OIG: Detroit VA Blows $300k On TVs, Left Them In Boxes For Years

Detroit VA

An investigation at Detroit VA revealed it bought 300 TVs with accessories for over $300,000 but left most of them in storage in boxes for over 2 years.

The televisions were purchased in 2013 were as part of a program to replace patient televisions. But they were not installed because VA failed to first check to see if the televisions were the correct type. They were not.

Detroit VA failed to communicate in a timely manner with the contractor providing the televisions to ensure they were the correct specifications. They also failed to purchase the equipment at the appropriate time resulting in the warranties expiring before use.

I just have one question.

Whose brother do you think owned the business that sold Detroit VA those expensive televisions?

DETROIT VA OIG REPORT SUMMARY

In January 2016, the Office of Inspector General received an allegation that the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Detroit, MI, purchased 300 televisions (TVs) and accessories in September 2013 for about $311,000. The complainant alleged the facility never installed the TVs because they were the wrong type. Thus, the facility could not use the TVs, which remain in storage. We substantiated the allegation the Detroit VAMC had not installed and used 282 of the 300 TVs, or associated accessories it purchased. The facility acquired the equipment in September 2013 as part of a project to replace the patient TV system in the facility, but as of April 2016, 282 of the TVs and associated accessories were not in use. Despite having all the TVs and accessories on hand for nearly 2 1/2 years, the facility was unable to install the items in the patient rooms because the items did not meet the design specifications identified in the patient TV system architect and engineer (AE) services contract. We determined Detroit VAMC officials did not communicate with the AE contractor in a timely manner to ensure the TVs purchased were compatible with the project design and specifications. Thus, the Detroit VAMC issued a contract modification for $19,052 to adjust the project design and specifications to support the TVs purchased. The TVs and related accessories should have been purchased closer to award of the construction contract. By purchasing these items well before a construction contract to install them was awarded, the facility exposed itself to unnecessary financial risk in the event it did not proceed with the project. As of June 21, 2016, the facility had not yet awarded a contract to install these TVs. By purchasing too early in the process, the facility also allowed valuable warranties to expire, increasing the risk of incurring additional expenses to replace any faulty TVs. We recommended the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 10 Acting Director strengthen policy to ensure the proper equipment is purchased at the appropriate time, as well as develop and implement a plan to use the purchased TVs. We also recommended the VISN 10 Acting Director determine whether a bona fide needs violation occurred, and take appropriate corrective action if required. The VISN 10 Acting Director concurred with our recommendations and provided plans for corrective action. We will monitor planned actions and follow up on their implementation.

Source: https://www.va.gov/oig/publications/report-summary.asp?id=3778

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49 Comments

  1. Hey Crazy Elf,

    Did you read that Hillary has Binswanger’s disease? Guess a whistleblower with the Secret Service has leaked her Medical records.

    Certainly going to change the election atmosphere.

    The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke information page on the disease can be found at:

    “NINDS Binswanger’s Disease Information Page”

    “https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/binswangers/binswangers.htm”

    1. Hey Crazy Elf,

      With the current Body Count for this Clinton Presidential Campaign starting a few days earlier and growing quicker than the body count for Bill Clinton’s first campaign. Have to wonder if someone might have tipped off the Secret Service about what happened to the Clinton detail after Bill won the first time.

      Within four months 8 of them died of unnatural causes with another 4 people connected to Clinton’s security detail also dying of unnatural causes within a year of those 8 deaths.

      The 12 people connected to president Bill Clinton’s security detail that died of unnatural causes shortly after Clinton took office on January 20th 1993. The First 8 died within the first four months of his presidency.

      C. LeBleu/T. Mckeahan/R. Williams/S. Willis Clinton Bodyguards. Official cause of death Gunfire during raid on Waco 2/28/93.

      W. Barkley/B. Hassey/S. Reynolds/T. Sabel Clinton Bodyguards. Official cause of death Helicopter crash 5/19/93.

      Luther β€œJerry” Parks Chief of Security, Clinton’s Campaign Headquarters. Official cause of death Murder 9/26/93.

      Kathy Ferguson former wife of Clinton bodyguard Danny Ferguson. Official cause of death Suicide 5/11/94.

      Bill Shelton Arkansas State Police Officer, fiancΓ©e of Kathy Ferguson. Official cause of death Suicide 6/12/94.

