Va Has 80 Days To End Back Log.

[boomer2]

Check the article. LOL

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/10/deadline-nears-va-has-about-80-days-to-clear-128k-backlogged.html?ESRC=eb.nl

[knap-sack]

I believe I have an open claim that is 31 years. You would think I woild be coming up on someone's desk.

I now know how Rip Van Winkle feels.

[USMC_VET]

We have to pay back interest and penalties and so should they.

If they set a 280 day max for a claim and the it goes over the award should be backdated plus a 10% interest fee on top per MONTH it goes over that date, that goes for appeals as well appeals could be 5% a month of award past 90 days after NOD is filed. I also think all VARO administrators should be given NO bonuses if ANY appeal at any level is returned back to them as "you screwed up"

[Pete53]

The file picture is at least over 10 years old but it pretty much shows what has not been done.

[RUREADY]

I got 12 years on same claim no end in sight!!

[Chuck75]

Chuck, good valid points on the top of your post, that is how it would be in the commercial sector, but they are protected by status as federal agency, so they can just roll along without worrying about any of that. Enforcement of penalties would simply increase the "low balling" of ratings, the money has to come from somewhere and they are not going to touch their operations funding so it will come out of another vets compensation.

As to the medical, I just got assigned to my 'VA' healthcare. I live in the country, sort of, so my nearest 'VA Healthcare facility' is a contractor. If they did it your way, how could they give fat contracts to their friends and family and grease palms with contracts to set themselves up for their next job?

Corruption is contagious when not contained

Well. when mistakes are made at the administrative or "operations" levels, It makes perfect sense that the money spent in those areas was not spent correctly. so it should be clawed back.

Further, money awarded under 1151 and so forth come from (as I understand) the general fund, not out of the VA's funds.

So the penalty and interest could also come from the general fund, and be subtracted from the VA's overall operating budget and administrative funds.

It's worth mentioning that when a federal agency is mandated by law to do something, unless there is a specific budget line item, the agency can always defend it's lack of action

as not having the funds to do whatever it was. The actual amounts of truly discretionary funds are generally quite limited.

Remember the bean counters rule.

I personally observed a great deal of this sort of thing within a service branch of DOD before I retired.

As to what true discretionary funds are used for - - -

That's generally a real bag of worms. One large base I'm familiar with didn't have enough discretionary funds to properly support

systems it managed, yet could afford to spend such funds for other efforts that did not directly impact the systems. Beautification projects,

never mind inadequate building upkeep and so forth, had a higher priority. After all, if the higher ups wanted to better support the systems,

they would have provided funding earmarked for that purpose.

The bureaucrats lament is always that they never have enough funds to do what they are sup-post to do in the time required.

An often used alternative is not enough resources.

[ArNG11]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! And if they don't????? jmo

pr

business as usual. oh and maybe a new bonus for the next Bentley. This time though, maybe in a charcoal gray.