One-Third VHA Backlog Consists Of Dead Veterans
Huffington Post just uncovered that one-third of the VHA backlog for health care appointments is made up by dead veterans because of a technical glitch.
In April, a VA program specialist reported that more than 238,000 of the 847,000 veterans in the health care backlog are actually dead while waiting for health care. This means they applied for services but died while waiting.
According to VA spokeswoman Walinda West, the agency has no way of removing dead veterans from the wait list despite being dead:
VA spokeswoman Walinda West said the agency has no way of taking dead applicants off the list. Since the VA’s electronic health record system has been in place since 1985, some of the data may be decades old and some of those people may have used other insurance, she told The Post.
Ms. West said that about 81 percent of veterans who come to the VA “have either Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare or some other private insurance. … Consequently, some in pending status may have decided to use other options instead of completing their eligibility application.”
Scott Davis, the VA employee who provided the report, called out the VA’s outlandish excuse as “immaterial and a farce.”
“VA wants you to believe, by virtue of people being able to get health care elsewhere, it’s not a big deal. But VA is turning away tens of thousands of veterans eligible for health care,” he told The Post. “VA is making it cumbersome, and then saying, ‘See? They didn’t want it anyway.’”
Mr. Davis sent copies of the report — conducted by staffers in the VA Health Eligibility Center and the VA Office of Analytics — to the House and Senate VA panels and to the White House, The Post reported.
Now this begs the question of how many dollars are being incorrectly allocated to budget for appointments in the future for appointments that will never happen? How is it in the age of X Box and Playstation is the VA still unable to have systems with basic functionality like canceling appointments for dead veterans?
Source: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/14/one-third-of-veterans-in-backlog-for-va-health-car/
That is not what that exaggerated figure from HuffPo means, at all. First, it’s not the VA’s backlog. It’s all the unfinished applications for enrollment, since 1985 with no death date in the VA system. Some of those 850,000 applications are still being processed but the vast majority of them are abandoned applications. In the first 8 months of FY 2015, the VA received 37,261 enrollment applications and processed 32,769 of them in within 5 business days. At that rate, assuming all the applications that didn’t make the goal were never processed, it would take more than 126 years to add up to 850,000. If none of the applications were ever processed, it would take more than 15 years to add up to 850,000.
https://www.va.gov/HEALTHBENEFITS/stats/
If 1/3 of cop-killers in a prison hospital died on a list while begging for help, the entire justice system would be in a panic.
If 1/3 of terrorists at Guantanamo died on a list while begging for help, there would be blood in the streets.
1/3 of disabled veterans HAVE died on a list while begging for help, and this administration labeled us as potential terrorists.
Is it any surprise that veterans are killing themselves faster than our enemies can?
This is not NEW. This has been going on for DECADES.
Nobody notices, though, as long as you throw the occasional parade.
I have an idea! How about a parade featuring 238,000 coffins of veterans who died begging for your help?
The government who labeled us “potential terrorists” will never let that happen.
* * CiC’s – People Served – War – Veterans Of – Vietnam to Iran Nuclear Diplomacy * *
DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11″, All Over Again!!
“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
* * Historic nuclear deal puts US, Iran on path to peace * *
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
Sen. Bernie Sanders told Conservatives: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014
Neither of these recent very long war theaters, OEF and OIF, have yet been paid for, nor the continued blowback from the spread and growth from the policies implemented!
Neither the long term results from, including the long ignored or outright denied existence of, till this Administrations Cabinet and Gen Shinseki, only Government branch consistent for the past six years, Veterans issues from!
As well as under deficits most of the, grossly under funded for decades and the wars from now, VA budget is still borrowed, with interest, thus added problem creating costs, with representative who control the purse strings blaming the mostly dedicated VA personal within, that shouldn’t exist!
USN All Shore ’67-’71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country ’70-’71 – Independent**
DOES ANYTHING FUNCTION SMOOTHLY WITHIN THE VA OTHER THAN EMPLOYEE BONUS PAYMENTS???
They seem to make sure THAT WORKS! I’ve heard that in some large cities many of the registered voters are dead also!
Yep, here in Florida they found the dead had voted in the last midterm election. Funny thing though, not only did the dead vote. So did illegal aliens. Another funny thing was some voted more than once. How bout that for an Honorable and Honest election.
