Margarita Devlin VBA Principle Deputy Under Secretary

The Swamp Giveth, And The Swamp Taketh Away: Margarita Devlin (Cocker) Promoted Into Number 2 Slot At Veterans Benefits Administration

So much for draining the swamp and removing the status quo of cronyism and beltway favors inside the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). The newest promotion of Margarita Devlin into the #2 slot at VBA (principal deputy under secretary for benefits) may undermine new Under Secretary Paul Lawrence reforms.

According to an announcement this week, Margarita Devlin, a trained vocational rehabilitation counselor since 1995 was promoted into the number two slot inside VBA. To me, and many other stakeholders, this selection is a big deal and warranted deeper analysis.

What I found, after getting the scoop, is that Devlin is more of a swamp creature than the swamp drainer. She supports the status quo and lacks the out of the box thinking someone like new under secretary Paul Lawrence needs to reform the scandal-plagued agency.

Most recent on the list of accomplishments, something that should alarm some, is Devlin’s involvement in the gutting of the agency’s Transition Assistance Program through “efficiencies” that reallocated tens of millions of dollars Congress allocated to other projects yet unknown by the public. This reallocation of money seems to be the linchpin tying in Devlin with Murphy and his cronies.

With this history, I can assuredly tell you VBA will not improve regardless of the great programs Lawrence puts out as they will be based on incomplete or inaccurate information from the swamp.

At the core of my questions to insiders as I dug into her selection, I needed to know, ‘Why was Devlin selected? What from her track record shows VA leadership she is the right person to serve directly under the new Under Secretary?

Margarita Devlin Background At VA

Devlin joined the VBA in DC in 2008 where she became the #2 to the SES in charge of Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VRE) until 2013. Previously, she worked under Ruth Fanning at St. Petersburg VA Regional Office and was hand picked by Fanning to serve as her #2 once Fanning was picked to serve as VRE Service Director.

Then the fun begins.

In 2013, she became the Acting Senior Executive for VRE for about a year.

She was not selected for the position to service as VRE Service Director even though her entire career had been in the VRE world up until that point. Army veteran Jack Kammerer was selected by former VA secretary Robert McDonald, instead.

Devlin was then detailed over to VA Central Office where she worked as the Acting (SES) for Care and Benefits Coordination. There she reported to Mary Carstensen, an Obama appointee. Carstensen was investigated by OIG for violating ethics and conflict of interest standards. The substantiated allegations were referred to DOJ for prosecution, but the agency declined.

RELATED: Thomas Murphy Demoted

A Swamp Creature Emerges?

It is noteworthy that Devlin was hand selected by Carstensen for an SES position and served in that role for about a year, perhaps learning the ropes, from a swamp creature like Carstensen.

After that detail concluded, Devlin was then “encouraged” to support Secretary McDonald by working for Tom Allin the Director for Veterans Experience. So she was moved over to lead the Executive Director of Navigation, Advocacy, and Community Engagement for about 18 months.

Jumping ship, right before the change of Administration back to VBA in early 2017 so she could lead the Benefits Assistance Service organization under Robert Reynolds, Jamie Manker, and Thomas Murphy.

VIDEO: GI Bill vs VocRehab, Which Is Better?

Working Back At VBA

Now, a year after settling into that position she is promoted into the #2 slot replacing the current Acting #2 Jamie Manker. You know Manker; he basically admitted he knows nothing about programs he managed and was grilled for moving money around by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in March.

What’s going to happen to him? Well he’s going back to be the Chief Financial Officer so he can … well… move more money around.

After receiving her promotion, Devlin wasted no time in updating her LinkedIn account where it says, “She serves as the second in command in VBA.”

Let that sink in.

Devlin will now serve as the principal deputy under secretary for benefits. She is not a Veteran and maybe not aware that “command” means something in military organizations.

RELATED: Key Terms You Need To Know For VocRehab

Will this move prove to be a positive step for veterans struggling to gain benefits in VA Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment?

Insiders want to know, ‘How is it she is not back in her old slot at VBA when she was passed over for multiple SES positions she actually had training and experience in?’

With what seems to be a lackluster track record with little experience managing disability compensation programs, how will she run and advise the new Under Secretary on the core business of the agency?

Details, details.

