Will this be the "final soluton" to the VA backlog?

2015-07-15T09:03:28-04:00

More than a quarter of the veterans on the wait list for VA care are deceased, according to an internal report.

The report from April, titled “Analysis for Services,” showed 238,657 of the 847, 822 veterans on the wait list for health care enrollment with the Department of Veterans Affairs died after initiating the application process but were never removed.

The VA has no way of removing deceased applicants, and some vets seek alternative health insurances, an agency spokeswoman told the Huffington Post,which first reported the story Monday.

In addition, the report shows more than half of the applicants had “activity” after death, including compensation, doctor visits and prescription fills.

The findings are under investigation by the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee, staff director Eric Hannel said.

The leaked report comes only weeks after auditors found $43 million set aside to inform veterans about their benefits sitting untouched for three years in an account. Another report earlier in 2015 found a backlog of nearly 200,000 VA claims pending for longer than 125 days, some from combat veterans.

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/report-28-percent-of-va-enrollee-backlog-already-dead-1.357962

Report: 28 percent of VA enrollee backlog already dead

More than a quarter of the veterans on the wait list for VA care are deceased, according to an internal report.

Response by SPC Jeffrey Bly made Jul 15 at 2015 9:25 AM

2015-07-15T09:25:14-04:00

There really is no excuse for any of this. The Dept. of Veterans Affairs does not want to pay for necessary upgrades and improvements. Incompetency is through the roof. Everything gets swept under the carpet. It seems, a lot of times, that you are troubling someone when looking for assistance. Like they have something better to do or somewhere else they would rather be. I, unfortunately, try to avoid the VA as much as possible.

Response by PO1 Mike Edgecomb made Jul 15 at 2015 11:00 AM

2015-07-15T11:00:36-04:00

Activity after death! Wow, that is a new one.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Jul 15 at 2015 12:23 PM

2015-07-15T12:23:53-04:00

Does this really surprise anyone? The VA has been incompetently managed since its inception. Congress has never done anything to fix it, because going to war is always a priority, but paying for its after effects never is...

#NoIncumbentsIn2016

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 15 at 2015 12:51 PM

2015-07-15T12:51:13-04:00

It sounds to me like the VA is trying to shift the blame for their poor processes!

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jul 15 at 2015 1:43 PM

2015-07-15T13:43:34-04:00

Pretty sad. Even when VA provides service, they sometimes dodge real care and acknowledgement of the disease. It took so many years to get Agent Orange recognized. VA recently recognized testing service members with mustard gas in WW-2. Too late for my dad. When presented with records, photos, etc. by way of Barbra Boxer, VA did grant a small disability.... for tinnitus.

I feel sorry for the many great people who work for VA who want to provide great service but are trodden upon by uncaring bureaucrats. It's just not the VA. Look at the Pentagon, Intel Community, etc. who get hammered for political solutions, not real ones.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jul 15 at 2015 10:55 PM

2015-07-15T22:55:59-04:00

No bureaucracy in the history of the United States (or the world for that matter) has ever served its clients as well as it has served itself. The sole function of a bureaucracy is to survive and grow even in those cases such as NASA when its mission ended. The Dept of Education turns out poor scholars to justify its cries for more money and more resources. The Dept of Energy restricts energy supplies to justify its requests for additional funding to somehow spur the growth of energy supplies. The EPA, like NASA was successful several decades ago and now exists solely to interfere with business. Why should the VA be any different? Thus, the VA should be dismantled and the Department of Defense allowed to contract with private industry to provide the needed services. Yes, I know that military contracting has gone off the tracks more often than not, but that's another problem that needs correcting. At least they won't do any worse than the VA...