On April 15, 2015, after a year of auditing the Philadelphia Regional Office’s disability compensation claims process, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report confirming more bad news. The over 80-page document, entitled Review of Alleged Data Manipulation and Mismanagement at the VA Regional Office (Philadelphia, PA), paints a dark picture of mismanagement, a lack of accountability, and blatant attempts to cover up unsavory activities.
The Report, which chronicles and details the horrific actions of those within the Philadelphia RO, contains the following findings:
- Claims for benefits were altered to hide processing delays.
- Quality reviews were altered inappropriately to remove claims processing errors that had been reported.
- Long delays in processing appeals of benefits and inquiries about pensions.
- Failure to stop improper benefits payments of about $2 million.
- Four bins of unprocessed mail hidden by an employee.
- Failure to process mail that had been returned as undeliverable, including time-sensitive documents that had the potential to affect veterans’ benefits.
The Philadelphia RO oversees the administration of about $4 billion in annual benefits payments. The review of its operations began in June after allegations were made to the inspector general’s hotline about mismanagement. These weren’t only from veterans – some came from RO staff members, who reported concerns of inappropriate reprisals against staff raising issues. From reviewing the report, it appears that the OIG substantiated almost all of the allegations raised, at least to a degree
The VA’s undersecretary for benefits, Allison Hickey, said in her response to the audit that the new director in Philadelphia is turning things around by building relationships with employees “and focusing on creating a culture that puts veterans and their eligible beneficiaries first.”
She said the agency is hiring more workers to process appeals, reviewing cases to flag improper payments, adding staff to ensure that new mail is processed within six hours, implementing a plan to handle returned mail, and reviewing the pension call center’s standards.
To me, this sounds like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound (which is not the first time I’ve used that expression regarding the VA). And unlike some other reports, which discuss only mistreatment or neglect of veterans, it explains how hard it can be to work for the VA. Imagine how demoralizing it would be to truly care about the VA’s mission while being strangled by red tape or while inhabiting a cubicle next to someone who sleeps at their desk all day without recourse. Or for reporting problems and getting in trouble for opening your mouth. It’s downright sad.
For an extremely colorful read on the latest on VA shenanigans, access the Report here.
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Always Lost Exhibit: A Meditation on War
