VA Wait Time

Second Secret VA Wait Time Scheme Exposed This Month

VA Wait Time

OMAHA – Another secret VA wait time scheme has emerged from within the Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System obstructing access to mental health.

VA employees located in Nebraska and Iowa were engaged in unlawful recordkeeping and wait time fraud. An audit following whistleblower complaints revealed employees maintained a secret, off the books scheduling list that evaded oversight from the prying eyes of VA executives in Washington DC.

In 2014, VA established strict requirements for scheduling appointments due to the Phoenix VA wait time fraud that resulted in hundreds of veterans dying without needed health care. A nationwide audit found 40 VA facilities maintained the unlawful wait lists for scheduling off the books. The Omaha facility in question was not one of those 40 facilities.

This means VA either botched the investigation in 2014 or facility leadership and employees began the scheduling scheme after learning about it through scandal coverage in the news.

This is the second secret VA wait time scheme exposed in October. Last week, another wait time scheme was exposed in West Virginia. There. VA staffers created a secret clinic within the emergency department to cover-up wait times for veterans seeking emergency care.

Omaha VA Wait Time Scheme

According to the AP:

The VA’s Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System audit was conducted this year. It covered cases of 301 unnamed veterans from Nebraska and western Iowa who were added to the VA’s official electronic waiting list between August 2016 and August 2017.

One of the whistle-blower complaints included a paper waiting list dating to January 2014 of about 400 veterans who’d requested psychotherapy appointments. The whistle-blowing employee said the unofficial logs were used in place of the VA-authorized electronic waiting list.

According to the audit, the employee said the VA established therapy groups in order to meet the VA’s standard of scheduling mental health appointments within 14 days, because the group sessions satisfy the requirement for consultation. The veterans would get individual appointments later as they became available.

Iowa City VA Wait Time Scheme

Previously, in July, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley accused VA covering up its wait times at Iowa City VA:

According to the whistleblower data, which Grassley said the VA has since confirmed as accurate, the Iowa City VA reported 537 veterans waiting for a clinical appointment between 91-180 days, 539 between 181 days to a year, and 232 between one and two years. The other VA hospital, in Des Moines, showed hundreds of others waiting for appointments more than 90 days, Grassley said the documents from mid-February show.

“I would draw the conclusion that they were misleading us because the information was probably embarrassing,” Grassley said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “It’s a crime that veterans are being treated this way.”

Given that problems within Nebraska and Iowa span multiple locations, it seems likely VA leadership within the VISN is possibly involved or at least benefiting financially from the scheme.

If true, when will President Trump’s Accountability Office finally come down on these kinds of systemic and criminal enterprises?

Source: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2017/10/17/veterans-affairs-memo-secret-wait-list-omaha-patients/771400001/

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36 Comments

  1. The Manger who fudged the numbers at the WV facility was re-assigned to protect her postion. The Director Dr. Glenn Snider knew and endorsed the false clinics. Thus he protected her and ONLY gave her a letter of reprimand. This is pure VA Toxic Leaders protecting VA Toxic employees……

  2. Well again no one is taking the moral high ground in practice what they preach! We took an oath in duty, honor, country! Well, i see no one in the VA trying to honor their committment to our disabled veterans, me included! For it is so hard to get them to do the right thing! Maybe we woould have fewer veterans taking tneir life because how they afe treated again for many of us enlisted to defend others without question. But now we have to argue with tne VA to do the same. They should do the same before they have one less veteran who still stands for what is right !

  3. “AFGE ramping up anti-privatization campaign, as VA readies new Choice draft”
    By Nicole Ogrysko, Federal News Radio
    October 17, 2017 5:44 pm

    “https://federalnewsradio.com/veterans-affairs/2017/10/afge-ramping-up-anti-privatization-campaign-as-va-readies-new-choice-draft/”

    Of course who is paying all these Union employees salaries to fight this campaign. They all come strait out of the VA Health Care Budget of Course so us taxpayers are paying for these “fu#ks” to fight against Veterans having a right to real Health Care.

    1. Another way of saying this is “AFGE ramping up anti veterans choice campaign”.

      From the comments I have made about Choice being a disaster, it might seem I am against the program, but I certainly am not.

