Category: Governance
-
Widespread Inaccuracies of Records on Autism Treatment Providers
By James C. Sherlock The author has completed a detailed survey of individual Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) providers in New Jersey licensed by Virginia Medicaid to provide services to children with autism. He picked New Jersey for reasons familiar to readers of his work on nursing home chains. The survey revealed that most of those…
-
The Budget “Talks” Are Heating UP
by Dick Hall-Sizemore As reported by the Virginia Political Newsletter, Sen. Lucas and Gov. Spanberger have been engaging in public responses to the House budget conference proposal and to each other. Neither is backing down, although Lucas seems to have dropped her demand that the sales tax exemption for data center equipment be repealed. Instead,…
-
Rocovich Punches Back
From Cardinal News: Former Virginia Tech rector John Rocovich filed a lawsuit against Gov. Abigail Spanberger in Montgomery County Circuit Court on Tuesday after she removed him from the university’s board of visitors in May for undisclosed reasons pertaining to his conduct. … Rocovich’s team of attorneys argued, in the lawsuit, that Spanberger did not…
-
Former UVA President’s Sabbatical Raises Governance Questions
by Scott Douglas Gerber When former University of Virginia President Jim Ryan recently sat for a friendly interview with Cville Right Now, he sounded delighted to be off the clock. He described mornings spent writing a leadership book; afternoons kite surfing, skiing, golfing, biking and traveling; and he joked, “I’m really good at not working.” The joke…
-
Wrecked Rectors & Busted Boards
by Gordon C. Morse Here’s what John G. Rocovich, former rector of Virginia Tech, wrote to Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger last Thursday: “Virginia Tech deserves better than to be made a political football. I have given too much of my life to this institution to stand by silently while its independence is threatened — regardless…
-
Spanberger Making Enemies All Over Virginia
by Kerry Dougherty Last week, after it was announced that Gov. Abigail Spanberger was meddling in Virginia Tech governance by summarily firing the beloved rector of Virginia Tech, former Rep. Scott Taylor posed a question on X: Is there any group that the new governor of Virginia hasn’t pissed off?“Furries,” I replied. “The NOVA Wine…
-
Rocovich Responds
to his firing as Virginia Tech rector by Governor Abigail Spanberger. Source: (18) Patrick Bowers on X: “GO OFF ROC! Take a seat @SpanbergerForVA https://t.co/HaU97nyo8d” / X
-
Thankful for Virginia’s SOL Exams
Transparency and Accountability Where Local Systems Fell Short by Todd Truitt My guest commentary this week in the Richmond Times-Dispatch expresses thankfulness for Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Before statewide testing, local assessments often masked poor performance and hid achievement gaps from parents and policymakers. The SOLs brought essential transparency and continue to keep…
-
Autism-related Vulnerability of Virginia Medicaid
by James C. Sherlock Virginia is not doing enough to prevent Medicaid fraud. Our attempts are hampered by the dysfunctional design of the state regulatory system. They often fail because they cannot work. This piece will focus on behavioral health and recommend specific actions, but the entire healthcare regulatory system needs an overhaul. Absent that,…
-
This Memorial Day, Maybe We Need to Read the Federalist Papers Again
As politicians threaten the independence of the judiciary and arrogate the power of the legislature over all other branches, maybe some remedial reading is in order? by Shaun Kenney After a rather shocking — and by shocking, I mean disappointing — exchange on social media with a sitting Virginia state senator regarding his misuse of…
-
The Single Funniest Thing on the Web May Mask Tragedy
by James C. Sherlock The story behind the jokes is true, well-documented, and strange. From X: Comedy is funniest when it is based on an underlying truth. Freitas offers a hilarious satire. Attorney General Jay Jones is lit up by Mr. Freitas for actual typos. Virginia (Virgnia) and Senator (Sentator) were misspelled in a court filing…
-
Government Oversight of the Integrity of Healthcare Programs in Virginia – Part 1
by James C. Sherlock This author’s unbroken experience over many years has been that majorities in the General Assembly have sought to protect the healthcare industry from competition (COPN) and leave it alone to operate as it sees fit. They have not wanted oversight because many of their largest donors and most influential constituents in…
-
In the Business of Health Care Fraud, Virginia is Minnesota
by James C. Sherlock Health care fraudsters are often treated by Virginia elected officials in the same way moonshiners were in this state, as local heroes pursued only by the feds. Many prefer not to interrupt the product flow. They simply want a taste from the jar. Dick Hall-Sizemore, a dedicated contributor to BR and a good…
-
Adversarial Government Works Best
by Chap Petersen A couple years ago, I wrote an essay entitled: “Single-Party Government Didn’t Work in the Soviet Union, and It’s Not Working in Fairfax County Either.” My goal was to point out the parallels in failing one-party systems. But frankly the points were too obvious. So I didn’t bother publishing it. Maybe I…
-
Table Stakes: Virginia Nursing Home Chains Selling to REITs
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes, when you are winning big in a table stakes poker game, it can be time to put some money in your pocket. That is part of the game many nursing home chains are playing these days. Everybody wins but the nursing facility residents, Medicare, and Medicaid. The enterprise architecture of…