Actually, the contractor for Medicaid in Indiana, xerox, the same people providing eligibility services for the VA since 2011, got nailed by the feds for failing to properly bill for actual recipients. Xerox had phantom applicants and recipients just so xerox could receive more pay. Obviously they are doing the exact same thing at the VA. A fourteen year old has the technical expertise to eliminate the names of veterans who have passed away from a list maintained by VA in IBMs Rational Rose program. What VA isn’t telling you is that their eligibility programming has automatic rejections in it so applicants will appeal or go away. If they appeal, and until VA notifies some ethereal bureaucrat that an applicant was rejected, VA eligibility contractors receive payment for ALL APPLICANTS as if those applicants were approved. VA/contractors collects the estimated payment a vet would be receiving during the period of appeal… damned near six years now… and, if the vet wins his appeal and his disability, he gets a one lump sum payment from VA while VA keeps all the interest gathered from the estimated payment. This is called pass-through money and no one, especially not the contractors, pays taxes on it IT’s a great incentive to keep vets trapped in the appellate process for years because the total revolving balance makes free money for eligibility contractors! This is called self funding. It’s kind of like when VA accidentally forgets two dollars from a vets monthly payment… two bucks isn’t that much until you multiply it by 6 million vets… 12 million dollars procured through self funding… get the contractors out of the government… I know politicians love the lobby money but how many vets are left to make contractors rich?
I can relate to that. I had a roommate, a Vet,, who died in 1999. In 2001 he received a letter saying he missed his, last month appt. That was a year and six months after he killed himself. I feel like I am still in a war. Are we?
In Ben’s article he quotes VA spokeswoman Walinda West as saying “that about 81 percent of veterans who come to the VA have either Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare or some other private insurance”.
A review of the VA’s Health Care Insurance webpage states “VA is required to bill private health insurance providers for medical care, supplies and prescriptions provided for treatment of Veterans’ nonservice-connected conditions. Generally, VA cannot bill Medicare, but can bill Medicare supplemental health insurance for covered services.”
The Medicare.gov website states that the Medicare supplemental health insurance, or Medicare Part B Covers:
Part B covers 2 types of services Medically necessary services and Preventive services
“Medically necessary services: Services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat your medical condition and that meet accepted standards of medical practice.”
“Preventive services: Health care to prevent illness (like the flu) or detect it at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best.”
What happens with all of this money they are collecting?
The same VA Health Care Insurance webpage states:
“Funds that VA receives from your third party health insurance carrier go directly back to your VA Medical Center’s operational budget. That money can be used to hire more staff or buy medical equipment to improve Veterans healthcare.”
Where is all of this money going? Anyone have any thoughts on how to find out?
Forgot to add the VA Health Care Insurance webpage is located at:
https://www.va.gov/HEALTHBENEFITS/cost/insurance.asp
And the Medicare webpage is at:
https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/part-b/what-medicare-part-b-covers.html
Nowhere on that page does it say the VA will give your personal information to a private contractor to “find” your health insurance and Bill them regardless of service connection. Nowhere on that page does it provide help information on who a veteran should contact if the VA bills your health insurance for providing treatment for a service connected condition. Nowhere on that page does it say that some required tests that are mandated by the VA prior to surgery will be determined not related to your service connected condition, so your insurance will be billed for those tests. The VA will not answer whether you will get the surgery if you skip those tests. If my insurance is going to be billed for any treatment by the VA, I will not go to them and go to real doctors instead.
Only an Audit by an outside “Well Respected and Honest Certified Public Accounting
Firm” could truly do the job, in my opinion. One that could not be bought off, basically….
Jade Helm….Ursula Burns, Xerox document corporation, Atos Origin and all the other contractors who ride on the coattails of Xerox have all the money. I have a great photo of Ursula Burns dancing with Michelle Obama in the white house in 2009. Maybe just a coincidence but in Indiana, xerox was the sole and exclusive benefit/ eligibility administrator for VA/Medicaid/Medicare AND all private health insurance in the state of Indiana as per Indiana Department of Insurance regulation thanks to Mitch “THE BITCH” Daniels. This is how information is illegally shared through CareWeb and other Medical information systems that no one ever told you about. They are medical information super highways where even the dumbest dentists’ receptionist has access to medical information with the click of a mouse and you have never given anyone permission to sift through your medical records. HIPAA only stops patients from seeing their medical records… but absolutely any body else probably has access to. It’s the wonder of electronic health records! OH! And you should see how the information licensing agreements for access to these information highways is set up! A patient can’t get their information pulled from it, in most states, but doctors get paid for providing information to certain services without telling the patient. I tried to get my pulled down when I found out about all of it and was told it was illegal for me to have my medical information removed… you gotta love a nanny state. YEAH!!!!!! not….
