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Will the Phoenix VA hospitals former director Sharon Helman be held accountable?


Cyberdave

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On top of the appointment scheduling fraud there may be a lot more problems to shake out of the VA. The VA management's idea of firing anyone who brings them bad news, more work or fraud seems to not be working as well as it has for so many years. All we can hope is that this doesn't once again disappear into the background after a few meaningless stump speeches.

 

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/09/20/va-gulf-war-illness-silence-claims/15944407/

 

Snip

 

The head of a national committee that studies the health of Gulf War veterans says senior Department of Veterans Affairs officials are obscuring scientific evidence that points to war-related illnesses among an estimated 250,000 veterans who served in the 1990-91 conflict often called the First Gulf War.

VA officials are trying to suppress the number of veterans who would be eligible for treatment and compensation to keep down costs and waiting lists for care, said committee Chairman James H. Binns, a Vietnam veteran and Phoenix business executive involved in the medical equipment industry.

Binns made his claims in a four-page letter to former interim VA Secretary Sloan Gibson, White House deputy chief of staff Rob Nabors and congressional leaders on June 3 and during a private meeting with new VA Secretary Robert McDonald on Sept. 10.

"The duplicity reaches the highest levels of the department and obstructs hopes for better health of an entire generation of veterans," Binns wrote in the letter.

In response to the group's call for more attention to Gulf War vets, VA officials instead are working to eliminate the congressionally mandated committee's independence by replacing its members with hand-selected new members, Binns told The Arizona Republic.

 

I'm sure the carefully selected new members will be following the standard VA procedures of keeping quiet and cashing their checks.

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I heard someone say that the Gulf war illness is AO redux...

 

And the song remains the same...

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
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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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Aside from a missing limb or bullet hole is there anything that the VA hasn't tried to write off as a hoax so they have more budget dollars to pass out to their buddies as performance bonuses?

 

I know my dad suffered horribly from a broken tailbone, he fell on an icy anti-aircraft gun platform in WWII and smashed it. The VA ruled that it wasn't covered since it didn't meet any of their existing classifications. Just his tough luck that an accidental bump on it could cause him so much pain he couldn't walk for a couple days or longer for the rest of his life.

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Cleaning house, the troublemakers (not the criminals) must go!

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/09/23/va-boss-declines-requests-retain-gulf-war-panelists/16087303/

 

Snip:

 

 

Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald "reaffirmed" the agency's commitment to caring for Gulf War veterans on Monday, but rebuffed requests by key congressional leaders to delay the scheduled dismissals of four long-serving members of a Gulf War research committee.

Rotation of committee members brings the VA in compliance with federal guidelines regarding advisory committees, the VA said in press release issued Monday. It also ensures "fresh and varied" perspectives are represented, it said.

James Binns, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, earlier charged that senior VA officials were trying to replace committee members who felt the VA was playing down Gulf War-related illnesses to limit costs and contain the number of veterans seeking medical treatment.

Binns detailed a list of "intolerable actions" in a four-page letter on June 3 to then-acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson; Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla.; and others.

RELATED: New Arizona law may help mentally ill

He wrote that VA officials slanted research studies, failed to publish critical research results and disseminated false information to the medical community and Congress.

Key congressional leaders asked McDonald to consider the matter. Miller and four other House VA Committee members, including Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., wrote him on Aug. 20 urging him to retain the Gulf War committee members for a year.

McDonald sat in on a regularly scheduled Gulf War committee meeting for 45 minutes meeting Monday in Washington, D.C., and delivered the message to Binns and three others that they would rotate out as previously scheduled.

"He said that was because he favored bringing in new people and hearing all views," said Binns, a Phoenix veteran and medical-technology executive. "The key question now is whom he will appoint. If they are sincere people with the right expertise, having new people will be fine."

The 12-member committee's charter provides that its membership include medical and scientific professionals, as well as Gulf War veterans.

 

Nothing better than fresh faces to apply a nice coat of whitewash to an old problem.

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Speaking of whitewash... Why not have a training plan in place so you get a nice even coat?

