This is better than that blurb they put in the local paper telling you who did what in your town. The “town” here is VAville. Some of these highlights are towards the bottom. Apparently there are others who find VA heavy-handed, mean, vindictive and rather overbearing. Some of the better ones:

Veteran Arrested for Making Threat To Kill National Guard Major General
A Veteran was arrested by OIG and the FBI after threatening to kill a Major General of the U.S. Army National Guard. During a compensation and pension appointment with a VAMC psychologist, the defendant discussed a detailed plan to assassinate the Major General at a retirement ceremony. The Veteran is currently being held without bond pending trial.

Probably a wise decision.

Veteran Arrested For Threatening To Shoot Montgomery, Alabama, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor

A Veteran was arrested for making threats after an OIG, Federal Protective Service (FPS), and local police investigation revealed that he threatened to shoot a vocational rehabilitation counselor at the Montgomery, AL, VA Regional Office (VARO). The defendant made the threat after being told that the counselor needed to review his file and that he needed a “Plan of Service” before the counselor could authorize a computer software purchase.

Funny. I never saw a “Plan of Service” on my greenhouse request. Maybe that’s what I did wrong.

Veteran Indicted for Threat To Kill a Montgomery, Alabama, VAMC Physician

A Veteran was arrested and subsequently indicted for intimidating a Federal employee engaged in his official duties. An OIG and local sheriff’s office investigation revealed that the defendant threatened to return to the Montgomery, AL, VAMC and kill a VA physician and everyone else who entered the medical center. During a search incident, OIG agents and the local officers seized a rifle, shotgun, and two handguns.

It’s never a good idea to vocalize your displeasure with the quality of care you receive at a VAMC.

Veteran Arrested for Threat To Kill Dothan, Alabama, CBOC Employee and Others

A Veteran was arrested after an OIG and local police investigation determined that during a telephone conversation with a Dothan, AL, CBOC employee, the Veteran threatened to use his handgun to kill the employee along with 42 other people. The initial law enforcement contact with the Veteran resulted in a 2-hour standoff as the Veteran barricaded himself in his residence with a firearm. The defendant was subsequently subdued and arrested without incident after he attempted to flee from officers. He is currently being held without bond pending judicial action.

This one confused me. How can you barricade yourself and simultaneously flee from officers if the SWAT team has you surrounded?

Veteran Arrested for Threats to New York, New York, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor

A Veteran was arrested for aggravated harassment after an OIG, FPS, and local police investigation determined that she threatened to cause bodily harm to a New York, NY, vocational rehabilitation counselor. On a voicemail recording to the victim and during a subsequent conversation with a service organization officer, the defendant stated that she was going to harm the counselor at the VARO or outside of the facility.

This is the only one I’d take seriously. She probably refueled the Expedition and was going to mow the VOC REHAB dude down. When a woman tells you ahead of time on a voice mail what the game plan is, you’d better take precautions.

Well, there you go. A nefarious bunch or ne’er do wells, these Veterans. All in all, it was almost a wash as to whether VAMC employees engaged in more criminal acts than Veterans. At least we can sleep at night knowing our OIG is cutting a swath through crime to the tune of many millions of dollars while saving us all several hundred thousand. One other disturbing trend that is becoming evident is that no matter how many reports of VA medical errors committed at VAMC s, the OIG remarkably always comes to the same conclusion that “it could not be substantiated.” As in, even though Billy Bob Sixpack complained that the VA surgeon cut off the wrong foot, it could not be substantiated that an error had occurred”.  Or this one from the report:

OIG did not substantiate that a patient with dementia, who
was deemed to have decision making capacity regarding where he wanted to live, was held against his will for an extended period of time. The Interdisciplinary Treatment Team made efforts to address the complicated medical, ethical, and legal considerations that delayed the patient’s discharge to a Florida assisted care facility. OIG could neither confirm nor refute the validity of the patient’s DPAHC. Due to a lack of medical record documentation, a Regional Counsel attorney was unable to determine whether the document was legally executed. However, during most of the patient’s nearly 3-year stay at the facility, the son was the patient’s recognized health care agent by both facility staff and other family members. OIG confirmed that facility leaders did not appear to respond to clinicians’ requests for assistance.

Yep. The son screwed up. He spent three years complaining to the doctors trying to spring his dad and the OIG cannot “substantiate” it. Nevertheless, the kid was in charge and should have smuggled him out if he felt Dad was being held against his will. Chances are we’d sure have heard all about how that one was substantiated as kidnapping had he succeeded.