Jun 05

VA hacked, unsure what was stolen

Posted on by

Apparently, when the VA isn’t getting their computers stolen, compromising personal data, the Chinese and other nations are hacking into the VA’s systems – and it’s been happening for years, according to the Washington Examiner.

At least eight different state-sponsored organizations have breached the security of VA data networks since at least March 2010, said Jerry Davis, who until February was the chief information security officer at VA.

“I learned that these attackers were a nation-state sponsored cyber espionage unit and that no less than eight different nation-state sponsored organizations had successfully compromised VA networks and data, or were actively attacking VA networks, attacks that continue at VA to this very day,” David said in written testimony

This stems the VA transmitting sensitive information, including medical records and personal information, over unsecure and unencrypted networks.

The worst part is that the VA doesn’t even know what has been stolen:

A foreign government hacked into Department of Veterans’ Affairs computers and stole data on as many as 20 million veterans, then covered its tracks by encrypting files before exporting them, according to congressional testimony today.

As a result, VA officials do not know what was stolen, a top VA official told the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Potentially, the breach could be complete personal and medical records on everyone in the VA’s files, said Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., the subcommittee chairman.

“These actors have had constant access to VA systems and data, information which included unencrypted databases containing hundreds of thousands to millions of instances of veteran information such as veterans’ and dependents’ names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and protected health information,” Coffman said.

So, they’ve known about it for years and have still done nothing about it – way to take care of veterans.

May 16

Mandatory overtime for VA claims workers

Posted on by

According to the Huffington Post, the Department of Veterans Affairs will require at least 10,000 claims workers to work at least 20 hours of overtime each month until September.

“We need to surge our resources now to help those who have waited the longest and end the backlog,” said Allison Hickey, undersecretary for benefits at the VA.

It seems they might finally be getting tired of all the recent negative attention and may actually start putting some effort into their job … or they realized they completely blew the 2015 deadline and are doing everything they can to minimize the pain they are going to feel when they fail.

The most important thing the VA needs to remember while working these claims is that they aren’t just paper packets … these are people – whom are represented by those packets, and often, people in a lot of pain and a very bad point in their life. The VA needs to get the backlog fixed – but they need to do it right (the first time).

 

May 09

VA bonuses add up to $16.9M over 5 years

Posted on by

The Washington Examiner reports that the VA has given out about $16.9 million in bonuses to senior executives over the past five years.

There appears to be little correlation between pay and performance. For instance, one of the worst-performing regional offices is in Phoenix, where the average wait time for a veteran to get a disability rating is almost 470 days — more than 15 months.

Sandra Flint has been director of the Phoenix regional office for about eight years. Since 2007, she has received at least $53,109 in bonuses, including more than $21,000 in merit bonuses, according to the records obtained by The Washington Examiner. Her 2011 salary was $165,300.

Since 2009, the backlog of claims in Phoenix has more than doubled and now stands at just under 80 percent. Flint did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Another long-time regional director who has reaped big bonuses is Carl Hawkins, the top executive in the Columbia, S.C., office since about 1998. Hawkins was paid $79,275 in performance bonuses over five years, the third-highest among current regional office directors. His pay in 2011 was $165,300.

Since 2009, the backlog of disability claims in Columbia has grown from 32.5 percent to 71.2 percent. It now takes an average of 308 days to rate a claim in Columbia.

The VA has been taking a beating from the media on the backlog, bonuses and other waste – such as expensive employee conferences, but there has been only the same response from the leadership for the passt several years – ‘we’ll fix it.’

The time for excuses is over. There is a complete leadership failure at the VA and leaders need to be held accountable. It is long past time for Eric Shinseki and his immediate subordinate directors to be relieved and replaced. Their failures are an absolute disgrace, and they are ultimately responsible.

Shinskei, you’re a failure – it’s time to accept your responsibility and get someone in there who can actually fix something.

May 08

House bill would ban VA bonuses

Posted on by

The House Veterans Affairs Committee passed a bill today that would grant in-state tuition rates to all veterans attending public universities as well as ban all VA executive bonuses for five years.

Senior executives at the Department of Veterans Affairs would be banned from receiving any bonuses for five years under legislation approved by a congressional committee Wednesday.

The move comes after two weeks of criticism over how the department awards bonuses, and reports of several five-figure awards for VA officials despite questionable performances.

“Questionable performances” is inaccurate - piss-poor performance is better.

Representative Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the head of the committee issued a statement on the bill.

“The fact that so many VA executives collected huge performance bonuses year after year while continually failing at their jobs calls into question whether department leaders even know the meaning of the word ‘accountability,’” he said in a statement.

“Until we have complete confidence that VA is holding executives accountable – rather than rewarding them – for their mistakes, no one should get a performance bonus.”

The VA suspended bonuses for fiscal year 2012 last month, but lawmakers, including Miller, complained that the VA decision didn’t go far enough.

Additionally, the bill calls for an increase in the amount of disability compensation equal to increases in Social Security increases.

The bill will have to pass the full House and the Senate before it becomes law.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

May 04

Jon Stewart goes after the VA, again

Posted on by

I’m just going to leave these here and let you watch through them:

“In only two more years, they’re hoping to only have you wait four more months” sums up the progress the VA has made.

May 02

6 Vets, VA chief plead guilty to fraud

Posted on by

The Baltimore Sun brings us this story about six Vietnam veterans and a Maryland VA benefits chief who pleaded guilty to swindling the government out of $1.4 million in benefits related to the effects of Agent Orange.