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/09/26/old-book-teaching-va-new-statistical-tricks/16249649/

 

As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs struggles to redeem its reputation after a data-manipulation scandal, it faces new scrutiny over a book used to train up to 500 employees a year: "How To Lie with Statistics."

The popular statistics book, published in 1954, was penned by Darrell Huff, an author of several other "how to" books who later worked to debunk the surgeon general's statistical links between cigarettes and cancer.

"This book is a sort of primer in ways to use statistics to deceive," Huff writes in his introduction. "It may seem altogether too much like a manual for swindlers."

Despite Huff's opening, the book does not explicitly encourage readers to lie. The title is intended to be ironic and reflects the cheeky, almost farcical, tone Huff carries through the book to show readers the many ways statistics are manipulated.

But the book, used as recently as August to train VA employees, and its misplaced irony came under scrutiny during last week's contentious congressional hearing over the validity of the VA Office of Inspector General's investigative report into the Phoenix VA Health Care System.

 

Of course it is all just a big misunderstanding, so nice of the VA to clear that all up.

 

"The book is an entertaining series of examples. ... It's not any kind of statistical manual. It's a book that people give to students to read to serve as an entertaining example of how to be careful when you're presenting data," said Andrew Gelman, a Columbia University professor of statistics and political science.

The VA course is held three to four times a year, with about 150 employees in each session. Sixteen employees from the VA Southwest Health Care Network, which includes Phoenix, attended the course this fiscal year. The VA pays $1,000 per employee for the program.

The training began because VA facilities wanted to learn how to better translate data into actions, regional VA spokeswoman Jean Schaefer said. The voluntary program is intended for managers, analysts, nurses and other staff members who want to learn how to effectively analyze health-care data, Schaefer said.

 

Not everyone agrees though

 

Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., a former statistical analyst, drew a connection between the book's titular dogma and the committee's continued frustration with conflicting VA data and investigators' findings that the agency repeatedly manipulated statistics.

He drew attention to a graph that compared the growth of outpatient visits with the number of full-time employees at the VA. It was submitted by the Phoenix VA in a July congressional briefing. At a glance, the graph appears to show that growth in outpatient visits far exceeded the increase in number of employees from fiscal 2010 to 2014.

But a closer look shows the two measures in the graph were created on far different scales, inaccurately comparing the growth in outpatient visits with the growth in employees.

In an interview with The Arizona Republic, Huelskamp said he "thumbed through" the book and looked at examples in the book that showed ways to mislead people with data.

The book created a bad perception and underscored his frustration with information the VA has been providing the committee, he said, including the graph submitted in July.

"We've received misleading, misleading numbers again and again," Huelskamp said.

 

The book was written as a guide to avoiding making errors in presentation but is easily used as a tutorial in misleading others, so it is not the intent of the author that matters but that of the reader.

 

Nebraska Methodist College Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul Savory said he was not surprised by the committee's suspicions with the book, given its title. He said the book was used to caution the reader about misleading data and was integrated into data-analysis projects in the class.

"We've never focused on any aspect of that (lying) in terms of what we've been doing," Savory said. "It has a controversial title, but it's been around for 60 years. It's the most widely sold statistics textbook out there. ... But I understand from the VA's perspective that it's a perception issue."

 

Not a perception issue but a realization that the methods the book is trying to train folks to avoid were not being avoided but instead being intentionally used by VA employees to deceive.

 

-------

 

It is a great book, used it in a couple statistics classes many many years ago.

 

Original edition, 1954: http://smile.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-1st-First/dp/B0077FBMVW/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411751858&sr=1-3

 

New edition with reviews: http://smile.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/0393310728/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411751858&sr=1-1

 