The previously appointed principal deputy under secretary for benefits was Thomas Murphy prior to his selection as acting under secretary for Veterans Benefits Administration after Allison Hickey and then Danny Pummill stepped aside amid the Diana Rubens moving fraud incident.

Jamie Manker assumed the role of principal deputy under secretary when Murphy was picked to run VBA. Reynolds himself was previously investigated for misusing his position while serving as the DAV commander. Murphy was also investigated for inappropriate relations with a government contractor.

A recent OIG investigation showed Pummill, Murphy, Manker, and many others looked the other way when millions of dollars of Transition Assistance Program dollars were misused and given to friends of the VBA leaders.

That story coming later.

But insiders report that when the former deputy under secretary for economic opportunity Curtis Coy tried to fix the problems stemming from the corruption he was shut down as were any staff working to end the corruption with the contractor Calibre Systems.

Remember that name.

The answer by Murphy and Manker was to move the entire Transition Program under Margarita Devlin in the Benefits Assistance office.

What was the result?

TAP Under Devlin Gutted

A program supposedly authorized $100 million was gutted by around $40 million and reported by Manker this year as generating contract “efficiencies.”

Well done, Ms. Devlin.

Way to advocate for those veterans counting on you to provide them with programs and services needed for successful outcomes. Devlin is noted to have “killed off programs” helping veterans in order to keep the favor of VBA leaders or their cronies.

RELATED: Wikileaks Emails Show Possible Pay-To-Play At VA

Now, Devlin will essentially run benefits under the newly confirmed Under Secretary Paul Lawrence, PhD. Meanwhile, Thomas Murphy was demoted out of Central Office into the Midwest Area District Office located in St. Louis, a move many insiders say he choreographed himself over many months to ensure he receives a pension rather than being shown the door.

To find out what we can expect about Devlin’s new promotion, like I said before, I reached out many current and former employees with direct knowledge of Devlin’s performance at work and various IG reports linked to her projects.

One insider commented, “Devlin is known to protect the status quo, a favored choice by those in power to maintain contractor relationships and policies favorable to dealmakers.”

If you are curious, I can assure you she is linked to the IG report recently published that exposed wrongdoing related to Calibre contracts. At best she is guilty of being useless and unable to advocate for change to her leadership, at worst she looked the other way allowing corruption and poor performance to go unchecked in fear it would hurt her rise to the top.

You decide.

Also, the Calibre Systems contract was extended several times under Devlin whose team eventually selected a replacement for them. Yet, during the time Calibre was extended and gained tens of millions of dollars in fees/payments, guess what?

They were able to win new work inside VA to orchestrate the massive reform everyone is up in arms about.

Why would Margarita Devlin, a known ally to former Obama appointees, take a passive approach to Calibre Systems? Maybe it landed her the new role?

Does Calibre Run VA?

It is noteworthy that numerous senior leaders now placed inside VA are ex-Calibre cronies running the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, Peter O’Rourke, for example.

O’Rourke is now the chief of staff of all of VA.

His replacement is Kirk Nicholas who worked for Calibre with Peter O’Rourke before joining the VA. A former Calibre transition assistance program is leading VA transformation efforts inside VA for all of healthcare. And the list goes on and on.

But wait.

She is a woman in a world where women were purged under Murphy and Manker from leadership positions.

Is Devlin The #MeToo Choice?

Is the Devlin pick a sign VA is pushing back against Murphy after his demotion? In other words, is her selection a sign VA is heading in the right direction?

Not so fast according to one source, “Her selection doesn’t move women forward or reinforce that women are capable and respected as equals to the male leaders.”

She continued highlighting how only certain women tend to be “liked” inside VBA leadership, “They tend to be flirtatious and mild-mannered, leaving conflict aside for more nuanced negotiations. This appointment is the anti #MeToo selection.”

Co-workers say Devlin used gender difference to her advantage. Her working theory on men is apparently well known. “Men at the office need to have their egos stroked and respond better if everything is there idea,” said one former co-worker.

How patronizing is that?

Apparently, she did that job very well given her promotion after reshuffling funds out of the faltering TAP system.

Other Rumors

I will not repeat various rumors inside VA between Devlin and other coworkers that surfaced through my investigation here. Needless to say her moral conduct has been known and widely discussed inside and outside the VA for years.

But accountability inside VA isn’t about conduct or performance is it? Or, the type of conduct and performance being rewarded is not necessarily what other Americans think it should be.