P.P.S. Sorry my eyes are not what they should be in subdued light, I apologize I meant to say 1/3 dead soldiers not 2/3 that I first thought.
Yours for God and Country
Frank P. Calderon
This is off topic, but I am sure anyone here can provide the answer, or Ben can, and I hope he would do several articles on the topic.
My comment pertains to the “VA Blue Button”, supposedly where you can access your medical records and email the hacks supposedly monitoring your health. I understood from comments here that the VA was pushing this as a way for vets to access their treatment records.
I have had an account with VA Ebenefits for some time, but saw others post about the Blue Button. I checked into it, and while I can access boatloads of my personal information from eBenefits, I had to create a separate account for the Blue Button.
I created the account, and it is an absolute joke. Most of the information I can access looks to be trendy bullshit information that the VA would want to track for some program that I would actually enter myself, but there are no records that come up for any treatment I have received at my local VA.
Should it be there? From other comments I have seen from my fellow vets here, there should be records there that I should be able to access. I have tried using the “date range” function, and nothing comes up. I opened a ticket with their help desk on accessing my records, and I get a form letter response telling me how to access my records using the date range function.
I cannot access any treatment records that are pertinent to me, and I said as much in my ticket to them.
The ticketing process is a joke. If you open a help ticket with them, they claim they will respond to resolve the problem within 24 hours. It took 3 days for them to respond.
Can anyone please explain this VA Blue Button BS to me?
Thanks much.
91, You are correct, the blue button is a big joke. It has mostly information that makes the Dr, nurse practitioner, or who ever you saw look great and almost anything you say that makes you look bad will be in the records.
If you notice, there is a three day wait before you can access your records. I believe that is for someone or some machine to scan the records and look for “key words that the VA does not want to be in a permanent record. That is why the VA is pushing it, if you don’t know you can get paper copies of your records then you will not know what else is in your records. I think this electronic records system will be the future for us to access our records and we will never know what else is being said and/or done about and to us.
I don’t know if you checked the “notes” box when you tried to get your records but that will have your appointments notes (filtered).
I have tried to get my records from as far back as I can and I have been able to go back as far as 2013 and before that there is nothing (maybe they had another “fire” and lost the records again).
Always get a hard copy of your records. This is for everyone. If you trust the VA to “help” you get your records then you will never get everything.
Something else that I have been trying to get more info on is the “other Set” of medical records that is within the VAMC’s and is for “provider to provider” type of notes. I know that something of this exists because my psychologist has shown me and told me of this. Does anyone else know of this. It has information in there that I was told “if for us to see and no one else”. I make reference to is often and my psychologist responds to it and I act as if it is between us. I have tried to get a copy of anything “for my records” but I have not been successful.
I hope this help 91 and congratulations on being VA up to date with your “complete medical records. lol
Thanks a bunch for the detailed reply f8f. I opened a ticket with their help desk a few days ago asking why there were no records from any treatment. Their site says they respond within 24hrs. 3 days later, I get a form response telling me how to navigate their site to pull up records, which I already did, and which means they did not read what I said when I opened the ticket. Their response contained a number to call, so I did today, and found out I needed a premium account to see any records. That is not clear at all on their site, nor is it clear how to get one. It is irritating that I had to electronically sign an ROI to get that account since it is not clear who I am sharing my records with. Anyway, I did, and was finally able to see what was there. Blood test results were interesting since they were never communicated to me, although the PCP claimed in her note that she had. This was the same PCP who falsified much of the record for my appointment with her claiming things were negative that she never questioned me on. A meeting with the Chief of Staff got that straightened out, so now that record is noted as being amended when I view it online. The other interesting thing is that the C&P for audiology is there since she filled out the DBQ and the VA denied hearing loss…but have me hearing aids. But the C&P for me knee replacement where the exam was lousy and he did not do the DBQ…there is no record of it.
Anyway, thanks for the response. I think their web site is pathetic since it is not at all clear that a premium account is needed to view those records, and records are missing from there.
I must make a revision to my printed message, I apologize it is 1/3 I offer an apology not because I am wrong about my remarks about those leeches but in my mathematical calculation.
