Watchdog finds ‘systemic’ problems at VA, top Republican joins calls for Shinseki to resign
Watchdog finds systemic problems at VA, top Republican joins calls for Shinseki to resign
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki speaks with the news media on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 15, 2014, after testifying before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing to examine the state of Veterans Affairs health care
. AP
The official watchdog for the Department of Veterans Affairs claimed in a scathing report that the department has a "systemic" problem with clinics lying about treatment records, as a top Republican joined calls for Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.
The VA Office of Inspector General released its interim report on Wednesday , as part of its ongoing probe into whether veterans died as a result of under-reported delays. While not reaching any conclusion on what led to those deaths, the office released troubling statistics regarding the embattled Phoenix VA facility suggesting workers under-stated wait-times in order to make their internal figures look good.
The office, in its preliminary findings, determined that veterans in Phoenix waited an average of 115 days for a primary care appointment -- far longer than the VA's official statistics showed. Such inappropriate scheduling tactics, according to the report, may be the basis for claims of "secret" waiting lists.
On the heels of the report, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., called for Shinseki to "resign immediately," joining other top lawmakers who have demanded the same. So far, President Obama has stood by his VA secretary.
The report released Wednesday focused on the Phoenix VA facility, while noting that reviews at a "growing number" of facilities have exposed inappropriate scheduling practices throughout the VA system.
The IG's office released figures showing the Phoenix office significantly understated the number of veterans waiting for care .
"To date, our work has substantiated serious conditions at the Phoenix" center, the report said.
According to the IG's office, about 1,400 veterans awaiting a primary care appointment were appropriately included on the electronic wait-list - but an additional 1,700 veterans waiting for an appointment were left off that list. The omission, the report warned, raises the risk that these veterans will be "forgotten or lost" in the "convoluted" Phoenix system.
The IG's office said VA national data had claimed patient wait times among a sample of Phoenix veterans typically was about 24 days. But the IG's own review found the average wait was actually 115 days.
The report would appear to substantiate allegations that clinics played around with the schedules to make it seem like patients were being seen sooner. The VA offices at Phoenix and several other locations have been accused of covering up the long waits by using improper scheduling tactics. About 40 veterans are said to have died while awaiting care in Phoenix.
Miller, whose committee is holding a hearing Wednesday evening where VA officials are slated to testify, also called for General Eric Holder to launch a probe into the VA's "scheduling corruption" in light of the report.
"Today the inspector confirmed beyond a of a doubt what was becoming more obvious by the day: wait time schemes and data manipulation are systemic throughout VA and are putting veterans at risk in Phoenix and across the country," he said in a statement.
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The report would appear to substantiate allegations that clinics played around with the schedules to make it seem like patients
were being seen sooner. The VA offices at Phoenix and several other locations have been accused of covering up the long waits by using improper scheduling tactics. About 40 veterans are said to have died while awaiting care in Phoenix.
Unacceptable!