      Alan G. Whicher Clinton’s Chief of Security, former Clinton bodyguard. Official cause of death Oklahoma City bombing 4/19/95.

      Definitely a high risk job.

      Wonder if anyone connected to managing the current campaign finances knows about the Four deaths from unnatural causes of his campaign finance committee members?

      The Four people who were members of president Bill Clinton’s Campaign Finance Committee who died of unnatural causes during a time period starting 3 months prior to the election and within a year after he took office on January 20th 1993:

      Victor Raiser & Son Chairman, Clinton’s Presidential Campaign Finance Committee. Official Cause of death Plane Crash 7/30/92.

      Ed Willey Manager, Clinton’s Presidential Campaign Finance Committee. Official cause of death Suicide 11/30/93.

      Herschel Friday Member, Clinton’s Presidential Campaign Finance Committee. Official cause of death Plane Crash 3/1/94.

      Certainly high risk jobs.

    2. FYI – Look into the Clinton move ‘Mi SueΓ±o, Tu Voto/My Dream, Your Vote. You’ll understand why Trump says to watch the polling stations. Even I know you mess with a Clinton you end up dead or disappeared. I got so sick of media pushing her for pres in Calif, I shut off the cable & added a Roku to my smart TV.

  2. Here’s something which came out either yesterday or today.
    The DOD has no idea what it did with $6.5 TRILLION DOLLARS between 1994 till 2015!
    Yes, I typed that $ amount correctly.
    Seems the Congress passed, and the POTUS signed, into law a bill requiring all government agencies to do a yearly audit.
    The DOD decided not to comply with the law. Instead, they decided to continue fudging the numbers (paraphrasing)!

    And each year they keep asking taxpayers to give them more.
    Question: Since DOD can’t seem to follow the law. Then Congress needs to cut them off! At least, until we get real honest men and women who can follow the law!

    1. Those bombs we have been dropping, cruise missiles we have been using, with all the jet fuel and drone time used in the Middle East cost a hell of a lot of money.

      Seems it all just goes up in smoke and that’s when the accounting trail ends.

  3. Hey Naminbor,

    Here is one of those late Friday afternoon news releases on the Veterans Administration.

    β€œ’Ghost panels’ found at Iowa City VA hospital Veterans assigned to teams without primary care doctors” by Chelsea Keenan, The Gazette, Aug 12, 2016 at 5:55 pm

    β€œMore than 1,200 veterans receiving care at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Hospital were assigned to β€œghost panels” β€” primary care doctors who was not actively providing care β€” in early 2016, a new report by the watchdog arm of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found.”

    More information in the full article seems to indicate that Ghost Panels are used all over the county by the VA.

    Full article at: β€œhttps://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/ghost-panels-found-at-iowa-city-va-hospital-20160812”

    1. Oh and here is another good article on the VA.

      β€œβ€™Budget-Crunched’ VA Has 167 Interior Designers On Staff”, by Luke Rosiak, The Daily Caller News Foundation, 08/082016 8:50 PM

      From the article: β€œAn army of 167 interior designers work at the Department of Veterans Affairs, picking window blind colors and buying millions of dollars of art each year, an investigation from The Daily Caller News Foundation has found.

      The designers’ salaries are not included in recent findings that the VA has spent $16 million on art during the Obama administration. At least a dozen individual pieces of art cost a quarter million dollars or more each. Nearly $700,000 was spent on two sculptures at a hospital for blind veterans, the Palo Alto Polytrauma and Blind Rehabilitation Center.

      The article by Luke Rosiak also points out β€œAt $100,000 in combined salaries and benefits – many actuall make more – The cost of employing those 167 designers would add up to $17 Million a year, or $136 million during the eight years of the Obama administration, making the salaries of the people in carge of picking out art dwarf even those art costs.”

      Full article at: β€œhttps://dailycaller.com/2016/08/08/budget-crunched-va-has-167-interior-designers-on-staff/”

    2. I would be willing to bet the Ghost Panel Doctor assignments is just one of many ways the VA is using to get around the Federal Code of Regulations requiring doctors instead of nurses.

      So that Nurses can play Doctor at the VA.

    3. One last post of recent articles about the VA.

      The two articles listed below point out first that the VA is using its budget to pay for the education of nurses who have no intention what so ever of working for the VA.

      Second this is at a time when two trend lines in veterans’ health care are on the rise. Although the demand for Veterans Health care is going up, losses of the agency’s health-care providers is also going up.

