VA claims found in piles to be shredded

[unhappycamper]

Source: Army Times

VA claims found in piles to be shredded
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 17, 2008 5:55:32 EDT

Department of Veterans Affairs regional offices have been ordered to immediately stop shredding documents after an investigation found some benefits claims and supporting documents among piles of papers waiting to be destroyed.

Claims often include personal records supplied by veterans that are not duplicated in government files and might be difficult to replace, such as certificates for births, deaths and marriage.

In a statement, VA Secretary James Peake said only a handful of documents were found among piles of documents set aside to be shredded. But he is not pleased.

~snip~

“The VA inspector general conducted a routine investigation of Detroit’s mailroom and discovered five documents in the shredder bin, then three pieces are found in St. Louis, two in Waco, and some more in St. Petersburg,” he said. “The question that begs to be asked and answered is how many veterans had their disability and compensation claims disappear down a paper shredder?”

Read more: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_va_stopshredding_101608w/%2e

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd. This is disgusting and appalling. This is how they're supporting

our Vets? :grr:

[dmr]

40. To look good for the next POTUS: increase efficiency by hiding ineffiency & incompetence

This has to be a directive from a Bush* appointed crony to cover for their irresponsibility, incompetence, ineffiency and maybe even embezzlement.

When the next POTUS, especially a Democratic one, comes into office, the VA will come under tremendous scrutiny. These claims when the vets come forward will be one of many issues. Besides saying he "doesn't recall", when the crony appears before a Congressional hearing he will say: "Well, if the claims don't exist, then they must not have been filed."

Obama will assure the vets will be cared for - which will show a huge increase in money for resources to care for our injured vets. The Republicans better not bitch and moan on how the Democrats are spending money when Bush* was able to keep costs down. These assholes have no heart, empathy or compassion in their body unless it's about their own bank accounts.

This is so wrong and scandalous and inhumane! Our military is nothing but a tool for this administration to use, abuse and lose when they are no longer useful to them. Assholes!

[tpsbmam]

2. Appalling. K&R n/t

[catgirl]

3. No copies of these documents?

Are you kidding?

[SpiralHawk]

4. With republicons running the show, our veterans get treated like shit

Toss the republicon chickenhawk 'leadership' out on their fatcat cans...and restore our military and our veterans to basic human respect.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. "He is not pleased" he got caught.

[Preening Fop]

6. Trashing Gen. Omar Bradley's 1956 V.A. Report, the Sick Grunt has always been viewed as 'Low Life'.

The willfully :nopity: forgotten,
"Used Up"
mentally ill and/or dis-membered military grunt.

[Tesla]

7. Wrong on so many levels!!

My dad's papers got "Burned" in a warehouse fire in Chicago years ago.
It was very difficult for him to get through all the paperwork to re-establish
his identity.
You would think your dog-tag number would get you into a database like Social Security.

[bertman]

8. This is the SHAME of America. Why would any veteran need to rely upon his/her dogtag

number to get benefits. These are the people who have risked their lives and, in many cases, lost their limbs for this country. They should be given VIP treatment instead of having to scrounge for every benefit. Every document related to an individual's VA info should be stored in duplicate in order to avoid just this kind of stupid and grossly negligent destruction of their personal information.

I had a revelation recently when I and another vet from our company sent in our applications to the local VA office to see if we could get medical treatment at the local VA hospital. Turns out it's based on "means testing". So, we are both ineligible for the VA medical bennies because we earn too much money. This does not represent a hardship for either of us, but it was surprising in that we thought we had earned medical coverage based on our service.

[xxqqqzme]

23. I believe you can thank rummy for that .

I know a Vietnam era widow who had to start paying and her access to on base Doctors was suddenly limited to a list. It's all part of that neo-con, bathtub drowning fantasy.

So much for that 'socialized' medicine argument and the government telling you which Dr you can see.

[Window]

9. Beyond disgusting.

:puke:

[Alcibiades]

10. This is how Republicans treat veterans

You can bet this was part of a systematic effort to deny veterans services.

