It sickens me, when politicians express their gratitude for our nations Veterans, YET, they allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct it's Business as Usual.

Even though Secretary Eric Shinseki is trying to assist homeless Veterans, he is not seeing the Forrest through the Trees.  It's the agency itself, that's the problem with a lot of these Veterans being homeless.

GRANTED...I give the man credit for his desire to assist, but his attempts to help the homeless Veteran is futile, if the DVA is backlogged with a million or so claims and the same homeless or soon to be homeless Veteran is/was waiting for a decision that put him/her in that predicament to begin with.

Many Veterans have waited for to long for their benefits, to end up either being DENIED or in the least, awarded with a minimum award.

I have forewarned (then) President Bush, (then) Congressman Burr and (then) Senator Edwards and except for Senator Edwards responding, the letter was ignored by all and no action was taken.  The letter expressed my concern (as an employee and as a Veteran) about the conditions at the VARO and the stacks of claims files everywhere. My immediate concern then, was going paperless, based on the folders crammed into file cabinets, to folders sitting on top of file cabinets...some even as book ends!  There are mountains of folders on tables, to a point where the tables were bent!  There are folders in raters cubicles...some to a point where you can hardly walk in.  In short, it is a disaster and required my writing to these officials to inform them of the conditions.

With folders everywhere, it was virtually impossible for people to find them, to place the crucial evidence submitted by the Veteran, into the folder.  A lot of employees failed to use the COVERS system to document the location.  This lack of using the software, to locate a file, delays the Veterans claim.

This is also the root of the problem...

Due to the pressures placed on employees at this agency to perform and resolve so many claims within so much time, Veteran issues (if complex) are passed over, then they're denied thier claim and forced into an APPEAL status.

Then to add to this dilemma, there are doctors opining in the majority of the time, on the side of the Department of Veterans Affairs...NOT the Veteran.  This could be for a number of reasons, but in MY situation, it is due to 'General Practioners' not familiar with my ailments to a downright opining based on the fact that the doctor is paid by the DVA. Thus, the Veteran is forced into the "Appeal Hell"!

In my opinion, this is the root problem and MUST be addressed, being that it effects ALL AMERICANS and where our taxes are going...

#1) This is a Gross Waste of Taxpayer funds, on a GRAND SCALE no less, when a Veteran is DENIED his/her claim, being that DVA employees "Gloss Over" the claimants issues and misses crucial evidence or statements made by the Veteran.  The Veteran is forced into an unnecessary appeal.

#2) This is a Gross Mismanagement of a Veterans claim, when he/she is unjustly placed in such a predicament.

#3) This is also an Abuse of Authority by management against the Veteran, when management dictates how many claims should be resolved, within a certain amount of time.  Undue pressure placed on an DVA employee to perform, puts a vast majority of Veterans claims into the unnecessary appeal status.

When conducting business in such a fashion, the DVA is CONSTANTLY denying Veterans their Constitutionally protected DUE PROCESS rights and AGAIN, on a GRAND SCALE.  This violating of Laws, Rights, Abuse, Mismanagement and Waste of Taxpayer money in this defunct agency, has got to stop NOW!

Even though it is deeply appreciated when people "Thank Me" for my service to our Country, it is more beneficial, if they communicate to their legislators instead.  Pressure must be placed on gov't officials to fix the Department of Veterans Affairs.

These steps can help the DVA and its' current dilemma...

#1) Veterans are NOT 'Guinea Pigs' for DVA doctors to experiment on, or to fill a resume with.  Compitent doctors and specialists should be employed and incompitent doctors that don't meet a heightened criteria,  need to be removed.  I, as a disabled Veteran, also have a right to see the doctors educational training, by means of a Certified Degree/Diploma by a Accredited University/College, as seen in a private physicians office.  I also have a right to refuse examinations and/or treatment by a doctor, if I am unable to review such, without prejudice by the DVA.

#2) When I'm assigned to a Primary Care Physician, I expect this PCP to have a knowledge about my condition, what is the causation of my ailments and what remedies are available to resolve my ailments.

#3) A Veteran has the right to see a qualified 'Specialist' when he/she requests and should not be DENIED this right, due to workload or set criteria established by said specialist(s).

#4) DVA doctors should abide by the rules of the Hippocratic Oath and side with the Veteran/patient; issuing an opinion in a light most favorable to the Veteran and NOT render libelous/fraudulent statements for the DVA to use against the Veteran.  A Veteran should be examined de novo and not be scrutinized based on what controversial statements are in his file opined by other doctors that possessed a lack of knowledge or motive(s).

#5) When ordered by the RO to attend a C&P exam, I expect that examiner to be a SPECIALIST in my condition...not a General Practitioner.

#6) The DVA should consider starting a 'Second Shift' to reduce the amount of claims unindating the agency today.

#7) Any activity not gov't related (eg: Retirement parties, pot lucks, etc.), should be conducted AFTER business hours and not during business hours, to insure the Veterans are getting their just dues in the resolution of their claims.

#8) Individual Gov't employees should be awarded, based on a 95%+ accuracy scale, not on the amount of claims that was resolved as a group (Team) either for or against.

#9) Gov't employees should be held accountable for their deliberate denial of Veterans claims, when the majority is later discovered as bona fide, so that they meet a resolved claims quota for the Regional Office (RO). (Denial of Due Process). (This also includes upper management pressuring employees to perform for quota purposes).

#10) Veterans should be informed of their right to a complete copy of their claims folder and a right to contest any discrepancies in it.

As a prior employee and a S/C disabled Veteran, I do have a unique perspective, being that I have been fighting the DVA for my Rights to these entitlements w/bona fide claims AND I have seen first hand how the DVA does business.  I have a NINE year claim pending.  This is pathetic. 

Meanwhile, due to lack of sufficient funds during this coarse of time, I almost lost my house to the bank, I had to file chapter 7 and my house is unfit for habitation due to my inability to either repair it or pay someone to do so...thanks to the uncaring mentality of the Department of Veterans Affairs!

If you have more than what's listed here, please remit those in the comments section, so that the Elected Officials in Washington can see that the DVA is broken. 

There are Men and Women in theatre now and we ALL must do what's right and fix this Agency before they withdraw.  If we don't, we haven't seen the worst of it!

A SINCERE "THANK YOU" for your time!