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VA Scandals
Shreddergate and other scandals
On the 13th of October, 2008, VA Watchdog dot Org broke the story about documents found in shredder bins at the VA's Detroit Regional Office.
A number of those documents were critical to veterans' disability claims.
As the story unfolded, VA finally began to release information on the incident and we learned that more than one Regional Office was involved in this shredder scandal.
The VA's Office of Inspector General (VAOIG) is investigating.
VA has instituted new guidelines regarding handling of documents.
363 topics in this forum
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- 1 reply
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I listened to the hearing to day and it did not bode too well for the VA. I have never seen so muck 2 stepping. The cutoff date for the Vets to re submit info is a complete Joks and the commitee agreed. Someone brought up that there were 30000 claims at the bva for the word destroyed evidence and 33000 claims for missing evidence. Who is being held accountable was a big question. Congress needs to get this out of the internal VA and get the FBI involved since it also happened in the mail room. I think they caught something that has been going on for decades. It will get uglier inthe near future. I cant wait to olisten in on SVR tonight. I may even call in…
Last reply by carlie, -
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With certain exceptions, the VBA is not authorized to throw away any mail or documents submitted by a veteran or on his/her behalf. Every piece of mail should be received in the mailroom and inputed into VBA's tracking system. However, some mailrooms are so understaffed that materials get lost or misfiled, and when they are located, say, about four weeks later--in most cases, they are correctly placed in the claims folder. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, some people do place mail in the shredder bins. Just an observation, but it may be done because a claim has been evaluated (completed) and ready to be promulgated, and the additional evidence may make it necessary to r…
Last reply by tssnave, -
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VA Confirms Employee Computer Tampering at New York City Regional VA Office: http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfnov08/nf111308-1.htm
Last reply by Pete53, -
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Catch one, 15 get away.. VA officials investigate mishandled documents at benefits offices in S.C.By Chuck Crumbo · & 2008 The (Columbia) State, Updated 11/06/08 - 1:01 AM | http://www.heraldonline.com/109/v-print/story/937236.html COLUMBIA -- Veterans Affairs officials are investigating why 95 records were erroneously dumped in a shredder bin at the VA office in Columbia. An unidentified employee at the Columbia office is under investigation for mishandling the documents, which include new benefits claims and other personal files, VA officials said. "I can't discuss in detail what action may be taken against an employee in this instance until the inves…
Last reply by yoggie2, -
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http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfnov08/nf110708-1.htm full list of recommendations- but a work in progress- It seems to me VA still isn't getting it-they dont want to- We should have a right to know what evidence they are going to use to judge our claims with and not have to get a denial to find out what they didnt even consider.
Last reply by SouthernBelle, -
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U.S. News and World Report - It will be nearly impossible to figure out how many documents had been incorrectly destroyed in the past. http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfnov08/nf110208-3.htm
Last reply by yoggie2, -
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please post comments on VA Shreddergate in this forum, right now they are all over the board, and having them in one forum will help us all keep tracking of what is going on. i'll be moving posts about VA Shreddergate to this forum and will ask the moderators to do the same. tbird
Last reply by Tbird, -
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Someone from the Sub Committee-Investigations/Oversight VA-just called me- they have been overwhelmed with letters and phone calls from veterans on the shredding scandal- They haven’t gotten my letter yet but will call me when they do with an update as well as to the responses they are getting- They need to have the official OIG report to act on all of this-but they will take action. This is serious business and veterans and widows that have taken the time to write or call the Sub Committee (who will also probably have hearing as well as H VAC this coming week) ARE being heard. You can be assured that your concerns are being taken very seriously. The H VAC…
Last reply by mags1023, -
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I don't knoow if this is worth anthing at all but thought it might be of some interest. Neither do I know how far to credit the source. I called the Texas Veteran's Commission and in speaking to a person there asked how bad was it with the shredding room report there. What I was told was that the documents found out there were only a couple of duplicates extra to the originals still remaining in their proper place in the files. Just an FYI.
Last reply by allan, -
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http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/oct/25/25...-from-shredder/
Last reply by MRRRR5, -
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I am sending you the same information that I recently called and relayed to a staff member of the Chicago Tribune. This Monday, October 27, 2008, Senator Durbin and Senator Akaka will visit the Chicago VBA Regional Office for an inspection. Recently, it has leaked to the public that some VBA employees across the nation have purposely thrown veterans' mail in the garbage. This is a problem because, in most instances, a veteran's claim for compensation may hinge on the missing article. I have come across veterans that have assured me that they sent in documents pertinent to their claim, only to be informed that the mail was never received. Well, the two senators wil…
Last reply by john999, -
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Greetings all: VA watchdog has posted an update story, It appears that during the weekend a lot more files at a lot more VARO's were found. Congressman Filner has indicated there will be hearings on the matter in November. Best regards, Tyler
Last reply by jbasser,