LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Steve Birr Theft of prescription opioids from hospitals under the direction of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is skyrocketing and risking the treatment of wounded soldiers. Federal investigators are increasing efforts to crack down on the theft of prescription painkillers for personal use or sale by VA employees….
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Jonah Bennett The Senate has officially confirmed David Shulkin for the position of secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in a unanimous vote. Shulkin, appointed by former President Barack Obama for the position of under secretary for health at the VA, was approved Monday evening by the Senate to…
By Luke Rosiak Federal employees spend more than $1 billion a year boosting the government’s image, including the salaries of an estimated 5,000 official “spokesmen” who often ignore questions from reporters about agency operations and try to distract public attention away from embarrassing scandals. “A good product sells itself. So what does it say when…
By Jonah Bennett In a stunning release, a federal agency confirmed a Phoenix Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) whistleblower’s claims that on an average day at the facility, 1,100 patients are waiting longer than 30 days for care. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the agency that protects whistleblowers, released a statement Tuesday noting that…
By Luke Rosiak Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) managers wanted to fire a hospital director for misconduct, but wound up paying him $85,000 instead to resign “from federal service voluntarily, completely and irrevocably” — then hired him back anyway, but let him keep the money. Terry Atienza was the chief executive officer of the VA’s…
By Jonah Bennett The FBI is reviewing allegations that Department of Veterans Affairs executives lied to Congress about the costs of a new hospital facility under construction in Colorado. According to a Department of Justice letter to Congress made public Tuesday, the FBI’s field office in Washington is on the case in order to determine…
by Micah J. Fleck Veteran Affairs is just another bad government body with incoherent, inefficient methods of doing things. Nowhere is that more clear than in this most recent case, where Chicago’s Edward Hines Jr. VA hospital was found mishandling cadavers. Reports Tribunist: The Department of Veterans Affairs can’t seem to keep up with the burden…
Veterans Affair Secretary Robert McDonald compared the time veterans wait to receive healthcare at the VA to the waiting times at Disney World. He said that his agency shouldn’t use wait times as a measure of success because Disney doesn’t. “When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in…
By Luke Rosiak An Illinois veteran in distress called the Department of Veterans Affairs’ suicide hotline in July 2015, but no one picked up. So, he laid down on nearby train tracks and waited for death. The body of 30-year old Thomas Young was found July 23, 2015 after being struck by a Metra train outside…
While Sarah Palin was endorsing born-again conservative Donald Trump for president in Iowa, her son Track was working hard to make sure the Palin family lives up to its reality TV image. Track was reportedly arrested on fourth degree assault charges stemming from a domestic violence incident. This couldn’t come at a worse time for…