“Delay, deny, and hope that I die” (refrain about benefits claims)
An organization that wants to limit benefits for its workers (or retired workers) might want to delay claims for as long as possible and then deny those claims, hoping that claimants become exhausted and give up (or die). A September 2006 article about the United States Department of Veterans Affairs contained a rhyming slogan:
“The adversarial nature of the VA claims process is a fact of life. Every veteran knows the saying ‘Delay and Deny and Hope that I Die’ and will tell you it is the VA motto.”
“Delay, deny and wait until I die” (frequently given as “delay, deny, wait till I die”) was cited in print in February 2008. “Delay, deny and hope we die” was said by National Football League critics in June 2007 to be the NFL’s retirement plan.
OpEdNews
DON’T DENY VETERANS LEGAL REPRESENTATION
By Amanda Lang
September 4, 2006 at 16:03:11
The adversarial nature of the VA claims process is a fact of life. Every veteran knows the saying “Delay and Deny and Hope that I Die” and will tell you it is the VA motto.
Be sure to contact your representative in the U.S. House and urge them to support the Veterans’ Choice of Representation Act of 2006. This bill has been passed in the Senate. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the House.
8 October 2006, Greensboro (NC) News and Record, “Veteran waits for help with stress disorder” by Lex Alexander, pg. A1:
Veterans sardonically call this the “Delay, deny and hope that I die” policy.
27 June 2007, Daily News of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA):
“Delay, deny and hope we die. That’s the Tom Condon/Gene Upshaw retirement plan,” Boyd said Tuesday night by telephone.
(Brent Boyd—ed.)
CBS News
By PIA MALBRAN / CNET/ February 29, 2008, 11:25 AM
VA Benefits Boss Quits
The man in charge of overseeing benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs – Retired Vice Admiral Daniel Cooper – is stepping down after 6 years on the job.
(...)
But, his resignation comes on the heels of much criticism that the VA has failed to reduce the enormous backlog of veteran claims. One veteran told CBS News some frustrated vets call it the “delay, deny and wait until I die” system.
CBS News—60 Minutes
January 1, 2010 1:59 PM
Why The VA Frustrates Veterans
By CBSNews
(...).
That has led some to latch onto another motto making the rounds for how the VA operates: “Delay, Deny and Hope That I Die.”
Los Angeles (CA) Times
Same old story for NFL retirees
The Super Bowl is a bittersweet experience for many retired NFL players dealing with health and financial problems after enduring punishing years on the field.
February 04, 2012|BILL DWYRE
(...)
The league seems to have an agenda of stopgap mollifying. Retiree groups characterize that with a motto: Delay, Deny and Hope They Die.
Concerned Veterans for America
“Delay, Deny, Wait Till I Die”: Growing Number of Vets Die Awaiting VA Benefits
January 3, 2013
by Pete Hegseth
One of the few journalistic outlets keeping track of the long record of incompetence and dysfunction at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR). CIR has done great work examining how the backlog of benefits claims at the VA is affecting veterans and their families.