      Staffers in five critical occupations who left VA Health Care services in 2011, 5,897 physicians, registered nurses, physician assistants, psychologists and physical therapists left the system. By 2015, that number had grown to 7,734 for 2015.

      Given the VA is paying to educate nurses that are not going to work for the VA. Is the VA also paying for education of physicians, physician assistants, psychologists and physical therapist who also have no intention of working at the VA?

      Sources:

      β€œVeterans Affairs Nursing Partnership Brings New Help To Those Who Serve”, Sacramento (CBS-13) August 12, 2016 6:42 PM

      β€œThe Veterans Affairs nursing program is part of a partnership with the department and the University of San Francisco’s school of nursing.”
      Although the nurses who recently graduated from the programs education was bought and paid for by the Veterans Administration, apparently none of the recent graduates will be employed by the VA. Also no one seems to want to answer the question of whether or not any of the grads will go to work for the VA.

      Full article at: β€œhttps://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2016/08/12/veterans-affairs-nursing-partnership-brings-new-help-to-those-who-serve/”

      β€œLoss of VA health-care providers grows as demand for care increases. Will service suffer?”, by Joe Davidson | Columnist August 2

      β€œTwo trend lines in veterans’ health care are not encouraging. Demand for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services is going up, but so are losses among the agency’s health-care providers.”

      β€œBut also increasing during that period was the number of staffers in five critical occupations who left the agency. In 2011, 5,897 physicians, registered nurses, physician assistants, psychologists and physical therapists said goodbye. By 2015, that number had grown to 7,734.”

      More β€œhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/08/02/demand-for-va-health-care-increases-but-so-does-the-loss-of-health-care-providers/”

      1. Seymore,
        These articles about healthcare professionals brings a question to my mind.
        “I truly wonder how many are actually ‘licensed to practice medicine’ within VHA?”
        The reason behind my question is this. We all suspect, or know, the quality of healthcare is abysmal. We’ve seen it, or have read about it numerous times.
        Therefore, again, how many are actually “licensed”?

        2.)
        “…167 Interior Designers!”
        WTF OVER!
        Who hired these imbeciles? What reasons were given?
        And the public has little to no knowledge of this screw-job against taxpayers?
        No fucking wonder we can’t get great healthcare!

  4. 08/13/2016

    Dear Benjamin Krause,

    The Officials did show evidence that they were doing wrong by getting cold feet during the investigations back in 2013—that is why the TVs were not distributed.

    And finding those unaccountable TVs may lead to other criminal behaviors.

    How hard do you want to look?

    Sincerely,

    Don Karg

  5. Hey all,

    Once and a great while the American Legion post can surprise everyone and do something good.

    Daily Caller News Foundation β€œVets Hang β€˜All Lives Matter’ Banner After Town Mayor Refuses To Remove BLM Banner At City Hall”, by Amber Randall, 4:58 PM 08/12/2016

    A group of war veterans in Massachusetts hung an β€œAll Lives Matter” banner over their town’s American Legion Post because they are tired of the protests over a”Black Lives Matter” banner the mayor refuses to take down.
    β€œWe seen what went on with City Hall. We’re not happy about it. We’re not knocking Black Lives Matter. We’re not knocking anybody … We don’t care about your color. We don’t care about where you come from β€” all lives matter,” post Commander Dave Chamberlain told the Boston Herald.

    β€œhttps://dailycaller.com/2016/08/12/vets-hang-all-lives-matter-banner-after-town-mayor-refuses-to-remove-blm-banner-at-city-hall/”

    1. Uh oh, even though I agree 100%, I got a feeling the American Legion’s upper crust, State and National, ain’t gonna be thrilled over this.
      Why? Because it ain’t Politically Correct.
      To display an “All Lives Matter” sign was downplayed on almost all MSM outlets in recent times. As I remember, those claiming “all lives matter” were subject to ridicule, and called RACISTS, by lots of people.
      Just saying!

      1. If it wasn’t for Veterans the BLM crowd would be living in a country with a different set of rules and laws. Most likely they would not even be able assemble or protest legally.

        Although they do have a point that there are a lot of shootings that never should have happened. But the Victims of these shootings are not always Black people but from all races so truly all lives matter not just Black lives.

  6. A copy of the full report can be obtained from the VAIG’s office by visiting the link Ben provided then clicking the green button to download a copy of the report. Which is titled β€œReview of Alleged Waste of Funds at the VA Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan”.

