300,000 Veterans May Have Died Waiting For Care
The IG investigation focused on Veterans Health Administration’s Health Eligibility Center. This is part of the Chief Business Office that also manages fee basis, non-VA health care. The reported concluded the Chief Business Office has no effectively manages its business processes and data systems to ensure accuracy of data within the Enrollment System.
This failure resulted in 307,000 entries for pending requests for health care where Social Security showed that the veteran died. Due to convenient limitations with how VA tallies various numbers, VA OIG was unable to conclusively determine if those 307,000 claims were also waiting for health care benefits
The VA OIG press release reads in part:
OIG also substantiated that pending records included entries for over 307,000 individuals reported as deceased by the Social Security Administration. Again because of data limitations, we could not determine how many pending records represent veterans who applied for health care benefits. We also substantiated that employees incorrectly marked unprocessed applications as completed and possibly deleted 10,000 or more transactions over the past 5 years. Information security deficiencies, such as the lack of audit trails and system backups, limited our ability to review some issues fully and rule out data manipulation. Finally, we substantiated that the HEC identified over 11,000 unprocessed health care applications and about 28,000 other transactions in January 2013. This backlog developed because the HEC did not adequately manage its workload and lacked controls to ensure entry of its workload into the enrollment system.
Dear Mr.Krause:
It is about time the VA stops getting away with murder, 300,000. of them ( veterans )to be more specific, yes, because that is what it is.
I doubt if anyone of us would commit 300,000. col blooded murders would ever get away with it.
Dear Cmdr: Krause:
Yes thank God Griffin is gone; and should all others like him, follow.
On “Face the Nation” 6, sept. 2015, guest speaker Neut Gingrich says “85% of the American Public believes there is widespread corruption in government”. He also included VA in his dialogue over widespread graft and corruption (paraphrasing)!
My question is; With VA receiving billions of dollars each year, WHERE is it going? Everytime VA speaks a different story is given. I, along with probably millions of taxpayers and veterans, deserve an honest answer.
I also believe, an outside CPA Consulting firm, should conduct a thorough audit. “Follow the money” has been stated by many!!!
Correction; it wasn’t 85%, it was 75% of Americans “believe in widespread corruption within the government.” “According to a Gallop Poll!”
Goggle, “Newt Gingrich defends Trump on Foreign Policy: “This is not presidential stuff”
There’s a video. And yes he does group VA into this ‘corruption’!
I just looked up the lastest “Gallop Poll”.
Here’s the breakdown,
Aug. 5-9, 2015,
14% approve
82% disapprove
Of the way our elected and appointed officials conduct business in Washington.
Looks like I was closer, lol…..
1 September 2015 Representatives (Brownly, California and Benishek, Michigan) held a recorded Congressional hearing at the Soo, MI Armory.
My suggestion to Christine O. Hill, Staff Director, Subcommittee on VA Health:
“Amend VA oversight by directing, MOU, Defensive Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) to audit the VA and be involved in their Congressional request for funding and accounting processes (Program, Budget and Accounting.”
It seems logical; military personnel are first Department of Defense employees and then transition to VA Health Insurance care.
I retired from DFAS. They make a series attempt to follow Congressional mandates and law.
Agent Orange,
That sounded like a reasonable request. Only I believe VA will not do it. Because, in my opinion, too many in upper management will be caught with their’sticky fingers in the till’, so to speak…
Today is Operation Detain McCain in Phoenix, Az. There’s going to be a “live Stream” sometime today. Also, it looks like many are starting to show for the event.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Breaking news on CBS this morning on Channel 9 news (WFTV), Orlando, Florida..
It looks like ALL construction, on ALL hospitals, clinics and anything else, is to cease immediately (at the moment) until an investigation is completed (paraphrasing)! It looks like Congress got the message from the taxpayers and veterans that their time is at end. Unless something is done about VA! “We the People” can get something done. If “We the People” keep the pressure on!!!
There’s also this article from WFTV dot com
The title to google is;
“Pressure increases on VA to let others handle construction”
New criticism of the VA’s troubled hospital construction program turned up the pressure in Congress on Friday for the agency to turn over future big projects to the Army Corps of Engineers. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson said a series of reports by the Corps of Engineers reinforces……
Updated: 9:39 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, 2015
The “element of surprise” probably has been lost to make this truly an effect meet/mash-up with Se. McCain.