Amazon.com Review

"There is terror in numbers," writes Darrell Huff in How to Lie with Statistics. And nowhere does this terror translate to blind acceptance of authority more than in the slippery world of averages, correlations, graphs, and trends. Huff sought to break through "the daze that follows the collision of statistics with the human mind" with this slim volume, first published in 1954. The book remains relevant as a wake-up call for people unaccustomed to examining the endless flow of numbers pouring from Wall Street, Madison Avenue, and everywhere else someone has an axe to grind, a point to prove, or a product to sell. "The secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact-minded culture, is employed to sensationalize, inflate, confuse, and oversimplify," warns Huff.
Although many of the examples used in the book are charmingly dated, the cautions are timeless. Statistics are rife with opportunities for misuse, from "gee-whiz graphs" that add nonexistent drama to trends, to "results" detached from their method and meaning, to statistics' ultimate bugaboo--faulty cause-and-effect reasoning. Huff's tone is tolerant and amused, but no-nonsense. Like a lecturing father, he expects you to learn something useful from the book, and start applying it every day. Never be a sucker again, he cries!
Even if you can't find a source of demonstrable bias, allow yourself some degree of skepticism about the results as long as there is a possibility of bias somewhere. There always is.
Read How to Lie with Statistics. Whether you encounter statistics at work, at school, or in advertising, you'll remember its simple lessons. Don't be terrorized by numbers, Huff implores. "The fact is that, despite its mathematical base, statistics is as much an art as it is a science." --Therese Littleton

 

 

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It looks like some of the whistleblowers are being given protection and compensated for the abuse they received from management.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/investigations/2014/09/29/phoenix-va-whistle-blowers-get-retaliation-settlements/16435309/

 

Snip:

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs has come to terms with three Phoenix whistle-blowers who filed retaliation complaints after helping expose mismanagement and health-care breakdowns in the Phoenix VA medical center.

The trio — Dr. Katherine Mitchell, Paula Pedene and Damian Reese — accepted mostly confidential settlements for demotions and harassment they suffered at the hands of VA administrators after exposing delays in patient care, fraudulent wait-time data, bullying and other misconduct.
In a news release, VA Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner praised all three whistle-blowers, saying they "followed their consciences and reported wrongdoing, and their efforts have improved care and accountability.
"I applaud the VA's leadership for taking actions quickly to reverse these (retaliation) cases and concrete steps to change the VA's culture," she added. "The settlements allow these courageous employees to return to successful careers."
Pedene, a Phoenix VA spokeswoman who was banished to a basement library 22 months ago after disclosing misconduct, cried Monday morning as she discussed her experience and its resolution. "I feel vindicated and happy and sad. There are so many mixed emotions," she said. "I'm moving forward, and looking forward."

 

 

Besides the three Phoenix cases, the Office of Special Counsel is investigating 125 other complaints of retaliation against VA whistle-blowers, and is reviewing 89 disclosures from employees who allege threats to patient health or safety. Fifty-one of those have been referred to the Office of Inspector General.

The Phoenix VA whistle-blowers sparked a nationwide furor over patient care in the dysfunctional federal agency. Investigators concluded that VA administrators knowingly falsified patient access data, in part to earn bonus pay, and that veterans suffered as a result of protracted delays in care. While inspectors could not conclusively assert that Phoenix patients died because of untimely treatment, the Office of Inspector General acknowledged that delays contributed to fatalities.
The controversy led to the ouster of Secretary Eric Shinseki, passage of a $16 billion VA and reform bill, inspector general probes at more than 80 VA medical centers and the suspension of top administrators, including three in Phoenix.

 

Suspension in Federal English means: Full pay, plus retirement continues to accumulate while you do whatever you'd like except come into the office.

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Related news, they are putting together an advocy group for veterans and are looking for input.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/09/29/veteran-health-care-reform-task-force-launched/16421897/

Snip:

A national advocacy group wants to reform the way veterans receive medical treatment, launching a task force whose goal is to propose sweeping changes to veterans' health care for the first time in more than two decades.

The task force, formed by Concerned Veterans for America, will evaluate challenges to delivering veteran health care, and what role the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should play in the wake of changes in the health care industry and evolving veteran needs.

The group is looking to the public — veterans, experts and anyone else who wants to offer input — for comments and ideas via its website: taskforce.cv4a.org. Comments are due by Nov. 1.

Final recommendations will be compiled by December. CVA will hold a policy summit early next year, and push for policy reforms.

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  • 4 weeks later...