The veterans allegedly paid thousands of dollars in cash to David Clark, the former deputy chief of veterans claims in the state Department of Veterans Affairs Office, in exchange for $1.4 million in fraudulent benefits and tax breaks, prosecutors said.

Oh, and since they are going ahead with fraud, why not toss a little extra in there too: some of the veterans didn’t even serve in Vietnam, but decided to go ahead and award themselves medals anyway.

Clark, 68, of Hydes, was in charge of submitting claims to the federal veterans department on behalf of Maryland veterans, and allegedly forged or fraudulently completed doctors’ notes and federal forms alleging he and eight other veterans had developed illnesses — including Type II diabetes and neuropathy — and were forced to take medications because of Agent Orange exposure, the indictment says.

Clark allegedly fabricated documents showing he and others had been awarded service honors, the indictment says, including Purple Heart Medals and Vietnam Service Medals.

Yep, that covers just about everything. If they lied about their service in Vietnam, their exposure to AO, and their medals – what else have they lied about? Could there be one who didn’t even serve in the military?

Those who pleaded guilty this week are Kenneth Williams, 64, of Baltimore (Marine Corps); Raymond Sadler, 61, of Middle River (Marine Corps); Sandra Tyree, 64, of Rosedale (Air Force); Kenneth Webster, 67, of Pasadena (Marine Corps); Paul Heard, 64, of Baltimore (Navy); and John Bratcher, 54, of Conowingo (Air Force).

According to the story, there are two other people named in the indictment and 10 more veterans identified only by initials, so this story is going to be getting bigger as prosecutors keep digging.

May 01

Wounded Warrior put in mortgage-free home

Posted on by

I’ve covered programs like this before, because it is always great to highlight the things people are doing to help wounded warriors.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Daniel Seo was wounded while serving in Iraq in 2006. He has received numerous awards for his bravery, including the Purple Heart.

Seo has already given so much for this country, but today he received a new start with a mortgage-free home, thanks to the Home for Wounded Warriors program.

“You know, we’ve always dreamed of owning a home, it was just a matter of when. This is a clean slate, we can start new,” Seo said.

Any combat-wounded veteran who does not currently have a mortgage and is retired or honorably separated from the military can apply online.

The program also provides financial education courses to ensure the veteran maintains his or her home.

“I got a home, I’m grateful for it,” Seo said. “It’s like a dream come true.”

A move from L.A. to Peoria totally was worth it for this soldier.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” he said.

Apr 27

VA: No more bonuses – for now

Posted on by

After a few stories highlighting some VA executives who received bonuses despite shortcomings, the VA has decided to forgo any bonuses for fiscal year 2012, according to Stars and Stripes.

Senior executives from the Veterans Benefits Administration will not receive any performance bonus awards for fiscal 2012 because of lingering problems with the veterans claims backlog, department officials confirmed Friday.

A VA spokesperson said department leaders remain confident that those senior executives are “dedicated to our nation’s veterans,” but the money set aside for those awards would be reinvested in efforts to fix the backlog.

Maybe they should have invested some of that money there in the first place.

In fiscal 2011, senior executives throughout the department pulled in about $3.4 million in performance awards.

Since the backlog didn’t start in 2012, I believe awarding bonuses for “performance” when there are so many problems is nothing short of criminal – and someone needs to answer for it.

Apr 25

Why do VA execs even get bonuses?

Posted on by

WSBTV.com has the story about how VA executives in Atlanta received bonuses despite issues within their realm of responsibility.

Despite the scandal engulfing the Atlanta VA Medical Center, Channel 2 Action News has uncovered the VA’s top executives have been pocketing large salary bonuses.
Those salaries are being paid with tax money and the tax money of veterans.
Channel 2′s Scott MacFarlane obtained records that show top brass throughout the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have scored big bonus checks in recent months, including in Atlanta.
Despite a laundry list of findings, the Atlanta management has botched how it handled some of its high-risk patients that led to patient deaths, suicides, an overdose and a schizophrenic patient found roaming free inside the building.
Records show former Atlanta VA Medical Center Director James Clark pocketed a $13,000 bonus in 2011 and another $17,000 worth of salary bonuses in 2010.

…

Those bonuses were given at roughly the same time period in which the audit said two Atlanta veterans showing suicidal tendencies sought help, got lost in red tape and then killed themselves.
It’s also about the same time another person with a history of substance abuse was overlooked and overdosed and died.
The report said a mental health patient managed to roam free in the building for hours and injected testosterone around the same time as well.

Giving a bonus to someone in government seems like a waste – unless they’ve done something to save the government even more money, i.e. the Waste, Fraud and Abuse program, which often rewards those whom point out ways the government can save money.

So, I have a serious question: Considering all the issues with both the benefits administration and the health administration at the VA, why do any bureaucrats at the VA get bonuses?

Apr 25

UPDATE: VA expediting decisions for claims older than a year

Posted on by

Here’s an update to the story I wrote the other day about the VA’s decision to expedite older claims.

Ronald Robinson, president of the AFGE union local that represents VA claims workers in Columbia, S.C., said the new rules are nothing more than an effort to make the agency’s sinking statistics look better.

Two critical numbers for VA are the average time a claim has been pending, and the time it takes to issue a rating. Robinson said old cases under the new plan would be considered closed once the provisional rating is issued.

If the veteran submits new evidence, that will be considered a new case, said Robinson, who spent 20 years in the Army and another 17 at VA.

“These provisional decisions only serve one purpose and that is to cook the VA books and cheat the veteran,” he said. “This is smoke and mirror claims- processing.”

Hmm, even the VA-claims-workers’ union doesn’t think this is going to be a good thing.