I am thinking there MUST be a rather nice golf course next to or very close to that Phoenix, VAMC…where’s he been last two years? Commandeering the Budweiser Clydesdales for his wife?
I think I would go completely insane if I were forced to listen to ongoing drone of McCain’s voice for hours in a Clockwork Orange kind of way.
Hope it gets the deserved coverage. Element of Surprise is important if one or a group does not want the swat team’s already deployed or Disruption Committee in larger forces.
“The Art of War”
namnibor, did you know McCain and one other Rep in Arizona voted FOR Obama’s “Iran Deal”?
My wife saw a list today confirming it. Sad, just freakin sad!
Everyone knows it’s a bad deal. Our country’s gonna be in a downward spiral if something ain’t done soon.
** Continued Media Hyped VA ‘scandals!’ For Those ‘Poser Patriots’ Refusing, Still, to Sacrifice **
I’ve been seeing this spread, Again, from the FOX speak, outlets and blogs, including conservative veterans, to the main stream media outlets. And their, corporate media and people served, point is{?}, as they certainly aren’t looking in their mirrors, nor their direct representatives, federal and states, at the real reasons why!!!
Hundreds of thousands of Korean, Vietnam, Desert Storm,………..are dead, many fighting through the decades for care, waiting for country served to uphold their Sacrifice and Promises, through their representatives, instead of ignoring and out right denying, and that link is just on PTS, the so many issues killing them!!
The VA is the people served Responsibility, not socialized anything but their Responsibility to Actually Sacrifice, as it’s been since it was established but promises never upheld with congressional fixes coming mostly unfunded and peace-meal causing more problems, the way those served seem to really like it that way as they lay blame on the VA personal!!
DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11″, Decades and War From, All Over Again!!
And that covers much more in the Deficits, the wars aren’t yet paid for nor the results from the policies either, then just the, grossly underfunded and conservative obstructed, VA budgets!!
“If military action is worth our troops’ blood, it should be worth our treasure, too — not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American.” -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013
Like our long time, us Vietnam and frankly all Combat Theaters, Veterans Conservative, one of their experts(?), used to shape their policies, very highly compensated Nemesis: * * Sally Satel Still Selling Care for PTSD Veterans is Waste of Money * * There are plenty of others, they’ve got a ready stable full of, and plenty of ignored and denied issues!!
“Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013
Chris Hayes : “If you can run a deficit to go to war, you can run a deficit to take care of the people who fought it” In response to Republican, long ago lost as the party of Lincoln and not just as to us Veterans, opposition to expanding Veterans’ benefits on fiscal grounds
USN All Shore ’67-’71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country ’70-’71 – Independent**
September 4th, 2015, (posted online) Obama was on Fox news stating, quote; “We’re going to have to change the way the media reports!”
He wants to stop reporting against the people on welfare, (paraphrasing). He also has a device which let’s him, and his cronies know when something negative is being broadcasted. This allows his cronies to “black out” any reports he deems detrimental to his administration. (As was done on a 60 minute report last month concerning the new “F-35” Fighter/bomber!)
Isn’t this a violation of the “Constitution”?
This “report” originated from “Truth and Action”!
Kind of cancels out Freedom of the Press.
Since the OIG did substantiate that pending records included entries for over 307,000 individuals reported as deceased by the Social Security Administration. You just have to wonder how many dead veterans are still receiving disability compensation and where that money is being sent.
Or does the VA have the software to match dead veterans with Social Security Administration to prevent paying out money to dead Veterans but doesn’t have the software to possible provide lifesaving Medical Care for Veterans when they need it to stay alive?
With the demonstrated ethics, and actions, of some of the people working in the offices denying Veterans benefits to veterans who are entitled to Veterans benefits. It just seems impossible to believe those same ethically challenged individuals are not also stealing from the VA every way they can.
After all with just the wait list scandal boiling down to department heads at VA facilities across the country forcing falsification of records on a grand scale just to receive bonus bucks. How could anyone believe the same people who are shredding documents to prevent Vets from receiving earned benefits such as Disability compensation are not also stealing from the VA on a much grander scale with a much bigger payoff for doing so. After all they know the VA protects them.
Just had to add in an article today titled “Annual pillow fight at West Point turns violent; 30 cadets hurt, including 24 with concussions”
Of course we know that the 24 West Pointer with concussions from the pillow fight will of course be getting 100% disability after they are done in the Military. After all they are West Pointers, and are seemingly entitled to special treatment.
