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UPDATE: VA MEETS WITH VETS' SERVICE ORGS
ON
SHREDDER SCANDAL -- Provides list of what
documents
were found and where...also offers draft of
action plan.
All stories regarding the VA's shredder and
document handling scandal can be found on this page... click here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/VAshredderscandal.htm
Story below:
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UPDATE: VA MEETS WITH VETS' SERVICE ORGS ON
SHREDDER SCANDAL
Provides list of what documents were found and
where...also offers draft of action plan.
by Larry Scott
On Friday, October 31, 2008, leaders of the
Veterans' Benefits Administration (VBA) of the Department of Veterans'
Affairs (VA) met with some of the officials of the major veterans' service
organizations in Washington, D.C.
The subject of the meeting: The VA shredder
scandal... what was found... and, what is VBA going to do about it.
Complete background here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/VAshredderscandal.htm
 The
meeting was led by Adm. Patrick W. Dunne, VA's Acting Under Secretary for
Benefits and Mike Walcoff, the Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits.
The VBA provided information on just exactly what
was found when the Regional Offices (VAROs) were told to search their
shredder bins for documents vital to veterans' claims.
On the first page you will see a breakout by VARO
and type of document found. The second page lists the documents and
the status of the claim to which they belonged. This page, as sent
to me, was abbreviated (must have got caught in a VA shredder).
That document is here for
viewing or download...
VBA also provided a draft version of an Action
Plan. That information is laid-out below (original document
here).
DRAFT
Action Plan
October 28, 2008
The Veterans
Benefits Administration (VBA) has developed this action plan to
strengthen policies and procedures in place to safeguard veterans’
records. This action plan immediately implements tighter controls to
protect veterans’ applications and claims-related documents and ensure
measures are in place to prevent future incidents of employees
inappropriately discarding veterans’ paperwork.
Records Control
Team
VBA is creating a
Records Control Team (RCT). The RCT will draft revisions to policies
and procedures for the proper handling and shredding of documents
determined to be appropriate for disposal. The RCT will convene the
week of October 27 and provide a draft policy document to the Under
Secretary by November 3.
Establish Records
Control Officers
To strengthen
oversight of the new policies and procedures, a Records Control Officer
position will be created at every regional office. The position
description with standardized responsibilities across all regional
offices will be produced by the RCT.
Two-Person Review
of Documents to be Shredded
Employees will be
required to date and initial all claims-related documents that they have
identified to be appropriate for shredding. The document (including the
claims folder, if necessary to establish the appropriateness of the
disposal action) will be forwarded to their supervisor for approval.
This two-person review will be required prior to the destruction of any
claims document. Any documents deemed inappropriate for shredding will
be returned to the employee for proper action, and additional training
will be provided.
Individual Employee
Shredding Receptacles
Each employee will
maintain all documents to be shredded in a special receptacle, which
will be verified by the station’s Records Control Officer prior to
disposal.
Systematic Analyses
of Operations
All regional
offices will be required to conduct regular systematic analyses of their
records control procedures and activities, including their shredding
procedures and controls.
Training
Regional offices
will be provided training materials covering the proper handling and
disposal of documents. The ROs will be instructed to administer the
training to all employees. Directors will be required to certify to
their Area Director that all employees completed the training by
November 3, 2008. Additionally, a separate training module on ethics
will be developed and administered in November.
Management
Oversight
The review of
documents identified for shredding will be integrated into site visits
performed by all Headquarters program offices and Area offices.
Regional offices will also be subject to unannounced site visits.
Handling
Veterans’ Claims Affected by Inappropriate Destruction of Documents
A workgroup is
being convened to determine how to handle, in the fairest manner
possible, the claims from veterans and their families who may have been
affected by inappropriate destruction of documents. This workgroup will
confer with the Veterans’ Service Organizations and our oversight
committees in Congress before finalizing the plan.
There you have it.
Any thoughts on the viability of this plan?
It sounds like we are about to get a fourth arm
of the VA... the Veterans' Shredding Oversight Administration.
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posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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