Good job, once again Barry……But the findings would appear to confirm reports that first surfaced last year that many veterans died while awaiting care, as their applications got stuck in a system that the VA has struggled to overhaul. Some applications, the IG report says, go back nearly two decades.
The report addresses serious issues with the record-keeping itself.
More than half the applications listed as pending as of last year do not have application dates, and investigators “could not reliably determine how many records were associated with actual applications for enrollment” in VA health care, the report said.
The report also says VA workers incorrectly marked thousands of unprocessed health-care applications as completed and may have deleted 10,000 or more electronic “transactions” over the past five years.
Linda Halliday, the VA’s acting inspector general, said the agency’s Health Eligibility Center “has not effectively managed its business processes to ensure the consistent creation and maintenance of essential data” and recommended a multi-year plan to improve accuracy and usefulness of agency records.
Halliday’s report came in response to a whistleblower who said more than 200,000 veterans with pending applications for VA health care were likely deceased.
You are making the assumption the government runs. When a large agency can’t handle what is basically a bookkeeping activity, one has to wonder what all of those government employees do all day or what our congress people do all day. It is a simple matter of managing and running a day to day business. The right budget and proper management would do the job. It always amazes me that none of these higher level managers ever notice problems like this until it hits the headlines. They must play golf all day.When it does hit the head lines, they fire some sacrificial lamb and before long it is business as usual with the same incompetent management.
C’mon guys. Even though I really dislike Obama’s ideas, and am not a fan of him, he didn’t cause this. This is a symptom of a larger problem: Big Government. Any time the government gets too big, the bureaucracy becomes too large and accountability goes right out the window. At best, Obama is responsible because he hasn’t issued orders to fire people, but I don’t think that is even something he has done any differently than any prior president. In like… ever.Realistically, if we wanted to truly address the issue, we would have the people who are responsible for these problems and have them terminated and replaced. There is very little oversight and very little accountability. It’s not a funding issue, it’s a discipline issue.
When you quadruple the number of vets, and don’t quadruple funding for the VA (which is congress’ job), you’re bound to fall short. Blaming this on Obama is ignorant. It’s purely a product of GW Bush’s wars and the inability of a Republican congress to properly fund governetn
Y’all can argue politics 24/7 for the next hundred years and it won’t fix a damned thing!
Now ,at 80 years of age, I find that my country is so busy bickering about politics and political parties and individual politicians (exactly like sports buffs arguing) that few care about the suffering of individual citizens.
I enlisted in 1952 and was promised lifetime medical care if I stayed for twenty … so I stayed on active duty for twenty years and retired in 1972 … and forty-three years later I feel abandoned by my government.
Russia is taking better care of their Afghanistan veterans than the U.S. government has taken care of its combat veterans.
I’d seriously consider voting for Vlad Putin for POTUS!
It is Congress that decides how much Money to give the VA.And the Republicans in Congress have a LONG Record of declaring that the VA Budget it “Bloated” and needs to be Cut so that the Billionaires won’t suffer the Pain of Taxation.
A friend just visited her son in a VA hospital where he’s on dialysis. She noted peeling paint, and mantenance problems, but: She noted her son was getting the best of care and every person on staff she dealt with was caring, dedicated, and postively outstanding!!
Congress, especially Republicans have NOT kept up with the needs of VA, and by mandating spending in their legislation, they pretty much guarantee the money does NOT go where needed. Facilties are part of the problem, but retaining staff in an over-worked, over-stressed system isn’t just about money. The pay, as my “shrink” noted isn’t really that bad, but the workload with so many clients, and stress, is just overwhelming.\
My experience has also been 98% very gooo staff, who ARE over-worked with the flood of we retirees and old farts from previous wars, as well as the new folks from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Yep, some of those appointees Bush made who are still there, many as now Civil Servants at the top of the ladder, can be a large part of the problem, but it definitely is NOT Obama.
ConserveGov over 8 years ago
Good job, once again Barry……But the findings would appear to confirm reports that first surfaced last year that many veterans died while awaiting care, as their applications got stuck in a system that the VA has struggled to overhaul. Some applications, the IG report says, go back nearly two decades.
The report addresses serious issues with the record-keeping itself.
More than half the applications listed as pending as of last year do not have application dates, and investigators “could not reliably determine how many records were associated with actual applications for enrollment” in VA health care, the report said.
