Allison Hickey Email To The Va Employees

[63SIERRA]

Lets step back in time for a spell. The former Sec Shenseki, said as an exit statement, that he was duped by people who he thougght were doing thier jobs.. who are these people ? what did they not do that they were supposed to do and why.. Why were they not held accountable. ?

Are the same people doing today, the same thing they were doing before?

The point is, you cannot fix a broken system unless you acknowledge the shortcomings.

I believe the honorable so far Mc Donald, is going to make things better.

You can learn alot abt a persons character during a heated debate. Recently when Mc Donald was in a heated discussion with a congressman, the congressman tried to put the cost ovveruns of a hospital project on the new sec and he told the congressman he wasnt even appointed when the hospital project was started, and then he said.. " what have YOU done"

This tells me 2 things.. He will not take responsibility for someone elses Goof .. And he will hold others responsible who have a chance to make a difference but dont.. This man is a leader.!!

[63SIERRA]

63SIERRA sounds like you have your mind made up... I see you are very passionate in your concerns and clearly there is nothing I can say or do. I understand you, trust me, I do; however, consider this...

It's easy to stay stuck in your story – believing everybody around you is out to get you since you have been wronged in the past - but maybe just maybe - someone comes along to right the wrongs. If you stay stuck in your story and blinded by past injustices, you will never move to the next level.

Surely you want to be next level in your claim or you wouldn't be on this site, right? I'm just saying that I totally agree with you, and how I totally understand where you're coming from; however, having the guts to speak up and calling it bull...shit does nothing to increase movement in your claim. But if you try something new, like nurturing new relationship and building repore with new people maybe, just maybe you will get a different result. Don't stay stuck in the past - because that's just what it is - the past.

Again, I’m on your side – I was just giving you a different perspective that's all.

You are absolutely right and if the expressions in the letter or genuine, I will be the first one to say , lets let the past be the past, and move forward.

So lets see what actions take place, that reflect what was said.

[broncovet]

Your statement about Shinseki's exit statement says it all: "He was duped by people he thought were doing their jobs".

This is not good leadership. A great leader knows how to read people right through those fictious statements. Of course people will lie to you!

One study said the average American lies several times in a given day! A common lie: "How are you?" "IM fine". Most of the time you are not fine, you are worried, upset, hungry, thirsty, have to go to the bathroom, your back hurts, your knees hurt, your wife hurt you etc. Sure, that is a white lie, few of us, when we ask how are you, realy want to hear all your aches and pains, so we say fine.

Im not suggesting Mr. Shinseki call people on the carpet for saying they are fine when they have a backache. Im saying he needs to read what people say, then check if its the truth, when necessary. Its about accountability, and its lacking at VA, and Shinseki did nothing to fix that.

[Tbird]

I think it is a great email reminder to all the employees about their mission and I believe in staying mission focused. I think it's such a great email from Ms Hickey that if I see on the Veterans Affairs website I will take a screenshot and print it out and pass it out to Veterans Affairs employee's and veterans alike. I had to go to the ER a couple of days ago for pneumonia and I can tell you from the conversation I heard between the patient in the next bed and the nurse the Veterans Affairs here is still on the defensive about any past negative news about them. The Veterans and the VA have to work together to provide much needed healthcare and benefits for our brothers and sisters here with us now and those we know will becoming behind us.

Some of us have just crawled out on the tree limb with trusting them one to many times Crack goes the tree limb, down comes the veteran and the Veterans Affairs says they fixed the problem and we would crawl out on even thinner limb of trust and Crack goes the limb, and down comes the veteran. I get that, I do. But for any veterans who aren't on their 19th Nervous Breakdown once more into the breach we must go if only to clear the logjams for those coming up the trail behind us.

Hope this made sense. Still fighting pneumonia and the meds got me kind of missing my words in some posts. But I think you all know what I am saying.

[georgiapapa]

Tbird,

Your post makes perfect sense and I totally agree with your comments.

Hope you have a quick recovery from your pneumonia.

Georgiapapa.

[Navy04]

Thanks for the post, and I am very happy to see that some progress towards the Vets is being made. May this 2015 be quite a bit smoother and happier in the eyes of the Vets than 2014!!!