    The full report provides additional information like Accessories included remote controls, wall brackets, and support arms. Eighteen of the 300 units are reportedly used in the facility’s hemodialysis clinic.
    ~

    Regarding β€œWrong Type of TVs Purchased by Facility”

    The report states: β€œIn May 2013, facility officials and the AE contractor held a meeting during which they agreed on the use of TVs powered over Ethernet to satisfy the project requirements. Based on this, the AE contractor reportedly used a Barco 15-inch TVβ€”which is powered over Ethernetβ€”as a basis for the project design. In June 2013, facility officials initiated the process to purchase the TVs for this project and submitted a purchase request for the TVs. The purchase request was approved and contained the required signatures; however, the request was for 14-inch Swing-Arm PDI Patient TVs, which are powered over coaxial cable. In September 2013, the facility placed the order for the wrong type of TVs, as the 14-inch PDI TVs were not compatible with the project design. This information was not shared with the AE contractor and the compatibility issue with the TVs was not discovered until November 2013 when the facility received the first shipment of TVs. At that time, the facility compared the costs between restocking the TVs and modifying the AE contract and made the decision to modify the contract, for a cost of $19,052, rather than restocking the TVs for about $124,000.”

    After reviewing the Report and checking online for information on the Barco 15-inch Powered Over Ethernet(POE), TVs in the project design, and the 14-inch Swing-Arm PDI Patient TVs, which are powered over coaxial cable which were purchased.

    Either everyone involved in the purchase doesn’t know the difference between their own ass and a hole in the ground. Or they knew they were buying outdated, discontinued, useless technology that the vendor was trying to dump.

    Information on the Barco 15-inch POE TV can be found at : “https://catalog.vistacominc.com/avcat/ctl1824/index.cfm?manufacturer=barco&product=jao-15”

    And information about the discontinued, outdated, useless 14-inch TV with it’s 1980s capabilities is a bit harder to find since it is a discontinued item.

    1. Granted, these days technology evolves at an exponential pace and then some, but if the VA had a wise, forward-thinking procurement and contracting division, these types of things would be avoidable, not to mention proper open bidding for such contracts.

  7. To all.
    “A tribute to our little “Princess!”

    Today is a very sad day for the wife and I. For the past 4 to 5 days, our “Little Princess”, a Shiatsu, was getting ill. We took her to our vet this morning. Only to find out she had become “anemic”, to the point where she didn’t know what was happening or where she was at.
    It was recommended that we “put her to sleep!”
    Her ‘face’ was so sad. It was as though she didn’t even know where she was. She was in pain. Something she wouldn’t “express” to us, ever. She never whimpered or cried. She was a very quiet little “Princess”!

    “We miss her so much!”

    She was a stubborn little girl. She only snuggled when she wanted. She’d do anything she wanted. Not what we wanted. She loved her treats. Especially her “Jam-Bones”! She would want to play to get her treats.
    She went many places with us. She even went all across the U.S with us a couple of times. All the time while sitting on my wife’s lap. She saw many things other dog’s have never experienced, snow she didn’t like, lol.

    She even met my “Vietnam Buddy” up in Illinois. She got to see my name on a “memorial wall”, honoring those who served in Vietnam. She met many family members all across the country! She was given respect from many of our friends and family.
    She was 10 or 11 years old. If your wondering, she was a “rescue dog”. So we really didn’t know her true age. She had a great life!
    Don’t feel sorry or sad for her or us.
    She’s in GOD’S hands now.
    I know she still loves us, as we will always love her and her spirit!

  8. How come Veteran Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald can tell me what is Jobs description is……THANKS…….Semper Fi.

  9. The TV’s are all stacked like firewood on the pallet and somewhere else in that warehouse beside a shredder is a pallet of Veteran Service Records and BVA Docs looking like it was dumped from a refuse truck and bound on pallet. πŸ™‚

    I wonder how many pallets of excess building materials are setting around the Aurora Colorado VAMC Black Hole? πŸ™‚

    1. @namnibor,
      I believe that Aurora, Colorado VHA would be a treasure trove of unused, broken and/or sitting on pallets items where taxpayers monies were spent and yet nothing was done.
      Or, maybe even where many “highend ticket items” made there way into somebody’s home – “unintentionally of course!” $20 million worth of “art” just doesn’t sound right to me. I’ll bet some of the artwork is also sitting in somebody’s front living room.

