Its the same old VA

[HST]

A few months ago I commented of a thread started By Doc Greek bashing the VA. I related an experience I had with the New VA, I called and got an appointment in 2 weeks, I was seen on time everyone was very nicey, nicey, the followup was exactly the same. At some time in all of this love and respect they mentioned I would be getting a survey in the mail as to how satisifyed I was with the care. It came, I said they were great, if this is the New VA I'm all for it.
As it turns out, it was like everything else that the VA has done. It was your typical VA bullsh*t scam. They must have known the dates that the survey was going to sent to patients and acted totally different from the normal "we could give a sh*t less about you" VA attitude. They haven't changed a bit. ABout a month ago I got a letter to show up at 10:30 yesterday for a shingles shot. I took an early lunch, got there 20 minutes early, signed in with some guy who had a bunch of those flag things hanging off him and a bored attitude. He pointed me to a waiting room that had standing room only, I asked some of the guys there how long they had been waiting and what time their appointments were for some of them had 9:00 appointments. They said 1 nurse was giving the shots. She told them they would take 10 minutes each but it was working out more like 20 or 30 and more than 1 person had the same appointment time. I asked the jerk who signed me in what was going on, he glared at me and didn't answer. About 20 minutes later this nurse comes in, I asked her what the deal was, she said she "would get to us when she got to us" she was taking us on a first come first served basis. I asked her why they gave us appointment times if it was first come first served. She said she didn't care what they did, she was in charge and if I didn't like it I could leave, all the time this sign in guy is glaring. I said you've got that right but before I left , I leaned over close, told him if he thought he was so bad we could take a little walk off the property said a few very choice things that would make anyone with set of balls, jump up and take that walk but he was just another typical VA c*nt. They pick on the weak and defenseless.


You were right Doc its the same old VA. They ought to close up every one of the hospitals, fire all of them and give every vet a credit card that would let them get some real healthcare.

[Old Marine]

The guy you checked in with was more than likely a vet , just like you who does volunteer work at the VA.

I will bet you a dollar to a donut that the VA Hospital in Reno, Nevada or the one in Salt Lake City, Utah would never treat you that way.

[DocGreek]

BINGO!!!...TOLD YA'!!

[Ed Palmer]

As vets await checks, VA workers get $24M bonuses


WASHINGTON – Outside the Veterans Affairs Department, severely wounded veterans have faced financial hardship waiting for their first disability payment. Inside, money has been flowing in the form of $24 million in bonuses.

In scathing reports this week, the VA's inspector general said thousands of technology office employees at the VA received the bonuses over a two-year period, some under questionable circumstances. It also detailed abuses ranging from nepotism to an inappropriate relationship between two VA employees.

The inspector general accused one recently retired VA official of acting "as if she was given a blank checkbook" as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008. In some cases the justification for the bonuses was inadequate or questionable, the IG said.

The official, Jennifer S. Duncan, also engaged in nepotism and got $60,000 in bonuses herself, the IG said. In addition, managers improperly authorized college tuition payments for VA employees, some of whom were Duncan's family members and friends. That cost taxpayers nearly $140,000.

Separately, a technology office employee became involved in an "inappropriate personal relationship" with a high-level VA official. The technology office employee flew 22 times from Florida to Washington, where the VA official lived. That travel cost $37,000.

The details on the alleged improprieties were in two IG reports issued this week. VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts said the agency was extremely concerned about the IG's findings and would pursue a thorough review.

"VA does not condone misconduct by its employees and will take the appropriate correction action for those who violate VA policy," Roberts said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

The number of claims the VA needs to process has escalated, and the Information and Technology Office has a critical role in improving the technological infrastructure to handle the increase. President Barack Obama has said creating a seamless transition for records between the Pentagon and the VA could help eliminate a backlog that has left some veterans waiting months for a disability check.

Much of the IG's focus was on Duncan, the former executive assistant to the ex-assistant secretary for information and technology, Robert Howard.

In one situation, a part-time intern with connections to Duncan was allowed to convert to a full-time paid position even though the individual was working a part-time schedule 500 miles away at college, the IG said.

"We have never known of any other new VA employee provided such favorable treatment," the IG said.

The individual's name and relationship to Duncan was blacked out, as were many other names in the reports.

Investigators recommended that the employees who received the college money pay it back. The largest amount awarded was $33,000.

In addition to Duncan, three other high-level employees received $73,000, $58,000 and $59,000 in bonuses in 2007 and 2008, the IG said. In 2007 alone, 4,700 employees were awarded bonuses, on average $2,500 each.

Some employees were given cash awards for services that were supposedly provided before the employees started working at VA, the IG said.

A man who answered the phone at Duncan's residence in Rehoboth Beach, Del., said she was not available, and he said not to call back.

The IG also found that Katherine Adair Martinez, deputy assistant secretary for information protection and risk management in the Office of Information and Technology, misused her position, abused her authority and engaged in prohibited personnel practices when she influenced a VA contractor and later VA subordinates to employ a friend.

The IG also said Martinez "took advantage of an inappropriate personal relationship" with Howard to transfer her job to Florida. In the nine months after she moved, the IG said Martinez traveled to Washington 22 times "to accomplish tasks that she could easily do from Florida."

The relationship between Martinez and Howard started in April 2007 and continued several months after Howard left the VA in January of this year, the IG said.

Roberts' e-mail did not address a request from the AP to speak with Martinez. Howard could not be immediately located for comment.

Indiana Rep. Steve Buyer, top Republican on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, urged quick action to fix the problems. "VA must appoint honorable individuals to these critical positions," he said.

The VA has faced criticism before in its awarding of bonuses. In 2007, the AP reported that the then-VA secretary had approved a generous package of more than $3.8 million in bonus payments in 2006, citing a need to retain longtime VA executives.

___

On the Net:

Reports from VA Inspector General:

http://www.va.gov/oig/51/fy2009rpts/...-01123-196.pdf

http://www.va.gov/oig/51/fy2009rpts

[DocGreek]

....WELLL....that's where our pay increase WENT!!....under the F*CKING TABLE!!!! WHO is keeping an eye on these people, on a MONTHLY BASIS??? OBAMMAMMMA-TURDS?? GOD HELP US ALL....DOC

[SGTMunson]

I bet not one of the VA employess down in the clinics working with the 100's of Veterans daily saw a penney of any bonus.

Probably just the chiefs and admin ppl.

Grrr

[HST]

"The VA does not condone misconduct" The VA is the posterchild for misconduct.
I'll give good odds that absolutely nothing happens to any of these scumbags.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

I bet not one of the VA employess down in the clinics working with the 100's of Veterans daily saw a penney of any bonus.

Probably just the chiefs and admin ppl.

Grrr

Agreed. That's the way it works in the fed gummint for the most part. Higher ups (GS-10/11 etc) and SES (Senior Exec Service) get HUGE bonuses (because they are giving each other the bonus, you don't think Colonel snuffie is going to NOT give another civilian equivlant to his/her rank a fat bonus, do you? That Colonel wants a GS job when they get out too...)

Same goes for the admin people that work with them every day...you don't think Colonel Snuffie is gonna give THEM a crappy bonus when they work with them daily, and they know where the bodies are buried, doya?

Meanwhile the regular worker bee's who don't interact with the muckity mucks daily and don't have any 'strings' or anything else get the shaft, so that the BIG BOYS can get those big bonuses! (It all comes from a pool, dontcha know...to make things 'fair'...).


But I'm not bitter. Nooooo, not at all.


Sorry. End of rant.