From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   Senators Call for Massive Probe of 56 VA Centers Over Mismanagement   
      
   Wednesday, 06 May 2015 06:26 AM   
      
               
   Troubled by delays in handling of veterans claims, a bipartisan group of   
   senators is seeking a wide-scale independent review of the Department of   
   Veterans Affairs for mismanagement and changes to improve budgeting and speed   
   up applications.   
      
   A report being released Wednesday by nine senators acknowledged recent efforts   
   by the VA to reduce disability and pensions claims backlogs but said it wasn't   
   enough. Pointing to the VA's worst performers such as the Philadelphia   
   regional office, they    
   were announcing legislation that would require the Government Accountability   
   Office to investigate all 56 regional offices for problems.   
      
   It was the latest sign of congressional concern that recent findings of   
   mismanagement at the Philadelphia VA -- including neglected mail, manipulation   
   of dates to make old claims look new, and alteration of quality reviews --   
   might point to a broader,    
   department-wide problem.   
      
      
   "The VA system again finds itself engulfed in another scandal," said Sen. Dean   
   Heller, R-Nev., co-chair of the Senate's VA backlog working group. VA offices   
   nationwide are suffering from poor management, he said, proving "it is time   
   for an overhaul of    
   the entire system."   
      
   Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., the other co-chair, said he too was worried that   
   problems were not isolated to Philadelphia. "It's simply unacceptable to have   
   a veteran with a disability wait hundreds of days for their claim to be   
   resolved," he said.   
      
   The VA says there are 161,000 disability and compensations claims on backlog,   
   defined as pending over 125 days. That's down from a peak of 611,000 in March   
   2013. But the VA inspector general has questioned the accuracy of the data.   
      
   Based on a review of VA records, the Senate report said the 10 w   
   rst-performing regional offices as judged by wait times were Baltimore;   
   Jackson, Mississippi; Reno, Nevada; Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Chicago;   
   Oakland, California; Indianapolis; Boston;    
   and St. Petersburg, Florida.   
      
   As of April, the VA's inspector general had documented doctored data or other   
   problems at five of the 10 offices.   
      
   The report calls on the IG to determine whether claims processors should be   
   held to deadlines and calls on the department to beef up manager training,   
   complete an updated assessment of staffing and budget needs within six months,   
   and keep Congress    
   informed about its transition to an electronic claims systems.   
      
      
   Allison Hickey, the VA's undersecretary for benefits, has said she does not   
   believe problems in Philadelphia are "systemic" but more likely a case of   
   misunderstood policies.   
      
   Delays in compensation claims prompted veterans groups to seek changes last   
   year before attention shifted to problems at the Phoenix VA medical center.   
   The VA ultimately found that patient waits and falsified records in its health   
   network were "systemic,"   
    leading to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.   
      
      
   http://www.newsmax.com/t/newsmax/article/642829   
      
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