HRA Keeps 12 Veterans on ICE

What kind of society treats its warriors like this? Can there be a lower act of disgrace?
CITY DENIES VETS BURIAL RITES, CHARITIES SAY
By DOUGLAS MONTERO
April 28, 2008 -- The city is having trouble providing burials for unclaimed veterans because it notoriously shortchanges charitable groups that help bury them, critics charge.
Vincent Reilly, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Inc., said he's done fronting money to bury the indigent because the city's Human Resources Administration frequently rejects reimbursement claims. [my bold]
"We find [the HRA] to be deadbeats," Reilly said.
JoAnn Orr, an HRA director in charge of burial claims, said that the agency helped bury 82 veterans last year and that it has reimbursed other charitable groups.
Still, the HRA reimbursed fewer than half the 1,960 claims made last year.
A dozen unclaimed veterans remain on ice at the city morgue. [my bold]
After The Post recently brought the situation to light, the Mayor's Office on Veteran Affairs met with veterans groups.
Queens Councilman Hiram Monserrate, the head of the Veterans Committee, will conduct a hearing today to root out the bureaucratic problem. http://www.nypost.com/seven/04282008/news/regionalnews/city_denies_vets_burial_rites__charities_108482.htm