MMQB – VA Employees Call Philadelphia VA Probe ‘Big Joke’

Philadelphia VA Probe

Benjamin KrauseOne confidential source reported a flood of allegations from staffers has extended two ongoing Philadelphia VA probes into mismanagement and other problems. The stream of allegations is continuing causing the probes to continue longer than expected.

The probe has been ongoing for six months now and the allegations are shocking. Meanwhile, VA employees circulate that the investigation is just a “big joke.” How can anyone connected with fraud and harming veterans call an investigation of this size a joke?

This is yet another shredder-gate in the works and God only knows how many veterans were harmed.

But should we be surprised that VA employees laugh at the law?

The most problematic probes focuses on mismanagement and is the subject of today’s MMQB.

Welcome to this edition of Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQB) for Veterans. I am your host, Benjamin Krause, creator of the DisabledVeterans.org community. This is the number one place of unadulterated veteran centric news, analysis and benefits strategy on the web. MMQB is where I hit on recent news from the weekend and talk about upcoming news this week.

Here is the MMQB topics:

  • Philly probes’ extension
  • WWII widow taken to cleaners
  • Veteran hiring to be pushed

 

FLOOD OF ALLEGATIONS CAUSE EXPANDED PHILLY PROBE

VA must really hate confidential sources when it comes to keeping a lid on huge scandals across the nation. An IG investigation into actions at the Philadelphia VA revealed streams of allegations are pouring in from employees.

Whistleblowers allegations included:

  • Mail being illegally shredded
  • Dates on claims being changed to hide the backlog
  • Employees avoiding harder cases to improve performance numbers

The IG previously promised a conclusion to its investigation last fall but now the final day is not expected until late February. Congressional staffers came to Philadelphia VA to investigate complaints for two days. Due to the number of complaints, the Congressional staffers stayed for a full week.

One official during a Congressional hearing stated the shear number of allegations is difficult to grasp.

A source stated, “Once at the [regional office] in a private conference room the onslaught of employees who wanted to share concerns regarding mismanagement prompted our staff to extend the length of the visit.”

Officials at the Philadelphia VA have denied fraudulently changing dates on veterans’ claims and instead claim the issue is the result of a misunderstanding of VA policy.

One reader at Mcall.com made a comment I found interesting:

“The V.A. is a prime example of Govt.- run healthcare…….full of high paid employees doing as little as possible. And if something seems wrong they send in different Govt. employees to investigate. All these people know that their employer (the Govt.) will NEVER go out of business, plus it is…”

Source: https://www.mcall.com/news/local/easton/mc-pa-philly-va-probe-20150103-story.html

 

WWII WIDOW TAKEN TO CLEANERS

St. Louis – One widow of a WWII veteran will now have to pay back $55,000 because of payments VA claims it mistakenly sent to the widow.

According to Fox News 2:

Lucille Koester`s late husband Andy was a veteran of WWII. Lucille, who struggles with a voice disorder, described how her husband returned home and fought battles in his sleep. She said, “He thrashed around so much and one night I heard him (yell) ‘Put your hands up. Get ’em up. Get ’em up higher.’”

Yet, she said he resisted disability benefits. She said that was common in her generation. She said, “I’ve never, you know, gotten any help from anyone and I’ve paid my bills. I was brought up in Maine on a farm where you didn’t take government stuff.”

She said VA reps pressed her after her husband died and told her she was entitled to benefits. She talked about how a VA representative said, “‘you will get a widow’s pension of about $600 a month for the rest of your life, regardless.’”

Years later they told her she was not eligible, because a teacher’s retirement benefit she was getting. Yet she says they kept sending her monthly checks. ‘They didn’t stop payment. I kept getting them for a whole year,’ she explained.

Now the government wants $40,000 back, plus interest. The US Treasury is demanding more than $55,000 total. The interest continues piling despite an appeal she’s filed with the help of attorney and retired military Colonel Kenneth Carp. Carp said, “It’s absolutely absurd for somebody to tell you it’s being appealed and it could stop and at the same time they`re chasing you for penalties.”

