‘Troubling’ report sparks new wave of calls for VA chief’s resignation
‘Troubling’ report sparks new wave of calls for VA chief’s resignation
(about 3 hours later)
A Veterans Administration health clinic in Phoenix used inappropriate scheduling practices and concealed chronically high wait times, according to an independent report released Wednesday — igniting a wave of outrage and prompting a new flood of calls for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.
An independent review of Veterans Administration health centers has determined that government officials falsified records to hide the amount of time former service members have had to wait for medical appointments, calling a crisis that arose in one hospital in Phoenix, Ariz., a “systemic problem nationwide.”
The report, a 35-page interim document in advance of a full independent probe, found that 1,700 veterans using a Phoenix VA hospital were kept on unofficial wait lists.
The Inspector General’s report, a 35-page interim document, prompted new calls for VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, a former general and Vietnam veteran, to resign a post he has held since the beginning of the Obama administration. Those calls from Capitol Hill included several members of Obama’s own party, complicating what is already a political challenge for a president who has made veterans issues a legacy-defining priority after a decade of war.
Equally damning is the Inspector General’s examination of 226 veterans’ appointments in Phoenix during 2013. While the facility reported that only 43 percent of those veterans had to wait more than 14 days for an appointment, the report found that it was really 84 percent. The average wait for a veteran’s first appointment was 115 days, the investigation found in the sampling.
The report found that 1,700 veterans using a Phoenix VA hospital were kept on unofficial wait lists, a practice that helped officials avoid criticism for failing to accommodate former service members in the appropriate amount of time. A review of 226 veterans seeking appointments at the hospital in 2013 found that 84 percent had to wait more than two weeks to be seen. But officials at the hospital had reported that fewer than half were forced to wait that long, a false account that was then used to help determine eligibility for employee awards and pay raises.
And those details, the inspector general warned, could be just the beginning.
The agency has made it a goal to schedule appointments for veterans seeking medical care within 30 days. But the interim IG report found that in the 226-case sample the average wait for a veteran seeking a first appointment was 115 days, a period officials allegedly tried to hide by placing veterans on “secret lists” until an appointment could be found in the appropriate amount of time.
“We are finding that inappropriate scheduling practices are a systemic problem nationwide,” the report concluded.
“We are finding that inappropriate scheduling practices are a systemic problem nationwide,” the report states. “We have identified multiple types of scheduling practices not in compliance with VHA policy.”
White House officials said Wednesday that President Obama had been briefed on the Inspector General’s interim report and he found it “extremely troubling.”
The initial findings were released as President Obama delivered the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. During the speech, as he did earlier this week in a surprise visit to troops in Afghanistan, he pledged to ensure that veterans receive proper care as they return from war. The report helps clarify allegations that have swirled around the VA for weeks. White House officials said Obama had been briefed on its findings, which they said he found “extremely troubling.”
The new details — which underscore allegations that have swirled for weeks — immediately prompted calls for Shinseki’s resignation calls from legislators from both sides of the aisle.
The reaction was sharper on Capitol Hill where several prominent congressional Republicans — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a leading GOP voice on military and foreign affairs, Rep. Jeff Miller, (R-Fl.), who heads the House Veterans Affairs committee, and Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), who leads the House Armed Services Committee — immediately called for Shinseki’s resignation.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a leading GOP voice on military and foreign affairs, Rep. Jeff Miller, (R-Fl.), who heads the House Veterans Affairs committee, and Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), who leads the House Armed Services Committee, were among the most prominent Republicans to call for Shinseki’s resignation Wednesday.
“Shinseki is a good man who has served his country honorably, but he has failed to get VA’s health care system in order despite repeated and frequent warnings from Congress, the Government Accountability Office and the IG,” Miller said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon, just hours before a congressional hearing on the allegation was set to begin. “What’s worse, to this day, Shinseki – in both word and deed – appears completely oblivious to the severity of the health-care challenges facing the department.”
“Shinseki is a good man who has served his country honorably, but he has failed to get VA’s health care system in order despite repeated and frequent warnings from Congress, the Government Accountability Office and the IG,” Miller said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon, just hours before a congressional hearing on the allegation was set to begin. “What’s worse, to this day, Shinseki – in both word and deed – appears completely oblivious to the severity of the health-care challenges facing the department. VA needs a leader who will take swift and decisive action to discipline employees responsible for mismanagement, negligence and corruption that harms veterans while taking bold steps to replace the department’s culture of complacency with a climate of accountability.”
The American Legion stands alone among veterans organizations calling on Shinseki to resign, while others say they are closely monitoring the investigation. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America blasted the Obama administration over the new report’s findings.
With the calls for his head mounting, Shinseki expressed outrage at the report’s findings.
“Today’s report makes it painfully clear that the VA does not always have our veterans’ backs,” IAVA said.