      Allowing a veteran to see a private doctor that must be accountable to a state licensing board is a damn sight better than seeing any unaccountable VA doctor.

  4. “White House: VA’s Shulkin not a candidate for HHS secretary”
    Associated Press Wednesday, October 18, 2017

    “https://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/2017/10/white_house_vas_shulkin_not_a_candidate_for_hhs_secretary”

    To corrupted for the job?

  5. The other day when I went to the VAMC to see my doctor for the first time I was thinking as I was about to see him “He’s probably some old white dude with short grey hair” and then as I walked in I confirmed my suspicions were true. These are the worst types of doctors and dentist you will ever meet. They are literally vindictive against humanity in general it seems. If you are a young, healthy person they will delight in destroying you as much as possible. I gave the psycho my basic info for his report and left to never return.

    I mentioned this earlier and I think it’s worth mentioning again. In 15 years I’ve never had such a scary experience as going to the VAMC. On my way out they had turned all the lights and TV off because it was 4:30PM. The security guard/VA Cop was standing at the door to let me out. Never again. People who think national health care is a good idea need to listen to us. They’re going to regret it every day the rest of their miserable lives.

    1. One more thing I found kinda funny. I went to my local Vet Center for therapy because I keep hearing that’s the “right thing to do”. After a few sessions the therapist writes down that I don’t need any more coping techniques. So I’m thinking why am I there. I dropped it right after reading that.

      The therapist tried to get me into Voc Rehab even though I already have a full time job. I told him I’m pretty sure you got to go to an Orientation at the Regional Office and I didn’t want to drive all the way there for nothing. He says that the Vet Center is where Voc Rehab is done and most vets don’t go to the RO. I clicked the sign up button on ebenefits then I changed my mind and told them to cancel it through IRIS. I got the confirmation it was canceled. The other day I got a letter from the VA telling me I have an appointment at the RO for Voc Rehab. What a pathetic joke. I’m not even going to it. I have a job where I make around $4000 a month. It’s pathetic that I can find out more than someone who works at the VA by doing a simple google search in minutes. I’m done with all these people. The two therapist I talked to at the Vet Center seemed to have worse mental problems than me.

  6. “U.S. Senator from Nebraska Demands Answers from VA About Nebraska Veterans on a Secret Wait List **VIDEO**”
    BY Kari Lawrence | October 18, 2017

    “https://us92.com/local-news/u-s-senator-from-nebraska-demands-answers-from-va-about-nebraska-veterans-on-a-secret-wait-list-video/”

  7. “VA owes ambulance fees to Sedgwick County”
    “County commissioner said the bill is $1.5 million”
    Posted: 5:22 PM, Oct 18, 2017 — Updated: 5 hours ago

    “Sedgwick County commissioner David Dennis said Wednesday the Veterans Administration owes the county around $1.5 million for ambulance services provided to veterans.

    Speaking at the regular commission meeting, Dennis said his main concern is that if the county can’t collect from the VA or insurance companies, it will have to bill the veterans themselves.”

  8. “Data breach at Spokane VA Medical Center”
    By: Elena Gardner, Oct 18, 2017 05:09 PM PDT

    “SPOKANE, Wash. – Two USB hard drives containing personally-identifiable Veteran information were stolen from a Veterans Health Administration contract employee in Oklahoma on July 18, 2017. The Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane has notified 1915 Veterans whose information might have been compromised.

    The employee was at a service call at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center when the hard drives were stolen. The employee filed a local police report.

    One of the stolen hard drives was the Master Drive used to copy and move the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center’s Anesthesia Record Keeper database from a physical server that was not connected to a network. The information was archived during the week of January 16, 2017.”

  9. About 6 weeks ago under the directions of Veterans Administration in Washington D.C. Diana Ohman, executive director of the National Cemetery Administration’s Midwest District, ordered the removal of Battlefield Crosses from Veterans Cemeteries in Ohio.

    A move that clearly reflects Shulkin’s support of taking a knee at NFL games.

    Veterans are outraged after learning that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ordered the removal of memorials to fallen soldiers merely because they featured a “realistic replica” of a firearm.

