Tag Archives: timothy j feeney

A Tarnished STIC Brings Feeney Back

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The New York State Department of Health has signed a contract with the Southern Tier Independent Living Center (STIC) in Binghamton New York giving it the neurobehavioral project for the state’s traumatic brain injury waiver.  Even though STIC Executive Director Maria Dibble knows Timothy J. Feeney misrepresents his credentials to people with disabilities (including children!), the very people she, STIC, and Feeney claim to serve, the neurobehavioral project will once again be handed to Feeney.

While the contract still needs to go through a review by New York’s attorney general and comptroller for approval, sources say it is unlikely the contract will be voided.

Any advocate or advocacy group that does not openly voice its disapproval of Feeney’s presence in the mix, is, by default, part of the problem. It’s like claiming to be a civil rights organization and then keeping your mouth shut when people are being made to ride in the back of the bus. Any provider who allows Feeney anywhere near their program clearly doesn’t think much of the people they claim to serve.

What would be interesting would be to have a public debate between myself and Mr. Feeney (he’d have to find some backbone) at which he can explain why it is okay to mislead people with disabilities and lie about his credentials.

In the meantime, I am urging all advocates and interested parties to file complaints with the government fraud division of the State Comptroller and the state attorney general’s healthcare industry task force. There are other investigations under way now into Feeney that I cannot talk about.

You can also file your concerns and complaints with the Kahrmann Advocacy Coalition at kahrma1(insert at sign)gmail.com

No human being deserves to receive their healthcare services or have their healthcare services influenced by someone who misrepresents his credentials. Imagine your family members receiving care from a doctor and then you find out the doctor is not a doctor at all.

Feeney and those supporting him ought to be doubled up with guilt, but that’s not happening.  It’s hard to feel guilt when you don’t have a conscience.

Is Tim Feeney a Liar?

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A friend of mine recently wrote to me wanting a closer look at the details surrounding Timothy J. Feeney’s bogus claim in an email to my blog readers that he was awarded a legitimate masters degree and doctorate by  a now defunct diploma mill called Greenwich University. The short answer is, he wasn’t. However, let’s look at the facts.

Feeney’s unsolicited email to my blog readers says Greenwich “functioned as an unaccredited institution in the US, moved it’s physical location to Australia, received legal accreditation in Australia for a two year period – period of time that my doctorate was conferred – and then lost that accreditation and closed.”

First of all, Greenwich was never given legal accreditation by the government of Australia – never.

In fact, according to the Australian Federal Government’s Department of Education, Science and Training, “Between 30 June 1998 and 2 December 2002, Greenwich University (Norfolk Island) degrees were lawfully awarded under legislation approved by the Norfolk Island Government (not the Australian Government), using its powers of self-government. While the Commonwealth Minister for Territories assented to legislation, this does not mean that Greenwich University awards were ever recognized by the Federal Government of Australia.” In fact, in January 1999, Greenwich actually sought accreditation under the  Australian Qualifications Framework. The Australian government set up a review committee that, after review, ruled that Greenwich would “not be listed on the registers of the Australian Qualifications Framework because the standard of its courses, quality assurance mechanisms and its academic leadership fail to meet the standards expected of Australian universities.”

But, for the moment anyway, ‘let’s go back to Feeney’s claim that his “doctorate” (note that he omits reference to the “masters”) was awarded during the time Norfolk Island allowed Greenwich to issue degrees: June 30, 1998 to December 2, 2002.  However, there is a rather critical document that stands in the way of Feeney’s claim. In fact, it disproves it.  It is a document, I dare say, that Feeney himself would  a tough time arguing against, mostly because the document is his resume. His resume says he was awarded his “masters” in 1992 and his “doctorate” in 1996, six years and two years respectively before the time period Norfolk Island allowed Greenwich to award degrees.

