MMQB – VA Corruption Confirmed In Contracting Department

VA Corruption

Benjamin KrauseVA OIG just confirmed allegations of VA corruption of its department charged with contraction with government contractors.

The VA head of procurement abused her authority to improperly award contracts to receive private gain. Susan Taylor, Deputy Chief Procurement Officer, VHA, PLO, pressured her staff to award contracts to a company called FedBid, Inc.

Taylor conspired with other insiders in other agencies to defame an investigator within VA. The OIG report stated William Dobrzykowski, Chief Financial Officer of the US International Trade Commission (USITC), was also involved in potentially criminal misconduct to thwart deserving companies.

Will Secretary Robert McDonald continue in his promises to tackle corruption and improve deliverability of services to veterans?

We will cover this and more in this edition of Monday Morning Quarterback for Veterans. I am your host, Benjamin Krause, creator of the DisabledVeterans.org community and veterans law attorney. I have been working tirelessly to help uncover as much VA dirt as possible, and MMQB is where I cover a broad variety of issues as quickly as possible for you.

Here is what we will cover today:

  • VA government contractor corruption
  • VA mistakes Korea War vet for dead, cuts off benefits
  • Schedule manipulation scheme reported at Nashville VA
  • Schedule manipulation scheme reported at Wilmington VA

 

VA GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR CORRUPTION CONFIRMED

Rather than recreate the wheel, I decided to repost the VA OIG report’s summary. The entire report is a real piece of beauty and reads more like a soap opera than a normal criminal OIG report:

We substantiated that Ms. Susan M. Taylor, Deputy Chief Procurement Officer (DCPO), VHA, PLO, engaged in conduct prejudicial to the Government when she pressured contracting staff under her authority to give preference to and award a task order for reverse auction services to FedBid, Inc. (FedBid). We also found that she engaged in a conflict of interest when she improperly acted as an agent of FedBid in matters before the Government, improperly disclosed non-public VA information to unauthorized persons, misused her position and VA resources for private gain, and engaged in a prohibited personnel practice when she recommended that a subordinate senior executive service (SES) employee be removed from SES during her probation period, as Ms. Taylor identified the subordinate as the person she suspected of making protected disclosures of Ms. Taylor’s ethic violations. Further, we found that Ms. Taylor interfered with the VA Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) review of the FedBid contract and that she did not testify freely and honestly concerning her involvement in the solicitation and award of the task order to FedBid, as well as other matters. We made a criminal referral of the conflict of interest and false statements to the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ), but they declined to criminally prosecute in favor of any appropriate administrative actions.

We also found that Ms. Taylor, Mr. William E. Dobrzykowski, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), and FedBid executives together, to financially benefit FedBid, willfully and improperly acted to thwart Mr. Jan Frye, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS), Office of Acquisition and Logistics (OAL), in his oversight duties associated with VA’s procurement operations. After Mr. Frye received complaints from VA suppliers concerning a requirement to use FedBid and that VHA contracting officials were allowing FedBid to perform inherently Government functions by abdicating their responsibilities to FedBid, he instituted a moratorium on using FedBid to fully assess VA’s use of reverse auctions and determine whether it complied with existing VA policy and whether it interfered with already established VA supply chains. Ms. Taylor, Mr. Dobrzykowski, and FedBid executives took significant measures to disrupt and deprive VA’ s right to transact official business honestly and impartially, free from improper and undue influence. In their own words, their intent was to “storm the castle,” use a “heavy-handed-puncher,” to “rally the troops up on the Hill,” have “enough top cover to overwhelm,” to “unleash the hounds,” to “assassinate [Mr. Frye’s] character and discredit him,” and to keep “close hold” nonpublic information Ms. Taylor provided FedBid executives, as well as repeatedly and falsely tell VA leadership that there was “no cost to VA for its use of FedBid,” all for the “indomitable world of FedBid.”

