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Make the Los Angeles National Veterans Home Great Again!

VA Must Impose Strict Sanctions Against Non-Veteran Occupants



VA Must Impose Strict Sanctions Against Non-Veteran Occupants Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans: Yesterday, I attended the Los Angeles VA’s “Quarterly Veterans Town Hall Meeting” and the VA’s “leadership team” confirmed their incompetence, dysfunction and indifference toward the personal issues of our U.S. Military Veterans.

Make no mistake, yesterday’s event looked more like a “Laurel & Hardy” skit than an expected professional presentation on Veterans issues and concerns

Make no mistake, yesterday’s event looked more like a “Laurel & Hardy” skit than an expected professional presentation on Veterans issues and concerns. It was two hours of comedy trying to cover up the tragedy of the most corrupt and incompetent VA in the nation. The Town Hall’s posted information stated, “Representatives from VBA, NCA and Vet Centers will be in attendance.” Who else but VA bureaucrats know what these acronyms stand for, while the everyday person would presume “Vet Centers” means several Veterinarians would be there to discuss proper care for animals. After all, Veterinarians certainly offer far better care and respect for their patients than the VA does for our U.S. Military Veterans, which they consider “customers.” Led by Los Angeles VA executive director Ann Brown, selected “experts” pontificated on their specialized propaganda while many Veterans in the audience questioned how dysfunctional the VA was being operated and expressed their personal incidents and frustration. Ms. Brown requested that Veterans not talk about personal issues because this was a special forum for her cabal to promote puffery and hype, and Veterans were essentially supposed to sit quietly and nod their heads in approval. To the contrary, homeless Veterans living at the VA complained repeatedly about a variety of issues, including a suicide last week at Building 209. Ms. Brown tried to dodge this but eventually admitted there was a “death” but never conceded it was a suicide. In fact, we learned there was another death last week at Building 209, and a total of seven over the past year. A total of 54 homeless Veterans live at Building 209 that cost $20 million to rehab this once antiquated, vacant and rat-infested structure.

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Los Angeles remains our nation’s capital for homeless Veterans

Veterans complained about other personal issues, including the exceedingly long wait period for disability compensation, as well as abuse and negligence at the VA emergency room where a Veteran ultimately had to call 911 to take him to UCLA Medical Center, but not before the VA police intervened and tried to accuse him of being disorderly and whatnot. Veterans complained that there are only two plumbers at the largest and most complex VA in the nation and Ms. Brown bemoaned that the VA was struggling with finances and only had a couple groundskeepers for the entire 388-acre facility, which hires more than 4,000 other employees, that includes 55 VA police officers to monitor, harass and arrest innocent Veterans. When it came time to talk about Veteran homelessness, the VA was so “concerned” that Heidi Marston, WLA VA’s director of the so-called “Community Engagement and Re-integration Service,” didn’t show but sent a couple of her underlings to parrot her tired and worn-out clichés. Note: By the VA’s own admission, the “Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (CERS) is the largest VA homeless program in the country with over 600 staff, a budget of $150 million, and resources to house over 9,000 homeless Veterans through emergency, transitional and permanent housing.” Think about this. With all that money and a large staff, Los Angeles remains our nation’s capital for homeless Veterans while the VA promised to end it by the conclusion of 2015. Two-and-half-years later and LA is still our nation’s capital for homeless Veterans, but the Los Angeles VA now has the largest VA homeless program in the country with a staff of over 600 staff and a budget of $150 million, but the VA only has two plumbers and a couple groundskeepers to oversee the entire VA property.

Empty Platitudes

The Los Angeles VA further admits that it has “resources to house over 9,000 homeless Veterans through emergency, transitional and permanent housing.” Did I mention Los Angeles is still the nation’s capital for homeless Veterans? Ms. Harsten’s assistant began her well-rehearsed rhetoric by declaring she had some “very exciting news,” and that was Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles supposedly declined by 18% from last year. She rambled on with more empty platitudes, but never offering any legitimate or realistic solutions to resolve Veteran homelessness. Finally, I got to speak and reminded the “leadership team” that the #1 Objective of the VA’s 2015 “settlement agreement” (attached) promised to end Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015, and we are still the nation’s capital for homeless Veterans. I questioned the so-called “18% decline,” suggesting that it could realistically be the result of homeless Veterans dying on the streets of LA from unhealthy conditions, were murdered or committed suicide. Moreover, I questioned about the VA claiming they do not have the resources to provide emergency shelter for homeless Veterans while they reimbursed Veterans Park Conservancy -- a wealthy homeowner group that had an illegal “sharing agreement” -- $393,000 for an illegal amphitheater they tried to build before a Federal Court Order stopped construction and forced them to demolish it. The VA reimbursed the homeowner group $393,000 virtually immediately for this illegal activity, but they cannot accommodate impoverished Veterans with their rightfully-deserved disability compensation, nor can they provide an emergency “tent city” to shelter homeless Veterans.


VA Pays Big Bucks to Reimburse Business for Ending Illegal Contracts at LA Facility Veterans attending this “dog and phony” show were not the least bit interested in all the VA's hype and propaganda, but were challenging the VA’s incompetence, dysfunction and indifference toward Veterans and their personal issues. The VA “leadership team” confirmed the aforementioned, as they simply imploded and at 7 PM Ann Brown defiantly shut down any further questions from Veterans. Attention VA Secretary Wilkie: This is to respectfully request that you immediately come to Los Angeles and clean house, beginning with replacing Ann Brown and her “leadership team.” This is to further request that you immediately impose strict sanctions against UCLA’s baseball diamond, Brentwood School’s athletic complex, the Brentwood Village parking lot, the City of Los Angeles’s public dog park, recreation park and public parking lot, and all other non-Veteran entities from entering onto VA property until the very first Objective and promise of the attached 2015 “settlement agreement” is fully honored and fulfilled, i.e., ending Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles. Specifically, anybody who is not a U.S. Military Veteran or a bona fide VA employee serving our Veterans, must not be allowed on VA property until the VA fully honors its 2015 promise to end Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles. Secretary Wlkie, if you would honestly and honorably impose these necessary sanctions against the non-Veteran occupants, we can assure you that Veteran homelessness would end, posthaste. We know that the means and wherewithal are there to immediately honor and fulfill the 2015 settlement agreement, but it’s the morality, integrity and desire that is lacking. Take away their ability to occupy Veterans VA property for their own selfish benefit and these non-Veteran entities will immediately gain the morality, integrity and desire necessary to end Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles. Make the Los Angeles National Veterans Home Great Again! Settlement Signed Principles for Partnership (PDF)

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Robert L. Rosebrock -- Bio and Archives Robert Rosebrock is a U.S. Army Veteran, Vietnam-era and Director of the Old Veterans Guard. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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