VA Employee arrested

[Berta]

Ben Krause made an interesting observation:

(but no surprise to me- when my husband was hired at the local VAMC,about 4-5  months later he was called into the Personnel office-wondering what he had done wrong, but the Personnel director thanked him because his background check was so good- but he told me it seemed odd to him that any federal background check would take so long -hecould have been a felon- all those months working at the VA - this was however in the 1980's- still I bet it happens these days as well---

even though a background check these days can be done by anyone on line if they are willing to pay for it- and they should go much faster too)

 

 

“Curious in this article are a few details. The employee has a criminal record but was hired by VA, anyway. The arrest presumably occurred on federal property, but the state police was relied on the make the arrest even though federal police were likely onsite.”

 

https://www.disabledveterans.org/2018/12/05/va-employee-jailed-after-threatening-mass-shooting-at-hospital/

[broncovet]

The obvious question here is "Where was the VAOIG in all this?"  I guess the answer is obvious to that, too:  The VAOIG was AWOL, as usual.    I guess its just to much to ask to suggest the VAOIG prevent criminals from working at VA.  This would mean most of the VAOIG staff would have to be fired.  

[Berta]

Broncovet-I just thought of something else-

Many, if not most these days, of the doctors working at VAMCs are there via a contracting outfit-they are not VA employees at all. ( our FTCA/ 1151 rights are going into the crapper over this -part of my complaint with the OAWB)- but I also wonder if these contracting firms do any vetting or background cheks on these non VA "doctors".

I am still livid over the Tally case......and the BS VA told him and his lawyer.

And over stuff like this:

"Kristen Heather Gilbert is a former nurse and an American serial killer who was convicted of four murders and two attempted murders of patients admitted to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) ..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristen_Gilbert

Richard Swango is another serial killer ,who was employed by the VA 

"Swango established a sterling reputation at Sanford, but he made the mistake of attempting to join the American Medical Association (AMA). The AMA did a more thorough background check than the medical center and found out about the poisoning conviction. That Thanksgiving Day, the Discovery Channel aired an episode of Justice Files that included a segment on Swango. Amid the AMA report and calls from frightened colleagues, Sanford fired Swango.^[1] Kinney went back to Virginia soon afterward after suffering from violent migraines. After she left Swango, the headaches stopped.^[6]

 

SUNY Stony Brook in the 1990s

"The AMA temporarily lost track of Swango, who managed to find a place in the psychiatric residency program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Medicine. His first rotation was in the internal medicine department at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport, New York. Once again his patients began dying for no explicable reason. Four months later, Kristin Kinney committed suicide, and arsenic was found in her body at the time of her death.^[9] Her mother, Sharon Cooper, was horrified to find out a person with Swango's history could be allowed to practice medicine. She got in touch with a friend of Kinney who was a nurse at Sanford. The nurse alerted Sanford's dean, Robert Talley, to Swango's whereabouts. Talley telephoned Jordan Cohen, the dean at Stony Brook. Under intense questioning from the head of Stony Brook's psychiatry department, Alan Miller, Swango admitted he had lied about his poisoning conviction in Illinois. He was immediately fired. The public outcry resulted in Cohen and Miller being forced to resign before the end of the year.^[1][10] Before he resigned, Cohen sent a warning about Swango to all 125 medical schools and all 1,000 teaching hospitals across the nation, effectively blacklisting Swango from getting a medical residency in the United States.^[11]"

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Swango}

 

 

 

 

[broncovet]

I had a good friend from church apply to my local VA as a psychiatrist.  He was well qualified, no crimanal background, and VAMC needed (desperately) more psychiatrists.  He came well recommended.  

About 3 years passed, and he checked on his application, always being told it "was in the works".  He later literally gave up on VA..He simply could not wait any longer, and needed to work.  So, he found work in private practice.  

VA could simply not cut through the paperwork to hire him.  But they manage to hire criminals time after time.  

He wanted to work at VA to "give back" to Veterans who he had lots of respect for.  

Somewhere, somehow, the decision making at VA in hiring has gone very far amuck.  I also have applied at VA, as a Vet, no criminal history, a good conduct medal while in service.  I could not get a job even as a kitchen helper, hoping to get something better later.  

When I go to my VAMC, I often see the Veterans canteen (store for Vets) full of VA employees.  They are often talking there, pretty much hanging out and doing nothing.  Vets wait in line while a half dozen employees, who are getting paid to shop for personal items (all tax free) on VA company time.  What should be a store for Veterans, is actually a tax free store mostly for VA employees to avoid the taxes.  I dont see how being a VA employee should get tax free benefits designed for Vets.  They have TV's, jewelry, food, and a bunch more stuff.  I dont like that they get to go there during working hours, when they are supposed to be serving Vets.  

[Buck52]

 broncovet I would think they have breaks  and to go to the CANTEEN to shop on their break  I see noting wrong with that?...Most VA employees are Veterans I would think?

can't blame someone for wanting a good deal or not pay tax...the Veterans spouses love the canteen..I know mine use to..I had to drag her little ass out of there some times.