delay, lie, deny, wait for the veteran to die

I do believe that is the unofficial motto of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Haas case proves that. Remember the U. S. Court of Appeals case that Jonathan Haas recently won? His case set the precedent that veterans who hadn't officially set foot on land in Vietnam, but who were in the waters (or skies), and who were thus exposed to Agent Orange, could claim presumptive service-connected disorders. A rare victory for veterans.

Well, read this.

The VA is not going to process those claims at this time because it is considering an appeal. That's right. Even though they lost the case at the U.S. Court of Appeals, they are not acting in accordance with the ruling.

What will be the repercussions to the VA officials for thumbing their noses at this ruling?

Zilch. Nada. Nothing. No matter how many claims they screw up, no matter how many veterans die waiting for relief and help, there are no consequences to these folks. Just a regular salary and nice benefits.

The real reform we need to the veterans compensation system isn't necessarily another layer of attorneys to represent veterans, but rather some serious consequences to the VA employees, bosses and underlings alike, who lose files, misinterpret files, refuse to follow their own directives, and otherwise screw up veterans' cases, leading to despair and poverty among veterans.

Where else can you work where you can do anything you want to a "client" and have no repercussions whatsoever?