Good question Jade. Don’t you remember that VA puke who had been arrested recently, he had changed the “routing number(s)” and “account numbers” on veterans checking accounts over to his girlfriend’s checking account.
In my opinion, if there’s one rat in the woodpile, there’s gotta be more!!!!
I wonder, how much $$$$$ went into other people’s accounts?
Crazy Elf,
I do remember you pointing it out. Also an article you may want to check out is “VA Whistleblower: Veterans Documents Altered/Shredded To Reduce Backlog” The article was published July 15 of last year and contains testimony before Congress from Kristen Ruell, an attorney and a quality review specialist at the Philadelphia Veterans Benefits Administration.
Some of her testimony included the statements:
1.) “I went down to the file room and I wanted to see for myself what was going on, and I saw these (96 of them) boxes that were labeled 2010 claims, 2011 claims, 2012 claims to be shredded,” Ruell said.
2.) “I had tried using the chain of command, to only find out the chain was corrupt and management nor the central office had any interest in hearing about any problems at the agency, regardless of the extent,” she said. “The VA’s problems are the result of morally bankrupt managers that, through time and grade, have moved up to powerful positions where they have the power to, and continue to, ruin people’s lives.”
Ruell, an attorney who has worked for the VA for nearly seven years, said she is not allowed to issue complaints to superiors, that important documents are being shredded, beneficiaries are receiving improper (or duplicate) payments and that the Internal Revenue Service is not being notified about lost funds.
That was while she was working in the Philadelphia Office under the Director that just was transferred to LA where they found they were sheading Documents from Veterans Claim files that the IG office found the documents would affect a Veterans Claim.
It is just impossible to believe that these morally bankrupt people are not stealing from the VA.
In another article that includes Florida, published August 18th titled: “VA visits St. Pete office as part of National shredding probe”.
States: “Inspectors were sent to St. Petersburg, the nation’s busiest claims center, and nine other locations, “to determine whether this was an isolated issue or a systemic issue … nationwide,” Halliday said in a news release. “To gain the element of surprise, we performed unannounced inspections, and all teams arrived at the preselected locations simultaneously on July 20.””
The St. Petersburg regional office is on the sprawling campus of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System.
The inspection teams gathered and reviewed documents from shred bins, “which are the last repository for documents prior to destruction,” Halliday said. “Our preliminary findings indicate that inappropriate shredding is also occurring at other (regional offices) and controls generally appear too weak to adequately protect against inappropriate shredding.”
So with the preliminary findings indicating that the shredding is system wide. You know that the kind of theft that was mentioned in the article you had pointed out is also system wide. Surly in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
To Ben’s question, hell yes I am glad that worthless Griffin is gone. He should have been investigated and prosecuted for collecting a paycheck without doing his job.
As for your point Jade…the VA manipulating data being a mistake. If it truly were a mistake you would see numbers that are in favor of veterans once in awhile. I cannot recall an instance where the VA has made a “mistake” in numbers that has not been in favor of the VA.
91Veteran,
I agree with you that the VA’s manipulation of data is not a mistake it is strait out fraud. I feel whole heartedly that there is some serious theft going on through the VA’s Regional offices and by the same people who are shredding Veterans Claim data.
To Jade & 91Veteran. The incident at St. Petersburg VA was about an “outside (shredding) company” that came in and, not only got caught shredding claims, but also got caught stealing veterans “personal information ” and using said info to commit fraudulent I.D. theft against veterans. But, as the article explained, the companies employees were caught before anyone had an I.D. theft committed against them, thank God for small miracles!!!
Interesting. So that means the VA is contracting that out, and the VA and the company is doing a lousy job of background checks on their empoyees.
I knew a guy in Wisconsin that had a mobile document shredding business. He worked hard and made pretty good money, but he was VERY careful regarding document security. I believe he was required to be bonded, and if he lost his bond he lost his business.
91 Veteran and Crazy Elf,
I have worked as a clerk in a government contracting/purchasing office and also worked for the at the Chicago Federal Reserve in charge of customer service for their savings bonds department in Milwaukee. One of the most important parts of the job was document retention and document destruction.
Had I been involved with failing to properly receive and process documents in a timely manner (3days max), improperly maintain files and destroying documents I wouldn’t only be fired but would have to worry about how much time I would have to do in Prison.