One colleague commented, “What message does this send to women in the organization? Don’t try to be an equal. Conduct issues only apply to some employees. Experience, leadership, performance aren’t what is valued.”

As for her actual performance, over the past she quickly moved between positions in different projects within the agency making the long-term impact of her decisionmaking difficult to ascertain. She moved just before results were expected, and given the systemic failures of many VBA programs she’s touched, she will fit right in as the #2.

Reader Challenge

I encourage and challenge my readers to investigate Devlin and report back what you find in the comment section below.

Also note that when conducting searches, you should search under “Margarita Devlin” and “Margarita Cocker.” The latter is her former married name during her first marriage. “Devlin” is her name under the second marriage, which recently ended.

SEE IT: Google Search “Margarita Cocker”

SEE IT: Google Search “Margarita Devlin”

Similar Posts

32 Comments

  1. More hype. Good luck finding new MDs or civy care outside of the VA in Indiana or locally. Out dated referral lists from hospitals and here you must verbally agree to this knowledge and more.

    MDs or clinics will not take new patients with added concerns including chronic pain issues. They will refer you to psychologist or shrinks. Why?

    What they may claim on the net, or MDs from foreign countries list as their specialties, or ABCs is not what you’ll hear when calling them or visiting their office that is a waste of time. And they don’t give a damn about any of it including the false adverts.

    “https://www.ibj.com/articles/68856-house-oks-expansion-of-private-care-at-va-budget-crisis-fix?utm_source=ibj-daily&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=2018-05-17”

    What forty (40) organizations support???!!! I must be missing a bunch of ORGs that supposedly care for veterans and the countless issues we may face. And who will not get involved in any medical community (VA) retaliation, local corrupt practices, or violations of civil rights, disability rights and abuse issues, ad infinitum. I’d like to see a compiled list of such ORGs.

    “The $51 billion bill has the support of nearly 40 organizations, including The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. The program could be expanded based on veterans’ demand for private services and when VA care is deemed inadequate. The VA would be able to determine how quickly the program grows.”

    Year and months later today I get a letter from the state’s AG Consumer Protection Division. I tried them since the medical boards and others seem to ignore me and no one interested in helping or freely giving info other than repeating “hire an attorney.” Or the old passing the buck.

    After investing they claim they could “not conclusively prove that a violation of statutes or rules governing said licensed professionals has occurred.” blah blah. So the VA can break a jaw pulling a tooth and more. Then have local dentist and oral surgeon ignore my requests for x-rays but they sure will put me through several surgeries, then make me play games like with the VA to get my files or provide me months later with one paper as a record of a surgery that was not the file or report I seen in the oral surgeons office and not the complete story or report of what had to be done to correct the break and slivered bone back to my jaw joint that the could not reach to properly repair.

    After filing this report with the AG not once was I contacted by phone, email, mail, or carrier pigeon, nada. Same thing with other attempts to correct issues here. So all these “professionals” can do, say, false report, fail to follow HIPPA laws and all others sorts of gross professional misconduct, including being run off from a local hospital with threats, harassment, intentional negligence, false reports, etc., and it’s all okay with authorities, locals, media, etc. Proof or recordings don’t matter and obviously my word or testimony doesn’t mean shit to these scum. Then they demand respect and I AM the domestic terrorist or problem??

    I guess in Indiana all the “acts” or laws concerning human rights, civil rights, C rights, legal rights, protections, abuse laws, et al, mean not one damn thing. And I know some of these scum bags read this blog and know me. Ha ha. Guess the ACLU and many others (those 40 included) are showing what this old White boys rights, liberties, helps, protections, and such can go. So much for Indiana and Terre Haute in a nutshell.

  2. Modernize, IT, mo money, mo money, constant failures, merge merge merge, unions, change change, blah blah blah. Circus.

    “https://federalnewsradio.com/workforce/2018/05/congress-praises-but-unions-slam-administrations-plans-to-modernize-federal-workforce/”

    “It didn’t take long for Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform’s government operations subcommittee, to ask the million dollar question.

    “We continue to come to these hearings,” he said. “We continue to hear great opening statements. Why is this going to be any different than any time in the last 40 years?”

    This time, the administration is looking at these challenges in an integrated and holistic way, Weichert said. The administration can’t transform the federal workforce without focusing on modernizing IT systems and giving employees better data to use.