Furthermore, we found that Mr. Dobrzykowski, Ms. Taylor’s close personal friend, was improperly involved with Ms. Taylor in matters related to VA and FedBid, which we discuss further in this report. Mr. Dobrzykowski declined our request for an interview. We conducted a joint investigation with USITC OIG, and their investigation of Mr. Dobrzykowski found that he engaged in administrative and potentially criminal misconduct in matters pertaining to his USITC employment. Mr. Dobrzykowski declined USITC OIG’s request for an interview unless DOJ granted him immunity from criminal prosecution, and USITC OIG referred these matters to DOJ. For further information on USITC’s investigation of Mr. Dobrzykowski, see their report OIG-I-0234, dated March 21, 2014. On April 1, 2014, after USITC leaders told him of their intent to terminate his employment, Mr. Dobrzykowski resigned.

[Download the full VA OIG Report]

 

VA MISTAKES KOREA WAR VET FOR DEAD, CUTS OFF BENEFITS

WSB-TV uncovered a report in Atlanta where VA cut off a living 82-year-old Korea War veteran’s benefits. The veteran, William Maroney, is bed-bound and unable to work.

This summer, Maroney’s wife passed away. VA mislabeled the death as being that of the veteran instead of his wife. Now, his benefits have been reportedly cut off.

When his granddaughter attempted to straighten out the mistake, VA gave her they typical run around. She offered to let the VA employee speak with her still living grandfather but it did not resolve the benefits issue.

How can VA be so callous to an old and sick veteran?

Read More: https://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/09/27/va-cuts-benefits-off-from-living-korean-war-vet-it-says-was-dead/

 

SCHEDULE MANIPULATION SCHEME REPORTED AT NASHVILLE VA

Veterans at a town hall meeting at the Nashville VA exposed schedule manipulation at the facility last week. According to the report:

Veterans in Nashville are complaining about doctors abruptly canceling appointments, administrative staff ignoring them while they talk on cellphones and other problems with treatment at the city’s VA hospital.

About 90 people attended the town hall meeting in a small room at the facility. Allegations leveled against VA staff ranged from scheduling schemes to faulty medication prescriptions.

Read More: https://www.newsobserver.com/2014/09/27/4186265/veterans-in-nashville-complain.html

 

SCHEDULE MANIPULATION SCHEME REPORTED AT WILMINGTON VA

Scheduling manipulation has also been reported at Wilmington VA in addition to allegations of other misdeeds.

One veteran named Oscar said a VA doctor dismissed his back pain and called him a drug addict, “I had a doctor who asked my wife to sit down and be quiet – and then proceeded to tell me that I was a drug addict, and my pain was fake. Now, that’s not in any way kosher, whatsoever.”

One female veteran named Audrey said, “Most of the administrative staff here … they sit there and they treat us like we are wasting their time… We’re a pain in their butt, we are making them do something they don’t want to do. They are very rude. My husband, on two separate occasions last month, was refused an appointment – flat-out refused.”

From the gist of stories like these, it sounds like veterans across the country have been putting up with abuses at the hands of VA employees nationwide.

In light of these revelations, should VA really be able to mandate that veterans suffering such abuses be required to only get VA health care? It is the equivalent of forcing an abuse victim to live with his or her abuser. Why not let veterans unhappy with the poor treatment get non-VA health care?

I think it is time we look at dissolving VHA altogether in favor of an insurance model like Blue Cross / Blue Shield. What do you think of this proposition?

Read More: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/nation/military/2014/09/26/vets-express-concerns-wilmington-va-care/16302157/

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9 Comments

  1. PLEASE SEND THIS TO ALL NEEDED OFFICES NEVER TOLD TO ME

    Network Payment Center

    Department of Veterans Affairs

    VISN 20 Northwest Network Payment Center

    PO Box 1035 Attn: 10N20

    Portland OR 97207

    Re: Series of VA scandals misconduct against many, but these illegal cases against Lee Holley US Marine 6513

    These are a list of pending illegal misconduct:

    One: this is the first misconduct, started by Dr. Brewster, doctor of VA at Grants Pass, Oregon, and knowing his misconduct, Network Payment Center illegally refused to pay hospital work on urine, with many witnesses approval of this, that started a series of illegal misconduct by VA. Dr. Brewster before my going to the hospital met with him, with my care giver Martha Coghill, and agreed by Nurse that had to spend 24 hours and VA, knowing Brewster failed to put this in the file, and many other facts, refused to pay, even though they saw Brewster faked often. They have now failed to allow hearing the truth, though we have sought this in writing, by phone, and by emails, and also have the Congressman and have illegally failed. The VA refuses to admit that Brewster and the make nurse in approval of the operation needed, prior to the operation they ignore, provided all the catheters, showing they approved the operation by Dr. Meyer in Grants Pass.

