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\nIn Navy-Speak, “Gun Decking” is the falsification of documents and reports. This fine old tradition supposedly began in the days of sail, when midshipmen would measure their ships position via noon sun lines or evening star sights, and retire to the gun decks to make their individual calculations. See where this is going?<\/p>\n
By Zita Ballinger Fletcher<\/strong><\/p>\n Veterans\u2019 disability benefits claims were blindly rubber-stamped by a senior veterans service representative (VSR) at the Philadelphia VA Regional Benefit Office for years, resulting in an estimated $2.2 million in improper payments, a government watchdog report has found.<\/p>\n A hotline tip made about the employee resulted in an investigation which found they were approving payments at a high volume without even opening or reading attached documents.<\/p>\n The errors caused by the federal worker included improper payments to veterans, violations of regulations that could affect veterans\u2019 benefits and procedural deficiencies, the report found.<\/p>\n The blind approvals occurred from at least fiscal year 2022 through 2024, when the employee was found to have authorized about 85,300 claims \u2014 19 times the national average, and at an 84% error rate.<\/p>\n As a senior VSR, the employee was responsible for final review and approval of veteran benefits claims awards \u2014 a complex task demanding thoroughness to ensure that claim information is correct and veterans receive appropriate benefits.<\/p>\n However, it was common knowledge within the office that the employee was not actually working, the Office of Inspector General report revealed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Hat tip to Andy1100M for the inspiration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"