VA Problems.

[bluebb]

http://bighungry1969.blogspot.com/2013/09/an-openletter-to-honorable-eric-k.html?m=1

This is a crying shame.

[MR2]

Criminal indeed.

Forward to my elected alleged-representatives.

P.S. I hated the beret.

[mugwump]

Forwarded to mine as well.

[Badger52]

The travesty is that this is only 1 well-documented example of an all-too-common situation.

[MR2]

If the VA cannot process less than a million claims in ten years how is Obamacare going to process 320 million claims every year?

[JHD]

This guy is lucky as he has a little time to work on this, isn't desperate for it to get done, and is very articulate and organized. The less fortunate are fortunate to have him attempting to drive the cause forward.

Going to post this on my FB page to help raise visibility, as well.

[Trapper John]

This is outrageous at several levels and I am certainly going to forward the letter to my congress critter - Mike Fitzpatrick.

After sleeping on it, what bothers me is how can Shinseki, a former Army CoS, allow this to go on under his command? Does the problem stem from his apparent incompetence as a manager (let alone the absence of demonstrable leadership qualities)? Or, are his hands tied by the micro-managing style of the O administration? If that is the case, then why doesn't he simply resign? If I were in that position and I was powerless to clean up a mess in my command - that's exactly what I would do.

Maybe some of you that knew Shinseki could offer some insight here. What kind of commander was he when on AD? How did he lead other commands? Was he just a GEN in name only? Is he a political yes man only interested in what is best for himself?

I am asking because I want to know how to frame the issue I present to Fitzpatrick. Not that it will do any good either way, but I want to understand if this problem rests solely with Shinseki or is it pointing to a larger endemic problem?

[Go Devil]

Shinseki's greatest contribution to the Army under his command was to increase moral among troops by lowering their bar and giving them an honored black beret.

With that type of decision making, you shouldn't expect much.

[The Reaper]

The problem is not that the VA does not have enough people, the problem is that they don't have the right people.

The 20% of VA employees who are caring, conscientious people who are looking after the veterans' interests are swamped by the ignorant, lazy uncaring mass of careerists with tenure who have been given lifetime employment as a political payoff.

These are the people who refuse to answer phone calls, return voicemails and emails, take a moment to look up a case for a disabled vet, or do any modicum of work beyond what is absolutely required. A ruder, lazier group of people you would be hard pressed to assemble. In fact, the sad truth is that the VA would actually be more efficient if they could eliminate them and just work with the employees who actually give a damn.

You, the disabled vet who have sacrificed your health for your country, are an annoyance and an interruption of their social lives and if you expect any more, you are going to be seriously disappointed.

The key is to find one of the few who really believe that their job is to assist veterans and build a UW network of those who are actually doing their jobs.

Alternately, you can learn the system better than they do and beat them down with facts and regs, but that will do little to prevent the shiftless bureaucrat from tossing your packet into the shred bin and forcing you to start the long process all over again.

I wish that the situation was better, but I have been fighting this system for eight years, and this is the reality of the situation as I have encountered it.

This is a long war that you have to be ready to fight for the rest of your life. Approaching it like that will put you on a better course over the long term.

I expect Obamacare to look very similar.

Just my experience, YMMV.

TR

[Trapper John]

I know in 1994 when he was running the Haiti operation he made the decision that all CA teams would wear a suit and tie for civilian attire while conduction business. Thats right mandated suit and tie in that heat and humidity, and yes the teams were armed. :confused:

I wonder if some of the other GENs put him up to that and then were snickering behind his back. :D

[Badger52]

"...to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan..."
- President Abraham Lincoln, 4 March 1865

“We are dealing with veterans, not procedures—with their problems, not ours.”
- General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

Where's the Wayback Machine?
:rolleyes:

[TrapperFrank]

Posting this on my FB page.