When John McCain promises that he will "take care" of veterans, this is what he means.

And from the McCain campaign, we will hear how much outrage on this? None.

[Spritz57]

11. Remember the link here at DU

concerning the woman who's son was shot by the Police? These calculated strategies have real time implications in the loss of life and suffering of our Vets. I'll bet stock in shredding machines is rising steadily as the election date approaches. No one wants to be investigated by the new administration and held responsible. Male and Female Veterans are being denied services and left to their own devices because the VA has yet to overcome their backlog of treatment. Yet another Bush/McCain shameful action which oddly enough receives little coverage in the MSM but is well known to military families and VA staff.

[Solly Mack]

12. sigh

K&R

[LynzM]

13. This is seriously absurd.

Like it's not difficult enough to get benefits in the first place, to then know that there's a risk they won't even be reviewed? :banghead:

[NJCher]

14. lowest of the low

First, this story makes me want to cry. The thought of people submitting those documents in good faith that the government would live up to their end of the deal and then finding that these documents were headed to the shredder is heartbreaking. And all the while, the people in need are out there suffering. There will be no answer--not from this evil government.

It takes me back to something a friend told me decades ago. Because of special qualifications he has, he had been asked by the government to join the service. He refused. He knew what our government is all about and refused to have any part of it. He said it was worse than joining the mafia. At the time he told me this, I thought his attitude appalling. Now it makes perfect sense. I just wonder how he could have been so wise at such a young age.



Cher

[orleans]

15. ah....all this just to show how much they really care.

(assholes!)

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Disgusting is the word that comes to my mind....

[emald]

17. As a disabled vet I have to say this sucks badly

It appears that the whole of our government has taken on the personality of GWB*.

[jwirr]

25. In the 8 years we have had to put up with him he has filled the upper

echelon of every department with his ilk. That is one of the first things Obama will have to deal with if he wants to accomplish anything.

[Wapsie B]

18. Support the Troops! Not.

Expect people to give the ultimate sacrifice, putting them in harm's way, and when some of them come back in pieces just brush them aside. With all the military spending out there, paring just a little waste and mismanagement would give us a VA health system we could be proud of. VA hospitals should be nothing less than the Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins.

[Phred42]

19. Just another example of how Republicans deal with Veterans

Republicans appointees strike again

[Friday]

20. Typical

I used to work for a large health ins company and this is par for the course. Discard claims and tell members/providers they were never received. Keep the money in the account to collect interest as long as possible. Of course if you forget to pay your premiums you are cut off ASAP.

[New_England_Patriot]

42. Kind of sounds like the major Health insurance corporations in the early 2000's huh?

[cliffordu]

21. Every time my level of disgust hits maximum something like this comes along.

[jwirr]

22. When my SIL came home injured from Germany I was warned by

a Vietnam vet about lost papers. I told sil about it and when he got to the states the va doctor left him alone in the room after the interview. He stuck the file under his shirt and left. Later when he was being evaluated for disability pay they tried this missing papers bull on him. The local va rep was delighted and said, "finally I am going to win one for us." I would suggest that all soldiers upon leaving the military for whatever reason DEMAND copies of their papers. If they will not give them to you then sue them. Once someone jumps through the legal hoops it will help to end the practice of making papers disappear.

[Waiting For Everyman]

24. This is the 2nd biggest department of the Federal government...

after Defense! So much money is spent and there are so many employees, and yet the quality of service is so bad. They overcomplicate everything. I've been waiting since APRIL for a home loan Certificate of Eligibility in my own name, since my husband passed away, to refinance our existing VA loan. 6 months, and my Survivors' Claim was just certified in March, with all the same documents that are needed. It should've been almost automatic for them to do this certificate.

Every time Repubs are in control, the VA noticeably tanks. It's no accident, it's policy. I've been watching this since the early 1980's, and yes it is shocking. Dems are much more pro-vet than Repubs.

