VA officials profit from their positions
No. Really. The Stars & Stripes reports that Philadelphia VA Regional Office Director Diana Rubens and director of the St. Paul Veterans Affairs Regional Office Kimberly Graves profited nearly half-a-million bucks for their job relocations. Rubens got about $300k for moving from DC to Philly – about 140 miles.
Rubens took over the Philadelphia office in June 2014, VA officials said she was sent to clean up a regional office beset by problems including rodent-infested conditions, boxes of ignored mail that might have cost countless veterans their benefits, and a manager who asked employees to pay his wife to communicate with the dead at a party. However, the VA didn’t seek out Rubens. The report says that Rubens used her position as deputy undersecretary for field operations to transfer the former Philadelphia director and position herself to get the job.
Ya know what? They could have hired me to do it for half that price. And I would have personally beat every rat to death on YouTube. That’s probably not the solution they were looking for, but, I’m just sayin’….
Now, you take these two, the gala affairs that the VA paid for employees, the woman in Phoenix who spent six figures remodeling her own home with VA money and her VA employees’ labor – you have to wonder if the VA exists solely for the purpose of VA senior employees to improve their lives, you know, rather than veterans.
While thousands of veterans await their earned benefits, these senior executives don;t have to wait a minute to enrich themselves with taxpayer dollars. Funny how that works, isn’t it?
The report also recommended that the VA consider disciplinary action against VA Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey and two deputy undersecretaries for their roles in Rubens’ move to Philadelphia. Hickey has said she handpicked Rubens for the job and has vehemently defended her in the face of growing public and Congressional scrutiny over Rubens’ moving expenses.
The problem, as I’ve said for years, can’t be handled by firing a few execs at the VA – they need to clean the whole house. It’s the culture at the VA and it’s existed for decades, not just since this administration came into office.
Thanks to Bobo for the link.
Category: Veterans' Affairs Department
And I would have personally beat every rat to death on YouTube.
You need to do that in D.C., not Philly, and it would be an epic job.
I doubt you’ll see a house cleaning or culture change anytime soon. A simple check of usajobs.gov for VA jobs shows the majority are open to current VA employees only.
That’s what constant inbreeding will get you. Meanwhile, there are truly good VA providers who are leaving in droves to escape the culture of stupidity. The problems just keep compounding.
Allison Hickey is a sack of incompetent, dishonest shit. It seems good looks and blonde hair can only get you so far when you knowingly step on Veterans and their families.
Give her office a call at her publicly available (yet secretive) government office number and tell her what you think.
Let me know if you want it.
I think what frustrates me most is the lack of any accountability. No matter what happens, ‘they’ skate free. You or I miss our taxes, defraud the people we are responsible to – we get crucified. I read about things like this, it makes me want to bring back the death penalty for anything upwards of simple theft till people learn.
Consequences are for the little people.
“[Y]ou have to wonder if the VA exists solely for the purpose of VA senior employees to improve their lives.”
What wonder? Where? Who? VA exists for its employees, senior and otherwise. I know this because the VA is a bureaucracy and the primary but unstated mission of all bureaucracies is to acquire things (e.g., offices, office equipment, vehicles, gadgets, and primo training locations), to expand the realm, and to increase employee comfort and reward.
I just spewed Mt Dew out of my nose when I read The Rat and Youtube.
I have a current story about Philly VA, It involves a 91 year old former ww2 POW. He is at the end of his rope and the VA in Philly is dragging ass on helping him. As soon as I have weapons free from his family (one of whom is an active duty Marine) I will let you guys in on it.
It sucks that the VA is so Jacked up that they pay disability for PMS but ignore a member of the greatest generation who spent time in a German POW camp.
Tar and feathers…..
Here you go….
Form an orderly line…..
There’s plenty for everyone.
This doesn’t surprise me. One of my best friends girlfriend used to work for the VA until she got fed up and quit. Now, she’s an advocate because she knows what the bullshit is from the inside.
It’s bullshit that the upper echelon of the VA think of veterans as an inconvenience rather than the reason for their job.
1) The VA needs to be completely cleaned out and restaffed with veterans… verified veterans.
2) The President needs to temporarily activate Reserve and NG administrative units to take care of the back log.
3) After the back log is taken care of, they will do an audit of all VA benefits to weed out any phonies who got benefits with a sob story rather than documents (such as agent orange exposure on an aircraft carrier).
4) Activate Reserve/Guard medical/psych units to reassess any veteran who requests it.
Forget that the “excuse the expression” prez doesn’t give a rats azz about the VA or veterans!!
He never did. But the AL and VFW keep inviting him to speak and clap for him like trained seals.
I agree 100%!!
“VA officials profit from their positions”
Hmmmm. . .. would that be kneeling? Or missionary? Or “cowgirl”?
And in other hot breaking news! Rain is Water, and Water is Wet. This also, The Sun Rises In the East.
“The report also recommended that the VA consider disciplinary action against”
Yeah, what about some criminal charges for imbezzlement? Fraud? I mean seriously. What the hell is disciplinary action meaning in this regard? They’ll get written up? WTFF?
And Soldiers are getting court-martialed for stealing a 125 dollar piece of Army equipment with a BCD or DD and prison time.
These dirtbags need to go to prison, their pensions forfeited, and reparations made for damages they’ve inflicted.
oh – and for $300K you could get the entire HOUSE moved 140 miles, much less the contents.
One of the Presidential candidates says “eliminate the VA (wait for it)– put it in Dept of Defense.” Think about it.
I wonder if the “rat infestation” the article refers to was talking about the VA bureaucrats…
no…the rat infestation is in this administration!
I was at the VA today picking up a med for my breathing that I have been trying to get for almost a month now.
The pharmacist, behind three inches of bulletproof plexiglass was about the most condescending piece of shit I have had the misfortune to deal with since I have been going there.
I believe the sickness is systemic and is just about to kill the entire patient, and us right along with it…
Thank God I have Tricare for my healthcare care needs. I see my VA PCP about once a year. I guess she just wants to see if I am still alive.
For all the money that the VA receives (?) they are still very short handed in the hospital wards. As a VA Volunteer I get to work with our nurses in patient care. Nothing medical of course.
Last weekend one of our WWII Hospice residents asked me “why do you do this?” I get that question from time to time. My response is usually “I’m a veteran like you and we need to look out for each other.”