Bob Filner talks to Rachel Maddow on why the VA is so broken, here.

So, why is the VA so “broken”?

There is a “culture of denial”  at the VA that is “anti Veteran”, and often overlooks fellow employees violating regulations, but then nails Veterans.   For example, a blogger who purports to be a retired VA employee rating specialist and trainer for VA employees said this, here  noting that a goniometer is required by regulations:

(Author’s note:  The link, above, appears to be broken, because that website’s moderators apparently have not yet decided whether or not to allow this to be published.    We apologize if this link does not work, however, we have no control over whether or not VBN moderators choose to keep this up or not)

With regard to the use of a goniometer, let me say this about that; I think that many folks make far too big of deal about this. I say this for two reasons. First is the fact that just about any doc who has been doing these exams for any length of time can be quite accurate just using their eyeballs. Granted, they are supposed to use one, but in reality many do not.

Second, my experience with VA C&P exams (and I’ve seen several thousand of them) is that more often than not the C&P examiners are quite liberal in their estimates when they don’t use the goniometer.

Huh?   This senior VA employee suggests that people make too big a deal about employees following regulations?  This same poster, who goes by “Cruiser” at VBN also stated:

As a DRO (Note:  A DRO is an experienced VA claims decision maker who often “reviews” less experienced claims representatives decisions, and, in this case, this DRO claims to train others at the VA! ) I saw this all too often myself. It was extremely disheartening to see veterans come into my hearing room for a personal hearing looking for all the world like a damned invalid after I had already observed them moving about freely in the parking lot or building cafeteria. In other cases after I had my doubts as to what they were telling me I would go to a 3rd story window overlooking the parking lot and watch them walk to their cars after the hearing. I’ve actually seen veterans get out of the wheelchairs that they were in when they appeared in front of me and carry the darned things to their cars after they left the building or tuck their crutches up under their arm as they walked away.

Assuming the trustworthiness of this ex VA supervisory employee, why did he not report this Veteran who was committing fraud, by “faking” an injury?  Maybe there was a reason this employee did not want investigators “sniffing around”?

In response, another poster stated it this way:

You (Cruiser) have categorized Veterans seeking help from the VA as liars and manipulators. That should be a wake up call to all Veterans that is how the majority of VA employees think of us. Veterans or not, when they are manipulating the system, like giving bonuses to those who deny claims AND training them how not to use the instructions they are given, those people are destroying Veterans lives.
Sounds familiar where the VA employees are always spot on when picking out a Veteran faking it, but when the docs or VARO employees do not follow the regulations it is not much ado about nothing, perfectly acceptable behavior. 

Another poster stated:

What a shame there was no disabled veteran taping the shredding of records that has taken place in the past.

Clearly, there is a “war” going on between VA employees and Veterans.  Sadly, the Veterans seem to be getting the short end of the stick.

Asknod notes: Apparently (as JAVet mentions) the link above has been shut down by VBN. The moderators there frequently do this censorship of their readers if the subject becomes too critical of the vA . They also ban members who have the audacity to stand up and be heard from what I’m told. I suppose this “head in the sand” technique has its proponents. It worked well for the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, Qaddafi, and other tin pot dictators. Perhaps the vA could take a page from their playbook?