On this shedding situation... the investigators should find out if any of those vets' claims were denied for lack of documentation.

[peacetalksforall]

37. FEMA under Clinton was praised. FEMA under Bush became a joke.

On top of everything Republicans are always ranting about Dems not supporting the troops.

Let the truth come out and hope that only a minimal number of Dems have or will vote for anything that harms our vets. (Sorry, a person can't seem to rely on all Dems - we seem to have Republicans with a D before their name in some States for way too many votes. We should start be ranting against them before we lay it on Republicans).

We need a database for all the crap descending on the vets. A database is the only way to get at the heart of and blame for what's happening. There is too much to track in the head.

[aquart]

26. Surprised they didn't fire the VA inspector general.

How did he manage an honest investigation of these bastards?

[Plucketeer]

27. Disgustingly maddening

<- As a vet, I can tell of the frustration of not having documentation from my service time. My records were lost in the big fire some years ago - my medical records, that is. While in Nam I came down with an infection in one ankle. I was treated at a local dispensary there and eventually sent to the hospital at Clark AFB.
I got better after several months of treatment, but my leg/ankle was forever discolored. 20 years later, a mysterious infection erupted right where the ankle had turned ugly in Nam. I actually didn't think there was a connection until doctor's suggested there might be. Now the infection re-erupts at least twice a year. Each time I beat it back with antibiotics, and each time I wonder if THIS will be the time the bugs win!
I'd sure like to see what the docs wrote on my records in '65, but those records are gone and I'm outta luck. I gotta nice, pretty badge tho - for a war that McCain and I didn't "win". A war that W spent fighting in Alabama. A war that Cheney was to frail to take part in. Hell, maybe if those two had been there with the rest of us we mighta had the edge it took to claim "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"

[Blue_Tires]

28. and of course i live in a place where

everyone wants to vote repub because they THINK that's the party who honors and protects the military

[Raksha]

29. This is an absolute outrage! I guess we should have known

it was happening. I'm glad someone finally decided to blow the whistle, but I wonder how long it's been going on. Disgusting!!!

[kestrel91316]

30. My guess is that some RWer had this as informal policy on selected claims,

like claims from Democrats or minorities or women.

Sad that we have to assume the worst from these people anymore........

[FLyellowdog]

31. Can our government run offices do nothing right?

I just finished watching "All the Presidents Men" for the upteenth time, and it's so scary that the same type of corruptness, inept behavior and general stupidity still abound in our government.Who's in charge now? Oh, I know...rightwing nutcases under the direction of GWB. Is it Jan. 2009 yet?

[wishlist]

38. VA has private contractors handling many claims too, they are backlogged

Private contractors in foreign countries have been doing medical transcription for VA under Bush Admin. and huge volumes of VA claims are currently handled by private contractors and backlogged severely, many claims more than a year.

[Chulanowa]

41. Not under a Republican leadership

It's absolutely part of their goal to have a single-party dictatorship. If the government is incompetent, people want it fixed. The Republicans fix it by cutting. Cut enough and you're left with hte military and a few core agencies, but with vastly expanded executive powers.

The Republicans make government ineffective, then point at it can claim that they're against such ineffectiveness, and we should cut, slash, burn back to "the roots"

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

32. Blood boiling news

[JohnWxy]

33. recommended.

[katty]

34. Use them up and spit them out....your government honors you?!

[4lbs]

35. Republican politicians are the first to want to use our troops to fight a war, but the last to want

to care for them when they return home.

I still don't understand why so many in the military and their families support these politicians.

[hisownpetard]

36. This is a heartbreak and an outrage. K&R.

[Usrename]

39. These monsters are not human.

:grr:

[wordpix]

43. it was probably the veterans' VOTES they intended to shred

[Sunnyshine]

44. I am pissed off about this all over again, because VA admin is so pathetic. Demand resignations now.

I physically feel ill when I see these stories. If we had universal health care, this would not happen and VA could focus on Veterans.

[machI]

45. Kick