    For the most part, there’s a lot of common ground among leaders in the Trump administration and good government groups, such as the Partnership for Public Service and Senior Executives Association, who say they agree with the broad principles in the President’s Management Agenda.”

  3. This is ridiculous, once again Veterans are getting screwed by the swamp monster.
    There must be something Veterans can do to stop this BS from happening.
    This women shows the lack of respect for those who pledged to protect this country.
    This swamp monster has to go…

  4. OT but important info for the ladies and husbands of:

    Being a male and totally unaware of female health care issues/practices at the VA or in civy joints, this may affect you or yours. Think I posted this some time back but this is an update, if not.

    “https://www.change.org/p/1370686/u/22756276?utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_campaign=331871&sfmc_tk=evZpN%2bbCKbv%2bPJanUoYyY1a4yl5jj1Nd46q%2boS13T936N7YsEIcpUdIqermlBRM0&j=331871&sfmc_sub=159416420&l=32_HTML&u=59400356&mid=7259882&jb=79”

  5. 05/16/2018

    Dear Benjamin Krause,

    Benjamin it’s the classic “Devil (Devlin) in the Details” but it is over shadowed by a larger story with Calibre.

    You might have to rattle Warren Buffet’s cage since he owns a chuck of Wells Fargo [That Banking Company that had committed several Frauds].

    Calibre history
    “Calibre specialized in multigenerational wealth management for ultra-high-net-worth clients. Its integrated approach provided select families with customized financial and tax planning; asset strategy and investment management; trust and estate planning; and banking, credit, and charitable services.
    Calibre was an independent practice within Wachovia. In 2008, Wells Fargo & Company acquired Wachovia Corporation, including Calibre.”

    You had asked, “DOES CALIBRE RUN VA?” One way, or another your guess, that they run the VA, is correct.

    Why is Ms. Devlin next to the acting VA Secretary— to making sure he doesn’t discover anything new—“She supports the status quo and lacks the out of the box thinking…”

    So what is she doing next to the VA Secretary? It is an act of Sabotage.

    Sincerely,

    Don Karg

  6. OT

    Ol’ Trumpster has played his game with more to come. That dude is one major liar, flip-flopper, and plain nuts putting people in positions he has then boast about draining the swamp. Damn fool keeps backing those who should be kicked out of offices… forever. Sheesh, Bolton, Haley, Kissinger for advice and meetings, Obummer hold-overs, a long list of idiocy and false promises is made, etc. Oh but he isn’t like “politicians.” Heck, no difference between any of the elite ilk I have ever seen. Wasted my vote on that scum-bag and his nepotism. I’ll go for Hillary or Satan next time. At least it will be a faster death or move to the FEMA and beloved concentration camps for we ‘domestic terrorist’ and non-conformist, or Constitutionalist we lost long ago.

    “Contact Your Senators to Oppose Bennett!

    Dear Tell,

    Repeatedly, President Donald Trump has criticized San Francisco’s leftist Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for assuming the role of “super-legislature” and blocking his agenda.

    Yet, Trump has nominated a leftist, anti-gunner to fill a seat on that court, and the Senate Judiciary Committee has approved that nomination — despite GOA’s opposition to the nomination.

    The nominee for the nation’s second highest court is Mark Jeremy Bennett, who, as Hawaii’s Attorney General, opposed the Supreme Court’s determination in Heller that the Second Amendment is an individual right.

    Bennett also opposed GOA’s right to participate in the legislative process, which was affirmed in the Citizens United decision.

    But, in spite of Bennett’s reliably left-wing leanings on these and virtually ever other issue, Trump and weak-kneed Republicans seem inclined to reward him with a promotion and pivotal seat on one of the country’s most important courts.

    Understandably, Democrats are giddy. In fact, anti-gun Senator Mazie Hirono called him “refreshing.”

    The left-wing Alliance for Justice, which has slow-walked all of the rest of Trump’s judicial nominees, approves of Bennett, calling him “mainstream.”

    So here’s a suggestion: since anti-gun senators are blocking a vast number of Trump’s judicial and executive nominees, Republicans would be fools to consider Bennett before the entire backlog of conservatives has been approved by the Senate.

    Think about it: Senator Chuck Schumer and his gang of anti-gunners are blocking dozens of pro-gun nominees.

