OIG Report Alleges “Criminal Misconduct” and “Possible Wrongful Deaths” at VA

ACLJ - American Center for Law and Justice ^ | 5-28-2014 | Matthew Clark

[Enterprise]

I know what your point was, and I liked it. There could be a lot of improvement if vets were given priority hire throughout the government.

[D-fendr]

If Vets are lucky, Obama will read about this in the newspaper tomorrow..

[Girlene]

The report notes that the discrepancy in reported and actual wait time was used in calculating “awards and salary increases.” VA officials would actually get a raise if it looked like the wait times were low, so they apparently used the bogus wait times in the official reports, instead of accurately reporting the actual excessive wait times

How do these people sleep at night?

[Girlene]

Did you see what the doctor in Harlingen, Texas said? His boss issued a rule that to get a colonoscopy the patient had to have three stool screenings with blood. The doctor said by this time it was at stage 4 cancer.

Holy cow. Here's the story in the Examiner, Whistleblower says Veterans Affairs cost-cutting led to denials, delays in life-saving cancer tests

The same source said ...that an office secretary deleted about 1,800 orders for medical tests or other services to eliminate a backlog that threatened a certification inspection from an outside group.

Unbelievable.

[Organic Panic]

All Bush’s fault. The wagons are circling the Won and the republicans in charge enjoy the smell of his throne as much as any liberal.

[Qiviut]

This is homicide, IMO. "Cost cutting" is not an excuse - the VA has been running a budget SURPLUS for the last 5 years.

VA Nickel and Dimed Vets to Death While Running a Surplus for 5 Years

VA expects to carry over $450 million in medical-care funding from fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2015. VA received its full requested medical care appropriation of $54.6 billion this fiscal year, which is more than $10 billion more than it received four years ago.

This is part of an ongoing trend.

VA carried over $1.449 billion in medical-care funding from fiscal year 2010 to 2011, $1.163 billion from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2012, $637 million from fiscal year 2012 to 2013, and $543 million from fiscal year 2013 to 2014.

[VerySadAmerican]

I thought Montel Williams came up with a good temporary fix. He pointed out that he was kept on active duty on a temporary basis for 9 years. He said they should call up all the corpsmen and medics that recently got out. Bring them in for 90 days to work on the backlog. They need jobs and they should be offered the chance to stay with the VA. I would add that they should be paid VA pay and not military pay.

[GOPJ]

Too bad we can't pass a law saying ALL employees of the VA must wait two days before medical care is given to them... Accidents, bone breaks, painful heart problems, breathing problems... etc. Stabilize them then force them to wait TWO DAYS in pain. This must include VA doctors.

Waiting in pain is different than ‘waiting’... Let the jerks at the VA discover the difference.

[Girlene]

The cost-cutting was to achieve their bonuses. There will be people charged eventually. Holder won’t be able to sweep this under the rug.

[smoothsailing]

How do these people sleep at night?

Horribly, I hope. They deserve nothing but misery for the rest of their lives.