Jim,
Did you catch this one? “Veterans, for example, "might have to wait longer for their disability claims to be processed. That's something that people object to pretty vigorously, and rightly so, because we've got a sacred trust to our veterans." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/15/AR2010101506297.html
Reply:
Yes, I did see that and it makes me feel like some sort of seer or maybe a magician with the power to see the future.
A retired VA executive told me, “I believe we could hire and add 10,000 new bodies to VBA next week and it still wouldn't help. It's the process that needs change.” He went on to say, “Ironically, most experienced VA employees agree with you. They see the current massive hiring as lipstick on a pig.”
That holds true today. Since that time VA has fallen further behind in processing of claims and the error rate hasn’t measurably improved. It isn’t the employees at VA nor the veterans who are at fault. It is the process itself that is why VA is slower than ever. Until that fundamental process is changed, there won’t be any real change at VA.
There’s an old tale that tells us that to repeat an action over and over again and each time expect the outcome to be different is the definition of insanity.
When VA ignores countless recommendations over the years from distinguished panels of experts as well as the findings of many GAO and OIG reports, the situation will remain just as it is today...maybe not insane but far from stable.