Here’s a link to Swords and Plowshares’ web site. Holy shit, Batman. Read them and weep. Now the vA employees are up in arms. I wondered how long it would be before they refused to take any more blame for what the chowderheads were prescribing. This is very telling

One reason, they said, is that some new procedures have added complexity to an already complex process. For instance, they said, a questionnaire created to allow veterans to use private health providers to do physical examinations is longer and more complicated than the forms used by government providers.

When questionnaires are returned with mistakes or unchecked boxes, reviewers must return them, delaying decisions. “They’ve implemented so much stuff, no human can keep up with it all,” said Cindy Indof, a decision review officer who has been with the department for 20 years.

Seems they’ve finally discovered what we’ve been saying for 25 years. And of course this which we’ve been pointing out to all who will listen:

The employees also complained about the performance review process used to measure their productivity, saying it reduced the quality of work and hurt morale. The process requires claims processors to complete a certain number of files per day. People who fall short can be denied promotions or fired. Those who meet or exceed quotas become eligible for bonuses.

Workers also said processing a claim had become increasingly segmented, with files passing through several hands before being denied or approved. As a result, files are more likely to be misplaced, communications garbled and decisions slowed, they said. And no one is held accountable for mistakes because so many people are involved.

Ruh-oh, Rorge. Rat’s rot grood.