It's Way Past Time to Effectively Clean House at VA

Keep in mind that I’m one of the first to rain on VVA’s parade when it strays from our motto, "Never Again Will One Generation of Veterans Leave Another Behind." I strongly believe when VVA strays from that founding motto it is because too many younger members (meaning Vietnam Era) veterans loyal to the Stolen Valor views of the American Legion, VFW, and so on who back in the day Left US Behind and are members of these backward thinking VSOs today have temporarily gained leadership control of VVA.

Thank God it appears the pendulum has swung more to the benefit of ALL Veterans and away from the Stolen Valor Bullshit. Note my humorous take on this, yes God and VVA does have a sense of humor on how the pendulum swings. Now enough of MY OPINION, the rest is what VVA really had to say. I report without comment. I also do not intend typing the entire report only the meat of what Chairman Klein had to say.

VVA Veterans Benefits Committee Report

It’s Time To Clean House
By Jerry Klein, Chair

VA Regional Offices in Cleveland (Ohio), St. Louis (MO), Columbia, (SC), St. Petersburg, Florida; Detriot (Michigan)’ and Waco, Texas have been identified as offices of concern (to investigators). It is obvious that controls were not in place to protect applicants from the possiblity that applications for veterans’ benefits would be properly processed, let alone processed at all.

Although the managers have recently instituted new procedures to protect applicants by ensuring that documents are not shredded, it may have arrived too late. We don’t know if any records were actually destroyed. A complete review at all VA Regional Offices must be undertaken to ensure that no application was destroyed. However, we (VVA) may never know the answer since a paper trail may not exist.

"It is a system (the VA than doesn’t hold anyone responsible for actions that harm veterans, the time has come to clean house. As the Obama administration takes over, veterans will see a change in the top leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs (that’s a given and part of the spoils system going to the winning party. This is the part I really like and can relate to from Brother Klein) However, that cosmetic change is not enough. Mid-level managers in the Veterans Benefits Administration (that means not necessarily partisan political appointees but career VA bureaucrats) must be held accountable for establishing a culture within the department that treats veterans as an enemy unworthy of receiving benefits."

(This is what Major Hanafin means by the Stolen Valor philosophy, hipefully it will be permanently DESTROYED, my thoughts NOT Brother Kleins, he may have Stolen Valor fanatics on staff for all I know. Point is that THEY are not in control at VVA or Thank God the VA, so WE must take what we can get and purge those who have treated US like the enemy. I’ve been calling for such a purge way before the Obama victory. Frankly, it has to be one that should take in consideration advice from experienced VA leaders like Max Cleland and what entrenched opposition he received when the youngest VA Administrator before it became a cabinet position. Cleland was unable to get many issues important to Vietnam Vets pushed through the VA or Congress due to the entrenched old fashion VSO leadership holding senior and middle-management positions at VA who downplayed Agent Orange, PTSD, and so forth).

"A top-to-bottom analysis must be undertaken and even career employees should not be exempt from dismissal." (Hallaluhah)

"The Under Secretary for Veterans Benefits, the Director of the Compensation and Pension Service, their deputies, and staff must be held accountable for decisions that they have recommended to senior staff that have established a perception of being anti-veteran. The overreaching desire to privatize functions of the department by providing lucrative contracts to companies that are only interested in receiving government dollars may ultimately harm veterans and undermine the ability of the VA to deliver comprehensive medical, and benefit services to our nation’s veterans."

VVA "was informed that the VA has proposed a plan to consolidate the processing of claims for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation and Pensions into selected Regional Offices. As a public service announcement to Veterans or survivor effected VVA notes that these VA offices are: St. Paul, Minn., Philadephia, PA, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The effect of this proposed rule would mean that if a Veteran or survivor files a VA claim in Florida, the claims file would end up in Philidelphia (making it easier to get lost in THE SYSTEM. evem am automated, electronic one. All it takes is a motive at sabotaging claims that’s existed over the past eight years- Major Hanafin’s opinion)

POINT Brother Klein is making in regards to ALL VSO’s is that, "If the Veterans Service Organization doesn’t have a Veteran Service Officer or staff person at one of those VA Regional offices, it would be unable to intervene effectively if problems arose (such as complaints about lost or shredded records).

In closing, VVA notes that, "Once again the individuals who are sworn to protect the men and women who have served our nation have found another way to make it more difficult for veterans to gain access to the Veterans Benefits system. This proposal is unacceptable. The VA staff that formulated this proposal must be dismissed from government service."

Jerry Klein notes that, "Last but not least, (former) Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake (himself a Retired Military Medical Army General Officer) stated in an interview on PBS’s News Hour on November 10 (only a few short days before he was invited to leave VA) that veterans’ suicides are the result of "the same kinds of issues that have to do with suicides in the general population, that are the root causes…We’re (VA) not making a direct correlation with combat." In making such a calluos observation as a Retired General from the Army Medical community, Secretary Peake was so completely out of touch with what has happened to the men and women who serve our naton. Major Hanafin shutters to contemplate the callous attitude General Peake had towards those on active duty fightng and dying in the Global War on Terror. The SHAME of it all is as Brother Klein at VVA so eloquently points out, "They (Our Troops) are looking for help from the very organization that devalued their service."

As a Retired Military Officer, veteran of two wars, father of an Iraq War Vet, and former VA employee, I can only add that WE must demand that Secretary Shinseki not have nor be allowed to have such a callous attitude or it will be OUR FAULT NOT HIS!!!

I respectfully ask that any lower level manager or employee that has hard evidence about corruption within the VA system please get that information to General Shinseki’s VA/IG.