A Call Center That Doesn't Take Calls?

The answer to that question is the Veterans Affairs Department's Education Call Center in Muskogee, Okla., which no longer takes calls from veterans on Thursdays or Fridays.

Reps. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., and John Boozman, R-Ark., find this a rather curious state of affairs, and at a hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Committee's Economic Opportunity Subcommittee last week, they asked VA officials to offer a rationale.

The official explanation: VA closed the call center two days a week so the folks in Muskogee could use the time to process claims.

Sandlin found this unacceptable and suggested VA spread out the claims processing throughout the week.

Boozman also expressed bafflement. He said the worker bees in Muskogee told congressional staffers during a site visit in January that they did not understand the two-day weekly hiatus from saying hello.

Boozman said staffers suggested spreading the claims processing load in Muskogee over the work week and that suggestion was forwarded to top VA management, which has yet to act on the suggestion.

Boozman wondered, "Why does it take a suggestion from congressional staff to raise such a common sense issue and why do those responsible at the local level need to get permission from central office?"