Read More: https://fox2now.com/2015/01/01/government-demands-widow-repay-mistaken-va-payments-plus-interest/

 

VETERAN HIRING BILL TO BE PUSHED

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12 Comments

  1. I am rerouting cover up and failure to investigate anything by the VA Inspector Generals Office of the Philadelphia VAMC Its a big joke I tried to report my own complaints about gross medical malpractice and negligence committed by doctors there who are in fact interns who are unsupervised even in the emergency room. THis was call to the Inspector Generals hot line two days ago. I was to,d they will not investigate cases or anything more then 1 to 2 years old . THis despite the facts they have been investigating for years. He -The hot line refused to accept or listen to me at all. Last year in September 2014 I sent for medical records from VAMC Philadelphia and never got anything When I called the medical records office in Philadelphia VAMC they claimed they never got them and told me the “safest way” was to come in and apply – a drive of 60 miles from my home !! I tried to tell the Inspector general about the posted complaints an d investigation of the VAMC Philadelphia and that they has been shredding records as well as mail . He refused to do anything nor take my name or phone, etc. regarding Philadelphia VAMC investigation. I asked him about the congressional investigations or other investigations and a phone and names I could call to report such and he refused to give me such public information

    THE FCATS ARE THESE THE VA INSPECTOR GENERAL AND ITS OFFICE IS COVERING UP THE TOTAL AMOUNTS OF VETERANS COMPLAINTS AGINST THE PHILADELPHIA VA BY REFUSING PEOPLE LIKE ME TO TESTIFY OR TAKE OUR TESTIMONY OR COMPLAINTS !! nor will they give to veterans the congressmen or the congressional investigators- public information to us as well. THE VA INSPECTOR GENERALS OFFICE INVESTIGATION AND ITS HOTLINE FOR COMPLAINTS
    AND INVESTIGATION AGAINST THE PHILADELPHIA VAMC IS NOTHING MORE THEN A COVERUP AND TO PROTECT THE PHILADELPHIA VAMC….

    WE ASK BENJAMIN WHEER DO WE GO TO GET OUT STORYS HEARD FOR INVESTIGATORS AND WHO ARE THE OTHER ‘CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS’ ??????

    Lee H.

  2. Ben, can you please address my question as to why my and “namninor” posts discussing VA refusing to fill out Social security disability questionnaires and the onslaught of gun lock letters VA has been sending me have completely disapeared from this article?
    Mr. Horowitz also asks this same question.

    1. Yes why have 3 different posts been removed here??

      Lee Horowitz M.Ed, CAGS,
      Veterans Civil Rights advocate

  3. I’m the wife of a Vietnam Veteran that passed away 10 months ago, Jan 6th of 2014 he was diognosed with Agent Orange march 2nd ,2014 he passed away . 3 different cancers invaded his body ALL DUE TO AGENT ORANGE a Parasite that woke up after 46 years in his body and it woke up with a vengence to just eat away as fast as it could. Is there an ATTORNEY out there somewhere that is willing to take ON MONSANTO OR THE VA FOR KILLING OUT VETERANS? WE HAVE ATTORNEYS THAT WILL TAKE ON TERRORISTS, MURDERES,CHILD MOLESTERS,AND SO ON, BUT NOT ONE THAT IS WILLING TO HELP OUR VETERANS ? PLEASE NOTE AGENT ORANGE EXISTS IN OUR VIETNAM VETERANS AND THE VA IS WAITING FOR THEM TO DIE SO IT DOSENT HAVE TO PAY OUT CLAIMS , my story is in the TimesUnion paper in Albany ny dated Sept 2nd of 2014 please read .

    1. 100% Correct .. I have am a 100% disabled Vietnam era Veteran who has suffered malpractice and negligence at the hands of the Philadelphia VAMC I have called , emailed, etc our congressman Pitts a Vietnam veteran supposedly, Senator Toomey Pa and the congressional VA committee for investigations and have gotten nothing nor any investigations of my own claims let alone others. I have complained about the VA giving out finasteride to veterans causing impotency, lack of sexual desire, affecting marriages and also long term use of cancer. Yet there are civil lawsuits all over the place class actions over finasteride but the VA uses it as the only drug for enlarged prostate without telling its side ffects to veterans I have yet to get any response ben from the lawyer of this site as to why there is no class action lawsuit or why there is no class action suit regarding violation of aging cicvil rights in that only pre 911 veterans and family are eligible for the VA family caregivers act in which wives get or family i n return for attendant acre or homemaker services get up to $2500 and free trio health care coverage while pre911 veterans were excluded from the bill That violates civil rights of pre911 veterans legislatively to the same VA treatment and is based on age discrimination I have yet to have the lawyer for this site call me or contact me via email regarding such matters.

