I agree with Senator Nelson on this summation and it is not like I have not been coming here trying to inform folks about the Gainesville VA. Three have been placed on admiinistrative leave after audits were ordered by General Shineski and found that Gainesville, along with 25 other VA's have secret paper waiting lists. Nelson was quoted as saying...Sen. Nelson:
'Heads Should Roll' Over VA Delays — But Not Shinseki's
Senator Ben Nelson held a press conference outside the VA and demanded accountability and for the Secretary of the VA to have more power to fire people.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Friday that
"heads should roll" as a result of nationwide delays in medical care in the Veterans Affairs health system.
Nelson, D-Florida, held a news conference outside the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville after meeting with directors and assistant directors in the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System.
Numerous reports of misconduct have already been reported within our state's (VA medical centers) and if the past few weeks are any indication, more are certain to follow," the letter reads.
Nelson said the delays in care are not a matter of whether the VA has enough resources.
"At the end of the day, when we have increased the resources upward of 50 percent over the course of the last several years, there is something in the management and the bureaucracy that is causing this to happen, and that's why heads should roll," he said.
Video:
http://www.news4jax.com/...
Well yes Senator Nelson, there is something wrong.. The Gainesville VA receives big bonuses for a job well done ( not) while making patients wait, kicking them off travel while clearly meet the special mode of transportation and have no bid contracts for vendors that is directed by the Lake City VA management folks.
Not only have I spoken to many people complaining but so has veteran employees INSIDE the VA who want better treatment for Florida's veterans . They are also scared for their jobs. They are not treated well as disabled veterans when they see the management levels doing as they please .
I hope the investigation that General Shinseki has ordered exposes just a few things I have been told and witnessed when several veterans have reached out to me as an advocate in the area, Allow me to list the things that have not gone unnoticed by vendors, veterans and employees.
Congressman Rich also was informed of this mess well over a year ago and reinforced management's position and made excuses.
There are travel problems galore that was exposed in the documentay of CNBC's Death and Dishonor and I call on Republican Jeff Miller to look at this more closely while he is calling for the Secretary's head.
Miller knew that many were being denied special mode of transportation.
Some vendors are given special privileges on travel because there is no set rule for vendors.
I have been informed that no background checks are required. I have been informed it is a click..and that over half of some vendors have lost needy veteran regarding transport including stretcher and stroke victims. They are simply cut. I have been told of money being an issue.
Management has disqualified some veterans because according to the vendors, management said they made too much money and someone has to explain to me how 800.00 a month is too much money. This is simply pick and choose and wrong. I have also been informed sex offenders are allowed to transport and even have vendor business with a wink and a nod from management, cutting out non felon vendors left waiting by a phone to transport. Investigate those allegations !!!!
The floors are still missing in Gainesville.
There are people who are still waiting for many things.
People are still being denied transporation while meeting the criteria.
These are just a few of the things this advocate has been told and experienced.
Records have been lost.
Payment for emergency care at private facilities have been billed to the veteran of 100 percent disabled veterans, absolutely ruining their credit. Va management will claim, Not service connected.. Well yeah, not till they have a heart attack and then put on a backlog trying to prove service connection and even being told to seek immediate care at the closest medical facility. What part of this does not make sense? All of it. Dying without treament is scandoulous and paying out of pocket for that treatment while being under VA care is just wrong and unacceptable.
Who is at fault here? I still refer back to the VISN 8 group and the people who are receiving bonuses and hiding things from VA headquaters. I also lay blame at the feet of congressional staffers who should have been advising and not just give lip service.
If I learn that VA headquarters was not in the dark about all of this including the mistreatment of veterans when being farmed out to private facilities due to understaffing, then I will gladly say, " Remove Shinseki". The more the investigation continues... The more it looks like the problem is lower on the food chain than the Secretary but now that he is aware, he needs to go in as the general he is and look under every rock and that includes this State Veteran's office.
It has only been weeks that Scott's people were told to leave as they wanted access to the Federal facilities. Rick Scott does not care about our Floridians and why did he want access? Rick Scott is all for privatizing and not about what is right except his own special interest.
I know about a private store that was set up inside one of the clinics that was selling hats and pins and God knows what else, since there is no oversight and was not even in the retail area but a back room near the examining area.
The merchandise selling was a private little room and these people went in and set up shop. We have commissary retail shops to sell things but this was not part of any VA retail business gift shop. This was a private enterprise with one little sign pointing to a room number. Who all benefited and can anyone go set up shop and sell things at a Federal facility? For all we know other than tee shirts and memoriabilia, anything could have been sold in that room. Someone needs to check into that little enterprise which probably should not have been there.
http://www.theledger.com/...
Oh yes, Gainesville has many problems and glad that 3 have been put on leave but pending investigations should have some of these folks permanently removed from management and remove more.... Follow the bonus money. The go it alone and do as one pleases as if they are running a private enterprise is an example of what one can expect if privatizing the VA would happen.. Yes, Senator Nelson, you have identified what needs to happen. Give General Shinseki the power to fire these folks in management. Sen. Nelson and Rubio are calling for legislation regarding this power.
The bottom line is who knew and when did they know.
We knew as far back as 2011 about Gainesville as this was being reported to the VISN group.
I have known about some of the Atlanta problems long before 2008.
Add that to the millions more returning vets and we got one big mess. .