    If we reward them by passing gun controllers while blocking constitutionalists, we have every right to ask why keeping Republicans in power in the Senate confers any advantage.

    So please take action. Urge your Senators to oppose the nomination of Mark Bennett.”

    In liberty,

    Michael Hammond
    Legislative Counsel
    Gun Owners of America

  7. For those interested:
    Faux Business with Neil Cavuto interview with VA whistle blower had a VA poor response in return. Just caught the tail end of it at 4:15 pm today. Don’t know if it can be found at their site or not. Of course Neil had to throw in the point that Trumpster’s heart is in the ‘right place.’

  8. “https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=4057”
    “VA Updates Disability Rating Schedule to Better Align with Modern Medicine

    WASHINGTON — Effective May 13, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will update portions of the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD, or rating schedule) that evaluates the organs of special sense eye conditions, as well as gynecological conditions and disorders of the breast.

    The VASRD is the collection of federal regulations used by Veterans Benefits Administration claims processors to evaluate the severity of disabilities and assign disability ratings.

    VA is in the process of updating all 15 body systems of the VASRD to more accurately reflect modern medicine and provide clearer rating decisions.

    “VA remains committed to providing Veterans with the benefits they have earned through their service,” said VA Acting Secretary Robert Wilkie. “And, with modern medicine advancing at a rapid rate, it‘s important to ensure VA’s disability rating schedule reflects these advancements.”

    Several revisions were made to the general rating formula for diseases of the eye, including a new definition of incapacitating episodes that more clearly measures level of disability. Additionally, three diagnostic codes — diabetic retinopathy, retinal dystrophy and post-chiasmal disorders — were added. No conditions were removed from either portion of the rating schedule.

    Several diagnostic codes were added to the schedule for gynecological conditions and disorders of the breast, including malignant neoplasms, benign neoplasms and other injuries of the breast. Several more diagnostic codes were restructured and revised.

    Updates to dental and oral conditions and conditions related to the endocrine system were completed in 2017.

    By updating these portions of the rating schedule, VA allows claims processors to make more consistent decisions with greater ease and ensure Veterans understand these decisions. VA remains committed to improving its service to Veterans continuously and staying at the forefront of modern medicine.”

  9. As corruptocrats rise to the top of the VA like cream separates from milk, so does the integrity depart like the nutritious fat for the newborn calf. You dont get a healthy organization from sick stock.

  10. OT
    Sharyl Attkisson
    May 13, 2018 – Ryan’s Story: Re TBIs to his suicide.
    “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HZruqCyrnM&feature=em-uploademail”

    Devlin and the rest…. deep state, protected little flirty phony swamp monsters all. More circus. Trump and his clowns don’t care which is obvious by now big time. They all need and want more wars for the shadow government clowns, to install puppet governments, etc. The pawns are…. well…. are pawns playing on the corrupt multidimensional, multi leveled chess boards of life.

    Hey Trumpster/Evonka/Congress rats/VSO liars and your fans. Body count is what this week for vets? Oh stopped reporting it all? Got it. Put your beanie on, bow to the keepers/masters. Keep ignoring major issues in America okay and keep kissing Nuttinyahoo’s nasty warmongering ethnic cleansing, war criminal ass. K? Figured you lied about America being 1,2, and 3, plus vets in your list of priorities. You give us Devlin, Naeurt, Nikki the anti-American Haley, Marx feminist a plenty wanting in the history books, to rule over us evil males, to flirt use sex (big joke on the horney idiots falling for that stuff in DC and around) demanding war and chaos with her big mouth being as bad as Maxine Waters with her crapola and threats. Wow.

  11. Ah Ben; you are being so modest with the rumors surrounding DC`s Margarita. She`s a USF girl and that means “Flip-Flops, Bud-Light or Coronas and Daisy Dukes and Bl#*Jobs”. Don’t mind her all professional attire in the photo, it all for show ladies and gentleman. We in DC knows why she`s on her 2nd divorce.
    When folks in the “Beltway” move up the ladder really fast for doing not a damn thing, you`re good at bending over, being on your knees or giving out favors.
    Yeah I love being the lowly GS employee. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

  12. I think that the biggest problem is they never really got rid of enough people out in upper management, like this lady, who basically says “You have to flirt around” to get promoted. They just shuffled them all around. The VA is still the same, you make a complaint against an VA employee and the VA circles their wagons against you, the Vet. I personally am tired of taking an hour drive, waiting in a waiting room for half hour, to get a 10 minute sit down with a DR. that doesn’t take his/her nose off the computer and says “I don’t see any problems” and says to come back in six months….