    Two: while failing to pay as required in VA rules, at great harm to Lee Holley, blind and deaf, in the process he found that the VA has failed to pay close to $20,000. illegally while tricking unknown to Lee, that VA money they had unknown to him, mostly paid by his insurance company which is called theft or stealing by the VA in this case.

    Three: upon discovering this illegal misconduct of VA, we (Lee Holley and Martha Coghill) phoned, wrote and emailed all the facts of misconduct of Brewster, while Brewster refused to meet with us to expose and he refused; in the process, we needed his signature as Holley was not able to drive and walk as he had. The nurse male , knowing of the approval of the hospital approved by Brewster, said we need not wait for the signature, but would call that day. They refused to sign this for three weeks, at great harm. Is there any VA ways that are legal as they still claim Holley can walk and ride as before. This is shown as how illegal VA is now. The response that case, never stating that this was a new case, that the VA never allows anyone to use Dr. Mayer, and responded, never explained nor treated as another case, they I could never use Dr. Meyer, after a long series of use ordered by Brewster, paid for him, and illegally not fully paid. They never answered nor explained that they disapproved by Brewster, and they never told the full truth. They failed to mention that in the first hiring of the VA of my using Dr. Meyer in Grants Pass, OR, that we listened to Brewster call someone in the VA in White City and told him to assign use of Meyer in Grants Pass for Lee Holley, and they never cared that this was done. The White City adviser is never admitted that Brewster was told to do this. This has caused much harm to me, physically and mentally. Does the VA ignore the health and welfare of all military older?

    Fourth: we have seen two cases started and now a third case, with no warning, as suddenly I was mailed for the first time, a case that I was not able to finish a long process of my case on my urine problems directed by Brewster. Brewster never told me not to and yet they want to stop that case, of great harm. The male nurse in Grants Pass never told us both in a number of meetings. The advising staff at VA in Grants Pass never said a word. The first advise, months later, was by the first letter I ever received, and we answered, we wrote back asking for a hearing, wrote the same., emailed, and there has been a long time silence, very harmful physically and mentally. Has VA fallen apart or is it simply trying to get this old Marine to die?

    Fifth: never before needed help I the days of health, we turned and signed me up to “CHOICE CHAMPION” when we realized that the VA was illegally stopping the approved medical work with Dr. Meyer. This is of course very harmful. This for the first time was told we had to drive a hundred miles to see a doctor, Grants Pass to Roseburg. Knowing that it was reported when in the Portland, OR nightmare, reported in Dr. Brewster’s meeting after the urine all over, was reported in the male nurse office, was also with the staff at VA Grants Pass office, that Lee Holley was no longer able to drive or long trips as the last time the VA driver refused to stop to urine use, and it was all over, and the medical office obtained cloths and help, and agreed I should never travel. That was the same time when VA messed up and they refused to drive me back and was many hours until a leader found VA messed up. Now this week they refused the “forty file protection”, the nurse in charge o VA White City lied and said there were no records that this 82 year old man had no record of unable to travel anymore, and illegally this nurse told Martha Coghill and Lee Holley were told that I should use my insurance, not the VA as congress provided. Is there any law today, telling a Military 100% injured, to go use your own money, screw you injured. Over and over, we are given contrary answers, and a number her say that it is being caused to many.

    Sixth: the nurse of White City says there is no record of my urine problem in long traveling. The medical office not only says their records show this, but the nurse there said I should not travel anymore that distance hen I had to pee all over. She got me what VA gives and I still have one things when I get to have the truth, the other side, as required in the USA federal laws, both sides must be heard fairly. The VA is acting illegally and this shall soon be exposed as so evil and illegal. We know a) there are records of or urine harm in long travel, b) there must be records of my severe concussion, c) there must be records of my severe broken right arm and severe destruction of my back and scooter. And yet I am denied the “CHOICE CHAMPION” as the nurse said my Lee Holley records have no records of any reports. Is there any truth in the VA today after years in the past of help and friendship?