And just so we leave no stone unturned, in a January 27, 2009 email to me written by Douglass  Capogrossi, the former president of Greenwich University no less, Mr. Capogrossi writes that Feeney received his “masters” from Greenwich on August 27, 1993 and his “doctorate” on June 14, 1999. So was Feeney lying in his resume when he claimed 1996 as the year he received his “doctorate”? Hmmm, lob pitch anyone?

Having said all this, here is the bottom line. Neither document awarded Feeney by Greenwich is recognized as a valid college degree anywhere in the world and, more importantly, anywhere in the United States, including my home state of New York. The dates he cited in his email to my blog readers were and are disingenuous.

So what does this all mean, other than Feeney continues to knowingly misrepresent his credentials. It means that any business, health care provider and  or government agency who knowingly does business with him has in some way decided it is okay for him to lie about his credentials and mislead survivors of brain injury, their families, children with disabilities, healthcare providers and more.

I would urge any and all to refuse to work with Feeney or any entity he is involved with until Feeney openly acknowledges his dishonesty.

 

Feeney Again: Understatements & Reasons

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An understatement: New York State brain injury survivors and their families will be up arms if Timothy J. Feeney and his staff have any involvement in the Statewide Neurobehavioral Project; a project designed to help providers of services under the Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver. In fact, if there were an Olympic event for understatements and you uttered the preceding sentence, you might just win gold.

I was asked recently if I knew if a contract had been signed that would bring Feeney back.  While I’ve heard from an array of sources that Feeney and his minions are scampering around claiming they are under contract, I do not think the contract has been signed. If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll recall that for 15 years while working under contract with the department of health, Feeney misrepresented his educational credentials to New York State Officials, people with brain injuries of all ages, children with disabilities, educational institutions, and healthcare providers. It may be that he did so in courts as well. An avenue of investigative interest for sure. 

If you think having the bogusness of his credentials exposed in 2008 by this writer dissuaded him from continuing the ruse, you’re wrong. Feeney continued and continues to present himself as having a PhD and a Masters Degree. The truth?  He has neither. Feeney was issued these “degrees” by a business called Greenwich University; a dip0loma mill. “Degrees” from Greenwich are not valid anywhere in the world.

Let me just say that I’ve known people with real doctorates and real masters degrees and my father taught at Columbia University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. People pour their blood, sweat and tears into getting these degrees.

If I am right that the contract has not been signed, I believe there are several reasons for this. Most will not surprise you – one might.

  • First, and likely the least surprising, the whole country is looking to conserve Medicaid dollars to the extreme (keep in mind Feeney was essentially being paid with your tax dollars).
  • Second, everyone knows that allowing Feeney and those linked to Feeney back into the fold would be a clear statement to survivors of brain injuries, their loved ones that they are second rate citizens. Why else anyone allow someone who misrepresents his credentials and those who know this and support him back into the fold? It would be like asking a geologist to oversee neurosurgery across the state (my apologies to the geologists among us).
  • Third, if Feeney were again part of the neurobehavioral project and investigations resulted in criminal and or civil charges against him down the road, how would anyone look if they’d entered into a contract with him, directly or indirectly, having been fully informed of his misrepresentations before doing so?! Wouldn’t any parties falling into this category find themselves on the receiving end of some fairly zealous and plausible litigation?
  • However, there is a fourth reason, and this is the one that might surprise you. While the public at large is quick to condemn government agencies simply because they are government agencies, such condemnations are not always accurate. All indications are that those in the New York State Department of Health genuinely do care about the quality of services being provided to survivors of brain injury in the state. And that is good news for us all.

 

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Feeney, the White House, Editors, Elected Officials & Criminal Investigations

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If New York State enters into a contract allowing Timothy J. Feeney to once again impact the lives of survivors of brain injury and those who provide services to them, several things will take place. Before I get to them, let’s review some of the facts.

