VA’s ‘I Care’ Campaign? “Management has made a mockery of it.”
Give the new VA Secretary, Robert McDonald, credit. He appears to be attempting to make some positive changes. Specifically, he appears to be trying to change the VA’s culture. The VA’s new “I Care” campaign is such an effort.
Actually making those changes, however, may take a while. And Lord knows such changes are really needed. Indeed, per an article in the Washington Times yesterday,
. . . the VA culture was responsible for the agency’s addition last week to the Government Accountability Office’s “high-risk list” of troubled federal programs. The GAO said it has “serious concerns” about VA management and oversight of its health care system and found “inadequate training for VA staff.”
As I’ve been saying for some time now: the VA doesn’t have a resource problem; that agency’s budget has increased such that it is today 2.5+ times larger than in 2001. What it does have is serious leadership, priorities, and culture problems.
An organization’s leadership can change its priorities relatively quickly. However, changing the leadership and culture are going to take some time. IMO it will take literally years to identify and remove most of the poor leaders at all levels within the VA, and at least that long to change the organization’s culture.
That’s supported by the quote in the title of this article. Per the same Washington Times article, that is precisely how one VA employee has described his/her own management’s actions regarding the VA’s new “I Care” campaign designed to change the VA’s organizational culture.
Category: Politics
Hondo, you hit the target, center mass… it’s the culture of the VA that needs to change.
Actions speak a hell of a lot louder than words.
HMCS(FMF) ret. +1 Sir. Better leaders to me means leaders willing to go from the front intake desks to the physicians break room and say, “You, you and you…here’s your notices. You’re outta here in 30 days.”
How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
One. But the light bulb has to want to change.
Same thing with the VA and anywhere else for that matter. People working there have to want to change and that means actually doing their jobs. Since apparently none of them can be fired or demoted, there is no motive to do the minimum, yet alone to improve.
My apologies to those who actually do a great job. They really do exist and I thank them. Unfortunately there are a whole bunch of the other kind who drag the whole system down.
So this is like giving everyone a black beret, right?
“I Care” reflects nothing but a sentiment. It is oftentimes heard by lefties who believe themselves to have accomplished something by expressing their sympathy towards something. The lefties have no exclusive ownership of claiming to care about something but doing nothing. They just seem to be more adept at it that others. I CARE looks good, I suppose, but how about “YOU SERVED US. LET US NOW SERVE YOU” — or something like that to reflect the desperately needed culture change. Gimmicks. Slogans. PR crap. None of it means a thing, really. In fact, I’d start by firing the SOB who coined that ad.
A black beret with a sewn-in label that says, “I care.”
That will work.
Made in China.
My claims are not being processed or handled professionally, nor do I expect them to be!
Slogans don’t work and they don’t help:
When I joined the Navy in 1979 the Slogan was, “Navy, it is not just a job, it is an adventure.”
Well if you mean 50% of the ships were incapable of getting underway and that 75% of all aircraft were either broke or had serious material condition discrepancies … I guess that is an adventure!
It was not an adventure. It was just a job.
Now, that’s the Navy I remember.
One for the Army:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=062NzZxiuK0
Master Chief…Loved it Sir. Thank you for the laugh.
I’ve listened to a number of interviews with Mr. McDonald and the content of most of them is how great a job the VA is doing and being defensive against any criticism. Like most places there are good and bad locations. The CBOC’s seem to do better than the hospitals, although I was at one last month when the weather was bad and there was absolutely no patients there but me. An older vet came in using a walker and was obviously unsteady. The worker behind the desk pulled a “DMV” and made the guy wait behind the line, then told him to go check in at the kiosk – which he had trouble accessing. After finally getting into the system it wouldn’t check him in. At which point she admonished him for being 15 minutes late! The weather was nasty outside. The guy could barely move. Really??? Bad enough on any given day, but there was NO one else in the damn waiting room.
Mental health is another of those areas where Mr. McDonald says the VA is doing great. Yet I know how understaffed and overworked (those who actually DO work)the providers are. I happen to go to a VA hospital which is in Jonn’s neck of the woods and how they manage to get through any type of evaluation is beyond me. They have some great people, a lot of not-so-great people, and a heck of a lot of “managers” who could give a rat’s butt.
At least the Los Angeles VA finally were forced to begin divesting their money making activities and start actually serving Veterans in need. Although I have yet to hear where all the money went.
I agree this will take time to sort out. My concern is that the new head of the VA will be more worried about protecting his own reputation when he finds he bit off more than he anticipated. That means sweeping the real issues under the rug until he can leave before anyone finds out. Then it’s the next persons problem.
One of the issues at play here is that the VA has been screwing the pooch for so long in C&P claims and using faulty diagnostic tools. Using bullshit assessment tests and unqualified practitioners.
That is why VA legal has been very busy.
You overturn one and then you have to overturn hundreds, if not thousands.
And Bob knows that. I can only imagine he will continue to overlook it. And while he is at it, maybe he can get the VHA and VBA on the same damn page.
Yep. New slogans. That’ll fix everything just like giving soldiers a new elite type hat fixed everything back when.
Of course a public beating of offenders with the full weight of “The Book o’ Responsibility and Professionalism”, and when appropriate, the “Book o’ the Law!” might help.
No huge secret that I am an emplyee of the VA. While I believe a lot more needs to be done than to come up with a catch phrase, and related articles of clothing and pins… The man has his heart in this fight to change the unfortunate piss poor attitudes, and entitlement mentality of many of my fellow VA Emplyees.
When I began my emplyment here, during orientation it was drilled in that our job was to care for Veterans. That we were here for them, that it was not just a job but an obligation to treat our Veterans with respect and dignity (even when they are loons and screaming in your face because they showed up late).
where I work is not perfect by a long shot, but it is one of the better facilities nationwide. Therein lies the problem, there is no uniformity from one VISN to the next. There are requiremnents on what needs to be done, but the est is left up to each and every single VISN to sort out. Even different hospitals within the same VISN do things differently. This encompasses every aspect of operations, as well as the culture of the VA. There is still too much left over nepotism apparent in the system, the good ole boy network alive and well, managment and union friction with a lot of “complaints” actually being a means of retribution against managment or other employees.
Long way to go, real long way to go… but the mans heart is in the right place.