More Phoenix VA woes, fails an accreditation that 99% of hospitals pass.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/10/21/phoenix-va-hospital-fails-outside-compliance-review/17649623/

 

Snip:

 

 

The Joint Commission inquiry was launched after whistle-blowers stirred a national controversy by exposing delays in patient care, fraudulent record-keeping, mismanagement and retaliation in the Phoenix VA Health Care System.

Investigators from the Commission who visited Arizona this summer found the medical center does not meet overall standards of care, treatment and services to patients. The inspectors also found Phoenix VA medical center out of compliance for:
-- Infection prevention and control.
-- Availability of resuscitation services throughout the hospital.
-- Proper testing and maintenance of gas and vacuum instruments.
-- Systemic handling of health information.
-- Management of nursing policies, procedures, staffing and standards.
The shortcomings add to a litany of recent criticisms. A report by the Office of Inspector General in August found thousands of VA patients had suffered from delayed care under a bogus appointment system. In Arizona and nationwide, investigators said record-keeping fraud was perpetrated in part to earn incentive pay. As a result, they concluded, veterans experienced "unacceptable and troubling lapses" in treatment.

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But, there here to help!

Do you know about the new appt system? Instead of scheduling a follow up while you are at the clinic, they input a reminder date and tell you a letter will be sent to remind you to call for an appt.!!! You call and can't get an appt for at least 90 days. So, the 90 follow up ends up being 180+ days to see the doc again.

 

Scary that the fix seems to make it impossible to get in period. Thankfully, we have Tricare!!

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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Old dirt is now seeping out from under the Phoenix VA's carpet...

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/10/22/va-secret-investigation-identified-phoenix-fraud/17727627/

 

Seems there was a report that identified the problems long ago but it whitewashed them and with the problems being hidden it was then ignored by most everyone.

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Old dirt is now seeping out from under the Phoenix VA's carpet...

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/10/22/va-secret-investigation-identified-phoenix-fraud/17727627/

 

Seems there was a report that identified the problems long ago but it whitewashed them and with the problems being hidden it was then ignored by most everyone.

This doesn't surprise me at all.

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Another article giving more information on the controversial VA fraud report.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/10/31/va-secretary-emails-sought-changes-phoenix-report/18269065/

 

Snips:

 

 

A top Department of Veterans Affairs official and a White House appointee successfully pressed for changes in an inspector general's report on the Phoenix VA medical center.

According to newly released documents, the report was amended to add a finding that there was no conclusive evidence that delays in care resulted in veteran deaths.
In recent congressional testimony, acting VA Inspector General Richard Griffin adamantly denied that changes in the final report, which downplayed links between delayed care and up to 40 veteran deaths, had been "dictated" by VA headquarters.
But e-mails released Friday by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs show that Sloan Gibson, who had been acting VA secretary, personally corresponded with Griffin in early August, asking him to amend the report.
Specifically, Gibson asked the inspector general to add findings about a Phoenix whistle-blower's claim that up to 40 veterans died awaiting care.
E-mails show White House deputy chief of staff Rob Nabors, appointed by President Barack Obama this summer to monitor the VA scandal, also urged the change. The e-mails also asked the OIG to share its planned "message" to the media about veterans' deaths.

 

 

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House committee, sent a letter to the president this week asking Obama to expeditiously replace Griffin with a permanent inspector general. The position has been vacant since George Opfer retired Dec. 31.

"In the midst of the largest and most damaging scandal in VA's history," Miller wrote, "it is vitally important that VA Office of Inspector General have an independent and objective leader in place to combat waste, fraud and abuse."
In a separate letter to Griffin, Miller asked that his oversight committee be provided all drafts and other versions of investigations in the future.

 

 

As all this goes on the Phoenix VA hospital's former director Sharon Helman is still drawing a full pay check and accumulating retirement credit while sitting at home. The veterans are still dead and the national press, politicians (for the most part) & VA bureaucrats are trying hard to make this go away.

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Better than nothing but not by much. At least he will be here long enough to learn a few folks names.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/04/phoenix-veterans-affairs-medical-center-interim-director-brk/18467665/

 

 

The Phoenix leadership has seen a revolving-door since Sharon Helman was suspended as director in Mayfollowing release of an VA inspector general report held her responsible for manipulation of patient appointment data and other problems.

