VA benefits claims found in piles to be shredded.
By on Oct 17th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
VA benefits claims found in piles to be shredded.
The Military Times reports that the “Department of Veterans Affairs regional offices have been ordered to immediately stop shredding documents” after an investigation found some benefits claims and supporting documents — such as certificates for births, deaths and marriage — among piles of papers waiting to be destroyed. VFW National Commander Glen Gardner said the problem could be significant:
“The question that begs to be asked and answered is how many veterans had their disability and compensation claims disappear down a paper shredder?”
Among the records found waiting to be shredded were applications for disability compensation, education benefits, home loans and pensions for low-income veterans, officials said.
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39 Responses to “VA benefits claims found in piles to be shredded.”
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Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Regardless of who is responsible and what their party affiliation is, I hope they are hung right the fu(k out to dry.
That being said, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if this was somehow related to the policies of the Bush administration...
October 17th, 2008 at 3:43 pmBut I thought Bush supported the troops and supported veterans. Not that he was one of either himself...but the verbiage looked good.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:44 pmNo worries - I'm sure this administration will find some way to pass the blame for this as far down the ladder as possible.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:44 pmAnother case displaying exactly how waahhhpublicans support the troops: their support ends with a yellow made in china car sticker and a lapel pin
October 17th, 2008 at 3:46 pmPay attention, America:
THIS IS HOW REPUBLICANS "SUPPORT THE TROOPS".
October 17th, 2008 at 3:48 pmI know, Obama did it.
Wait, he isn't president yet. No matter, after November 4th, Obama did it.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:48 pmsomeone needs to be fired.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:48 pmY'know, it strikes me that there is a profound similarity between the way Republicans treat veterans and the way they treat fetuses.
In both cases, they make a big show of support -- as long as they are soldiers/fetuses.
Once they become veterans/infants, Republicans say, "you're on your own!"
October 17th, 2008 at 3:49 pmIt will be interesting when the trolls explain to us how THIS is all the fault of Democrats and ACORN
October 17th, 2008 at 3:52 pmI sense a Heckuva job, Shreddie! And a Medal of Freedumb.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:53 pmThis is happening all over the USA and no worry John McCain always put our Military First. This is just the new policy taking place. Maybe McCain will ask Joe the Plummer to handle this problem for him.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:58 pmThis is typical of bush admin. policy.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:06 pmIt's rape, pillage and burn as far as the eye can see.
Not being able to care less for who/what is destroyed is SOP.
SUPPORT THE TROOPS MY ASS!
October 17th, 2008 at 4:08 pmNow, that raises to the level of being criminal.
How anyone in the military could even consider voting for a republican is beyond my comprehension.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:09 pm...and yet, the MSM has perpetuated the fiction that republicans support the troops more than anyone else.
*cough*WalterReed*cough*
Goddammit! I'm so sick 'n tired of being fed sh*t sandwiches by 'institutions' like the republican (& democratic btw) parties, news media et. al. that are little more than psy-ops operations to keep people docile or confused. The web is opening up the 'old guard' information sources such as CNN and ABC, NBC, etc. and finally revealing them as raging gasbags of lies, propaganda and sycophantic corporate dissemblers of the company line.
No wonder the telecoms want to limit information availability.
Our news media is an absolute disgrace, along with privatization and oversight under George W. Shortbus. The media were complicit in getting him in and burying his more outrageous crimes.
Plenty of blame to go around...blue-dog cowards, I'm looking at you...
October 17th, 2008 at 4:11 pmEugeneDebs Says:
It will be interesting when the trolls explain to us how THIS is all the fault of Democrats and ACORN
Either TP has done a darn good job of weeding out the trolls or they are all hiding under their bridges shaking in fear of the revolution that is coming on November 5.
I have to admit that sometimes I miss them. Some were rather entertaining.
I don't know how many of you here visit http://mudflats.wordpress.com/, but they made a vow to ignore trolls and they actually do it other than an occasional post congratulating everyone for ignoring the troll. And you know, it works. The trolls get bored really quickly and go somewhere else.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:11 pmone word
DISGRACEFUL
October 17th, 2008 at 4:18 pm#16, BHS,
It's the tried and true method of "Don't feed the troll".
October 17th, 2008 at 4:26 pmIt will be interesting to see which of the media, print or TV, ignores this story the most. I don't include radio for the reason that their brains are so far up their ass.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:27 pmCross your fingers that they scanned them first:) I showed this to my husband, a Vietnam Era veteran, his words as he left the room were, "Probably not." Just when you think they couldn't POSSIBLY do anymore to fu#@ up...
October 17th, 2008 at 4:27 pmI fear that when the next administration takes over, even if it's Flippy Mcspin's, they will find no documents or functional computers. Everything about the Bushbots suggests that they will do all in their power to sabotage the transition.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:36 pmWatch; when all else fails, blame the Clintons.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:45 pmdesertflower1 Says:
Cross your fingers that they scanned them first:) I showed this to my husband, a Vietnam Era veteran, his words as he left the room were, “Probably not.” Just when you think they couldn’t POSSIBLY do anymore to fu#@ up…
October 17th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Great point. However, this little gem makes me think they didn't have that foresight :
October 17th, 2008 at 4:47 pm"Among the records found waiting to be shredded were applications for disability compensation, education benefits, home loans and pensions for low-income veterans, officials said."
