age 18 (I filed all the required formsas instructed by a VA Rep) and she is now 19 and I still have not received a COLA adjustment other than downwards for the removal of them. I have filed a full claim with the appeals committee and they dismissed it on the grounds that they were not eligible.

I say we bare our ARMs and remove the claims adjusters, their superiors and continue on up to the bearucratic, sit on their backsides do nothings. The VA claims process is a joke and those running it need to be prosecuted and held accountable, both physically and monetarilly, to those that they have pushed aside and stepped on.

quote:

I stated above "For several decades the situation has been similar and veterans have been told this over and over. It is simply the big organization guys just buy whatever they are told by the 'good ole boys' as I have stated many times. Thus quite often being scorned more than not, for saying what I know to be the truth.
Some of you should remember, a few years ago VA employees being fired and then proscecuted for destroying evidence in Claims Folders. Ahhh short memories indeed.
I am so glad Larry Scott has managed to get the forum to advise veterans of what is going on. I just pray this time people listen!"

This has attention of a few of us, albeit darn few, but what have the politicians in charge done? A few meetings and denials. We need to write letters to our Senators and Representatives complaining of this absured procedure. E-mails are easy but not as effective as a hand written or typed letter. Phone calls are not effective as letters. Besides the USPS needs your $1.26 for their budget!

The main stream media has been reluctant to print this story-a story about the biggest slap in the face our nation’s veterans have ever gotten-from the VA-

I feel that once the official VA OIG report is officially released (and this investigation of ROs is still ongoing) and of course the H VAC hearing is set for Nov 17th(available live on your PCs) perhaps this all will get the national attention it deserves.

I am contacting Bill O Reilly today to see what his show can do-

On line newspapers are publishing tributes to veterans for Veterans Days 2008. Many have a public comment section- I just was able to publically comment to a Veterans Day tribute and get this shreddergate story out to an on line readership here in NY that encompasses where 4 VAMCS and thousands of veterans are here in Southern Tier NY_ (The Elmira Gazette) I had no response at all when I emailed editors of NY newspapers the Shredding story itself-
But via public on line comment sections, we can help more veterans be aware of this travesty so they can determine if maybe their claim was denied unfairly because VA destroyed or simply never acknowledged their evidence in defiance of all VA evidentiary case law and regulations.38 USC 4.3,4.6, M21-1MR
Berta Simmons