Noteboom The Law Firm

Tampa VA Makes Changes Following Improperly Recorded Leave Time

The James A. Haley Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center recently ran a broad internal investigation into the actions of their employees. They found many hours of mis-recorded leave time.

Between 2007 and 2008, 45 employees were given unrecorded paid leave time because of an "administrative process error." The total amount of time off totaled approximately 5,000 hours. The leave the employees took was properly taken. The time, however, was never properly recorded. Employees, then, saw they had more leave time available than was actually available.

The Tampa VA claims it is unknown if any employees used that discrepancy to their advantage and took time to which they were not entitled. Following the investigation, the VA reported having to deal with their employees in various manners.

The VA claims no fraud took place, and not one person made any gains from the mistake. At the same time, they felt it necessary to either counsel or discipline some of their employees. Other employees were transferred to different positions inside the VA, and still others were "billed" for the time. Taxpayers bore no cost because employees had the time charged back to them.

The VA refused to supply a copy of the incident's audit report. The VA admits "insufficient controls" and "administrative error" led to the issue in the first place, but says everything has since been corrected.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.