Grippen is a former director of the VA hospital in Milwaukee, and also has served as an assistant deputy undersecretary at department headquarters. He retired in 2011 as director of the VA's Rocky Mountain regional network, known as VISN 19, after four decaedes of service.

Griffin is expected to fill a one-year term as leader in Phoenix, instead of the normal three-month stint prescribed for fill-in directors.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The dirty laundry keeps coming out as the local paper keeps filing FOIA requests.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/11/16/veterans-affairs-vacant-medical-jobs/19153069/

 

Snip:

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs' record-keeping processes were in such disarray in recent years that the agency didn't track its number of unfilled medical positions until June of this year, according to VA officials.

The VA's lax record-keeping occurred against a backdrop of year-over-year funding increases while VA administrators created secret lists of patients who languished for months waiting for medical appointments.
The disclosure came in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Arizona Republic seeking the number of medical vacancies nationally and at the three VA hospitals in Arizona.
Four months after the newspaper requested vacancy statistics dating back to 2010, Veterans Health Administration FOIA Officer Barbara Swailes responded that the information was unavailable.
"The VHA Central Office did not start collecting vacancy information until June 2014," she wrote in a letter earlier this month. The newspaper requested the information in July.
The VA started collecting the data only after a wide-ranging scandal involving the VA became the focus of national attention following congressional hearings and media coverage by The Republic and other news outlets.

 

I wonder why the paper hasn't been publishing any articles about the folks being fired for their participation in the scandal?

 

I sure hope it is a simple oversight on the paper's part and not that aside from the talk and flag waving nothing has been done other than putting folks on paid vacation.

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I went to a VA townhall yesterday here in Memphis. It was clear to me that the director isn't up to the job. I know there has been a call here for her to resign. Even allowing for being in the hotseat for sometime she was way to prickly about criticism. That being said it was frustrating because most were focused on their individual issues and were so worked up that it precluded good input that might help something get better. When folks get worked up they end up monopolizing the time which keeps others from contributing or getting their questions on the floor. I don't blame them for being mad and some obviously have mental or psycological issues. I had a real hard time with one guy that almost seemed like a shil going on and on about the wonderful care and service he has had which also kept others from speaking. I was lucky and was able to ask about pysical accessability and parking which is as bad as I have seen at any of the VA's I have experienced. It was something that was of interest to all and was partially answered at least with even a quick input from another vet that has more exerience with this location than me. I had made a suggestion last year to several people and was surprised to learn they had tried to act on it but unsuccessfully. I want to beat a bunch of them about the head and shoulders at times but that won't help solve any problems. Sorry, rant over.

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Good on Ya Jim!!!!

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 want to be "fair & balanced" :huh: so I have to say that a lot of the VA's problems are caused by our fearless congress/senate critters and the VA & the vets are stuck with dealing with the problems they create or fail to oversee. Somewhere recently I saw a quote from Sen. Bernie Sander (not one of my senators) that makes a lot of sense, "If you can't afford to take care of your veterans, don't go to war."

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"If you can't afford to take care of your veterans, don't go to war."

 

Damn, that's good.

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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Well finally! After only six months of paid vacation...

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/11/24/va-fires-phoenix-hospital-director-helman/70056192/

Sharon Helman, beleaguered director of the Phoenix VA hospital, was fired Monday, six months after being suspended in connection with a scandal over mismanagement and delayed care for veterans.

Helman, a career employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs, was placed on administrative leave in May amid a national furor over whistle-blower allegations that the Phoenix VA Health Care System was falsifying wait-time data for doctor appointments, and that some patients had died awaiting care. She has not commented publicly since the suspension, and could not be reached Monday afternoon.

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Anyone place a call to Sheriff Joe?

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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"If you can't afford to take care of your veterans, don't go to war."

 

Damn, that's good.

Thanks Jim! I agree with Dave on your quote. It says a lot in one sentence.