That sure is a tragic and despicable situation, I mean the fact that 2/3’s of the V.A. veterans registered as patients are dead, that surely is inconceivable for people have to stoop that low that they not only rob the tax payer, who is in such dire need of help, but also to step so low as to rob the dead veteran’s name to take advantage of the dead: that is the dregs from the bottom of the barrel when they have no respect for no one, not even the dead, that is beyond comprehension, those blood sucking vampires sucking the blood ( their money) which should be used for the deceased veteran’s faamilies, this is beyond belief.
Hey y’all, I don’t know this for sure. So don’t quote me. But I have a STRONG FEELING there’s going to be strong language, maybe even some yelling and squabbling going on during the next few months between the veterans committee, the appropriations committee AND (or verses) the Veterans Administration. When Sloan Gibson, Bob McDonald and whoever else shows up wanting money for VA.
With all the Negative Press from all over the place. And Sloan Gibson’s recent letters threatening a shutdown of sorts. I don’t think VA is going to get what they want.
If you remember Congress has implied “no more” until at least Oct 1! At least that’s how I read an article just recently released!
I believe the taxpayers, because Donald Trump, and others running for office, has become vocal on the veterans side of the many issues plaguing us. Their starting to wake up on how their taxdollars are being spent by VA. I believe, and I’m not completely sure all together here, but I feel they want to know “Where and How are my taxdollars being spent?”
I believe the taxpayers are questioning our lawmakers over MANY issues that are plaguing our country. I saw recently a picture of a man carrying a sign saying, “We were asleep, now we’re awake!” at a ‘rally’ somewhere. I believe we’ve (America) have started to come out of hibernation and are demanding accountability and transparency from our government!!!!
Breaking News…… the “Shootings” that took place today in Chattanooga, Tennessee was by a “lone gunman”. President Obama is on the news now.
Was it an “act of terrorism” (as the military is claiming), or just the “act by a lone gunman” (as the President claims) in today’s “shooting spree at Navy and Marine Corps Recruitment Centers?”
Yes, folks, that’s what’s being broadcasted right now on Channel 9 news out of Orlando, Florida.
Guess we’ll never know!? Seems strange though, that right after Kerry and friends tied the knot on that “Deal with Iran” (and the Iranians took to the streets yelling “DEATH TO AMERICA”) this cowardly deed takes place right here on our American Streets!
There was a woman in Rome just blocks from the Vatican that was attached recently by an ISIS nut job and was rescued by a police officer who kicked him off the woman. The ISIS guy was holding a knife to the woman’s throat and screaming obscenities at her.
Not to get off the subject, but I showed my grandmom Ben’s artwork and she laughed so loud! I think it was the rabbit that and the watering can that tickled her! LOL!
Tell her I had a lot of fun making that one… right down to the little rabbit tail.
She was in stitches because of the head was disproportianate with the body. She wears bifocals , so when I showed her the picture, his head was like in 3-D. She likes that kind of humor because my pop-pop was a jokester like that, who drew caricatures when he was overseas during WWII. Keep up the good work. hope you would consider doing a periodical comic strip. You can do the art and Bruce F. can do the McDonald / Gibson role play for it. LOL!
If everyone votes Democrat then we can be sure that all our money will end up in Clinton’s foundation!
Look around you and ask yourself what would happen if the GOP were to win this Pres. election and put the Democrats out of our money pocket?
If the VA tried as hard to placate the vets as they do the illegals?
The VA is a joke. Ben, I hope Jeff Miller reads your blog. All the info he needs is here to legislate the VA into shape. I am not sure congress has the will to do that though. I say, give all veterans a Medicare V card to be used and phase out the VA. I know the VA reads this site. I posted before and a month later received a letter taking away my benefits… The VA is a living breathing monster that needs slaying…
You should start emailing him links to it… not sure what his email is.
My wife just informed me that the only way a person can e-mail Mr. Miller is to “go DIRECTLY onto his site”. She said many in Congress and the Senate have it set up that way. Evidently they don’t want to have people emailing them from “off their site”.
Remember when Ol McDonald gave out his email address (and phone #). He was bombarded. So he changed it to the way others have. This way they can easily “track” a person who does something stupid, like threaten them. News Stations are the same way.
@Ben, “Ms. West said that about 81 percent of veterans who come to the VA “have either Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare or some other private insurance. … Consequently, some in pending status may have decided to use other options instead of completing their eligibility application.”
this has been a bit of a sore subject with me that i could never get any friends or family over the years to grasp this issue. nor any other negative VA issue we veterans have faced and tried to get friends and family to grasp. and that is if you’re a service connected veteran at whatever percentage, why the VA, seems started a few decades ago, always inquired about your priv health insurance and subsequently would bill your priv insurance often times for SC’d treatments. and that is even for those veterans that are at +100% SC’d. VA puts in a lot of effort to skirt paying for services that the veteran naively thought, was automatic treatment from VA due to the SC’d injury/illness. and to see Ms. West blurt out that response just irks me.