    1. When the rules prohibit a corrupt facility administrator from firing a corrupt underling for corruption in a corrupt agency then Congress must be corrupt as well.

  13. Doesn’t really matter anymore, they’ve beat me and have nothing left. The place is evil, no one cares, good people get tired and knocked so many times, they don’t care. This ridiculous, nothing changed, demote, move and when cools down, then come back with a shit show telling everyone that she’s a fucking winner. #metoo, who cares! This crap is too much, Bobby bought donuts and coffee and said my tits were nice 12yrs ago. Incredibly they are perfect. I’m starting to get angry again with this place and I cannot win

  14. I am moving to Mexico, become a Mexican Citizen and come back as an illegal. I will have more benefits as an illegal than being a U.S. Disabled Veteran.

    1. I used to think like that to until I realized when the shit goes down I’d much rather be bagging my limit of fuckhead federal employees as an American veteran rather than a mexican illegal.

  15. New from “military.com” and “Military.Advantage”
    Titled:
    “VA Expanding New Holistic Health Programs”

    “Military.com”
    15 May 2018
    By: Jim Absher

    This is a fairly good article. VA also wants to continue “vets with vets group”!

  16. cj ¯¯̿̿¯̿̿’̿̿̿̿̿̿̿’̿̿’̿̿̿̿̿’̿̿̿)͇̿̿)̿̿̿̿ ‘̿̿̿̿̿̿\̵͇̿̿\=(•̪̀●́)=o/̵͇̿̿/’̿̿ ̿ ̿̿ says:

    Shut it down!!

  17. Politically connected to Ryan and the Mercers? Goal to reduce entitlement spending. To hell with Section 4 of the 14th Amendment which hasn’t been repealed

  18. What happened to draining the SWAMP, this gets better and better with crooked sob, it never ends as a veteran how are we supposed to trust the very people who continue to destroy the system from within, it’s bad enough that our Veterans are dying every day only to be ripped off from the very leaders appointed by crooked leadership

  19. From: “military.com”

    “House to Vote on Major VA Overhaul for Private Care Option”

    15 May 2018
    By: “Richard Sisk”

    “The House is expected to vote this week on a bill aimed at ending the political infighting that has riven the leaderless Department of Veterans Affairs by overhauling the way the VA pays and provides for the health care and benefits of the nation’s veterans.”

    “Passage of H.R. 5674, the “VA Mission Act,” would mark a major victory for the White House in the long-running battle over the Choice program, which allows veterans to opt for community care.”

    “To improve its chances for passage, the Mission Act includes an expansion of Agent Orange benefits and care for an estimated 90,000 “Blue Water Navy” veterans of Vietnam and an extension of benefits under the family caregivers program to veterans of all eras.”

    “Both the blue water Navy and caregivers provisions have long been advocated by the major Veterans Service Organizations (VSO’s).”

    “Acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie last week urged quick passage of the bill to avoid having the VA run out of funding for the existing Choice program at the end of May.”

    “Wilkie echoed the White House in stating that the bill “will transform the [VA] into a modern, high-performing, and integrated health care system that will ensure our veterans receive the best health care possible from the VA, whether delivered in the VA’s own facilities or in the community.”

    “He added, “Veterans are counting on Congress to approve this vital legislation by Memorial Day [May 28]” and send it to President Donald Trump, who has pledged to sign it immediately.”

    ——————————————————————-

    There’s a lot more in this article. I suggest y’all find it and read it!

    *******************************************
    Here’s the only comment! At least “Mark” has the right idea, same as we have!

    “Mark Jennette22 minutes ago” – “I know a way to fix it! Make congressmen and senators use VA for their healthcare, and I’ll bet it will never need another overhaul.”

