It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Congressional Stool Pigeons; Is Anyone Home?
I remember reading Profiles in Courage in high school. Boy, they just don’t make men like they used to. Can you imagine the Congress of today having real courage? Shoot. What a month. I really wasn’t prepared for this spooky of a Halloween season. The VA sure is slick. You release the Philadelphia OIG report just before the shutdown, then say sorry, can’t view the report. OIG website is shutdown—no money! It’s slick as a fox, for sure. Glad I saved a copy.
The Afghanistan Philadelphia Papers
Alright, so it isn’t quite the Afghanistan Papers, but it is damn near close. Before I tell you what the VA OIG report says, let me explain a little of how the VA works, for you fine folks in the Peanut Gallery. At the regional office (think new claim, supplemental claim, or Higher Level Review) here is the chain of command, beginning with the low man on the Totem pole.
Veterans Service Representative (VSR)
Rating Veterans Service Representative (RVSR)
Senior RVSR
Coach (supervisor)
Assistant Veterans Center Service Manager (AVCSM)
Veterans Center Service Manager (AVCSM)
Assistant Regional Office Director (RO)
Regional Office Director
Then somewhere in there is a Decision Review Officer (DRO) who conducts Higher Level Reviews, or that old Legacy appeal the VA forgot about. Oh, and the Quality Review Team (QRT) is out there watching, too.
Who does what? The VSR reviews the claim initially. Basic stuff. Is it signed? Does it have your file number? What evidence did you submit? They do things like submit an exam request, review exams once they are returned to the VA. Stuff like that. Once the VSR says “we have what we need” it goes to a RVSR for a decision.
The RVSR drafts up a decision, or they decide no the VSR made a mistake, we need a new exam. But for our discussion, let’s assume the RVSR drafted up a decision. Service-connection for TBI is denied. PTSD is granted. That sort of stuff. If it is a somewhat complicated issue, a Senior RVSR will look over the shoulder of the RVSR doing the decision. Thinks like military sexual trauma, or Camp Lejeune claims.
This is where the higher ups steps in. One of your subordinates drafted a decision. Now your job is to check it out. Is it right? Did we do everything possible before denying this claim? Did we grant what we should have? Did we miss anything, like an intent to file? If the RVSR made a mistake, you send it back. Easy enough?
Well, come to find out, this joker in Philly was keeping it sunny—but only for himself. You see, the inspector general’s office got word that someone was “reviewing,” or authorizing, a hell of a lot of decisions. I pause here to make something crystal clear. I saw one person (on the internet, of course) saying man, I wish this guy had my claim! He was just “authorizing” decisions, rubber stamping money for Veterans! We need more like him! Wrong!
Remember, the RVSR drafts the decision—the higher ups review the draft decision and either “authorize” it, or send it back for correction. So, that decision could be a flat out denial. A denial they are supposed to be reviewing for accuracy. It does not mean he was authorizing “approvals”. It means he was authorizing whatever the RVSR drafted up. Let’s take a look at some of the findings from the OIG:
“During the period of November 2024 through July 2025, the OIG team substantiated the allegation. From at least fiscal year (FY) 2022 through 2024, a senior VSR at the Philadelphia VA Regional Office authorized about 85,300 claims—about 19 times the national average for this type of position. The senior VSR spent an average of 4.7 minutes reviewing each claim authorized during this three-year period compared to a national average of about 21 minutes for all other senior VSRs at Veterans Service Centers.”
“The executive director supported the senior VSR, stating that this employee was assigned as a “quick hit” authorizer whose workload was mostly claims with one to three contentions and asserting that the employee’s supervisor pre-screened claims for system compliance errors before sending them to the employee for authorization.”
“The team determined that some of the errors likely occurred because the senior VSR did not open and review the necessary documents. These monetary impact errors resulted in at least an estimated $2.2 million in improper payments during the review period.” (I wonder what amount was not paid to Veterans that should have been?)
Yeah, he is a quick hitter, alright. Again, I want to emphasize that the word “authorize” in this case does not mean this joker was paying as many Veterans as possible. It means he or she was rubber stamping whatever their subordinate had drafted up, instead of reviewing it for accuracy. So, we are talking about Lord knows how many claims that should have been reviewed thoroughly. The result? Thousands of wrongful denials. But Uncle Sam is more worried about the $2.2 million that shouldn’t have gone out. Are they going to review all the denials this person authorized? Ensure that the VA doesn’t owe the Veteran any money, instead of the other way around? Hmm. But, in all fairness, maybe he is like that Star Trek episode where Gary Mitchell can read at super human speed.
Either way, pretty interesting and “isolated” mistake, I am sure.
Congressional Stool Pigeons
Now I know I am reusing pictures, but hey, when the shoe fits…I have done this work under both parties and wrong is wrong, regardless of the letter beside the person’s name. What is going on reminds me of Profiles in Courage discussing Senator George W. Norris.
“I would rather go down to my political grave with a clear conscience than ride in the chariot of victory as a Congressional stool pigeon, the slave, the servant, or the vassal of any man, whether he be the owner and manager of a legislative menagerie or the ruler of a great nation. ... I would rather lie in the silent grave, remembered by both friends and enemies as one who remained true to his faith and who never faltered in what he believed to be his duty, than to still live, old and aged, lacking the confidence of both factions,” Senator George W. Norris. If only we still had elected officials talk like that.
Is Anyone Home?
Now, here is the truth, and I would say this regardless of who is in office. This should not be political. It should be about one thing, and one thing only: taking care of Veterans. If you aren’t interested in that, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. But, the truth is, you aren’t being told the truth. The VA, in no way, is turning at 100% during this shutdown. Whether it is a D or an R telling you that, such is a lie, letter be damned. And, I would rather tell you that than to live “lacking the confidence of both factions.” What do I mean? Well, the Office of General Counsel (OGC) runs out of funding next week. You see, federal agencies try to keep enough in the gas tank for times like these. But, it runs out next week. We have been told to anticipate that Court cases will be stayed/extended with a few exceptions. So, those of you who already waited 5 years for a BVA decision are going to have to wait longer at the Court. My understanding is it isn’t the Court itself, but the OGC attorneys who will be given extensions/stays since they can’t respond to Motions, etc.
Then, we have the statement that “claims processing will continue.” The problem? More and more, I am seeing “out of office” notes (samples included below). E-mailing the BVA to request the status of a remanded case? No one is home. Finally, hearings are being cancelled, even though they are virtual. Again, all the proof is below. Sending an e-mail, asking for VA to flag someone’s file as being homeless/terminally ill? No dice. You are welcome to make what you will out of these screenshots. I still believe in free think. I am not here to tell you what to think, just showing you what is going on behind the curtain. You sure won’t find it on the news, and, frankly you won’t hear this from Doug Collins. Oh, did I mention that senior management at the VA has been signing non-disclosure agreements regarding contingency plans? Hmm. Wonder what those say? FOIA, anyone?
The back and forth bickering and inability to pass a budget is not a Democrat problem, nor a Republican problem. It is an elected official problem. Something we should find unacceptable. Imagine if you told the bank “sorry, the wife and I just can’t agree on a budge right now.” Having VA employees sign non-disclosure agreements? Sending system-wide e-mails calling this the “Democrat shutdown.” That sort of stuff is just wrong, regardless of the letter doing it. You should not be injecting politics into the VA. You should be saying “this is how we are going to continue working hard for Veterans.” I would say that, regardless of who is in office. Do right by Veterans. Don’t play politics.
And that’s all I’m gone say about that.
Godspeed.
