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TEXAS COUNTY FIRES VETERANS OFFICER -- Claims were

not filed in a timely fashion and vets' files were taken home.

 

 

Story here... http://www.timesrecordnews.com/
trn/local_news/article/0,1891,TRN_
5784_5314490,00.html

Story below:

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County fires director

By Michael Hines/Times Record News

The director of Wichita County's veterans office was fired Monday following accusations of inefficiency and possible privacy violations.

Wichita County Commissioners unanimously voted to terminate Kathy Matelski, the veterans service officer for the past 11 years. Matelski had been on administrative leave with pay for nearly a month.

"I didn't think that a few cases that have been alleged would result in this kind of thing," Matelski said after the meeting.

County Judge Woody Gossom said Matelski's record has been relatively good but the severity of the problem couldn't be overlooked.

"Sometimes, one incident can be enough" for termination, he said.

The situation stems from complaints that came late last year.

Commissioners explained that complaints about the veterans office had come in before, but not at a level to prompt investigation. A couple of complaints - one by a leader of a veterans organization - changed that.

In October, Gossom contacted the Texas Veteran's Commission office in Waco. A short time later, James Richman, director of claims representation, called Gossom with concerns about claims personally dropped off by Matelski. Richman sent Gossom a letter in December that listed the six cases and the concerns.

During Monday's meeting, Richman described what he called irregularities. At issue was a lag between the time veterans said they filed claims at the office here and the time those documents made it to the Veteran Affairs agency.

One case had a veteran filing a claim on March 28, 2006, but the information not reaching the Veterans Affairs office until June 30, when the veteran faxed it in himself, Richman said. In another instance, information submitted in May 2004 didn't get to the VA until last year.

Gossom and Pat Norris are the county's liaisons to the veteran's office, which helps Wichita County veterans and their dependents in filing claims with the VA and provides state benefits information. Both county officials met with Matelski on Dec. 15. During that meeting, Matelski admitted to being a year to a year and a half behind on the workload, Gossom told the commission. Matelski pointed to staffing needs but also sometimes losing focus on the work, Norris said.

When she was placed on administrative leave, Matelski was asked to return any material she may have had outside of the office. She provided three boxes of files, two concerning inactive cases and one with active clients.

"The point to me is they just shouldn't have been at the house," said Commissioner Bill Presson.

Matelski defended her practices and said with only two counselors - including herself - and some part-time help, the workload is a lot to deal with.

No formal search committee is being formed to find a replacement for Matelski, Gossom said. He intends to visit officials in Austin to discuss options. Out of those discussions would come the next step for the veterans' office here, with a big change possibly seeing the county and state offices combined in one location.

"We've got to make some philosophical decisions on how that office is going to operate," Gossom said. "Wichita County will provide veterans with support services ... It is a time to make an evaluation of how the office is maintained."

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Larry Scott

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