VA CLAIM BACKDATING:

A high-ranking U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs administrator from Guilderland NY has been placed on paid leave in the wake of an investigation into his office.  Joseph Collorafi was suspended last month as chief of veterans affairs at the New York City regional VA office, said Keith Thompson, acting director of the office. The investigation revealed that someone in the regional office intentionally entered claim documents from veterans with incorrect dates — called "backdating" — into an internal database, VA spokeswoman Alison Aikele said Wednesday. "They would make it look like they were processing claims faster than they really were," said Aikele, who works in Washington, D.C. Changing the dates made it appear that the management was not "severely underperforming," according to Aikele. She said the leadership of the office in Manhattan was replaced and the individuals who left would not be returning. She maintained that no veterans were affected by the backdating.  The VA office in New York City serves 800,000 veterans living in 31 counties.

         Collorafi, 62, commuted on Amtrak from his home in Guilderland to his job, which pays about $135,000 a year. James O'Neill, the VA's assistant inspector general for investigations, said a subsequent investigation revealed the shredding of documents. "We're looking at a couple of facilities to determine whether the shredding that occurred was intentional or not," O'Neill said. Destroying or altering federal documents could be a criminal offense. O'Neill did not confirm nor deny whether Collorafi's leave was linked to that probe. Collorafi declined repeated requests for comment on this story. His attorney, Peter Noone, said the investigation was not related to Collorafi. "I'm not sure that has anything to do with him," Noone said.

         This week, two veterans groups filed a lawsuit in District of Columbia federal court claiming the VA takes too long to process disability claims by veterans. The agency averages at least six months per claim, the process can stretch to a year and appeals take up to four years on average, according to the suit filed Monday by the Vietnam Veterans of America and the Veterans of Modern Warfare. In recent weeks, 41 of 57 regional VA offices across the country have come under scrutiny over the possible shredding of supporting evidence in claims filed by veterans. Next week, the Democratic chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Rep. Bob Filner of California, will hold a hearing on the destruction of the records. In 1987, when he was a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, Collorafi was investigated by the FBI amid accusations that Collorafi and another officer, William F. McIntosh, filed requests for training pay for training they did not receive. The alleged incident, which involved a total of $1,500, occurred when Collorafi was director of the New York Guard's recruitment program, a post he held from 1980-85. The outcome of that case was not immediately known. O'Neill said the investigation into shredding at the New York regional office in Manhattan could take months. [Source: Albany Times Union Scott Waldman article 13 Nov 08 ++]