    “https://pjmedia.com/trending/user-content/51/files/2017/10/Battlefield-Cross.sized-770x415xt.png”

    “Ohio Veterans Outraged After VA Removes Battlefield Cross From Cemetery Because It Depicts a Gun”
    By Tyler O’Neil October 18, 2017

  10. I don’t know why politicians want a war with veterans by fucking them over like this.fuck accountability take there citizenship away for killing veterans by making them wait. they are not apart of American soil throw these bad seeds away. they signed federal documents which means there citizenship should be at stake just how we signed the dotted line to run at bullets protecting them.

    fuck it let them keep there va jobs with out Us citizenship. if i have to re apply for an appeal because of these fruit loops they should have to reapply for there visas.for fucking us over like these:(. VA wants to act like socialist the united states should treat them like one.

    VA needs to fire all non veteran type employees are doing these and take there citizenship away that are implementing these specific course of action.. i want to see some undercover film on this place.

    fuck the report on paper work.i want to see some coverage on TV.i want to see some names and address on who’s responsible.i want these people made an example that are hanging out veterans to dry. American people have a right to know how they are keeping there jobs on what documentation they are signing from there undisclosed union they work for.

    i want fucking names and address on who’s doing this..physical technicality if means necessary. VA wants to start a mafia war killing soldiers by stalling credentials from criminal acts. veterans need to get smart either create factions to demonstrate legit systematic cyber fare and make va employees resign by putting political pressure on specific US treasury lenders. or taking the trash out to the sidewalk to show the American people they lost there citizenship by making a veteran wait without help to die.

    find out how these employees are paid and pull the plug. so many whistle blowers can hear a fucking train coming right out in these VA clinics if the price is right.

    the impunity of possession needs to stop or its going to get violent with other veteran employees. someone needs to get in there undercover,fast .

    i dont know what to say, veterans start hiring international spys to figure out who’s or what system’s they are using. va been hack several time and nothing, which means who’s ever calling the shots is by mouth,by name and address. AND U KNOW WHO THE FUCK U ARE!!!

    i also want to see some trespassing to find travel orders on the scum that are deliberately doing this.
    and every time they do it they get transported to another VA facility and someone else gets to change the rule books so forth and so forth. they keep switching these fuckers out doing the same routine no firing no fines , nothing…

    Veterans needs to get smart hire some unaccounted for militia to storm for some personnel and present it the president.

    veteran affairs wants to brake some rules there needs to be some armed veterans breaking rules until congress gets this mess figured out.

    P>S Fuck…ILL GO TO PRISON FOR LIFE IF THESE FUCKERS GO TO PRISON FOR LIFE IT WAS FOR MY BROTHERS AT ARMS.

    i know it reads crazy but what other options do we have besides waiting,
    STOP WAITING VETS LETS GET THIS SHIT DONE….

  11. Off topic: The Daily Caller has an article about the AFGE holding a rally in CA over VA staffing.

    Of course these hacks are blaming Choice.

    A quote from the article: “But with more than 49,000 vacancies nationwide at the VA, they are being deprived of the health care they’ve earned and prefer.”

    Uh, yeah. VA union hack employees are doing an excellent job themselves of depriving veterans of proper health care.

    Rather than working and providing proper care, the AFGE is holding rallies around the country at various VA’s…worried their dues paying membership might drop.

    Ask yourself, if you as a veteran held a rally at the VA for proper health care, how fast do you think some AFGE rent-a-cop would be arresting you for trespassing on federal property?

    “https://dailycaller.com/2017/10/18/largest-federal-union-raises-alarm-at-va-staffing-crisis-using-wrong-data/”

      1. “Funny Hats”….because am sure the VSO Piggies are not far behind with the mantra “save our VA”….self-absorbed rat bastards!

    1. What really makes it burn even worse is the fact that these AFGE Members that are protesting are collecting pay by the VA while they are protesting. The Union Leadership is also being paid their salaries to set up these Demonstrations.

      The Union is nothing but a paid asset spewing the VA Bull Shit and trying to make it seem that the employees give a shit. They don’t!!!

  12. Why is this continuing in the face of the media coverage of this happening repeatedly? It keeps happening because there are incentives for it to keep happening, and there is zero accountability for those caught doing it.

    If there were several people summarily fired for conducting this fraud, it might slow down a little, but Congress yawns, the White House is too busy tweeting, the VSO’s abet the VA and the media are too busy either chasing Russian ghosts or reporting on some pig in Hollywood.