The VA is covered by the same regulations yet they clearly don’t follow them and nothing happens to these morally corrupt ethically challenged individuals.
Dear Mr.Krause:
Well said CorpsmanP! @Tang1967, I agree with your observation, you have a keen eye for troublesome situations, and I will say something, out of that mentioned deck of cards { no pun } intended; I select the Trump in the deck.
Every one is involved on this to and fro half cocked. No one has all the answers and every institution has their problems, to include, those dying while being treated or not treated. I understand that Mr. Krause has millions of followers, but his agenda is to print what has been alleged. sometimes, the totality of circumstance only infers what appears to be truthful. Unless you have first hand information, as to the truth, continued dissemination, only, aggrieves the present dilemma.
,
The info came from the VA-OIG.
Dispute that.
This is an EASY ONE: The VA OIG has been caught lying to congress a number of times!!!!!
There’s a problem with your hypotheses, Eric. The evidence came from many whistleblowers across the country and investigations. The OIG only regurgitated what they found. This ‘issue’ has also been on the news (60 Minutes, CBS Evening news and more) over the past many months. Keep up with what’s being reported, Eric.
download the report!!!!!!
Which VA do you work at? Or are you writing a book on the VA? Your response ignored that this came from the IG. Your response ignored that reports such as this have been coming out about the VA for may years. Finally, your comment sounds much the same as the responses I got from a woman writing a book on the VA…that other private institutions also have problems. Funny those massive problems just don’t seem to make the news. Your comment, while not blatantly saying so suggests that veterans should just shut up and not complain about the lousy care we get because it’s free, and others don’t have health care. “Others” did not go through what we did to obtain that “free” care.
With comments like yours becoming more frequent, it seems like there is an attempt to get veterans to shut up about government run health care. That private institutions also have problems. What’s left unsaid in your comment is the idea that single payer health care is what you want and everything would be so great if we had that. Now if some veterans would just shut up about lousy government run health care, we could have our socialist utopia. Never mind the fact it has never worked where ever it has been tried.
I believe there’s the occasional ‘snake in the woodpile” and when the VA contracted agents read this forum they are utterly embarrassed of their ethos.
The VA seems to just “contract everything out”, so perhaps it’s our government’s rainy day sewage slush fund for nefarious “Dr. No” underground lairs and shelters for the supper entitles?
Sorry, but peeking outside the box and down the chasm can help see whole picture, but some would just call this paranoia. Red or Green Pill?
The Labor Day weekend will probably digest and obscure the ‘Detain McCain’, as have not seen a peep on mainstream or local news feeds. (so far)
The VA will only acknowledge you dead if they have a copy of your death certificate. They won’t acknowledge (a veteran’s death) for individuals reported as deceased by the Social Security Administration or anything but a death certificate. So they have all these people pending, while dead, waiting for their HCB. It’s cluttering up the system. All that needs to be done is to change that rule. Of course, top officials and congress let it keep riding this way.
You can research that stipulation on the internet and file it under the topic “The VA will never get straightened out”.
I have to fart now – excuse me
Social Security works hand in hand with VA. If VA got caught doing the many things OIG claims (download VA-OIG’s letter) they deserve to be flushed down the toilet.
example; if your a 100% t&p
with “IU”, go get a job and see what happens!!
Not only does the Social Security Agency work with VA. So does the IRS. There’s been a few articles on this to. Which also connects the dots with VA. There was a scathing news article on this just a month or so ago.
I must state that back in 2007 when I was working on at the same time, both my Social Security Disability Income and VA Svc. Connected Claims, it was na incredibly pain in the a$$ because…wait for it…the Social Security Admn. refused to share info WITH the VA and the VA would not fill-out required paperwork for Soc Sec…both government agencies, by it was/is beyond me why these two agencies could not share basic info.
This is not a new thing either as it’s fully documented on haditdot com this crazy “firewall of incompetence” existing between the two agencies.
If you are rated IU (Individual Unemployability) then you are not able to work, so if you can get a job and work, then you do not qualify for IU. So what is your point, crazyelf?
Tanya, it clearly shows VA, Social Security AND the IRS DO work hand in hand.
