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| Eric Shinseki faces tough questions from Senate panel on VA troubles | Eric Shinseki faces tough questions from Senate panel on VA troubles |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki testified before a Senate panel Thursday that allegations of treatment delays and cover-ups at VA medical centers make him “mad as hell,” and he vowed to fix any problems documented by an inspector general’s investigation. | |
| Shinseki faced tough questioning by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, which summoned him to provide answers about recent claims that VA health clinics in Phoenix and Fort Collins, Colo., used elaborate schemes to hide records of patients who waited too long for care that meets the department’s goals. His testimony comes 10 days after the American Legion called for his resignation over the VA troubles. | |
| “Any allegation like this . . . makes me mad as hell,” Shinseki said in an opening statement. “But at the same time, it also saddens me.” He said that if any allegations are proved by the inspector general’s investigation, “they are completely unacceptable — to me, to veterans, to the vast majority of VA employees. If any are substantiated by the inspector general, we will act.” But he said it was important to allow the inspector general to complete the review. | |
| Senators on the committee, however, complained that allegations of treatment delays are hardly new. | |
| In opening the hearing, Sen. Bernard Sanders ((I-Vt.), the committee chairman, said, “I take these allegations very seriously.” He pledged to hold additional hearings after the inspector general’s office in Phoenix issues a thorough report on the allegations. | In opening the hearing, Sen. Bernard Sanders ((I-Vt.), the committee chairman, said, “I take these allegations very seriously.” He pledged to hold additional hearings after the inspector general’s office in Phoenix issues a thorough report on the allegations. |
| But Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), saying she is “very frustrated” by the issue, charged that the Veterans Affairs Department “has repeatedly failed to address wait times for health care.” She added: “These recent allegations are not new issues. They are deep system-wide problems, and they grow more concerning every day.” She said there was “no reason to wait for the Phoenix report before acting on the larger problems.” | But Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), saying she is “very frustrated” by the issue, charged that the Veterans Affairs Department “has repeatedly failed to address wait times for health care.” She added: “These recent allegations are not new issues. They are deep system-wide problems, and they grow more concerning every day.” She said there was “no reason to wait for the Phoenix report before acting on the larger problems.” |
| Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said he agreed with Sanders that there should be no “rush to judgment” in the case. “But we should have a rush to accountability,” he said. | Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said he agreed with Sanders that there should be no “rush to judgment” in the case. “But we should have a rush to accountability,” he said. |
| Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.), the top Republican on the panel, said in an opening statement that Shinseki “should have been aware that VA was facing a national scheduling crisis.” He added, “VA’s leadership has either failed to connect the dots or failed to address this ongoing crisis, which has resulted in patient harm and even death.” | |
| Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said there were allegations that “some 40 veterans” in Phoenix died because of a lack of care. He charged that the Obama administration “failed to respond in an effective manner.” McCain cited “endless wait times” and “mountains of bureaucratic red tape,” adding: “No one should be treated this way in a country as great as ours. . . . And we should all be ashamed.” | |
| Republican lawmakers want Shinseki to detail how long he took to order the preservation of electronic and paper evidence related to the purported delays. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) criticized the VA last week for taking eight days to comply with his early-April request to protect the records. | Republican lawmakers want Shinseki to detail how long he took to order the preservation of electronic and paper evidence related to the purported delays. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) criticized the VA last week for taking eight days to comply with his early-April request to protect the records. |
| In an interview Wednesday, Sanders said the delay is not surprising. “Anyone who knows the VA knows it’s a bureaucracy that moves slowly — often too slowly,” he said. | In an interview Wednesday, Sanders said the delay is not surprising. “Anyone who knows the VA knows it’s a bureaucracy that moves slowly — often too slowly,” he said. |
| The VA has placed three Phoenix executives on administrative leave as the review takes place, and Shinseki has ordered face-to-face audits of the scheduling systems at all the department’s medical centers. | The VA has placed three Phoenix executives on administrative leave as the review takes place, and Shinseki has ordered face-to-face audits of the scheduling systems at all the department’s medical centers. |