  10. When I worked for DoD management emphasized that all appropriated dollars had to be spent before the fiscal year ended. Employees were required to obligate 95% or more [preferably 100%] of that years dollars or their yearly rating would reflect a poor performance.

    Use it or lose it.

    That government wide mind-set [policy] resulted in wasted purchases and is not unique to just the VA.

    1. right on that has been normal been for years decades,,, goes right down to your own city county etc,,,, NORMAL thinking and must be done this way

    2. You are correct there. That “Use it or lose it” was very evident in my years in the USAF as well, as I remember an odd debacle about having to take an additional 5 ‘Peacekeeper’ armored vehicles and it was already known that they were money pits that were loathed, but the squadron had to take these brand new turds because you know, Use it or Lose it.
      This occurs in corporate environments but now a days at very controlled rates due to careful inventory…until…a cog is tossed into system with a corrupt inventory specialist that helps others in chain of fraud and acquisitions. Human condition of temptation to greed goes back to that damn proverbial apple and snake.

      Notice though, that VA did not think to maybe use that $300,000. to house or feed homeless vets or veteran suicide prevention? Nope. TV’s. With no remotes, no doubt. Just one for Nurse Ratchet. πŸ™‚

    3. Agent Orange – Use it or lose it – made me laugh & thankx for that. Supply had some extra $$ so he purchased the shop personnel patternmaker knives but no blades which rendered them useless. I kept mine, still useless just a memory to remind me the ‘past’ Was Real.

    4. This mindset among government is so consistant throughout mankinds history that more than one Constitution has formed among men to deal with it. Irregardless of motive or how it is phrased the needless and routine expenditure of the Kings Treasure by men of all rank, low or mighty is called corruption.

      One key pillar concept in a Constitution is the idea that the document contains specific and enumerated powers given to government and the core principle of this notion is the idea that the government should never compete for a mans livelihood, liberty to walk where he chooses in freedom, or take his property in an arbitrary fashion.

      Corruption can be called “waste” but the trail of money seldom ends up at the waste receptacle. It is everywhere. When we ask government to provide any service, like medical care, and that service is already available, then government is competing with the medical profession. Our founders never intended for our Constitutional Republic to be the vender of services available in every city by regular doctors. They knew from untold eons of mankinds history that government always bastardizes anything that the common man can provide for himself. Gahndi walked down to the ocean to make salt. As simple as it gets for a job.

      Yet many were killed, bloodied, mutilated because the government had taken over the salt trade, and they formed Disruptive Behavior Committes (the British) and determined that Gahndi was a Catagory One Violent And Disruptive man. His appeals also went unanswered.

      Thinking that the government can provide healthcare that helps mankind instead of harming is like thinking that a trunkload of rattlesnakes dumped in the barn would be better solution than buying a few cats to take care of the mouse problem.

  11. Hey namnibor,
    I don’t have any bridges to sell. But there’s a small island not being used at Disney World I’d gladly sell to McDuck for a “song and dance”!

    By the way, for anyone on Obamacare. Here’s an interesting article out this morning from “Personal Liberty”!
    titled:
    “The Obamacare death spiral is on”

    by, Bob Livingston

    Check out how well it’s (NOT) doing! More insurance companies are bailing out!

  12. You know what else is really sad? When you read the full article you see to date, even though the Detroit VA acquired an additional $19,000. to make the TV’s compatible, they are yet to issue a CONTRACT for someone to install these TV’s.

    You all realize how many Veterans have A LOT of electronics and more experience under belts that could have been employed to do these sundry things at the VA instead of bleeding $$$$ to yet more hands in the VA cookie jar.

    Like crazyelf has expressed, it always, always comes down to $$$ and greed mixed with a huge helping of incompetence. Done!

    1. Namnibor,

      What is sad is that the organization with more than 50% in the top pay catagory, and nearly 80% with college degrees up to and incluing a plethora of Post Graduate Doctoral degree types

      And

      They can’t figure out how to put a new tv in.

      Now is it sad that this is true, or is it sad that an organization that is tasked with performing life saving procedures doesn’t have the combined cognitive power to come up with a better lie?

      Either way veterans die at VA and the staff looks at them just like a stack of worthless boxes.