The report also says VA workers incorrectly marked thousands of unprocessed health-care applications as completed and may have deleted 10,000 or more electronic “transactions” over the past five years.
Linda Halliday, the VA’s acting inspector general, said the agency’s Health Eligibility Center “has not effectively managed its business processes to ensure the consistent creation and maintenance of essential data” and recommended a multi-year plan to improve accuracy and usefulness of agency records.
Halliday’s report came in response to a whistleblower who said more than 200,000 veterans with pending applications for VA health care were likely deceased.
NeedaChuckle Premium Member over 8 years ago
Congress is cutting funding for the VA not the president. Does anyone know how the govt runs?
Theodore E. Lind Premium Member over 8 years ago
You are making the assumption the government runs. When a large agency can’t handle what is basically a bookkeeping activity, one has to wonder what all of those government employees do all day or what our congress people do all day. It is a simple matter of managing and running a day to day business. The right budget and proper management would do the job. It always amazes me that none of these higher level managers ever notice problems like this until it hits the headlines. They must play golf all day.When it does hit the head lines, they fire some sacrificial lamb and before long it is business as usual with the same incompetent management.
38lowell over 8 years ago
The bodies are on the wrong side of the board, and the problems still exist.
Wraithkin over 8 years ago
C’mon guys. Even though I really dislike Obama’s ideas, and am not a fan of him, he didn’t cause this. This is a symptom of a larger problem: Big Government. Any time the government gets too big, the bureaucracy becomes too large and accountability goes right out the window. At best, Obama is responsible because he hasn’t issued orders to fire people, but I don’t think that is even something he has done any differently than any prior president. In like… ever.Realistically, if we wanted to truly address the issue, we would have the people who are responsible for these problems and have them terminated and replaced. There is very little oversight and very little accountability. It’s not a funding issue, it’s a discipline issue.
38lowell over 8 years ago
PS:Worse yet:Cold war vets get no help, except a no down payment mortgage. They have to be in a shooting war.
38lowell over 8 years ago
PPS:He stole my walker!
kaffekup over 8 years ago
What happened to Shinseki, anyway?Why do we have so many more vets who need care? Could have something to do with two decade-long wars?
ARodney over 8 years ago
When you quadruple the number of vets, and don’t quadruple funding for the VA (which is congress’ job), you’re bound to fall short. Blaming this on Obama is ignorant. It’s purely a product of GW Bush’s wars and the inability of a Republican congress to properly fund governetn
Ukko wilko over 8 years ago
I have always gotten excellent health care from the VA.
Nicholas Taylor over 8 years ago
Y’all can argue politics 24/7 for the next hundred years and it won’t fix a damned thing!
Now ,at 80 years of age, I find that my country is so busy bickering about politics and political parties and individual politicians (exactly like sports buffs arguing) that few care about the suffering of individual citizens.
I enlisted in 1952 and was promised lifetime medical care if I stayed for twenty … so I stayed on active duty for twenty years and retired in 1972 … and forty-three years later I feel abandoned by my government.
Russia is taking better care of their Afghanistan veterans than the U.S. government has taken care of its combat veterans.
I’d seriously consider voting for Vlad Putin for POTUS!
Tarredandfeathered over 8 years ago
It is Congress that decides how much Money to give the VA.And the Republicans in Congress have a LONG Record of declaring that the VA Budget it “Bloated” and needs to be Cut so that the Billionaires won’t suffer the Pain of Taxation.
Dtroutma over 8 years ago
A friend just visited her son in a VA hospital where he’s on dialysis. She noted peeling paint, and mantenance problems, but: She noted her son was getting the best of care and every person on staff she dealt with was caring, dedicated, and postively outstanding!!
Congress, especially Republicans have NOT kept up with the needs of VA, and by mandating spending in their legislation, they pretty much guarantee the money does NOT go where needed. Facilties are part of the problem, but retaining staff in an over-worked, over-stressed system isn’t just about money. The pay, as my “shrink” noted isn’t really that bad, but the workload with so many clients, and stress, is just overwhelming.\
My experience has also been 98% very gooo staff, who ARE over-worked with the flood of we retirees and old farts from previous wars, as well as the new folks from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Yep, some of those appointees Bush made who are still there, many as now Civil Servants at the top of the ladder, can be a large part of the problem, but it definitely is NOT Obama.