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When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius

 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire

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The news today is another less than good helping of the stuff they keep dumping on the vets in Phoenix.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/11/28/new-southwest-va-director-arrives-baggage/19604745/

Fogarty is the third short-term leader at the regional headquarters since longtime Director Susan Bowers was forced to resign in May amid a national VA scandal over mismanagement, delayed patient care and falsified data. Interim bosses typically serve 90-day tours. The VA health-care system is undergoing reform, so the regional office's long-term leadership — and its future — are uncertain.

Fogarty's permanent job is directing the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, which has been targeted by VA inspector-general probes and congressional hearings.

Fogarty was in charge when administrators there deployed a covert video camera in a patient's room. Korean War veteran Joseph Carnegie had previously suffered brain injury that family members blamed on negligence.


Full strory at the link above.

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  • 4 weeks later...

There is a lot more to the story available at the link below, read it some time when you will have time to cool off a bit after you finish reading.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2014/12/23/va-phoenix-director-helman-appeal/20829097/

As Arizona military veterans waited months for doctor appointments in a broken health-care system, then-Phoenix VA hospital Director Sharon Helman went on a weeklong vacation to Disneyland secretly financed by an industry lobbyist, according to an administrative-law judge and documents obtained by The Arizona Republic.

E-mail records and receipts examined by Chief Administrative Judge Stephen C. Mish indicate that Helman also got free concert and airline tickets and other perks from lobbyist Dennis "Max" Lewis, her previous boss.

Based on that revelation, Mish on Monday upheld Helman's firing by the VA and rejected her appeal.


 

At VA national headquarters and the Phoenix VA medical center, officials have to date refused to provide relevant e-mails, Helman's appeal and other records that were requested Nov. 13 under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

But documents independently supplied to The Republic — and referenced in Tuesday's Merit System decision — show a daisy-chain linkage between Jefferson Consulting and Phoenix VA business dealings at the same time Lewis was bestowing gifts worth thousands of dollars on Helman.
Among the alleged presents:

An eight-day vacation in February for Helman's family of seven at the Disneyland Hotel, including park-hopper tickets, Universal Studios VIP passes and other premium features. The total cost: $11,205. Registration documents provided to The Republic include a booking agent's notation that Lewis made the Disneyland reservation as "a secret gift to this family and only Sharon knows the source but even she does not know the cost."

A Jeep tour in Sedona in November 2012. Lewis sent a copy of the confirmation to Helman from a personal e-mail address, according to records.

Tickets for Helman and her daughters to attend a Beyonce concert Dec. 7, 2013, at the US Airways Center. A Ticketmaster receipt from the $729 purchase was forwarded from Lewis' personal e-mail account. Six days after the concert, in an open message to Phoenix VA Health Care System employees, Helman gushed about her family's experience at the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour Starring Beyonce: "What a memory!" she wrote. "They danced, they sang ... What inspires you?" The e-mail concluded by noting that a VA forum that week was also inspirational, with displays boasting of dramatically reduced wait times for doctor appointments. "All of our posters validated how we continue to give back to veterans," Helman wrote. A VA inspector general report later concluded that Phoenix patient-access data was phony and that some veterans had died awaiting care. Investigators concluded that Helman knew the statistics were inaccurate, but reported them as true to earn bonus pay.

Flights to Vancouver; Portland, Ore.; Eureka, Calif.; El Paso; and Chicago. One of the airline tickets created confusion in August 2012. According to internal e-mails, executive secretary Karen Craig sent Helman a message saying they had just received a boarding pass for someone named Dennis Lewis. "This is odd," Craig wrote. "Do you want me to refer this to travel to see what's going on or who this is?" Helman responded, "Oh. ... this is a consultant that I know that I must have got in error. I'll resend to him."

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics spells out rules pertaining to gratuities: "Executive branch employees may not accept gifts that are given because of their official positions" or that come from individuals doing business with the agency.

Mish concluded that Helman accepted at least nine of 12 gifts identified in the e-mails, and failed to disclose them as required, creating at least "the appearance of a conflict of interest."


At least she has had $90,000.00 in vacation pay since she was kicked out of the job.

 

I'm not seeing anything on her retirement pay situation, if anyone has that it would be interesting to see.

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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