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VA'S BOGUS AWARD: RATES VA PERFORMANCE REPORT

ON READABILITY, NOT ACCURACY OF CONTENT --

Mercatus Center: "The purpose...is to ascertain how

well agency reports inform the public...It is not intended

to evaluate the quality of the actual results..."

Whenever the VA puts out a press release congratulating itself on a job well done, the alarm should go out:  "Danger, Will Robinson!  Danger!"

Today we have another instance of just that.

The VA's latest press release is titled:  Report on VA Performance Honored for Ninth Year in a Row ... Peake: VA "Best of the Best" in Providing Clear Information.

The key here is this:  The REPORT was honored, NOT the CONTENT of the report.

The Mercatus Center of George Mason University does this "scorecard" every year.

The Center's criteria is listed as follows:  The purpose of the Mercatus Center's assessment of federal agencies' annual performance reports is to ascertain how well agency reports inform the public about the results they produced. It is not intended to evaluate the quality of the actual results that federal agencies produced or to determine if the reports adhere to reporting guidelines issued by the Office of Management and Budget.

So, the actual award to the VA from the Mercatus Center is for READABILITY and NOT accuracy.

This is like telling your child that they produced a good looking report for class because it was printed on high-quality paper, but not examining the content of the report for accuracy.

The VA is not known for the accuracy of their reporting...like, suicide numbers and budget requests, to name a few.

So, congratulations to the VA for another self-serving press release about an award that means absolutely nothing!

Full Mercatus Center report here...
http://www.mercatus.org/Publications/pubID.4509/pub_detail.asp

The VA's report is here...
http://www.va.gov/budget/report. 

VA press release here... 
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/vap08/vap051508-1.htm

Press release below:

-------------------------

Report on VA Performance Honored for Ninth Year in a Row

May 15, 2008

Peake: VA "Best of the Best" in Providing Clear Information

WASHINGTON - Continuing its commitment to give veterans clear, valuable information on how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is performing, for the ninth year in a row, VA has been rated by an independent research center as having one of the best annual performance reports in the federal sector.

"Veterans have the right to know whether this Department is meeting its obligations to them," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "This prestigious, independent group has found -- once again -- that VA is among the best of the best in the federal sector for providing meaningful information to the American public about our operations and performance."

Since 2000, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University has examined the performance and accountability reports issued annually by federal agencies. This year, VA's report was third among 24 federal departments and agencies. VA also tied for having the highest score in both transparency and leadership, an example of the Department's commitment to provide information that is useful and easy to understand and that clearly describes VA's contribution to America.

Called Ninth Annual Performance Report Scorecard: Which Federal Agencies Best Inform the Public?, the new Mercatus study found VA's report is "a user-friendly and informative document."

"The Department [of Veterans Affairs] continues to be an innovator in performance accountability and reporting," the study's authors said in a press statement.

"These findings show that VA has developed a management culture that sets high standards, measurable goals, and encourages accountability to the American public," Peake said.

VA published its latest performance and accountability report in November 2007. It documents the Department's progress toward ensuring America's veterans and their families receive timely, compassionate, high-quality care and benefits.

The Department's report can be found on the Internet at:
http://www.va.gov/budget/report. 

-------------------------

posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org

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