As I stated, if your receive IU, and you get a job. You will be caught. It was reported a few years ago, where a vet was 100% t&p, (30% was for IU), went to the “dog racing track” in Orlando and got a job “as a custodian”! His “pay check” included Soc. Sec. & IRS deductions. As all people’s checks do. VA was notified by both entities.
That’s my point!!!
One would hope sending in a ‘death certificate’ to VA would suffice. Yet, we are being made aware of the opposite many times now.
I personally witnessed a vet. service officer tell a widow (80+ yrs. of age who is now deceased),
not to say a word to VA for still receiving her late husband’s (100% t&p) disability check for over ten years. She was worried about getting caught. There’s been many news articles about this issue, also, over the years.
@Crazy Elf-
Interestingly, just yesterday, a female career Columbus Police Officer (desk jockey because her feet hurt all those years from day one), GOT CAUGHT STILL RECEIVING HER *DEAD AUNT OR COUSIN’S* VA DISABILITY INCOME FOR **SIX YEARS**…I know things can slip through, but that was about $100,000. going to someone that was NOT even the Legal Survivor, a THIEF and a “lives matter”corrupt and lazy entitled POLICE Officer!! Damn!
That story will hopefully have more forthcoming after holiday weekend and coming weeks/months.
If aliens come and end it all, I think I can understand the logic now.
namnibor,
I also don’t use Facebook. I do twitter onto my wife’s account. She has over 250+ followers. Think of it this way. If each one of her followers have 250+ and so on and so on and so on. By the end of the day, millions of people will see, and become aware of the corrupt VA and government agencies. I also had an experience on Tuesday where people were talking about VA and our government. I gave out this and other sites for them to follow.
CorpsmanUP,
True, pain may be temporary, but stripping a person of their PRIDE lasts a lifetime of pain!!!!!
The VA is like a special deck of playing cards, designed to try and play veterans. Certain cards trump others, with the OIG being the “joker”
VA should be able to determine if these deceased were waiting for benefits. It should be a simple process with today’s technology.
So true. I think there is a card of a vet, his skeleton, on the couch, the “Died waiting for care” card.
To all
First, I’m very computer illiterate. The only thing I know is, “what goes in comes out!” I take that to mean, “garbage in, garbage out!” Seems there’s a lot of that with VA!!!!
Next, I’ve asked this before. Has anyone belonged to a veterans organization before? The reason I’ve asked is simple. THEY ALSO keep deceased veterans on the books for a minimum of a year, some longer. Because they receive monies from their National Chapters. They also keep ‘yearly members’ on the books. Even after their membership has expired.
Why do they do this. Because, not only for the money issue, they can brag about how many members they have!
namnibor, there’s also another site you should mention.
“VAwatchdog”
Go check it out. I get lots of articles about VA. I then pass them off to the news media, Ron, Ben and Trump.
I believe we’re winning this “war of attrition against VA”!
As I’ve said many times, “PRIDE” is a wonderful weapon against anyone or anything.
Everyone on here has some great ideas to bring transparency, accountablity, truthfulness and honor into this disfunctional VA. I just hope and pray we see it very soon.
“Pain is temporary, pride is forever”!~ Mobb six
Word!
All of their medical equipment has to be di- com certified. They need to look at it before getting rid of this equipment, they need to make sure names and PII is deleted deeply, furthermore you as a veteran is marked by the facial recognition technology in the VA ID card. They are not clever at all, but facial recognition is everywhere, they just have to convince a jury with their latest credibility issues. If you are going to file a tort or lawsuit , now is the time. LOL
I would honestly think there still coding in Dos for the inhouse software programs and probably code with a wysiwyg editor for the public sites as what some of the look of there websites have. I’m sure they do not even know how to code in C to make a .net framework. I would also further guess they have been hacked numberous times without telling the general public.
I know for a fact I have over a dozen friends who have the knowledge to easily mess there sites up without lifting maybe ten fingers. Why can they not get to date and use a quality programming language and security measures for also checks and balanced. Its not hard and while there at it, why not add everything to one site instead of having thousands upon thousands of different websites that do not even communicate with each other.
So the VA could very well be using all the old “Sperry MS Dos the USAF and probably other Branches had back at very start of 80’s…that’s kind of scary.
@Nick Savage- you are so correct. The VA keeps coming-up with all these new sites, none really relate directly to each other, and then this Choice Card Fiasco, where the VA used TWO separate Network Contractors, that also do not really communicate with each other and are also blind to what services are at any given VAMC for qualification for care. It was either doomed from the start or engineered to do same. More $$$ into the Black Hole.
