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SEN. HILLARY CLINTON BLAMES NEW YORK
VETS' WOES ON
VA CORRUPTION -- Clinton blames delays in claims
processing
on corruption at the VA Regional Office in New
York City.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Details on all
VA file tampering and shredding is here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/VAs
hredderscandal.htm
And, detailed info on corruption at the VA's New
York Regional Office here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf
08/nfdec08/nf120508-1.htm
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf
08/nfnov08/nf112408-1.htm
Story here...
http://www.mpnnow.com/new
s/x596337810/Clinton-Veterans-wait-too-long-on-claims
Story below:
Your comments accepted at bottom of
page.
-------------------------
Clinton: Veterans wait too long on claims
By Julie Sherwood, staff writer
Daily Messenger
Canandaigua, N.Y. — Many veterans are waiting six months or longer for the
government to process their benefit claims, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
said Monday.
More than one million disabled veterans nationwide expect to face a
backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs in the next year, the
senator said.
“Too often, our veterans must navigate an outdated claims system and a
maze of rules that can defy common sense,” she said.
 The
people waiting the longest are typically older veterans, according to
Colleen Baumann, director of the Ontario County Veterans Service Agency.
The VA has hired coordinators to focus specifically on helping veterans
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan apply for benefits, she explained,
adding that new veterans “are getting more assistance.”
Korean War veteran Ralph Calabrese said he has experienced first-hand the
long wait and bureaucratic maze of getting a claim through the system.
About six months ago he applied for increased benefits pertaining to
headaches and other troubles from a blow he received to his head during
military service. A letter he received Oct. 28 from the Department of
Veterans Affairs stated, “We are still processing your application ... we
apologize for the delay.”
Army veteran Alan Merklinger of Hopewell, who was hit by a land mine 50
years ago during military training at Fort Dix, N.J., said he is in a
similar situation with a months-long wait for processing of a
benefit-claim due to hearing loss.
“I am still waiting,” said Merklinger, a former commander of the
Canandaigua chapter of Disabled American Veterans.
 Clinton
blamed delays on corruption at a VA office in New York City.
In a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, she said an
internal investigation revealed mishandling and falsification of
information on hundreds of claims at the New York regional office.
The allegations resulted in the firing of a director and five top
managers.
Upper-management staff allegedly changed intake dates and prematurely
shredded documents, Clinton said.
“Investigators have seen first-hand a startling number of claims”
containing doctored dates, neglected mail at processing centers and
improper placement of claims, Clinton wrote. “It is my understanding that
several employees confessed that they were instructed by their supervisors
to enter incorrect dates on the claims in an attempt to manipulate
processing times. These allegations, if proven, must be corrected as
quickly and responsibly as possible.”
Baumann said veterans processing claims through her office won’t be
affected by the troubles at the New York City processing center since
claims from her office go to through Buffalo.
-------------------------
posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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