  13. I should add this analogy: Replace those TV’s with 1000 ignored sick Veterans in this story. Same difference. Sitting on a pallet for years without assistance from the VA to file their claim. Whether a living, breathing Veteran or 1000 TV’s, the VA is simply incompetent to fulfill it’s intended mission to SERVE VETERANS.
    Only thing Vets are being served is cold gruel and cold stares. Same difference. The VA is incompatible with Veterans just like those TV’s are incompatible. Make sense?

    1. Well,,, first you have to work for the government to understand all this crap,,,,, They think,,,buy,,,act,,,,etc,,,, etc,,, this is a normal way of life for anyone who can and will work for the Government life ,,,,, Honestly this is a complete total normal character that they live in,,,,, for the one up above who said there empty boxes then he surely won’t be afraid that I drop him on those empty boxes 50 feet above them empty boxes or even 20 feet,,,,, when you become one of these incompetent personnel this is normal thinking and understanding of correctness of thinking,,,,, nothing wrong with everyday spending …,.,, treatment of life,,,, and all the other things,,,, HERE IS ONE OF THOUSANDS OF EXAMPLES,,,,, when I was hospitalized my room had a burnt out light bulb,,,, I took it off and went to the desk to get another,,,, the nurse took the burnt out bulb and put it back into the socket and said they would call mataince it took all day till into the night they came in and put a working light bulb in,,,,, I’m amazed that there wasn’t another person involved to carry the light bulb to the room also,,,, This is no BULL,,,,,, this is normal,,,, who in the world do you learn all this stupid waste of time life style they have,,,,, SELL YOUR SOUL,,,, all I can come up with,,,,, steve

      1. Probably add another VA Maintenance employee to stand below and turn the ladder around and around to screw the lightbulb being held in socket of 1st worker, since the AFGE only allows that worker to stick things into sockets, not turn. πŸ™‚

  14. No wonder VHA’s don’t have enough monies to properly diagnose veterans illnesses!
    Bet there’s more waste, fraud and abuse going on throughout the nation we don’t know about!

    1. My most recent doctor had difficulty properly speaking and understanding english let alone making complex diagnosis.

      After 3/4 of an hour trying to communicate severe axonal symetrical sensorimotor polynueropathy with severe restless leg component to this man he responded wih a nodding grin and gave me a golf ball with a Nike logo on it.

      He said roll it under your feet for pain. Then he gave me the name of the book and author on Amazon for a Christian inspirational book. A specific title, and a specific book. He said it would help.

      I left in complete wonderment. …..but….I do not believe in angels and something bohered me about the innappropriateness of the book offer.

      So I went online and researched the doctor. He does post on facebook but under an assumed name. Golly, guess what his assumed name is? He is the author of the inspirational Christian book that he is promoting to patients. Whats more, online at his last non VA job are posted complaints about his doing the same thing, although they did not know he was also the author he was promoting.

      Proper diagnosis was not on my PCPs mind; selling his book off Amazon was. He is a clever man from the Phillipines and I admire his entrepenuerial drive. I wonder how far he will go with drive like that at VA? If I can go online and in minutes discover that other patients have complained about this, then VA did too. Or should have.

      It does not matter how much money we throw at VA – the corruption and lure of opportunity in access to vets is too high. They have proven consistent failure in decades of diagnosis.

  15. Firstly, about three years ago I splurged and bought a really nice LG 47″ flat screen LED TV that’s not a “smart TV”, but has all the unnecessary ‘bells and whistles” I would never use, brand new, for just under $400. as a lowly consumer and that included tax and shipping from Tiger Direct.
    How is it that the Detroit VA spent around 2.4x that price EACH when even buying in BULK?

    I am thinking this was one of those money situations where IF the facility did NOT spend the $$$$ they would LOSE the $$$ so they hurriedly bought 1000 TV’s from some employee’s relative’s Amway catalog or from someone with a stolen truckload of TV’s on a corner vacant lot anywhere in warzone called Detroit…but could not be too bothered to check if compatible to building’s tech design and could not be too bothered to attempt to return the money grabbed TV’s.
    I am only very surprised that this story did not lead to VA Employees selling said TV’s or taking them home for personal use. Matter-in-fact, 18 of those TV’s may very well be found in VA Employee homes but remain unused because the VA failed to make sure each TV came with a proper remote control and not even mentioning how shittily stacked those TV’s are on that pallet in that warehouse.
    Like RedTurtle expressed, I am thinking those boxes may be all empty shells already and are simply now just ‘stunt boxes’ after the VAOIG came and “scolded” them.

