The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “the beleaguered Department of Veterans Affairs depicted dissatisfied veterans as Oscar the Grouch in a recent internal training guide, and some vets and VA staffers said Tuesday that they feel trashed.”  

“The cranky Sesame Street character who lives in a garbage can was used in reference to veterans who will attend town-hall events Wednesday in Philadelphia.  

“‘There is no time or place to make light of the current crisis that the VA is in,’ said Joe Davis, a national spokesman for the VFW. ‘And especially to insult the VA’s primary customer.'”  

“The 18-page slide show on how to help veterans with their claims, presented to VA employees Friday and obtained by The Inquirer, also says veterans might be demanding and unrealistic and tells VA staffers to apologize for the ‘perception’ of the agency.”