Maybe This Is Why I Haven't Gotten Anywhere In 10 Years

[carlie]

http://www.va.gov/oig/publications/press-release.asp?id=28

U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs

Office of Inspector General

Office of Investigations

Washington, DC 20420

(202) 565-7702

Tuesday, March 02, 1999

Former VA Claims Examiner Pleads Guilty to Theft, Mail Fraud and Money Laundering

Richard J. Griffin,

Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), announced today that Joy C. Brown, Supervisory Veterans Claims Examiner, VA Regional Office, St. Petersburg, FL, pleaded guilty to charges of theft, mail fraud and money laundering in connection with her theft of $615,472 from VA.

Brown, a former supervisor with the VA disability claims section, admitted that she created computerized records, which fraudulently reflected that her fiancé, a police officer, was a 100% service-connected disabled veteran. She then caused VA to make direct-deposit payments into a joint bank account maintained in both of their names.

Brown used the proceeds to purchase several expensive items, which included a lakefront home, a motorcycle, two automobiles, and two engagement rings.

Other proceeds were used to make renovations to Brown's home, such as building a second story onto the home and installing a swimming pool. In addition to these expenditures, she had the home professionally landscaped.

As a condition of the plea agreement, Brown will be required to forfeit all of the above items including $68,000 in U.S. currency and travelers checks, which is already in the possession of the Government.

Griffin noted there was no evidence reflecting the fiancé knew anything about the scheme.

Griffin stated the VA Program Fraud Task Force, Tampa, FL, investigated the case.

The Task Force, formed to combat fraud against the United States Government, is comprised of special agents from VA Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Robert A. Mosakowski, Tampa, FL, handled the prosecution of the case.

Edited March 13, 2009 by carlie

[sharon]

I agree.

And the really sad part is not knowing how many of those deserving Vets that have died and had valid claims denied by this Supervisor and never got a chance to see their "earned" entitlements and benefits...

She was not a rating specialist, therefore the only claim she could award or deny were administrive (pension) claims. She had to create an award for her boyfriend. Therego, Veteran Service Representives can no longer input (cest) and approve awards. You either have one command or the other. VETSNET (the new system) make the process harder to defraud.

[Meddac]

She was not a rating specialist, therefore the only claim she could award or deny were administrive (pension) claims. She had to create an award for her boyfriend. Therego, Veteran Service Representives can no longer input (cest) and approve awards. You either have one command or the other. VETSNET (the new system) make the process harder to defraud.

The article doesn't say whether she was a rating specialist or not. It says she is "a former supervisor with the VA disability claims section". This could make her a Coach (full supervisor) or a Super Senior (an assistant of sorts that does a lot of the leg work). Either one could have been in the right section to authorize rating decisions, and not just pension claims.

Pension claims have moved to St. Paul unless it is a dual claim (Comp and Pension). Very unlikely that Pension was the award as it is such a small benefit (and because the article says that it made her boyfriend 100% s/c), there is no extended period of backpay, and it would have been caught when we cross reference with the IRS or SSA. Not caught immediately, but before it got that large. Besides that, it would have taken approximately 51 years to amass that kind of amount from Pension.

VSR's can CEST and authorize awards. I CEST all the time, and I authorize one or two days out of the week. We do have both commands. Without both commands, claims would be even slower than they are right now. Lastly, VETSNET really only makes the awards process easier to carry out. The award that she would have had is a BDN (old system) award. VETSNET conversions have only been going on since April of 2008.

The only way I can figure that she got caught is that she got greedy, and went back to the cookie jar for more.

Edited March 15, 2009 by Meddac

[sharon]

The article doesn't say whether she was a rating specialist or not. It says she is "a former supervisor with the VA disability claims section". This could make her a Coach (full supervisor) or a Super Senior (an assistant of sorts that does a lot of the leg work). Either one could have been in the right section to authorize rating decisions, and not just pension claims.

Pension claims have moved to St. Paul unless it is a dual claim (Comp and Pension). Very unlikely that Pension was the award as it is such a small benefit (and because the article says that it made her boyfriend 100% s/c), there is no extended period of backpay, and it would have been caught when we cross reference with the IRS or SSA. Not caught immediately, but before it got that large. Besides that, it would have taken approximately 51 years to amass that kind of amount from Pension.

VSR's can CEST and authorize awards. I CEST all the time, and I authorize one or two days out of the week. We do have both commands. Without both commands, claims would be even slower than they are right now. Lastly, VETSNET really only makes the awards process easier to carry out. The award that she would have had is a BDN (old system) award. VETSNET conversions have only been going on since April of 2008.

The only way I can figure that she got caught is that she got greedy, and went back to the cookie jar for more.

Prior to Veterans Service Representatives, we were called claim examiners. Trust and believe, she was a VSR. If you have the ability to CEST, you should not have the ability to approve (except in appeals). You may be able to input, but CEST? (CVSR) B)

You took totally out of content the anwer to another question :P . Reread the post. I did not say it was a pension award. I stated that as a Senior Claim Examiner she could only grant administrative awards. One thing is for sure, she is not a rating specialist. If so it would have taken someone eles to be in on the scheme. You know what I mean.

[carlie]

Either way -- she was a POS thief !

carlie

[sharon]

Cash Cow

Insight on the News , August 16, 1999 by Amy R. Gershkoff

Poor staff supervision at the Department of Veterans' Affairs, or VA, has opened the door for claims supervisors to create fictional veterans in schemes that have cost the government more than $1.2 million.

A Florida VA employee was arrested in June for doling out more than $600,000 to her fiance in a fake claim, as was a New York employee who created a fictional veteran to conceal her disbursement of more than $620,000.

The inspector general, or IG, cites the downsizing of VA as the reason for the increase in fraud. The number of VA employees has been cut by more than 20 percent during the last six years.

Were it not for their chance discovery, the deceptions could have "continued indefinitely without detection" according to the IG's office. Federal agents uncovered the fraud during the arrest of George Cox, a former VA staff member facing drug charges. Cox was carrying a fraudulent veteran ID card at the time of his arrest. His arrest led to the scrutiny of the entire department.

Regardless of the recent disclosures, Joseph Thompson, VA undersecretary for benefits, says, "I don't see it as a systemic problem."

[Pete53]

It would take 22 years to accumulate over 600,000 and I still do not believe that the boy friend did not know it.

It's like saying Bernie Madoff is the only one in on 50 Billion scheme.