Why not? The Bushistas have shredded everything else of value to the American people. Shredding the earned hopes of some low-income military vets is just icing on the cake for these rat finks.
Just saying . . .
October 17th, 2008 at 4:54 pmHow do people even get these jobs anymore?
October 17th, 2008 at 4:55 pmI've said it before, far too many times, there is No bottom to this fetid swamp, none at all. This is just another example of George W's business accumen. Big build up, big bang, then crash-n-burn at the end. The sad thing is that, unlike all his other failures, there's nobody to clean up his pathetic mess, and the cost is shattered lives and besmirched honor, and the ultimate betrayal of those who gave themselves to the service of their country. Heck of a job W.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:56 pmImpeach Pelosi, Cheney and Bush and Save the Constitution!
The Bush Administration uses our troops then tosses them in the trash once they are done with them.
Why do Republicans hate our troops?
Oh forgot...now that they are home they could give a sh!t about them.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:59 pmmccain will help them......they love him is what he tells people....
I just don't know what to say. republicans in our community run and hide from me now. When I do finally corner them they never look up, always down at the ground.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:01 pmGotta wonder if the next republican solution to the veterans issues is to use 'showers'.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:05 pmRalphie, you said it perfectly. Thank you!
~A
October 17th, 2008 at 5:11 pmSee? here's the thing stupid troll. Flippy McSpin has made his "concern" for vets a central part of his campaign and constantly claims he's popular with veteran's groups. The reality is that he is NOT considered a friend of veteran's by those same groups and, in fact, has missed EVERY vote. So? Ol' Flippy is lying. Again.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:04 pmMany people suspect the Pentagon has been taken over by the American Nazi Party and Mossad.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:11 pm"In the sad aftermath that always follows a great war there is nothing sadder than the surprise of the returned soldiers when they discover that they are regarded generally as nuisances and not too honest."
Quote from H. L. Mencken, July 25,1932 in the B.E.F News (Bonus Expeditionary Force) WW1 Veterans march on Washington demanding their bonus money early (because of the Depression) for their service in WW1
October 17th, 2008 at 8:24 pmWrong conclusion. You assume you are branded a troll because you "point out who is responsible". This is a mistaken assumption.
You are branded a troll because your comments and behavior makes clear your identity as a troll.
Let's see what else wikipedia has to say:
The United States Secretary of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits and related matters. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet
Oh, how about that? The HEAD OF THE V. A.IS APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT AND IS A MEMBER OF THE CABINET.
Another mistaken assumption.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:17 pmLet's see - from Walter Reed to this about the VA.
Could this be the result of simultaneous budget cuts and increased demand due to Iraq et al ?
October 17th, 2008 at 10:08 pmalcyone Says:
That means they have their hands on the tiller when the ship hits the rocks.
____________
And it would appear they are looking in to it, the way they should, now that the problem has come to light.
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_va_stopshredding_101608w/
"The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, said the shredding ban makes sense as a temporary measure, “but this is not a long-term solution. The VA needs an enforced and understood policy which preserves documents relevant to pending claims, without leaving veterans’ personal information open to identity theft,” Akaka said.
He said he understands VA does not have room to store everything. “Some documents must be properly disposed of due to space constraints and privacy issues,” he said.
Still, he said, veterans “must be able to trust VA to safely keep their records. If they cannot, VA will not be able to do its job, and veterans will not get the benefits they have earned through their service.”
Gee... imagine that... someone actually taking the problem seriously.
You'll have to excuse us, alcyone. After EIGHT FREAKIN' YEARS of the Botch Admin, we're all a little on edge around here. That non-stop string of losers like Lurita "There Were Cookies" Doan, or Alberto "Gonzo" Gonzalez, or Dusty Foggo, or Monica Goodling, or Johnny "Better Cover them Tits" Ashcroft, etc, etc, etc, finally got to us.
And yes, you are a troll.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:49 pmOh, alcyone, what makes you think I make comments to garner your support? (Actually, if you DID "shout your support from the rooftops" in response to one of my posts, I be concerned that I had not expressed myself clearly.)
Fact is, you tried to claim that the "dem controlled congress" is responsible for setting policy and management of the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is false. The V. A. is under the management of the executive branch, just like every other cabinet agency.
Your first pathetic dodge -- that because Congress has oversight responsibilities, this can be laid at the feet of the Democrats -- wasn't quite lame enough for you, apparently, so you doubled down and tried to tie their responsibility to the confirmation of the Secretary.
This is why you are labeled a troll. Because your arguments are silly and impossible to take seriously.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:02 pmI have been doing anthropology consulting projects with the DVA for eight years. 40 + projects in over 60 VA medical centers all over the country. The dedications of the medical and support staff are wonderful. However, in these same years, I have seen first hand the efforts of Bush administration appointees to sabotage the VA. In the 1990s, under the leadership of Ken Kizer, the VA surpassed everyone's expectations to become a leading healthcare organization in the US. With the Bush administration, the same pattern of under-cutting government with incompetent appointments in key places has taken its toll. The Bush folks would love nothing better than make it fail so they can privatize it. Instead, to their chagrin it was achieving great things. Now, with Obama poised to win, the VA has a chance to turn around again, for the better. There are even some rumors in the mill that Kizer might be returning.
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