  20. re: TAP session in 2012
    Hmmm! Check this out!
    If you click the “see context” link, you’ll read the whole meeting interaction. Do read a few above her statement!
    “https://openparliament.ca/committees/veterans-affairs/41-1/26/margarita-cocker-4/only/”

    1. “https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/apr/14/veterans-shielded-from-getting-needed-help/”
      Veterans shielded from getting needed help
      By JOHN FITZHUGH – Associated Press – Saturday, April 14, 2018
      “BILOXI, Miss. (AP) – Donna Anderson sees the system from the inside, and she sees problems.
      As a case manager at Keesler Medical Center, the retired Army nurse sees “the struggles the local servicemen and women” endure when they make the transition from active duty to civilian status.
      She works with both active-duty and retiring soldiers. But most problems she sees lie with National Guard and Reserve returnees.
      “There was some disparity in them being able to find or hold their jobs when they got back due to their physical or mental health issues,” she said, “and there were delays getting their Veterans Affairs benefits. They would go long periods of time without having income.”….”

      “…Preparing for transition is hard because service members don’t realize what life is going to really be like until they get “on the other side,” said Devlin.
      She said it’s hard for them to absorb information because they don’t know what’s coming.
      “There’s so much information that they feel like they are overwhelmed,” said Devlin.
      The VA is constantly revamping their program, she said, so service members can “see the relevance to their own life.” The latest revamp rolled out April 2.
      The department also created Transition and Care Management program for post-9/11 veterans “to face the challenges of multiple deployments, being reintegrated into the community and transitioning,” said Biloxi VA program manager Larry Parker.
      “The program intention was to help transition those veterans into VA care,” he said. “There wasn’t the best hand-off between DoD (Department of Defense) and them coming back into the community.”
      A report published in February by Clinical Psychology Review found that because so much emphasis is put on veterans with PTSD, the stress of transition is being overlooked…..”

    2. “https://www.socnet.com/showthread.php?t=132384”
      “Today VA announced that Paul R. Lawrence will assume office Tuesday, May 14 as the department’s new Under Secretary for Benefits.
      Lawrence is a former Army captain and airborne school graduate and has served in a number of key positions in the accounting industry, focusing primarily in the area of federal government practices.

      Most recently, Lawrence was a Public-Sector Vice President with Kaiser Associates. Previously, he held leadership positions with Ernst & Young, Accenture, the MITRE Corporation, IBM Business Consulting Services, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Lawrence has a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Tech, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

      Acting Secretary Robert Wilkie said, “VA is excited to have Paul Lawrence join our team in this important role for Veterans. His decades of leadership in the accounting industry will serve him well as he continues the progress VBA is making on a number of fronts. VA now has two of three Under Secretaries in place, with both assuming office more than a year before their counterparts in the previous administration.”

      VA also announced that Thomas J. Murphy, currently the Executive in Charge of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), will become the new VBA Midwest Area Director, in St. Louis, Mo. Prior to serving in the temporary position of Executive in Charge, Murphy was Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits in VBA.

      Additionally, Margarita Devlin will become Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits in VBA. Until recently she served as the Executive Director of VA’s Benefits Assistance Service (BAS). Devlin has served as executive director of Navigation, Advocacy and Community Engagement; executive director of Interagency Care and Benefits Coordination, and other positions in VA since 2003. She holds a master’s degree from the University of South Florida.”

    3. “https://docs.house.gov/meetings/VR/VR10/20171108/106532/HHRG-115-VR10-Wstate-DevlinM-20171108.pdf”

      WRITTEN STATEMENT OF
      MARGARITA DEVLIN
      EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BENEFITS ASSISTANCE SERVICE
      VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION (VBA)
      U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA)
      BEFORE THE
      HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
      SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
      NOVEMBER 8, 2017

    4. Silver-tongued, fork-tongued…
      She knows exactly how to express what is in her best interest.
      Her statements at the Canadian meeting were just milk and honey…
      If what she stated had one ounce of actual propulsion, there weren’t be so many lost in the muck and mire of this perpetual benefits battle.

      The Washington Times linked AP article clearly shows me that she is placing blame toward the servicemembers/veterans rather than devising honest workable solutions to existing and forthcoming transitional issues.

      Another interesting comparison is in the statements about veterans being hired into VA positions according to their skillset… and 73% of the VA cemetary workers are veterans.

      I’m not optimistic regarding this choice.

  21. Flirtatious Engorged Purple Team Leaders? Would this be Horny, Horny, Hippos not pretty in pink?

    May I have a vomit bucket please?

  22. Is it just me or does it seem she likes #2 a bit too much? Scat, swamp monster! Scat! 😀

  23. “Flirtatious” ? = We all know what that means!
    OK. Time for all of VA to be shut down!

Comments are closed.