Well, seems General Shinseki fell on a sword for nothing.. All of you tea party screamers of Privatizing the VA.. Re Read this and KNOW, you poo pooed the oversight process since 2007. That would go back to Bush now wouldn't it?
Now we all know, thanks to this OIG Report and where was the media then? Sniffing tea ?
I have said from word go, the care you get depends on the VISN ( Veteran Integrated Service Network) you were in. Now there is proof. I have been in touch with Nugent's opponent regarding this report and another audit from 08. This baby is explosive because someone's you know what is hanging in the wind when they know they had already handed over reins of no oversight from the VA to the VISN's..All 21, 23 if you count the territories.
Jeff Miller was shocked! Shocked I say.. Bullshit I say. He knew. Petzel is gone so the Under Secretary was supposed to get it together but instead Shinseki's head was being called for. Want to know why? Shinseski was trying to get to the bottom of the whole mess, IMO.
VHA Did Not Provide VISN Offices Adequate Fiscal Oversight
VHA lacked effective fiscal controls for its VISN offices, including budget formulation and execution processes and accurate and reliable financial data collection processes. Despite VA policies and procedures that promote sound fiscal control, VHA has not provided the VISN offices with effective fiscal oversight and ensured the implementation of effective fiscal controls at the VISN offices. While VHA fostered the autonomy of the VISNs, it overlooked the need for adequate fiscal controls and monitors at all levels of its organization, including the VISN offices. This lack of oversight occurred because VHA did not consider the VISN offices’ fiscal activities to be significant enough when compared to those of its healthcare facilities to establish VISN office specific fiscal controls. As a result, VHA now lacks a VISN office financial management control system with which it can effectively evaluate and compare office performance, identify potentially problematic fiscal practices, and identify questionable and inefficient uses of funds.
Here ...have some money and do as you please. So what if a few vets get left behind or die..you are on your own. Whoopee ....say the VISN groups.. We got control !
The report went on to say:
Changes in VA and VHA management and the passage of over 16 years since the VISN offices’ inception make it difficult to identify definitive causes for the lack of adequate fiscal oversight and controls for the VISN offices. Nevertheless, interviews with current VHA management officials and observations of current VISN office operations indicate that VHA’s emphasis on decentralized management has facilitated the current lack of fiscal controls at the VISN offices. VHA has allowed the VISN offices to function as autonomous, decentralized VHA management structures vested with the full responsibility and authority to independently manage their regions’ and offices’ operations. Consequently, VHA has not felt it necessary to establish a comprehensive financial management control structure for the VISN offices.
But wait..it gets better.. or worse.. depending on which VISN group you are in.
VISN offices lacked adequate fiscal and administrative controls to prevent the inefficient use of funds and deter the possible misuse of funds for travel, leased office space, and performance awards. The lack of accountability and transparency in the VISN offices’ fiscal operations and, in some cases, the failure of VISN office staff to adhere to VA policies and procedures increased the potential for the waste and misuse of funds. Multiple factors contributed to the lack of adequate fiscal and administrative controls at the VISN offices.
VHA allowed the VISN offices to operate without adequate fiscal oversight and gave them control over the distribution of their healthcare facilities’ medical care allocations as mentioned under Finding 1. At the same time, the VISN Directors and managers who controlled the offices’ expenditures were not always aware of pertinent VA policy requirements nor were required to operate consistently in accordance with VA policies and regulations. Finally, VISN Directors also, in some instances, made questionable fiscal and administrative decisions and did not establish adequate administrative controls for their offices.
What the Hell ????? Take the money.. Taxpayer money....and contract everything out !
Privatize what? It has already been privatized by a few greedy bastards down at the good ole boy club who NEEDS a bonus. Show this government document at your next town hall meeting and ask you tea partier legislator, what is left to privatize and why the dog and pony show to find out what went wrong.. Any fool knows NO OVERSIGHT and Free reign is a mixture of a perfect storm and a deadly one at that.
Oh Under Secretary Petzel promised ...noted and will fix but he probably File 13 that and the 2008 OIG audit...so what about congress? Most really brought to light in 2012...Where were these people on following up? Calling for the head of the man who was trying to, that's where.
Read it and weep. I did. I am sick as hell physically today but this needed to be gotten out to the public and this needed to be brought into the light. Spread it around.
Here is the link. I found it while nursing a 101 fever trying to figure out when things went so south. I truly got sicker. Found this jewel over a week ago ...Where is the media?
The actual OIG Report
VAOIG-10-02888-128
( I do not know how to link that Adobe file but type that in and the report shows up.
and named
Veterans Health
Administration
Audit of
Financial Management
and Fiscal Controls for
Veterans Integrated Service
Network Offices
Dated March 2012
Wait... I may have a clickable link that takes you there for the 2012 report http://ebooks4.org/...
Another report in 2008
http://www.va.gov/...