even more on Shreddergate

“On October 22, 2008, the New York State Division of Veterans' Affairs held a Counselor Refresher Training Seminar at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, NY. Early in the meeting a New York VARO representative, who gave his name as John B., said problems found by VAOIG were improper entry dates on documents and improper procedures. John B. stated 20,000 pieces of mail were not opened and paperwork files were not collated or properly attended to. Apparently, this had been going on for some time."

Source and full story at :http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfoct08/nf102708-1.htm



Larry Scott -VA Watchdog - said it all this morning:



"And, it's time for more VA employees to come forward with information to help the VBA and VAOIG, and the veterans they serve. Can one person make a difference? Remember, this entire shredder scandal story started with just one VA employee in Detroit who cared enough to do the right thing."



Doing the right thing is what will help resolve this problem.



VBA employees are actually posting on the comment section at Watchdog and other vets sites-anonymously-

while I applaud their willingness to confirm what we claimants have known for years-and of course who really knows if they are a RO employee or not-

the unsung hero of this whole story is a Detroit VARO employee who

had enough and was brave enough to come forward.



Jim Strickland -VA Watchdog -will be my guest at SVR on November 5th.

By then it will probably be worse-

I feel that any vet or widow with active denied claims whose evidence was Never
considered by the VA should send the VA (and the OIG too) a letter
demanding that in light of the recent news, they want their evidence
found and properly assessed for their claim.

Of course this isn't to replace a formal NOD (but you could throw this
into a formal NOD)

Vets and widows have never had this power before to demand that their
ignored evidence be properly assessed by the VA.

and they should write to

House Committee on Veterans Affairs October 25,2008
335 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
335 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.. 20515
and

Department of Veterans
Affairs January 8, 2006
VA Office of Inspector General Hotline (53E)
P.O. Box 50410
Washington, D.C. 20091-0410

and tell these entities how the VARO must have lost, misplaced,or
destroyed your evidence-
because they did not consider it all and denied your claim -violating your basic rights for DTA.Duty to Assist and all other evidentiary regulations in 38 CFR, 38 USC and M21-1MR.

I am sending my letters in an hour.

Only if vets and widows step up to the plate on this -as well as more RO employees- and overwhelm
these entities above -will anything really be done-

And I am counting on more VA employees to have a conscience and step
up to the plate too.


Berta Simmons veterans claims advocate NY


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