    Seventh: this series of misconduct has a result in refusing any help ever about anything. They care nothing about truth. In the process of these illegal facts above, we have been trying to see any doctor and they refuse, saying we will have one soon, we are getting one soon, weeks after month. Yet Dr. Brewster created a very harmful other problems. He worked on five molds on my body, he took 2 molds of no importance. Brewster said before Lee Holley and Martha Coghill that there were three molds that could appear as having cancer and he sent me to a White City “nurse-doctor” specialist. When I went there I told her of the three molds and she said Brewster, she described as great, said only to work on one. We said he told us three but she refused. We had seen that Brewster often messed up. On the two, he told us of the two but when we came for that meeting, the female nurse said it was one, as Brewster wrote and when Brewster came in, we showed him, and he laughed and said yes, he meant both and did it. But mine are now two and no one will help.

    Following the severe and improper car accident on October 27, 2014, I was in great pain, brain harm, broken arms, severe difficulties and harm and began immediately to see my medical director, Dr. Brewster, that resulted in a series of false cases that still refuses to hear all the truth. When the accident had its effect on my body, I developed a painful and severe urine problem.

    We went to see Dr. Brewster always on each even and all were approved and he sent me to Dr. Mayer for urine help on my dangerous urine problems and difficulties, the VA now tells me to go pat for it. This is criminal actions and it will get exposed sooner or later. When he advised months later that I had to be other than the ordered doctor Mayer, this is of great harm and scandal. It is like the newspaper wrote that the VA lied and said they had four doctors at Grants Pass, and the VA claimed they had that, the VA said they were used to lying and there was only one doctor, they hoped to get more.

    In this process, as part of this corruption, Dr. Brewster had me tale my clothes of and found molds I think you call, he arranged to take 2 molds off, and found three that appeared in cancer ways. Brewster arranged to take those off, and on that day his nurse said he was only to take one off. Brewster came in and said it was only one, but my care giver and I saw him write two molds. He looked and he laughed and said you are right, as if a joke.

    In the process, he said there were three molds, but one was small, and he said he would arrange for a nurse doctor type to take two our and check for cancer. When we got there, the woman said he only asked for one. I told her the other large one and he said Brewster did not ask for that, and refused. Followed by that, they refused to have me visit on this with Brewster, and they refused, never telling me he was gone. The severe large mold remains.

    How can a 100% injured military man, age 82, close to 83, in great harm, have someone tell and deal with truth. Are you trying to destroy the VA?

    As a typical illegal conduct, shown by our own proof, the only mailed writing to Lee Holley was dated by the VA writing as in May 2015 and not ever mailed by proof until July 2015, as a typical lyings example by the XA in the Portland office. They treat us older military as nothing, by the many examples. I send you now but my care giver will make a few mistakes I made from my blindness.

    Lee A. Holley

    US Marine 6513

    1110 SW Spruce St

    Grants Pass OR

    AM A 100% DISABLED VETERAN BEING HRMED BY THE VA

  2. There are a lot of things that the new VA Secretary cannot do because of how well civil service rules protect his incompetent employees, but one thing that he could do is fire or suspend Susan Taylor immediately. The fact that he hasn’t is testimony to the fact that giving lip service to reform is enough to get Congress off the President’s back. Its not as though veterans have any lobbying power, and America would rather they be neither seen nor heard.

    General Shinseki was incompetent (a fact that was well known when he was appointed as Secretary), but still pulled in the big dollars working for defense contractors Honeywell and Ducommun. General Peake was corrupt all along – he came from QTC, the company that administers VA C&P exams (we all know how well that has been working for disabled veterans), and left the VA to head up CGI, the company that botched their $635 million contract to roll out Obamacare. Gibson, Mansfield, and Nicholson barely served long enough to have the door plaques changed, and were little more than place holders that enabled the well entrenched and corrupt senior bureaucrats at the VA to continue their personal profiteering unabated.