  • Fact: For more 15 years now Timothy J. Feeney has misrepresented his educational credentials to New York State Officials, people with brain injuries of all ages, children with disabilities, educational institutions and healthcare providers.
  • Fact: Feeney’s so-called PhD and so-called Masters Degree were issued by Greenwich University, a now defunct diploma mill whose degrees are not recognized as valid anywhere in the world.
  • Fact: The New York State Department of Health now knows Feeney has misrepresented and continues to misrepresent his credentials.
  • Fact: STIC (the Southern Tier Independence Living Center), the provider likely to be awarded the contract and give the work to Feeney and his people, has been fully informed of Feeney’s past and present misrepresentations.
  • Fact: STIC and the New York State Department of Health have been informed that Feeney is under contract with the Fort Ann Central School District in New York’s Washington County to work with children (children!) with disabilities , where he is again misrepresenting himself in the process. Fort Ann has been informed as well and has continued working with Feeney; so much for putting the children first.
  • Fact: If Feeney is part of the contract he will be getting paid in taxpayer dollars, Medicaid dollars which means your money and mine will be paying a dishonest individual.

If New York State enters into any contract which allows Feeney to be part of the Statewide Neurobehavioral Project, an entity that wields enormous power over the lives of survivors of brain injury and their families as well as those who provide services to them, then New York and STIC are making it clear they have no respect for people with brain injuries. Why on earth should those of us who live with brain injuries have to deal with someone who lies about who they are? Someone who is unqualified?

And what was the dysfunctional thinking and the behind the scenes backslapping that went on that led to the decision to contract with someone everyone knows is a fraud? What did not go on behind the scenes was any real concern for those of us who live with brain injuries, our loved ones, and the honest healthcare providers that do give a damn. What did not go on was any respect whatsoever for the hard-earned taxpayer dollars that will pay Feeney and his crew.

Back to what  will take place should Feeney and his people be involved in the contract.

  • Letters will be written to the editors of all daily newspapers in New York State and neighboring states detailing the actions of the State and Feeney and STIC.
  • Letters will be sent out to a wide array of State and Federal officials, including President Obama, Healthcare Secretary Sibelius, as well as various members of law enforcement given that historically Feeney has interacted with the judicial system again misrepresenting himself in the process.
  • Last, but by no means least, letters will be sent to CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), the Federal Agency the oversees the spending of Medicaid and Medicare dollars in all states, and an agency that will not be pleased to here New York has knowingly entered into a contract with someone they know is misrepresenting his credentials.

The ball is in the court of the State and STIC. We’ll see what happens.

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Feeney Facts Plain and Simple

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It is  amazing how stone cold facts sometimes get a bit foggy,  or so some would hope. So, I thought I’d lift the fog a bit.

Fact: Timothy J. Feeney continues to say he has a valid PhD and a valid Masters Degree when he doesn’t.

Fact: The Southern Tier Independence Center in Binghamton New York may well get the contract from the New York State Department of Health to be the Statewide Neurobehavioral Project for New York’s Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver.

Fact: All indications are Southern Tier has every intention of giving the work, once again because they did it before, to Feeney and his team. 

Fact: The New York State Department of Health and the Southern Tier Independence Center are fully aware of  Feeney’s bogus degrees and both parties have received communication from brain injury survivors, family members and, in some cases, providers, asking to be protected from having Feeney and his company in their lives. Some providers have said they will stop providing services if Feeney returns.

Fact: If the Southern Tier Independence Center gets the contract and gives work to Feeney and the state doesn’t step up and stop this from happening that means that the Southern Tier Independence Center and the NY State DOH are okay with a dishonest and unqualified individual impacting the lives of the 2700 or so brain injury survivors on the waiver, their families, and the dozens of honorable healthcare providers trying to provide waiver services.

Fact: If the last Fact were to happen, it would mean Southern Tier and the State are not putting the survivors, their families, and the providers first.  And, by the way, it would mean both parties are sticking  it to the taxpayers because it is taxpayer dollars that would foot the bill, and taxpayers deserve honesty too.

Fact: The Kahrmann Advocacy Coalition, whose membership will soon be larger than that of the prestigious Brain Injury Association of NY State, is paying close attention, which is fairly relevant since the coalition was founded by brain injury survivors and their loved ones, they very people all the aforementioned parties say they care about.

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