      The problems are these- First there are no pro bono or Va cirri rights lawyers groups they are nothing more then reference and ref real services to receive lawyers. This is beac use lawyers want money and lawyers make up 75% of our politicians and laws in tis country Have you ever seen a lawyer -legislator obsatin from voting on matter concerning his own profession?? it is lawyers who run our country and have the money to run for political office. Its why they do very ew pro bono cases and why there is no Veterans civil rights law suit or organizations non profits with lawyers at their disposal to he;p veterans like the Public Interest Law center
      Not one non profit group even pays to have lawyers on staff to take on the VA or government to help veterans or disabled veterans . Often the reason why veterans lose disability rulings or appeals is lack of any legal help except if they can afford to pay or fora portion of what is won if its a clear winner.

      i have said time and time agin and this sites attorney needs to get veteran lawyers involved to help his fellow veterans in terms of taking cases to court. I am aware of the veterans law project at Univ of Pennsylvania but all they and others do is nothing more then a reference and referral agency We need plain out legal services where lawyers that are licensed can take on the VA and government head on We need to ask this sites lawyer why this iOS not and has never been addressed by his fellow lawyers in all states??

      Lee Horowitz M.Ed CAGS
      100% disabled Vietnam Era Veteran
      [email protected]
      Veterans advocate and civil rights advocate

    2. I tried to look up the newspaper article, but couldn’t find it .Is there any way you can post It on this web page ?? I would like to see this,since iam a Vietnam vet too.

  4. The director of the Philadelphia VA should be investigated, he received a 10,000 + bonus in 2012, retaliated against two whistleblowers in Wilmington. Covered up a Legionella outbreak there a still is in charge of the mess at Philadelphia. Most ousted Directors go through Wilmington and then is shuffled to Philadelphia, where the lions den of regional counsel 4 shields the perpetrators by unethical practices of law that whitewashes any wrongdoing. They should be prosecuted under section 241,242 title 18, for which the OIG is directly involved with all that nonsense. The accountability lies directly with the President, due to the OIG involvement and the Presidential appointment and oversight , for which he is directly responsible .

  5. I need help in an investigation of malpractice and negligence They use unsupervised interns at the Philadelphia VAMC who almost killed me in the mergence room and which investigative complaint years ago was covered up ( two unlicensed unsupervised interns) and also regrading my knee by failure to properly read an MRI by two unsupervised interns I was referred as wlays by the Coatesville VAMC who I made complaint to This compliant has been given to Congressman Pitts office-PA and Senator Tomey office-PA with nothing done and no investigators from the confessional committee ever calling me I need help and I want the investigative committee for the Philadelphia VA to contact me These congressman and my senators people dont believe that many unsupervised unlicensed interns as always in the VAMC Philadelphia and also VAMC Wilmington, Delaware are making diagnosis, treatment, outpatient surgery and manning emergency rooms without any supervision by a licensed physician and this is why the mass amounts of medical negligence and incompetence It is also due to the fact the VA has for years been replacing retired doctors with physician assistants as well as interns who are unsupervised. These congressman and senators staffs do not believe that the bulk of doctors at these Va facilities are unsupervised interns In addition some of the few licensed doctors at the VA have not been investigated properly and have prior loss of state licensing due to neglect or medical malpractice in private practice and or have had lawsuits for medical malpractice and negligence against them and came to the VA as they could not get private medical malpractice insurance

    We need help Please contact me as to where we go to report this to the investigators for the Philadelphia and Wilimington VAMC since our local congressman and senator have not and will not They are in bed with the VA and are ;part of the problem Please contact me at [email protected]

    Lee Horowitz

    1. You are right, contact Concerned Vets, Carney, Coons and Carper need to be investigated for Senate and Congressional Ethics regarding veterans making disclosures and their unwillingness to assist veterans by whitewashing the complaints as a litigation or employment issue.

  6. I been there for the past three years and watching all the employees take there good old time coming in to work in the morning and hit on the clock to get paid and then its across the street to dunkin donuts and drag there sorry a$$ buts into work. Then, a half hour later its smoke break. What a way to make a living. When you check in to go to the DAV or American Legion, all they tell you is the VA is still processing your claim. All the employess just “pick” the easy claims to see haw fast they can get it done and leave the harder claims laying around for the next person.

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