    I saw last night a news article from New York about a bunch of AFGE hacks demonstrating because they claim VA jobs are not being filled fast enough. With the additional billions given the regular VA budget, and the additional billions given to Choice, there is no excuse for any kind of wait list at any VA in the country, yet it continues because those doing it have not had their dicks stomped on when caught.

    Yes, Grassley is right that it is a crime that veterans are being treated this way. Unfortunately he misses the fact that because of his worthless colleagues, Isakson and Poe, the criminals are never held accountable.

    1. I imagine that the problem would be corrected if the VAIGO did their job. By investigating and prosecuting anyone connected to these wait list scams. We know that every one of them is tied to employees getting bonuses.

      Any time some one provides false information to receive money it is a crime. Of course if they started prosecuting for fraud at the VA they would lose about 75% of the VA employees.

      VA HealthCare the deadliest in American!

    1. @Donald Avant – – – The FBI, DOJ, and State Attorney Generals have jurisdiction in filing charges against the VA. Bens articles has provided a load of exposed corruption that is current occurring in the VA. There is enough evidence to file criminal charges against many VA personnel, especially Shithead “Shitty” Shulkin. IMO. We need Officers of the Court that truly will stand up for the safety of Veterans, their love ones, and their Service Animals. It’s time for an Audit. A proper Audit will expose everything.

      Hey FBI, DOJ, and State Attorney General’s, here are some guidelines to help you to perform an Audit on the VA;

      *Physical Examination- Is the inspection or count by the auditor of a tangible asset. Most often associated with inventory and cash, but it is also applicable to the verification of securities, notes receivable and tangible fixed assets.

      *Confirmation- Is the receipt of a direct written response from a third party verifying the accuracy of information that was requested by the auditor. The request is made to the client, and the client asks the third party to respond directly to the auditor.

      *Documentation- Is the auditor’s inspection of the client’s documents and records to substantiate the information that is, or should be, included in the F/S. Documents can be INTERNAL (has been prepared or used within the client’s organization and is retained without going to an outside party) or EXTERNAL (has been handled by someone outside the client’s organization who is a party to the transaction being documented, which are either currently held by the client or readily accessible).

      *Analytical Procedures- Uses comparisons and relationships to assess whether account balances or other data appear reasonable compared to the auditor’s expectations. An auditor may compare the gross margin in the current year with the preceding years.

      *Inquiries of the Client- Is the obtaining of written or oral information from the client in response to questions from the auditor. This type of evidence is usually not conclusive because it is not from an independent source. Must obtain additional evidence through other procedures.

      *Recalculation- Involves rechecking a sample of calculations made by the client. Rechecking client calculations consists of testing the client’s arithmetical accuracy and includes such procedures as extending sales invoices and inventory, adding journals and subsidiary records, and checking the calculation of the depreciation expense and prepaid expenses.

      *Reperformance- Is the auditor’s independent tests of client accounting procedures or controls that were originally done as part of the entity’s accounting and internal control system. Recalculation is rechecking a calculation, where reperformance involves checking other procedures.

      *Observation- Is the use of the senses to assess client activities. Observation is rarely sufficient by itself because of the risk of an auditor changing their behavior because of the auditor’s presence.

  13. Why is anyone surprised? The issues at the VA is not an isolated incident at one or two facilities. The VA gives all of its employees marching orders to ‘Delay, deny and hope veterans die’…and, each administration and congress want to pretend that they are surprised.

    Look at the recent 60 Minutes story on the DEA, we can’t win the war on drugs because of politicians not giving a hoot. Same thing with the VA.

    The VA Accountability Office? Just another word for OIG, and we all know the OIG is just there to whitewash wrongdoings and put bullseyes on any whistleblowers who dare come forward.

    1. I believe the VA only produced the position/office VA Accountability Office/Whistleblower in order to keep an even closer eye on the Whistleblowers…NOT assist. Anyone that solely believes otherwise needs to change brands of Kool-Aid.

  14. I wanted to say thanks to Ben. If you remember you wrote on that article “70% to 0%” to consider your VA Benefits a “monthly bonus. If I hadn’t thought of it that way I might have found myself in a terrible situation. The last week I got the hot idea of reducing my work hours because I have VA Compensation to fill the gap. It only took about 5 days for me to realize how stupid my decision was. I called my boss back quickly and got my old schedule back.

