The Daily Show; The Red Tape File

| April 5, 2013

Stingerwooten, who tells us that today is the two year anniversary of his wait for his claim at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, sends us the latest episode of the Daily Show’s Red Tape Files in regards to the backed up claims situation at the VA;

Judging by the discussion my VA friends are having on Facebook about this particular episode, they’re not amused, so, I figured you might be.

Category: Veterans' Affairs Department

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ChipNASA

I am Laughing my ass off at this because John Stewart is farking funny and this is SO GOTDAMN SAD IT PISSES ME OFF SO MUCH WE SHOULD MOVE THE VA TO NORTH FARKING KOREA!!!.
It took me 18 to 20 months to get rated 30% and I just submitted info online to add my daughter in Feb to the DEERS and such to update my VA Check payment.
Good thing it’s retroactive because I’m going to hit the lottery when they pay me the $23 monthly difference…..in about 47 years.
/too bad I’ll be DEAD by then.

SJ

Surprised Shenseki wasn’t wearing a beret in the interview.

Just Plain Jason

Wait you mean to tell me that a well funded government organization is not efficient?

Ex-PH2

Shinseki: (6 words) = Me

Why use one word when six will do just as well?

Every time I think there’s nothing more to laugh at, you post some gem like this.

ComancheDoc

I’m still waiting for the VA to purchase a copy of Adobe OCR software and have the work-study people use it…jus sayin, it might help with the backlog a lil; looking through a govt auction site, there is a crap ton of computer equipment that could be “redistributed” for this purpose. Oh and those cabinets are a joke, even using terminal digit filing it can still take friggin forever to find a file, all they did was take a unorganized CK and turn it in to an organized CK and that’s being generous.

ComancheDoc

weird, my K and F are nowhere near each other on the keyboard…apologies

K.J. Hinton

Stewart and his cronies supported this guy. Tends to reduce their abilities to whine about what they got.

That said, I have got to wonder how the hell Shinseki ever make it past PFC, and why he hasn’t been fired a dozen times.

It all rolls down hill.

JBS

Nineteen eighty-twoooo! I can whole-heartedly believe this, lol! The VA has that lowest bidder mentality. IMO they need some better “go-getters” employed there. Someone who actually might give a crap.

Twist

I’m not a fan of Stewart, but I have to respect that he has taken note of this issue and put it out to his fans.

Open Channel D

My claim has been in since Jan 2012. The only action on it in over a year was I received a notice from the VA last Saturday that a significant portion of my C&P work up “could not be retrieved.” That is VA-speak for “we lost it, can’t find it, and ain’t gonna look for it no mo’.”
Oh yeah, they moved the date for expected completion of my claim from May 2013 to Nov 2014.

Flagwaver

@10, at least you have an estimated date of completion. They told me that my DD-214 is messed up and that they cannot locate my Medical Jacket at all and I have to locate it and send it to them.

First off, my 214/215 show that I never completed MOS training (though, I was in the Army for 9 years), show my highest grade as an E-3 (though, I got out as an E-5), show that I am not certified in Master Fitness Trainer or Combat Lifesaver (though, I am certified to TEACH both courses), show that I have never spent any time outside the U.S. (though, I have expeditionary-related medals), show that I…

As for my Medical Jacket, I haven’t seen it since I was at Walter Reed Medical Center in ’05. I didn’t hear anything about it since until now that apparently EVERYONE lost it.

It is dicked up more than any organization I know. Period. They need to hire some Admin-type vets to go through and make it an actual VETERAN group with the discipline and professionalism.

Scalpel Shepherd

Sorry Flagwaver, your situation blows. I feel for all of you guys who have been left in the dark, had your files lost, etc.

I medically retired in 2008, and for me the transition was seamless. You all are getting the shaft. I agree that they need to hire a bunch of admin vets to get this shit in order.

B Woodman

I don’t usually like Jon, he’s a leftist libtard douche. But his Red Tapes Files is spot on too too funny. Because, unfortunately, it’s all too too true.

Ex-PH2

They just need a bunch of Navy PNs and YNs to go through the damned files, get everything scanned and on the system, get the files put in order, and that will solve the problem. Put a group of Navy and Army HMs in the analysis part. Bingo, presto! It’s done.

Oh, sorry… I was dreaming again. Sorry.

Anonymous

Jonn,

Another possibility, he could have killed all 2,200 in one day.

One thing about his story that is true … he is going to hell!

USMCE8Ret

For anyone still on active duty and reading this, and you’re about to retire or EAS, I suggest you do the following:

(1) MAKE A COPY OF YOUR ENTIRE SERVICE RECORD

(2) MAKE A COPY OF YOUR ENTIRE MEDICAL RECORD

(3) BEFORE YOU SIGN A DD 214, MAKE SURE YOU READ IT AND MAKE SURE IT’S CORRECT

You may not think it’s important now, but doing so will save you a lot of headaches in the future.

obsidian

Recently got my new hearing aids, Starkey’s nice small ones too, it has a remote and a cable that charges the remote.
The Remote is like a TV remote and it’s requiered to have if you want to turn the volume up or down as well as many other different functions.
Works damn Fine! Seriously! Damn good hearing aids with assets, BUT The cable that charges the remote has become dead it will not charge the remote. So I go to the VA and they order the unit, which I recieved inside two weeks, BUT, the unit I was sent is NOT the unit that is dead. I wrote back and said I needed and named the serial number, part number and a description of what it did.
That was two months ago, The Hearing aids work fine except they are auto on at LOUD and cannot be adjusted lower without the remote, which works outstandingly BUT needs recharging.
A vicious circle of SNAFU and BOHICA. Which is really, really what the problem is a complete lack of order, discipline, and direction as well as a complete lack of quality leadership.
Question: How does one get hearing aids?
Answer: By listening to a great many a$$wholes.

obsidian

USMCE8Ret: You are so very right! This is good scoop people. For those already seperated there is a way through the VA to get a copy of your SRB (redacted) for any secret squirrel stuff you may or may not have in there. I did and keep it locked in a safety deposit box.
I would advise Vets to read a dated now book called, “The Vietnam Veteran’s survival guidebook These were in Public libraries at one time. The VA is the same even though the wars have become more modern, the VA simply has not evolved and cannot catch up. For the VA it’s still all about WW 2 and if you guys can find so many phoneys how many do you think are working in the VA or are being treated as Vets when they are not.
The VA is frustrating and difficult, as planned or by bad luck.

Old Sarge USAR

This mess with VA is a preview of what Obamacare is gonna look like down the road. Good luck with that.

Ratpack38_Snake Driver

If you have not been forced to deal with the VA for disability ratings or medical care you might think this subject is a joke. Well it is no joke. Over 2 years to get notification my claim was denied and that includes the usual lost records time. Another year and I get the standard first time around 50% rating. Another 2 an one half years to get to 100%. I hear the lost record thing from so many I believe it is a VA SOP stall tactic. Back in time I went to the VA hospital where I live. I sat in a chair in a very large room for 4 days before I ever got to talk to anyone. Having served in Nam I sure did not like being talked to like a dog by some civilian clown who knew he could dump on a Vet, leave them waiting for just as long as he wanted to and nothing would be done. Thankfully someone with power let it be known that if the civilian employees of the VA did not show respect to vets would be fired and many firings did happen. It is a whole different place at the VA hospital where I am now. That hospital was the perfect example of a Government facility dominated by never served civilian employees and just how bad a Government system can be. Like they say, if you really want something screwed up, get the government involved. Just look what one man with the right handlers and space cadet voters can do to ruin a country.