VA has some real horrible problems that America is in denial over. Due to VA’s enormous public relations budget, they can hire practically any PR firm to make them look good… or at least not as bad.
Every once in a while, a VA employee while I’m checking in for my appointment, will ask “what insurance do you have?”
Never really thought on it before, until today’s Blog. Good reason!
McDonald could be in the group of dead veterans, why no one has seen his worthless backstabbing ass lately. He makes Shinseki look competent.
I read somewhere Ol McDonald is “…in Hawaii this week..” to help with the veterans homelessness situation. From an “article” Hawaii has between 250-300 homeless veterans on Oahu. I don’t remember the ‘site’ I read it on. I only know it was “current”. Within the last few days.
I lived there for many years. Ol Bobby better not lie to the “locals”! They take it personally.
I hope “Tiger Wong”, a WWll veteran who served with the “442” is still living. I remember he wasn’t a fan of VA. He was extremely well thought of by ALL government, civilians and “locals”!
You an bet your ass they know and will correct any overpayment mistake they make.
The most important thing about this data collection and appropriations for veteran totals is to actually appropriate funding for veterans who want care.
This means Congress should not appropriate funding based on veterans listed in the database. It should appropriate funding based on actual consent from veterans, which would require a signature.
The ommission of the DD-214 requirement is the evidence mentioned in the above article, shows how they were skirting the issue of veterans wanting care at VA.
Appropriations should be based on actual numbers, not forecasts or total veteran population. This is how the Choice program should work. They request care, the VA obtains the signature of the veteran and then these numbers can be tracked better to allow for the proper appropriations.
Here is a quoted short article of *other dead subjects at the VAMC’s*…it’s not only the Veteran’s dying while waiting to hear back from the VA and VA still collecting benefits found in an account that just sat there for THREE YEARS…benefits not being notified to Veterans in the TENS of MILLION$…and there’s this article depicting “VA Spokespeople with their lame-ass non-answers, as they always do” please read this because *any* civilian private or university health system or even labs would be shut-down entirely like a nuclear energy plant does when serious inspection flaws of corrosion found causing eminent potential radiation leaks…not to mention that these “infestations” are ALL carriers of MRSA and other nasty things and this article depicts VA operating rooms had dead rats falling out of their operating room ceilings…and more:
“[…Plan in place to eliminate rats, bats at hospitals, VA says (Military Times)
The Veterans Affairs Department hospitals in Florida and Kansas recently beset by bats, rats and other pests are quickly working to restore the affected areas within their facilities. The James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Florida, recently established “a multidisciplinary enviro-team — consisting of safety, infection control, environmental management and other services — that responds if a potential safety or environmental risk is reported,” hospital spokeswoman Karen Collins said in an email to Military Times on Friday. The Haley hospital had “dead rats falling from the kitchen ceiling” last month in addition to cockroaches found on patients’ trays. Two months earlier, facilities management services “filled multiple buckets with roaches, dead rats and feces,” the Tampa Bay Times reported. “Being in a tropical, urban environment, we are keenly aware of the potential of, and continually monitor for, any pest control issues,” Collins said. “We have developed an aggressive and proactive plan to address it, including awarding a new five-year pest control contract focused on the canteen and food preparation areas.” In a separate incident, the Eastern Kansas VA Hospital in Leavenworth shut down its operating rooms Wednesday and postponed 16 surgeries until next week because of dead bats found in trash cans…]”
—source: stripes dot com and Huff Post
So not even rodents and roaches can survive the exposure of the VA!!!
What I forgot to mention is that in that quote, a VA spokesperson said they had CONTRACTED a several YEAR PEST CONTROL and EXTENSIVE monitoring”…well, the VA probably spent an IN$ANE amount of $$$$ on just that -1- example and take that and use a larger number and square it to be appropriate analogy of whole VA system…these are things the VA SHOULD BE DOING **THEMSELVES**…they are employees after all, right? Are the janitors only allowed by the Union to mop only certain floors and they do not do windows because the VA has an entirely different IN$ANE contract to handle that so same janitor cannot or will not do basic pest control like a landlord maintenance person does?
I wanted to show an example how the VA blatantly does LESS work, because they farm it all out to all these other Lamprey Contractors!
