The Department of Veterans Affairs and its employees have a long history of mishandling the care, treatment, and information of veterans in their systems. However, when VA employees go out of their way to profit from such abuse of the trust placed in them, it is disturbing. But that is just what an Arkansas man, Phillip Hill, is accused of doing. Hill, a 32-year-old resident of Benton, Arkansas, stands accused by a federal court of ‘attempted trafficking of access devices,’ which is a legal way of saying he was caught attempting to sell Social Security numbers and other similar identifying information. He did this with the use of s server he stole, and with access to the network that the server worked on. In a news release, Cody Hiland, …show more content…
Phillip Hill had worked as a database manager at a VA data center and was fired from that job on December 6. However, he told the informant that he was still able to get into the VA databases, and that he could still access personally identifying information on veterans, their family members, and even VA employees. He accomplished this by stealing a server from the VA and utilizing that server to access the database remotely. Doing this, he could view much of the information in the VA database, and selling it for a profit would be simple. Hill was reportedly arrested outside of a data center at a VA office on December 17. He was charged with aggravated identity theft, as well as possession of device-making equipment. Authorities involved in the case stated that Hill used someone else’s personal information, and that he also possessed blank identification cards, something that non-government individuals are not generally allowed to …show more content…
Some VA employees seem to have this mindset, where they are willing to bend the rules and regulations to make a profit. The VA, prior to President Donald Trump’s administration, had a long history of employees abusing the system to protect bonuses, or to turn a personal profit. During Barack Obama’s presidency, there were repeated VA scandals where the employees manipulated situations so that they could protect their ‘performance incentives,’ a nice way of saying they toyed with the system to protect their bonuses. A common problem in the VA was the impossibly difficult process of actually firing terrible employees. As with many government positions, unions protected terrible workers, allowing them to be criminally negligent or incompetent and still preserve their job and their pay. It also did not help that then- VA Secretary Shinseki did not seem interested in accountability at the department he oversaw. To make matters worse, the Senate committee that was supposed to oversee the VA, which was led by ‘Independent’ Bernie Sanders, outright refused to provide any meaningful oversight, even when bipartisan demands for oversight came from Senators in both
Phiprivacy.net. (n.d.). Incidents Involving Patient or Health-Related Data [Pdf file of privacy breach articles for 2008]. Retrieved from http://www.phiprivacy.net/MedicalPrivacy/Chronology_2008.pdf
The mission statement of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) is, “To fulfill President Lincoln's promise ‘To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan’ by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s vete...
...arrested on a narcotics trafficking charge on April 27, 1980. Hill was convinced that Vario and Burke both wanted him dead. While in jail the investigators showed Hill the tapes they had of Burke and Vario discussing Hill’s death. Hill still refused to talk. When Hill was released on bail he met Burke at a sweatshop and Burke told Hill to come with him to Florida to whack somebody. Hill knew this meant Burke was going to kill him. The investigators didn’t want to risk having Hill killed and arrested him as a material witness in the Lufthansa heist.
Some federal statutes address fraud in government health care programs, and many of these laws vary considerably (Krause 2004). Some of these laws specifically target health care fraud. Example of the laws that the government direct at inappropriate health care activities includes the “Medicare and Medicaid Anti-Kickback Statute and Ethics in Patient Referrals Act (EPRA).”
“Factors Affecting Health Care” (50-55) Demonstrates the sacrifices and how difficult it is for veterans to receive healthcare from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
When a soldier enlists in the United States military they make a promise to serve and protect our nation, putting their lives at risk to help keep America safe. Sadly when they finish their service they unknowingly enlist themselves in another war: to receive proper health care from VA. Things like long waiting times, understaffed facilities, and few care options for veterans in rural areas are just the beginning of the problems plaguing VA health care. Horrifying issues that are killing our veteran are beginning to surface such as employees falsifying records, outdated facilities spreading diseases, and patient neglect; all while key VA officials continue to scramble to cover things up. Our government must intervene quickly to fix the growing problems with VA health care so our veterans receive the care they were promised and should be receiving.
Steve Buyer, a member of the house of representatives from Indiana’s fourth district, once said, “Because all of us believe and understand in the fabric of the common bond of why we call ourselves American is to care for the men and women who wear the uniform; and when they take off the uniform, we care for them when they are veterans.” After men or women finish their time serving our country, and they take off their uniform, it does not rid the title of Veteran from them. They are still the brave ones who fought and served for America. The care for the Veterans of America is a crucial part in giving back to those who risked their lives for our country. Veterans need to be taken care of medically, mentally, and financially more as promised by President Obama. “It's a commitment that begins at enlistment, and it must never end. But we know that for too long, we've fallen short of meeting that commitment. Too many wounded warriors go without the care that they need. Too many veterans don't receive the support that they've earned. Too many who once wore our nation's uniform now sleep in our nation's streets."