| The scandal erupted when a former VA doctor alleged that the department’s Phoenix health clinic developed a secret system to hide treatment delays, possibly affecting dozens of patients who died while waiting for care. CNN first reported the claims late last month, and other whistleblowers have substantiated them, according to the cable news network. | The scandal erupted when a former VA doctor alleged that the department’s Phoenix health clinic developed a secret system to hide treatment delays, possibly affecting dozens of patients who died while waiting for care. CNN first reported the claims late last month, and other whistleblowers have substantiated them, according to the cable news network. |
| A later report from the VA’s Office of the Medical Inspector said the Fort Collins medical center falsified appointment records to give the impression that staff doctors had seen patients within the department’s goal of 14 to 30 days, USA Today reported. | A later report from the VA’s Office of the Medical Inspector said the Fort Collins medical center falsified appointment records to give the impression that staff doctors had seen patients within the department’s goal of 14 to 30 days, USA Today reported. |
| Sanders indicated that he wants to know more Thursday about VA staffing levels and whether additional personnel could help the clinics provide care in a more timely fashion. | Sanders indicated that he wants to know more Thursday about VA staffing levels and whether additional personnel could help the clinics provide care in a more timely fashion. |
| The committee chairman also said he would examine the department’s goal of seeing patients within 14 to 30 days to determine whether that time frame is realistic, considering the VA’s current budget limitations and workload. | The committee chairman also said he would examine the department’s goal of seeing patients within 14 to 30 days to determine whether that time frame is realistic, considering the VA’s current budget limitations and workload. |
| “I don’t know there are enough staff to provide the health care veterans need,” he said. “We have to take a look at that.” | “I don’t know there are enough staff to provide the health care veterans need,” he said. “We have to take a look at that.” |
| President Obama’s 2015 budget proposal asks Congress to provide $56 billion for veteran medical care. That amount would represent an increase of 3 percent compared to the enacted level for 2014. | President Obama’s 2015 budget proposal asks Congress to provide $56 billion for veteran medical care. That amount would represent an increase of 3 percent compared to the enacted level for 2014. |
| Sanders noted that the VA health system generally receives high marks from patients who use it. The American Customer Satisfaction Index shows that the network, which serves more than 8 million veterans, achieved scores equal to or better than those in the private sector last year. | Sanders noted that the VA health system generally receives high marks from patients who use it. The American Customer Satisfaction Index shows that the network, which serves more than 8 million veterans, achieved scores equal to or better than those in the private sector last year. |
| In terms of what Sanders expects from the VA at this point, he said he wants the department to be responsive to congressional inquiries and to take action if the investigation uncovers wrongdoing or mismanagement. | In terms of what Sanders expects from the VA at this point, he said he wants the department to be responsive to congressional inquiries and to take action if the investigation uncovers wrongdoing or mismanagement. |
| “They are funded by taxpayers, and the VA has to be responsive to the concerns that these committees are raising,” he said. “If there are managers around the country who are not doing their jobs, then those people have to be held accountable.” | “They are funded by taxpayers, and the VA has to be responsive to the concerns that these committees are raising,” he said. “If there are managers around the country who are not doing their jobs, then those people have to be held accountable.” |
| Republicans on the committee are likely to challenge Shinseki over bonuses that have gone to executives overseeing troubled health facilities in locations such as Pittsburgh, where a Legionnaires disease outbreak killed several patients in 2012, and in Atlanta, where a federal audit determined that the clinic there was not sufficiently addressing patient safety. | Republicans on the committee are likely to challenge Shinseki over bonuses that have gone to executives overseeing troubled health facilities in locations such as Pittsburgh, where a Legionnaires disease outbreak killed several patients in 2012, and in Atlanta, where a federal audit determined that the clinic there was not sufficiently addressing patient safety. |
| The House last month passed legislation to ban bonuses for senior VA executives in response to the department’s recent problems. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), said the measure is necessary because of “systematic leadership failures.” | The House last month passed legislation to ban bonuses for senior VA executives in response to the department’s recent problems. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), said the measure is necessary because of “systematic leadership failures.” |