Yet another thing you can’t trust the VA to help you with
Yeah, I know it’s a shocker, but it seems that fiduciaries that the VA recommends to help veterans who aren’t competent enough to manage their own funds have been ripping off those veterans they’re supposed to help, according to My San Antonio;
Gambling addicts, psychiatric cases and convicted criminals are among the thieves who have been handed control of disabled veterans’ finances by the Veterans Affairs Department, a Hearst Newspapers investigation has found.
For decades, theft and fraud have plagued the fiduciary program, in which the VA appoints a family member or a stranger to manage money for veterans whom the government considers incapacitated. The magnitude and pace of those thefts have increased, despite VA promises of reform. Three of the largest scams — ranging from about $900,000 to $2 million — each persisted for 10 years or more before being discovered.
I guess that asking the DVA to recognize and filter out thieves is too much. After all, a fish doesn’t know it’s wet.
Category: Veterans' Affairs Department
Although doubtless some (maybe most) of the blame for this goes to the VA, Jonn, all of it might not be theirs. Often courts appoint legal guardians for those who are incompetent to manage their own affairs due to age/injury/disability. If a court has appointed a given individual as a disabled veteran’s legal guardian, I don’t think the VA has any choice but to accept that individual as their fiduciary. My guess is that a significant proportion of VA fiduciaries fall into this category.
It would be interesting to see what proportion of the fraud was committed by court-appointed legal guardians, and what proportion was committed by VA-determined fiduciaries.
These are the same people that hand over big bucks to phony vets hand over fist. Really, should anyone be surprised by this?
Still, it is a disturbing scenario. One can only hope that the courts come down especially hard on those who have taken advantage of the helpless in matters such as these.
Hmmm. Makes you wonder, indeed.
There are half-way houses and such popping up here for “disabled vets” that may or may not be entirely legit. Must check to see if there might be a connection between some of these and the broader scam.
been readiing the series in the Chronicle, and it is apalling. Makes you want to declare open season on these s-called fiduciaries. Worse, when they are reported to VA, there is little done about the. (Not that this is surprising, either, given how long it takes VA to respond to ANYTHING.)
I am convinced if they want to fix the VA and make it more efficient, they must hire veterans in all positions. Start the hiring with our disabled OIF/OEF vets first and work your way from there. Vets taking care of and looking after Vets…what a concept.
Sometimes it is not about education or experience but desire.
What Dunlop said.
Every time that I have had to deal with the VA on an issue and gotten the runaround, I’ve gone directly to my House Rep to get the VA to make something happen (I’ve gone through the local vet organizations in the past, but here in the area I live in they seem to be more interested in “bumping up their membership numbers” than actually helping out vets).
The VA should be ran by vets… they are a microcosm of what is wrong with the Federal bureaucracy with the waste, fraud and other problems that we deal with, whether it be at the Federal, State or local level.
Think it’s time to erase the VA, and sell the medical and other facilities to private industry.
The VA is failing in all metrics: not enough MD in all specialties. Can’t track the money. Bureaucracy built on the principle of the self-licking ice cream cone.
No. 9 DaveO :
“. . . erase the VA, and sell the medical and other facilities to private industry.” —
For years, I’ve said so, too .
I tried to get my Draughter(lives next door to me) enrolled in the Aid and Assistance program. No go, no reason given. If the VA would screen these helpers like they do us Vets. Do you think this be maing news or needy Vets still waiting for help.
[…] – as Jonn reminded us a few weeks ago – such treachery happens with disturbing regularity. People appointed to look after aged or […]