So if you dare to have or had surgery by the VA, it may not *just* be a sponge or a nursed acrylic finger nail that gets inadvertently sewed-back-up with in a Veteran, the potential is there for a rat, bat, or roaches, all of which could fall from the ceiling while your opened-up!
Scary. Not even Stephen King could make this up!
I wonder if VA made the “contract” in the “approved” way that is set down in law? If they didn’t, for example; not using a business owned and operated by veterans. Then they would be in violation, correct?
I believe, that was one of the “Concerns” Mr. Frye had when he “spoke in front of” the ‘veterans committee’ recently!!
From: Military.com
Daily News
“Bill Would Give VA Chief More Power to Fire VA Employees”
July 15, 2015
By; Bryant Jordan
“The House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved legislation that will turn every worker with the Veterans Affairs Department- from custodian to pharmacist to surgeon – into an at-will employee who could be fired without due process.”
I say, the VA brought this onto themselves. They did so because,
1.) Their incompetence of money (mis)management.
2.) Their mismanagement of Claims, Healthcare and other vital resource needed by veterans.
3.) Their “illegal contract violations” for a minimum of the past 10 years. According to Mr. Frye.
4.) Definitely NOT Last, and not least, the Sloan Gibson’s letters and documents to Congress recently of threatening to “Shut down…” vamc’s “…from August until 1 October, 2015.”
This is why it is my opinion as to why the “Veterans Committee” will be taking a ‘hard nose action’ against VA from now on!
Benjamin Krause wrote: “Now this begs the question of how many dollars are being incorrectly allocated to budget for appointments in the future for appointments that will never happen? How is it in the age of X Box and Playstation is the VA still unable to have systems with basic functionality like canceling appointments for dead veterans?”
1. The VA can and eventually WILL probably use the excuse that the several FAILED BILLIONS spent on FAILED contracts in last few years of different companies trying to convert the VA to an electronic, paperless system…in any case, the VA will never admit to their very special kind of ineptness and fail.
2. I have read in the other forums/blogs over past few years where even VA employees have posted about how horridly inept the VA Information Technology Dept. of the VA System are…you would think that the U.S. Gov’t’s 2nd largest Agency, the VA would have better handle on current technology not only for benefit of Veterans firstly, but as I have suggested and warned about as well in recent past that so much has been forgotten about what was very efficient as far as heightened security measures during The Cold War days.
We have already witnessed MASSIVE computer system HACKS done by other Countries and the most recent on the Federal Gov’t. Employees and ANYONE that’s had a Security Clearance or background check done in LAST TEN YEARS has had ALL their personal information stolen by not securing that info.
3. With consideration of ^ #2 above^, can we at this time expect the VA to keep all Veteran’s data “SAFE” from our enemies abroad let alone from the VA itself? Now, it’s SO EASY for the VA to use the excuse that “we were hacked”, “files destroyed in warehouse fire” (anyone remember St. Louis fire?), and since we are engaged in the LONGEST WAR in USA History, wouldn’t it be incredibly wise to guard these systems from the very terrorists that could try to extort or use it to give to their radicalized individuals within the USA? We just also heard that about a 1000 (one thousand) military members had all their data stolen by such hacks, but it makes me think it was a MUCH more MASSIVE hack because just like the Fed. Gov’t. hack of millions of employees, Pres. Obama and his DOJ **underplayed that number** initially and I still think that was more massive than they are telling us.
4. With the above stated, it seems the VA’s “security measures” and “electronic tracking of Veterans in their Claims and Medical Systems” are no better technology than TWO CANS OF BEANS WITH STRINGS ATTACHED TO CONNECT THEM…..except, the VA seems SO inept that they FORGOT TO EMPTY THE CANS OF THEIR CONTENTS OF BEANS AND EXPECTED THE COMMUNICATION TO STILL WORK.
This makes me think that “MUPPET LABS” from the “MUPPET SHOW” probably has better tracking technology than whatever the VA utilizes, if any.
5. With the huge VA Budget Deficit, if does make one wonder if the VA uses accounting technics that involves -1- person in a room with an abacus…the only problem is the abacus is missing most of the wooden beads by design in order to be able to always point the finger elsewhere rather than ever OWNING it and fixing it.
