This is the actual gist of what Mr. Murphy said at the House Veterans Committee the other day. I must hand it to VA. It was said by none other than Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain) a mistruth could make it half way around the world before the truth got out of bed. I may have garbled that and feel morally superior to correct me if so. I don’t mind. The sad fact is that we have heard the same thing so many times in so many administrations that we are all becoming residents of Missouri. I, for one, will never believe we’ll get justice. It will be a speedier form of denial with even more errors. In the event you present a “virtually complete” claim that only needs a simple yes or no, the denial will lightspeed. The calibre of justice is flawed by the approach to the claim.

A claim is unique. There are no convenient compartments or categories all vets can fit into. There simply are no square and round holes with corresponding pegs. Starting with a negative precept and trying to work towards a positive outcome is always offset early. This creates the situation of garbage in, garbage out. A claim cannot be fed to the M-21 computer and digested. One minor error, one overlooked medical report, one blood lab that wasn’t included in the C-file accidentally and bingo. It’s done. You now can expect 3 years to pass before the thing unwinds in D.C. Imagine a claims process where they did what they said they do. A positive report supporting the claim in the pile on the left. A report of willful misconduct in the pile on the right and so on and so forth. At the end, a weighing of the positive and the negative. So simple but so unattainable. Yet they and their VSO minions crow about how it’s the neatest thing since the wheel. And, like the wheel, any moment now you’ll see the momentum build and the backlog evaporate.

Notice the motif below Federal Computer Week? Strategy and Business Management for Government Leaders.  This must be their retreat magazine in the event they feel abused and picked on. Alice (the author) is doing yeoman service with her shrink couch. VA might actually begin to beleive what they’re saying if they get enough positive feedback.

Backlog solved.