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House to investigate VA's response to telephone questions
House to investigate VA's response to telephone questions
Note: Shouldn't take too much investigation.. just make a few calls to VA
or to your VSO.. see if anybody returns your call or answers your question.
March 16, 2006 http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1605123.php
House to investigate VA's response to telephone questions
By Rick
<mailto:rmaze@atpco.com?subject=Question%20from%20ArmyTimes.com%20reader>
Maze
Times staff writer
A House subcommittee pledged Thursday to investigate charges by a federal
employees' union that Department of Veterans Affairs workers often are
unable to fully answer benefits questions from veterans and their families
because of productivity pressure from their bosses.
The American Federation of Government Employees said in testimony provided
to the House Veterans' Affairs subcommittee on disability assistance that VA
workers "face many challenges in their jobs, including a growing number of
complex claims, staff attrition and intense productivity pressures,
including the 'three-minute rule.' "
The rule, the union said, requires a caller to spend no more than three
minutes on hold waiting for a VA employee to answer, and for the discussion
itself to last no longer than an additional three minutes.
"Although phone inquiries are typically not very case-specific, the
responses often last more than a few minutes, especially if corrective
action is needed or specialized information needs to be retrieved," the
testimony says,
The AFGE statement was introduced at a hearing to look into complaints that
many callers get wrong information when they ask the VA for help.
Rep. Shelly Berkley of Nevada, the subcommittee's ranking Democrat, said she
has been told the VA has assigned people to answer phones "as punishment for
poor performance."
Berkley and Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the subcommittee chairman, said the VA
must do better.
Miller said a VA "mystery caller" program, in which investigators pretending
to be veterans called to ask questions, found up to 50 percent of the
information provided was wrong and that callers often "were treated rudely."
Jack McCoy, the VA's associate deputy undersecretary for policy and program
management, said mistakes have been made, but denied there is a three-minute
rule.
"I absolutely do not believe that is true," he said.
He said there are daily performance standards requiring 64 calls to be
answered, but said there is no specific time limit on any one call.
He also defended VA employees answering the calls. "There are an awful lot
of good employees sometimes trying to answer complex questions," McCoy said.
Miller and Berkley said they would continue to investigate the union's
complaint.
pffft cant even reach any dept. excect front desk after 50 rings .. have to have a clinic you not gonna get it ... it holds you for 5 -7 mins then drops the call ....(ripping off phone time )
| ZOSO_HEMI Wrote: : |
| pffft cant even reach any dept. excect front desk after 50 rings .. have to have a clinic you not gonna get it ... it holds you for 5 -7 mins then drops the call ....(ripping off phone time ) |
WOW unbelievable, hum... not really. I believe you, That's the government for ya, Some SH*T, just a different day!
ive decided that while the er and the homeless help division hate dealing with homless vets.. and make it very very very clear.
the segregating of us comes from the top.
its a system problem.
and again yesterday spoke to a social worker after hours wiat ... she was clueless even though i have a section8 voucher she tried to etell me i couldnt afford housing... and more. she deals with inpaitinets too. she says she sends thenm to city or others, va doesnt know doesnt want to know deosnt assit ... what?
i have the wrong disasbilites and not service connected andso they evenmore do every thing to block help.
i ahve faked medical'/psyche records to support cya on ada vioaltions etc in per diem..
i was dumped after many many hours 3am no care fro fracture va pd in vehicle followed me and one arm pushing walker up hill off property denied stay in wait room till am get off property and told be to homless care 830 sharp. hwo saidafter hour(s) see an md in 2weeks.
do you know this is how the Va treats homelss vets..?!?
since last va so bad came 400 miles to new one ...
said you wont go to inaccessibel dangerous area segregated downtown locale..we'll set up a crisis social psyche review in 26 days!!!!..said old evals and info done by supportive phd's inanohter VA not ok or not current or not usable or cant remeber every excuse.. ...
i watch other if homless diverted to segregated homless care.
what is that ...homerless medical care? we'd rather go to high crime no parking inaccessible 9-5m-f not 24 hourtfacilties because? no specailists available. segregated from regular and all other supportive programs and servcies.
please askfor a survey of what we think of homelss servcies and the segregationa dn treatment..
please complain loudly.
most homeless vets cant even type this badly.
Stop and think first
Do you first stop and think what it must be like to answer one phone for 200,000 vets in one area of the region with a thousand questions?