6. Lastly, according to the VA itself, they claim they BASE THEIR PROJECTED BUDGET YEAR on BACKLOG and PENDING CLAIMS.
Well, with yesterday’s OTHER revelation that tens of thousands of Veteran Claim Files have been squirreled away and hidden or even destroyed and it was by some isolated audit to a half dozen VARO that this was found as well as fact that so MANY Vets are already DEAD while waiting on the VA…yet the VA seems to be utilizing these DEAD VETERANS in their stats to acquire their massive yearly budgets.
Just how is this different than when people get caught for continuing to receive Social Security Retirement Benefits on a dead family member for sometimes decades? It’s a FEDERAL CRIME…right?
I think we may have actually touched…only touched the tip of the huge embezzlement iceberg deeply hidden within the VA and hope all is exposed and used to drive the rats off the ship and clean-up the VA.
Interesting how the word GREED at expense of Veteran’s Lives comes up way too often when it should NEVER be the issue.
Keep digging. Something tells me this is one smelly onion with many layers of Crimes Against Veterans, Humanity, and Stealing for Taxpayers. The VA’s excuse for their “dead Vets on massive wait lists” is not even remotely believable. Heads need to fly…AUDIT then FLUSH…twice.
If you have ever looked at federal job listigs on USAjobs, particularly IT jobs, the VA is constantly hiring IT people…often at places like Hines VA. The problem is the VA trying to do it on the cheap, so they hire at the GS-9 level, which means whoever they hire will have little or no experience. It also means that GS-9 will not stay there long because most other federal agencies hire IT people at the GS-11, 12 or 13 level, and that GS-9…likely having a hard time living near Hines on GS-9 pay, will be moving on elsewhere for better pay…or going to the private sector for even more money. The VA wants all the money to implement conputerized records, then hires the inexperienced to do the work.
@namnibor wrote, “6. Lastly, according to the VA itself, they claim they BASE THEIR PROJECTED BUDGET YEAR on BACKLOG and PENDING CLAIMS. …”
I’ve often questioned to myself about VA’s projected budget with regards to pending claims. that is, the VA actuaries take a number of claims and their projected payouts [as IF] VA was to honestly pay out those claims and then use VA fuzzy math on the numbers for a budget figure to Congress. all the while, VA never had any intention of paying those claims. Congress awards the money and what?, the money draws interest somewhere, or VA thuggery’s pockets a bit of it, or some unseen gov agency gets to make use of those funds, or paid to VA union lobbyists, or what … . Just a personal question to myself that I might be over-thinking this issue, but I’ve often wondered.
i don’t think i know of any other federal agency that [ loses/mis-places/hides/destroys/manipulates … ] so many personnel records such as claims and medical records as this creature called the VA & its many regional claims offices. correct me if I’m wrong, but what other federal agency gets away with such a decades long “practice”? well, maybe the banking foreclosure industry might be close to the VA creature in the trashing of documents.
Keep in mind how federal budgeting works. For example, the VA wants 10 for Netflix, 10 for food, 10 for cable TV, 20 for painting the house and 50 for rent. They go to Congress and say we need 100 to run our house for the year, and here is where we are spending it. Congress cuts the check and the VA slithers away. A few months later, the VA discovers they paid 30 for cable TV because they got the porn channel. Now even though they have money in other pots, rent, paint, etc., they are not legally allowed to use that to pay their porn bill, unless they go to Congress first and get permission.
My points are that the VA should not be spending over their 10 limit for cable TV, and that even though they are whining about not having enough money for porn and are telling Congress we veterans will not get to watch soap operas, they likely are flush with cash in other areas…they just need to ask Congress to use their rent budget for porn.
They also should be much more aware of what their budget needs are, and be more accurate in their request to Congress.
Finally, the VA lies when it claims they will have to lay off anyone if Congress doesn’t pay up. Salary and benefits for employees should not be changing so drastically from year to year that they do not know if they have enough to pay everyone, and that money cannot be used to pay the rent. The VA is doing this simply to see if vets and employees and unions get riled up and demand Congress give them more money.
@91Veteran-
I would really NOT like the VA to be able to simply ‘borrow from other allocated funds” from within the VA because then, I could see the scenario where the VA refuses to pay out ANY claims before Congress because they already went through THAT cash to do something else without accountability.
It would be as unwise as it’s been found to NOT let Congress TOUCH the Social Security “Seed Money”, and they have tried. It’s just asking for a situation as what Greece has been going through happening here, making the 2008 landfall of riches to the already rich, screw the rest of the Country, of 2008 economic crash…making it seem like a whimper compared to the potential mess incurred.
The VA simply NEEDS Accountability. It’s elegantly simple. Accountability.