It should come as no surprise that for a variety of reasons, all stemming from combat experience, many of our nation's Veterans will act in unconventional or perhaps even illegal ways, in an attempt to cope with the stress of their military service. It may be easy for some to say that these men and women, despite their service, are criminals and should be locked away like any other who breaks the law. However, if rehabilitation is truly a goal of our justice system, it would not make any sense to take a group of offenders suffering from the side effects of combat experiences and throw them in prison, which is little better than combat anyway. This is why the advent of Veteran’s Courts is so important. Due to their service, and the effects that PTSD and other service related conditions may have on their criminal behavior, Veteran’s courts are not only an honorable way to treat our nation’s defenders, but a way in which to protect them from the negative impact of incarceration.
Because veterans are seen as the strongest people in America, they should be seen as talented. “Veterans have proven they can stay employed. They show stability and knowledge, and team ethic” (Gilliland). All of these are characteristics that employers always look for in an employee, whether they are veterans or not. Veterans are pretty similar to regular employees, so there is no need for them to have trouble with employment.
John Lamie a veteran from the Iraq war who struggles with PTSD is also facing a battle with the VA on certain benefits he should be receiving for his psychological health. “Because of a series of complications over the validity of disability exams Lamie took for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other conditions, Lamie’s most recent disability check amounted to $83.19” (“Caring for Veterans” 363). Veterans like John Lamie are receiving only portion of healthcare benefits instead of full benefits which is making them have to foot the bill or not go and get the specific treatment they need because it is
It was once assumed that the government would provide services for veterans, but nonprofit organizations and communities have been picking up the slack to help veterans get back on their feet after returning home. The government is dependent on nonprofit organizations to supply veterans and their families with the necessary goods and services. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is an organization that provides services for veterans and their families. The WWP focuses on mind, body, economic empowerment, and engagement, all things that help veterans through post-war symptoms (The Wounded Warrior Project). The government is recommending giving less housing allowances, limiting pay raises, and having higher fees for health care benefits; other cuts would include stores being unable to give discounts to military families (Nissenbaum and Barnes). The amount of money veterans receive for housing, health care, and retirement is being cut left and right by the government and the money is being used and put towards other departments. In California, The County Veterans Service Officers Inc. plays a very important role in verterans’ lives (California Association of County Veterans Service Officers, Inc.) Many organizations help veterans who are in need of services because our government is not always able to provide...
One of the most serious problems facing all veterans today is the lack of proper healthcare. Soldiers, sailors and airmen are leaving active duty without having proper healthcare to cover their physical or mental injuries. The department responsible for veteran’s healthcare is the Department of Veterans Affairs. (VA) According to The department of Veterans Affairs website, “The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans’ benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. The benefits provided include disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational rehabilitation, survivors’ benefits, medical benefits and burial benefits. It is administered by the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.” The VA, who was formerly called the Veterans Administration, was established 21 July 1930, to consolidate and coordinate government activities affecting war veterans. The VA encompassed the functions of the former U.S. Veterans' Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. On 25 October 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation creating a new federal Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs to replace the Veterans Administration effective 15 March 1989 (V.A.)
In 2010, veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cost the government about $1.3 billion (United States of America 17). This is an enormous amount of money, but it hasn’t even been helping veterans. Many vets aren’t finishing treatment but continue to receive disability checks from the Veterans Health Administration, abbreviated to VHA. Not only this, but some veterans are faking their way into the system and evading the diagnosis process by coming up with an tall tale. It is on the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) to determine whether these stories are fake (Department of Veterans’ Affairs), which is many times impossible to regulate. New laws that are being passed that make it easier for veterans to receive disability checks are not helping this problem either (Brown and Thompson 43). The government is spending too much money on a system that is failing our veterans; the public should not have to pay when the money is going to waste on misdiagnosis, failing treatment, and unjust laws.
In 1636 the “Pilgrims passed a law which stated that disabled soliders would be supported by the colony.” (VA History) This paved the way for veterans’ benefits and healthcare. It wasn’t until 1811 that the federal government authorized the first medical and domiciliary facilities along with benefits and pensions for the veterans and their families. When the United States entered World War 1 in 1917, Congress created a new system for veterans’ benefits such as disability compensation, insurance, vocational rehabilitation. These benefits were directed by three different agencies in the Federal Government, these branches were the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Ten years later congress authorized the president to “consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans”; this action united the three component agencies into bureaus under the veterans’ administration. In the following six decades there were vast increases in the veteran population, and new benefits enacted by congress for veterans following Wo...
"Veterans Affairs Head Robert McDonald Lied About Serving in Special Forces" - Katie Pavlich | Feb 24, 2015 Lying is not really newsworthy, it happens every day. The problem to be investigated by this essay is WHY individuals deliberately say things that are not true. This problem relates to the basic virtue of honesty. In the book, Business Ethnics, the author Jennings (2009) has identified various categories of ethical dilemmas one of which being, Saying Things You Know Are Not True. This paper examines the ethical dilemma of honesty by analyzing Case 2.10, James Frey, Oprah and A Million Little Pieces. The analysis of the case focus on the qualities of truth and lessons learned in decision making and conduct.