Heartless Hypocrisy

The federal employees who worked the Informal Claims Project  were referred to as the "Fab Five". They all served our Country honorably. A majority of the federal employees who worked this project were disabled veterans who had personally experienced processing delays of their own benefits claims. CONTACT: Nick Schwellenbach, (202) 254‐3631; nschwellenbach@osc.gov WASHINGTON, D.C./October 13, 2016 –   In a letter sent to the White House and Congress today, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) reported that the Veterans Affairs Regional Office (VARO) in Oakland, California, failed to process veterans’ benefits claims accurately and in a timely manner. This delayed the accurate payment of benefits to veterans and their dependents, in some cases by years. Three Oakland VARO whistleblowers came to OSC with disclosures of the Oakland VARO’s deficiencies, prompting an investigation. Those whistleblowers are Rustyann Brown, a former claims assistant, Roselyn Tolliver, a veterans service representative, and L