We need “The Count” from Sesame Street to do a video for VA and Congress with heavy use of subliminal technology to get this NEEDED thing called VA Accountability.
I am not “feeling” that VA Transparency Sec. McDonald promised…nor have I been seeing that “Change I can believe in” with this Commander In Chief…day after military slaughter he and his whole family walked downtown NYC to attend a Broadway Play…please, someone reassure me that I am not the only one whom finds this heartless? Disrespectful. He even tried to downplay that as a “lone gunman”…refused to Arm all Military at recruiting stations.
The word impeachment comes to mind.
Amazed at how many of us are dying of AO exposure before claims can be reviewed. What gets me is that the VA Docs deny symptoms such as non-alcoholic liver failure does not have a connection to AO yet the blogs are full of Vets screaming about their affliction. No fear, we’ll all be gone soon!
FUCKERS!
It seems that with VA healthcare one has a greater risk of dying that going in to combat. Many more vets died waiting for healthcare than the Vietnam war
In case you’ve forgotten. Last August 2014, the VA was allocated $16.3 Billion. The breakdown is;
1.) $10 Billion for the Choice Program. We all know how this is working out for the Veterans.
2.) $5 Billion to hire more Doctors and Nurses. I’d like to know, how many were hired? How much has been actually been used of those BILLIONS of taxpayers money so far?
3.) “$1.3 billion to finance leases for 27 new facilities across the country.” I’d like to know how that money was spent?
Any questions????
Source: “Politics”, title “Obama signs VA reform bill!” There’s also a video.
The monies the VA received in August 2014 ($16.3 Billion), is not counting the Billions they would receive in October 2014 for the new ‘fiscal year’!
Then, sometime before June 2015 the VA was claiming a “shortfall of $3 Billion!”
Is it just me who sees the lunacy behind the VA’s spending habits?
Can anyone, besides the VA, explain it?
07/16/2015
Dear Benjamin Krause,
Carolyn Fields – Wilkins asked, “Can anyone tell me why this seems so weird?”
I respond—-They [VA officials] must first talk to their attorneys!
What do you want from these extortionists?
Sincerely,
Don Karg
This year (April 9) CBS did a report concerning “files” of documents, where “half of them” were of “dead veterans”.
The two news reports I gave so all could watch the video were;
1.) “LIVID” va patients still facing long waits times for health care
2.) http://www.cbsnews.com/new-va-scandals:cbs news finds thousands of vets’ claims discarded
Besides the article being reprehensible, the video is even more disturbing and disgusting. If y’all haven’t read the articles or watched the video,——–
Sorry, y’all cannot access these “websites” through here. You will have to “Google” them off this site. Just type in how I wrote them.
The ‘sites’ to google are;
1.) “LIVID” VA patients sill facing long waits times for health care
2.) cbsnews.com/new-va-scandals:
Again, I’m sorry you can’t access them through here. They tell about what this “Blog” today is saying.
va one big federal rico crime raket from hell the afge union thug rats run va deathcare for the afge union
AFGE and LIUNA are crime rackeets thatr need to be kicked out and a strictly veterans union should be put in place. That would wield some power there.
Here’s something, yesterday when I was making an appointment through a VA clinic worker. He was unaware about what Sloan Gibson was up to. I explained it to him he, and other employees, may be “laid off” from August till October 1st, 2015!
Now, why isn’t the Unions for VA Employees jumping all over this?
most assuredly something like a veterans union/movement needs to be in place. many veterans are getting trampled under foot, though most veterans don’t have the resources to fight this or navigate it and don’t want to complain much. gonna take more than stones to take this Goliath down a notch or two.
so yea to something like a veterans union/movement. too bad the pendulum has swung this far, really is. hard for me to hear myself even needing to suggest a “veterans union” yet with the VA it seems to have come to that junction.
most veterans did what was asked and ordered and had the discipline, even if one didn’t like it, did it and did it well usually. and now, seems we need some entity(union or movement or) to represent us due to the bizarro world of VA. just read Ben’s blogs and other well researched and informed blogs regarding veterans plight with VA to know this true.
and so just like the fed employee’s have powerful people representing them, veterans need it too. didn’t have to come to this, but it has.
This anyone tellunreal. Interestingly enough, I have a friend whose husband died a few months ago and he and his wife were both taken out of the “VA SYSTEM.” In addition, the husband was waiting on an “expedited” claim. So now he’s no longer here and his file has been wiped out. The wife cannot find out why or the status of the pending claim.
Can anyone tell me why this seems so weird?