    I’ve come to realize my reduction is inevitable. At my original C&P exam the examiner didn’t really listen that well and gave me a few extra symptoms for my PTSD that I was suffering from but currently have either reduced or overcome. I think when I was telling the C&P examiner of what I had experienced in the past that for some reason they assumed I was still experiencing those same symptoms now. I ended up at 70% PTSD when I was thinking that the highest I would qualify for was 50%. I don’t even take medication because my holisitic approach handles it all pretty well.

    What really freaked me out was when I went to the VA for the first time and told the doctor that I had tried zoloft and lozaparam in the past the doctor just handed it out like candy to me. I’m not taking that shit because I don’t need it and it never worked the first time I tried it a decade ago. It was an extremely frightening experience going to the VAMC. The smell of the doctor was in my nose for the rest of the day. I had way more anxiety than when I first went in. When I was walking out of the VA the place had been closed and the lights were off! It was the eeriest thing I’ve experienced in 15 years. I’m not going back for other than a physical from now on and that’ll be in many years from now.

    Thanks Ben, your article helped me to see the truth. I’ll never make that mistake again. If the VA reduces my benefits 5 years from now then so be it. I’d rather have some integrity and peace than the anxiety that comes from being dependent on the VA when I don’t have to be. I’ll just consider the benefit a monthly bonus from now on.

  15. Just days ago I posted on this blog a response to an inquiry about living in Oregon. I said that once past the Cascade Mountain Range then the terrain changes to desert and stays that way until about Omaha Nebraska… kismet.

    Let me revert to being myself here which is at its core a juvenile male that still giggles over “booger” jokes. I will rewrite todays headline a bit;

    “Second Bandaid Over Puss Is Leaking Again.”

    I think that about sums it up right now for me in this matter.

      1. New VA Kevlar Body Bags are only stress-tested for exploding while propped within a shower stall, not horizontal on a morgue shelf, where oozing is more likely to occur. RAND recommends duct tape.

  16. Off subject. Yet, there’s information in this video y’all might find interesting.
    From:
    “President Trump News Today”
    Published on October 17, 2017 (05:51 minutes long)
    Titled;
    “BREAKING NEWS TODAY 10/18/17, Trump Just Issued URGENT Warning To All Americans”

    It’s in regards to the “Flu Vaccination” being pushed by BIG Pharma and lobbyists!

  17. Benjamin- Nice “Bad VA Art” today. VA dancing monkey that’s seeing, hearing, & speaking no evil…that’s the VAOIG new official patch.

  18. The VA is a classic example of a “systemic problem” and it’s more likely than not secret wait lists have existed within entire systemic mess but too many snouts in the slop blocking disinfecting qualities of Benjamin’s daylight and VA kryptonite called accountability.
    “Systemic Problem” when used in sentence re: pesticides: “Spreading through all the parts of a plant and making it toxic to pests or parasites without totally destroying it.” We Vets are seen as parasites to the engorged lamprey.

    1. Oh…and the VA is as toxic as well-known pesticides, maybe worse. The irony of that is literally killing Vets. Thanks, BVA AO Denier Thomas Murphy.

  19. How about calling it what it is;
    Screw “embarrassing”, it’s called “criminal activities!”
    You watch, some lowly clerk will take the fall, then the AFGE will step up and have the charges against him/her dropped!

  20. The New VA same as the old VA in practice towards Veterans.

    Although now they do have a much bigger budget to steal from. As well as they have purged many on the former whistle blowers. With new policies on how to whitewash everything and protecting the rights of wrong doers.

    Not to mention the total reduction in the quality of Health Care they provide with nurses, pharmacists, third world J1 Visa Holders and assistance now replacing Doctors at the VA.

    Yes, it is much deadlier now!

    1. “Meet the new boss, Same as the old boss.”- The Who – ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’.

    2. A recent report forget what facility, but many surgeons and nurses left the VA because of how it was being managed and blew the whistle, They hired a surgeon told him the pay was 350 thousand dollars and the he complained and they cut his pay to $200 thousand and then fired him. He lasted maybe 6 months.

      Of course the VA facility made up a fake story.

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