    Nothing will come of this. Meanwhile, am betting $300,000. would have gone pretty far in helping some Detroit area homeless Veterans. Meanwhile, the patient’s rooms at Detroit VAMC will have to do with chalkboards, but sorry, the VA failed to check if the pebble river rock was compatible with said chalkboards and sadly, forgot that only CHALK was to be used on a CHALKBOARD, so the patients are stuck with those silly games of 24/7 Hungry, Hungry Hippos instead of patient TV’s.
    The VAOIG concurs and gave a good verbal scolding then walked away with some brand new old stock TV’s. πŸ™‚

    1. I wondered why all the toilet paper on the hospital ward was single ply and was carried around in cases! Amway!

      Boy o boy, I bet the associate at Amway who landed the VA account is up to being a “Ruby Member” with gold pips now! I guess the VA calls it the “William S. Middleton Member” but I’m not sure about the gold pips. I think at is tier 4 or maybe 5? I’m not sure. I was never a part of a club like that because I would hate being called a “member”.

      1. Maybe it’s a Ruby Red Caddy for winning group contracts on the side of corrupt VA appropriation and contracting employees? Oh, and a brand new TV. πŸ™‚

        I bet crazyelf has a few Brooklyn Bridges in Florida Swamps for sale to the Detroit VA as well…little hard to warehouse, Disney and RAND would assist and concur. The alligators would get excellent healthcare to boot. πŸ™‚

        However, I am thinking these TV’s are only the “pre-fart” of the VA load of weekly Friday Steaming Poo coming out. VA smokescreen. What else is taking place the TV news was used for as a diversion or am I just paranoid? πŸ™‚ Yep. Yep.

  16. Ben,

    Honored host…it seems the butterfly of generous thinking has infected your article today. Normally I get about four sentences into amy given article and jump right to the conclusion. Is that wrong? At any rate I read the headline and and made an immediate conclusion that was WAY off of your own initial take on the matter.

    In the interest of shared knowledge I must say that the sentence, “Whose brother owned the business…” that those expensive electronics the government paid $1000 each for (Amazon $39.99 Prime members shipping free) came from, seems less enlightened than my own point of view. Don’t take it personally because most things seem that way to me. This notion pretty much summarizes why I do not have friends, but I gotta be me because nobody else wants the job!

    My first take on the story could have included a brother involved in “The Family Business” too but my first thought was, “I wonder which truck in Detroit they fell out of?”

    Semper Fi

    1. my mistake. The butterfly landed on me too. I took another look at the photo and realized….they really are only showing boxes.

      Has anyone opened them to see what’s inside? I am guessing…empty, or lint. Either way, batteries not included.

    2. There are a lot of unknowns but, i would go out on a limb and say the business involved was not a veteran owned business!!

    1. How do we even know they are televisions? I mean, how hard is it to turn a set on? I am betting that somebody accidentally ordered Make-N-Bake Ovens to play with at the Hungry Hippo parties. It is an easy error to make on the order screen and some of those VA chicks I have seen clearly have baking interests they avidly pursue, so it is logical in a mean sort of way.

      VA promises IT will initiate changes. AFGE protests because the little cakes that come out of those ovens are tasty. AFGE obviously bans its membership from a healthy weight so this is in keeping with their values as an organization.

      Meanwhile, crutches are on backorder from China. Maybe we can trade them the boxes for crutches? The last four pairs I was issued wore out within one week and broke. I buy my own now – six months going and only moderate wear at three miles a day. Yay for Amazon!!!

      VA has become the Amazon of healthcare except they suck at being Amazon. On Amazon, even Prime members routinely get screwed by product they think is American but comes from somewhere across some ocean. I think it takes time to figure out that a name like “Steve Young” could really be an alias for Chun Luk Doh in Bejeing China somewhere in the back of a hut. But it IS cheap.

      The difference is if you complain online at Amazon, they usually refund your money. If you complain online to VA, they send the police on a welfare check. It is a very different business model…

      So we click on the bargains we are offered that seem like such a very good deal by the words and photos we see. We again and again and agai beyond hope that chance is gonna make everything work out this time. We eternally hope when we order from Amazon (and VA) that “Steve” isn’t really “Kimduklo”, and that the money we send is going to get a product that works. Hope in one hand and defecate in the other and one will fill up mush faster…

      VA and Amazon. A marriage made in heaven, and they have REALLY cheap tv sets. Just don’t shake their hand.

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