Troubled V.A. Agency Will Get a New Chief
November 21, 2009 by Bob Higgins · 10 Comments
By James Dao The New York Times
The official responsible for the problem-plagued disability compensation system at the Department of Veterans Affairs will resign early next year, the department announced Friday.
The official, Under Secretary Patrick W. Dunne, has run the Veterans Benefits Administration since 2006, a period in which the agency has been swamped by claims not only from wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans but also from aging Vietnam veterans. The rise in the backlog of unprocessed claims has fueled bitter complaints from members of Congress and veterans’ advocates.
The benefits administration also came under fire this year when it was late issuing payments to colleges and students under the new G.I. Bill. In response, Eric Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, ordered offices to open on a Saturday to make emergency payments to students.
In announcing Mr. Dunne’s resignation, Mr. Shinseki said: “Pat Dunne has guided the Veterans Benefits Administration through a number of challenges during his tenure as under secretary. I applaud his service and loyalty to our team and thank him for his unfailing commitment to our nation’s veterans.”
Read more at The New York Times
I listened to a number of hearings where Dunne spoke. I cannot remember a person that cleverly avoided important issues by answering with answers that either were generic or typical VA answers,…you know like I will have to get back to you on that or picking some small area where vets live and giving that as an example how well things are going there. I would always wait for something viable or productive coming from him but I should have know better. Typical is the departure of a high ranking VA person,….a nice thank you, a slap on the back and of course ended it by saying Dunne guided the VBA through a number of challenges during his tenure. The problem is he didn’t do anything to solve those challenges or problems. Another example where a admiral or general is so far removed from the problems of the veteran in the trenches it makes one ill!
Well now, SteveOh, General Shinseki just happens to be one of those whom it is you chose to lump together with your off-cuff Admirals’ and Generals’ one-brush-paints all indictment……..and I feel he is doing a damned fine job. Let’s hear now how it is you would write his report card.
These whining comments do no good, don’t amount to one iota of solving problems – the only thing I can think they accomplish is to fill some impoverished void in the lives of antagonists.
Try, just try, SteveOh to have a good life, somehow!!!
My claim for respiratory problems is now 14 years and 2 months old. The U.S. Court for Veterans Appeals has remanded my claim back to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
On Veterans day in 2008, President-elect BaracK Obama stated” As your next commander in chief , I promise to work every single day to keep that sacred trust with all who have served.”
Well, as far as I am concerned I haven’t seen any change. To me, he broke his promise.
sorry to hear of our disapointment with the VA , we too had problems, but President barack obama has kept his promise to my husband a vietnam veterans with parkinsons, by appointing Eric Shinseki to become the secretary of VA affairs he has helped thousands of vietnam veterans by adding three more deseases to the list of agent orange.. change will come.
I promise you . 4 years from now the VA claims problems will continue on. Nothing will be done to relive the suffering veterans are experenceing when they file a VA claim.
Veterans can only save themselfs by not playing the game the way the VA and congress has it rigged. Only those vets who go through the system and spend decades doing so. get what it is Im telling the vets on line. I’m sure the VA will continue to prove me right.
Terry
To proect delta B52……..as a former director of a county veterans office in Michigan, I took pride in doing my level best to aid and assist veterans and their family when they came in. I did this job for twenty years and saw what prior secretaries did or did not do. For the most part they were a political figurehead that jumped to the orders of the respective president. I could give you a list of what VAMC directors my local VAMC had in this period of time,……many of the issues are too numerous to mention. VAMC directors who received huge bonuses for doing things at the expense of the veterans and employees, just last year $29,000,000 in bonuses went out, VAMC directors who had zero time for open door policy for employees or veterans to just name a few. All under the direction that comes from the VISN coord. That info of course comes from the Secretary’s office. How would I write Shinsek’s report card,….at this point a C-. He seems more interested in dealing or showing up a new cemeteries for more veterans to be added. I often look at a half glass of water as half full, but its been hard to do. What have I don about it, in conjuction with a few others, had two VAMC directors removed, one associate removed, two MDs removed from the VAMC and helped keep a local VAMC open. I only can do so much but many of the problems that come down to the VAMCs come from the top. What have you done?
You made alot of good points Steve60, thanks for your work. It is hard to recognize the Secretarys as really doing something to try and change except point and re appoint the good ole boys/girls and the problems continue.
While Dunne is doin the right thing and stepping down, whether he was or not doin his best, the blame actually lies with the people of the country and the representative power in the federal government, especially the previous decade, where once again the status que in blocking the funding to bring the agency into the advancements that exist have created the huge backlogs, especially as the country wanted two long running occupations of others! Political or not as to Dunne, this is a Country that Doesn’t Fully Support those they send to War, hasn’t been for decades, Especially when they return!!
I agree, but even the veteran’s service organizations are not doing anything basically as a group. We don’t hear one peep out of the nationals veterans service organizations about veterans who get SS and received a ser connect. disability. If they get, as a SS recipient, a raise, they can’t get a raise for the disability. In other words they get zelch. Very seldom do you hear of them advocating some type of gripe towards the VA. The congressmen and senators show up for Mem. Day, Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day and POW Day. Outside of that, your are right, they could care less.
Well, Gen. Shinseki is one of the reasons Mr. Dunne, Is on his way out of the door. He will say kinds words about the man to the puplic wonder what he said to him behind closed doors. I know it had to be diffrent> I was once smoked by him and he said excellent words about me when he gave me an award in front of my peers and every one else who was there. So give the General a chance he can’t do everything in one day.