    Inspectors General are only as powerful as their Secretaries allow them to be, and it is well known in the IG community that the VA Office of the Inspector General is a pasture for employees who are too infirm to do anything other than graze at the trough, pulling in full salaries until they retire. I doubt that the Secretaries even read their reports before shredding them.

    We need another Warren Harding, who was interrupted by a White House visitor as he was choking Charles Forbes, the Director of the Veterans’ Bureau, with his bare hands (faced with prosecution, Forbes fled to Europe, but eventually returned to the US where he was imprisoned for taking kickbacks from contractors who received lucrative contracts from the Veterans’ Bureau).

  3. I think the VA needs to stop being providers of medical care. They aren’t up for the job and here in Spokane don’t even bother to pretend in this new era of accountability.

  4. I think the Bonus Army is going to look like a Sunday Picnic compared to what will happen if the Congress and POTUS don’t start focusing on social issues in general.

  5. December 10, 2103 the Buffalo DVA denied my claim(s) for exposure to agent orange for over 4 1/2 years. The BUFFALO DVA claimed that of government sources including their bown intranet, the Buffalo DVA could not find record of my service in Vietnam was that exposed to agent orange. Yet, “I ” found the
    Jan.2010 Compensation & Pension Bulletin Policy (211) Information on Vietnam Naval Operations… infers… that the crew of the USS Newport News operations in the Vinh Binh Province in the Mekong “Delta” December 1968… have the presumption of exposure to agent orange without further development; The June 2010 Compensation & Pension Bulletin Policy (211) ADDITIONAL Information on Vietnam Naval Operations… lists the USS Newport News …for operations: Cua Viet River April 1969. The USS Newport News appeared on the DVA’s (so-called) July 2013 up-to-date ships list for the December 1968 operations, only. Yet, the Buffalo DVA denied my claim(s) for compensation as late the Buffalo DVA Decision December 10, 2013; The Buffalo DVA claimed lack of information on Buffalo DVA’s intranet. The Buffalo DVA still has not rated many of my illnesses of presumption of exposure to agent orange; And, of The Buffalo DVA April 2014 examiner decision that my ischemic heart disease is diagnosed to as early as 2000, The Buffalo DVA has not made compensation payment within 21 days… as required by The Nehmer Court court order : The Nehmer Training Guide Policy (211…) February 2011. I filed the same type of information with DVA Attn. Nehmer Working Group but didn’t get a required response within the 21 days… from them, either: “VA ” compensates class council for all of it’s work on ” Nehmer ” claims. Do you get the picture ? Yes, I am a whistle blower ! Nonetheless, Veterans from all theaters of conflict and war… are having claims denied, likewise. See Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptives and The Nehmer Training Guide (211A) for sanctions for defying strict compliance to The Court Ordered Nehmer Training Guide: Hold The Nehmer Working Group of DVA Washington D.C. accountable. Redress your claims and have them adjudicated / re-adjudicated. Remember ( : ) VA compensates class counsel for all of it’s work on Nehmer claims. (you shouldn’t need another lawyer / group of lawyers to enforce the Nehmer Court Order ).

  6. In my mind this isn’t about the VA, it’s about a corrupt President and Attorney General. What good does it do for whistleblowers and inspectors to risk anything when the Attorney General and thus his protector should be impeached and tried for numerous crimes?

  7. I specifically complained to the OIG about one of their agents going into my medical record at the Wilmington VA. I made whistleblower Disclosures there regarding a Legionella problem as well as other allegations. A behavioral flag was placed in my medical record after the Director breached my privacy. The VAOIG should not be able to conduct investigations if a complaint has been lodged against them. A control number should be assigned to all whistleblower complaints that the Secretary has to sign off on.

    1. You mistake the purpose of the OIG. It is to provide top cover for the Secretary and other VA top bureaucrats while they continue to serve their employees and VA contractors. Veterans records get flagged because a complaining veteran is obviously a crackpot who must be escorted by VA police whenever they come on to VA property. One who obviously needs their Depakote dose increased until they can’t complain.

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