What kind of computer server system and operating system does the second largest Gov’t Agency use? I would hope it would somewhat be akin to what the DOD uses, but since the VA has repeatedly in recent years spent Hundreds of Million$ or even Billion$ on failed attempts to have mind you, VA selected contractors to do this work…I am thinking it’s the septic incompetence of the VA to even properly use the tools at the disposal as far as information/Veteran Tracking, Healthcare, and Claims, Benefits, Pensions, so HOW the hell can the VA not simply link the damn Social Security Number that happens to be each and every Veterans identification, so their inability to confirm/link to Soc Sec Death Records…AS THEY HAPPEN, is not only a face palmed FAIL, it’s embarrassing! I want to be proud of the VA.
The VA could have even used said Tracking/Matching for JOBS given to Veterans that had gone through Voc Rehab, and started an IT Company. Cannot tell me that could not be done and fix the IT problems long ago.
Nope. I think these numbers of the “missing deceased Veterans” are kept as some sort of “Budgetary Buffer” for Fiscal Purposes, and it may seem sinister of me to say that, but logical deductive thinking just points to this. The VAOIG excuses are Lame.
Lastly, if just one part of the VA were completely FIRED and replaced with truly independent VAOIG, say, Veterans, and sorry, but not of the West Point type…same ilk!!!?! Then a VA OIG Full Recon could start doing their jobs and watch the rats early retire…err…jump ship.
In the mid to late 90s, I know the VA continued to store veteran data on reel-to-reel tapes. This was done because their systems and software were so old and nobody took the time to figure out how to upgrade.
Most examining or other rooms now have the usual government contract basic Dell computer networked to…something, running Windoze.
Raytheon now does a lot of government contract IT work. I have no idea why they couldn’t upgrade their systems to servers running Linux that could be modular that would be patched or upgraded as needed without waiting decades to do so.
As for SSA and VA, even if their databases are not linked, SSA could still provide a data dump once a week showing all those veterans who have died,and VA could receive that database to run queries to clean up their systems.
You can bet whatever system is used for getting their paychecks is up to date and works extremely well. Same as with whatever system is used to collect debts from veterans.
Well, it took the VA propaganda machine until this morning to post on their VAntage Point blog email, that the IG was, perhaps mistaken. Google: VA important facts context. The VA obfuscates the facts and challenges the report.
As anyone, who has been given a half a brain can see, VA management is in perpetually in denial of any wrong doing. If it is 1% of the 300,000 figure who died waiting for VA care, that is still 300 veterans. That’s two companies of soldiers. The VA just doesn’t get it.
Well said, Dan F, could not say it more elegantly. I think we can force-feed these issues into future Presidential Debates as long as we keep-up this momentum. Great work. Not so great work on the corrupt VA OIG. The foxes are guarding the henhouse…as my Great Grandmother used to say.
Was at the UPS Store earlier today to get some User Manuals Printed/Bound and Veteran issues just came up and so I took the opportunity to turn them all onto this blog and also told them about the “VA IS Lying Veterans Are Dying”…they had NO idea. I plan to proliferate this info everywhere I may wander as marching orders.
I was asked, “Why are these things not in the news amongst all the senseless shootings in USA?”
I said, “VA Spin Machine Dr. is working overtime”!
I do not nor want to use Facebook, so word of mouth will have to do from my end. Not a fan of all the typical social media as it escalates my PTSD and Anxiety.
Something I used to do in the 90s…whenever I went to the VA for an appointment, I would go to a certain VA office that received many boxes of Gulf War veteran newsletters. They were too lazy to distribute them to clinic waiting rooms, so I would do it. At times, there might just be an extra printed paper left at each waiting room table. Take about 30 copies of a page of web links like Hadit dot com, VA is Lying or other useful information and leave it on the waiting room table. You would be surprised at how many veterans would see it. 5-10 copies per table would cover quite a few waiting rooms. At least until some disgruntled clerk found them and trashed them…but they rarely pay attention to what’s on the tables there anyway.
to Dan F and namnibor,
Of course VA has to “Challenge the Report”, They have to. How else are they to ‘fleece’ the taxpayers outta BILLIONS of dollars. So the can live the, as Robin Leech would’ve said, “The Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous!”