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VA report: 48 claims' dates at Little Rock benefits center altered


Retiredin1993

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A surprise inspection of the Little Rock veterans benefits center revealed staff members marking overlooked claims — many almost 2 years old— to make them appear as if they had just been filed.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General reported the practice threatened to further delay benefits to Arkansas veterans.

It was unclear whether any claims were delayed because the Little Rock office implemented its own protocol to track them.

After allegations that the VA's Regional Benefit Office in Little Rock was manipulating records, inspectors auditing the office found 48 instances in which old claims had been marked with the dates that they were "discovered," not the dates they were originally submitted.

Ron
US Army retired
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Gotta hit quota to get your bonus, if that takes a bit of creative math what the heck. Very similar to the Phoenix VA situation and the rot probably goes as deep.

 

I hope Nikki keeps after it like the lone reporter that still is following the scandal here in Phoenix.

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Quite a disgrace the VA is showing. It just keeps getting worse and worse. When will it end and the Veterans get taken care of as they should be and as the Veteran did when he took care of us?

 

Start firing people from the get go and you will see some real changes start happening. Here in MI the Dr's at the Saginaw MI VA said they had been looked into and everything is fine here. All I can say is I hope it's true because it's obvious there are a lot of lies flying around the VA these days.

 

 

Dave

Dave & Linda

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The VA system isn't broken. It is the unethical behaviors that have caused the problem. As a former VA employee I have witnessed the uncaring behaviors. Most of the employees are only there for the retirement. It is extremely difficult to be fired. It is easier to promote the problem away.

Ron C.

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The VA system isn't broken. It is the unethical behaviors that have caused the problem. As a former VA employee I have witnessed the uncaring behaviors. Most of the employees are only there for the retirement. It is extremely difficult to be fired. It is easier to promote the problem away.

 

Might I inquire what you would define as being broken then?

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Good question. It's not just unethical practices it's being under-funded, managed by committee, outdated (until very recently) technology so ineffective that one hospital or even one it's own clinics could not access the other system. Not to mention the admin side where records were stacked so deep it took a whole floor in every regional office and a system so outdated most of the work was done in hand written or printed updates manually inserted into the correct (hopefully) records.

 

I have come across maybe two VA employees (healthcare side) that either didn't care or were lazy. I have never spoken with a regional agent that was rude, short or gave me the feeling of not caring.

 

So, IMHO, it's NOT the everyday works hard, get frustrated, sad and angry employee that's broken. It's system itself. It is outdated, strangled with redundant procedures and a management level of CYA, you take care of me, I'll take care of you and don't worry, we can't be fired or sued.

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Dave & Tish
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RIP Snoopy we lost you 5-11-14 but you'll always travel with us
On the road somewhere.
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“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion” -unknown

HoD vay' wej qoH SoH je nep! ngebmo' vIt neH 'ach SoHbe' loD Hem, wa' ngebmo'. nuqneH...

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I surely don't want to point fingers because quite frankly I don't know the answers. But I have been proven that the system is broke when I go to the
VA Clinic in Pensacola FL and after registering with that office they tell me they can't help me, I'm not a patient of there's. I am from MI and was spending my retired days for the winter in Gulf Shores AL so my home is MI. But I am a veteran of the USA not MI, so therefore I should get treated as just that. The VA has my file on computer, they can see all the info on my file as soon as I register with them, which in fact gives them my permission to access my records.

 

The system is broke. Plain and simple. I had to give up my reservation in Gulf Shores and drive 1200 miles back to MI in the winter. Not a great experience but the VA gave me no other choice!

 

Dave

Dave & Linda

2011 Bighorn 3670

2000 Ford 7.3 PS diesel white and tan in color Now Fulltiming since May15, 2010

 

Semper Fi Marines!!

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That happened to a friend up in Lufkin.. They registered him but said they could not give him his injection because they could not access his records.. He threw the BS flag, went and got the advocate and it took her all of two seconds to fix it. The agent had no idea (honestly) a sample of poor training at it's best. Nice thing was, it was all low key, no arguments no raised voices. Unlike a certain other friend of mine....

Dave & Tish
Beagle Bagles & Snoopy

RIP Snoopy we lost you 5-11-14 but you'll always travel with us
On the road somewhere.
AF retired, 70-90
A truck and a trailer

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion” -unknown

HoD vay' wej qoH SoH je nep! ngebmo' vIt neH 'ach SoHbe' loD Hem, wa' ngebmo'. nuqneH...

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I believe this is a veterans benefits center, not a VA clinic. Veterans here are trying to get benefits, not VA health care.

 

Yes, true but Dave was just venting i would imagine. My post was addressing both sides of the house.

Dave & Tish
Beagle Bagles & Snoopy

RIP Snoopy we lost you 5-11-14 but you'll always travel with us
On the road somewhere.
AF retired, 70-90
A truck and a trailer

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion” -unknown

HoD vay' wej qoH SoH je nep! ngebmo' vIt neH 'ach SoHbe' loD Hem, wa' ngebmo'. nuqneH...

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I was in fact venting. I have been a huge advocate of the VA and what they have done. But when this happened I was and still am upset. Never thought of going to the patient advocate, but why should one have to fight tooth and nail to get the health care they have coming?

 

So to say all VA's are bad would not be true at all. I think the Battle Creek MI Hospital is top notch, but I am way to far from them anymore to go there. But when you get a statement like the Pensacola VA stated........yes it upsets me. But I have learned to live with it. I am on medicare and now have a supplement to cover what medicare doesn't cover. Sad when you have to go that route to make sure of health care when you are 100% disabled through the VA.

Dave & Linda

2011 Bighorn 3670

2000 Ford 7.3 PS diesel white and tan in color Now Fulltiming since May15, 2010

 

Semper Fi Marines!!

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Dave, I have had to go to the patent advocate twice at the Veria, Fl, VA clinic in the past 2 years. Also, sent a letter to the Clinic director that got results the next day.

 

Like you, I have began getting medical treatment in the civilian community.

 

I mostly use VA for my meds., so I do have to have an annual check up with them to get my meds script renewed.

Ron
US Army retired
2010 Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH
2016 Ford F150 XLT

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After reading and hearing about this ongoing huge FUBAR with VA, I'm not sad they denied my application for benefits now.

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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For folks that can avoiding the VA is a really good plan for many reasons going beyond the current scandals.

 

The problem is that there are a lot of folks that can't avoid the VA and are too sick to fight which is why the lucky ones need to fight to have things at the VA fixed.

 

I pray I never have to fall back on the VA for my medical careagain. My dad died in a VA hospital and aside from the horrible way they treated him the hell they put my mom through left me with a permanent attitude long before they got their shot at abusing me for five years.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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