Shinseki expressed outrage at the report’s findings and noted that he launched a new initiative last week to expand capacity at VA clinics and allow more veterans to obtain health care at private health centers.
“I have reviewed the interim report, and the findings are reprehensible to me, to this Department, and to Veterans,” Shinseki said in a statement. “I am directing that the Phoenix VA Health Care System (VAHCS) immediately triage each of the 1,700 Veterans identified by the OIG to bring them timely care.”
“I have reviewed the interim report, and the findings are reprehensible to me, to this Department, and to Veterans,” Shinseki said in a statement. “I am directing that the Phoenix VA Health Care System (VAHCS) immediately triage each of the 1,700 Veterans identified by the OIG to bring them timely care.”
The secretary also noted that he launched a new initiative last week to expand capacity at VA clinics where possible and allow more veterans to obtain health care at private health centers if they incur substantial treatment delays.
Miller joins a growing list of lawmakers who are asking the Justice Department to launch a formal criminal investigation.
Miller joins a growing list of lawmakers who are asking the Justice Department to launch a formal criminal investigation. On Wednesday, McCain told the Fox News Channel that a federal investigation appears to be needed, while others, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), have been calling for a broader review for weeks.
McCain, who is among those on that list, said in a statement,
McCain weighed in later, during an appearance on CNN. “I haven’t said this before, but I think it’s time for Gen. Shinseki to move on,” McCain said. The senator sounded reluctant to be calling on his fellow Vietnam War veteran to leave, but added that he believes the situation in Phoenix likely exists across much of the sprawling department.
Speaking during a press conference last week, President Obama defended Shinseki but said that it is “a disgrace” if the allegations that dozens of veterans died because of the use of improper scheduling practices are true.
“I will not stand for it as a commander in chief, but also as an American,” Obama declared.
On Wednesday, however, White House aides stressed that the president believes the issue of improper scheduling must be handled immediately and aggressively, and they stopped short of defending Shinseki.
“It is alarming that Secretary Shinseki either wasn’t aware of these systemic problems, or wasn’t forthcoming in his communications with Congress about them. Either way, it is clear to me that new leadership is needed at the VA.”
“The president found the findings extremely troubling.” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “The secretary has said that VA will fully and aggressively implement the recommendations of the IG. The president agrees with that action and reaffirms that the VA needs to do more to improve veterans’ access to care. Our nation’s veterans have served our country with honor and courage and they deserve to know they will have the care and support they deserve.”
While several top congressional leaders have said Shinseki should remain in office to help address the sprawling department’s problems, a series of Democratic legislators also joined the calls for Shinseki ‘s resignation.
Shinseki, a former Army general who served two tours of duty in Vietnam and earned a Purple Heart when he lost part of his right foot in battle, told reporters last Thursday that he has not offered his resignation and that he intends to remain on the job to address allegations of mismanagement.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colorado) became the first sitting Democratic senator to call for the resignation. He was soon joined by Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.), Sen. Kay Hagen (D-N.C.), Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio).
“I came here to do one thing: Which is to take care of veterans and families. We’ve run hard for five years, I think we have good things to show for it, there’s more to be done,” he said.
At a news conference last week, President Obama defended Shinseki but said that it is “a disgrace” if the allegations that dozens of veterans died because of the use of improper scheduling practices are true.
Several dozen Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have also called for Shinseki’s resignation, while top congressional leaders have said he should remain in office to help address what they perceive as systemic issues at the sprawling department. Meanwhile, Georgia Democratic Reps. John Barrow and David Scott — as well as several Democratic congressional candidates running in conservative states — have also called for Shinseki’ to resign.
On Wednesday,White House aides stressed that the president believes the issue of improper scheduling must be handled immediately and aggressively, stopping short of defending Shinseki.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who leads the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, called the inspector general’s findings “unacceptable” but didn’t call for Shinseki to step down. Instead, he urged Shinseki to review whether the department’s goal of seeing patients within 14 days of a request is realistic. “The VA must determine what new staffing may be needed at VA hospitals in parts of the country where there have been significant increases in patient loads,” Sanders said in a statement.
“The president found the findings extremely troubling,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “The secretary has said that VA will fully and aggressively implement the recommendations of the IG. The president agrees with that action and reaffirms that the VA needs to do more to improve veterans’ access to care. Our nation’s veterans have served our country with honor and courage and they deserve to know they will have the care and support they deserve.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colorado) became the first sitting Democratic senator to call for Shinseki’s resignation, tweeting: In light of IG report & systemic issues at @DeptVetAffairs, Sec. Shinseki must step down”.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who leads the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, called the inspector general’s findings “unacceptable” but didn’t call for Shinseki to step down. Instead, he urged Shinseki to immediately implement the inspector general’s recommendations and review whether the department’s goal of seeing patients within 14 days of a request is realistic.
He was soon joined by Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif).
The report did not say definitively whether the extended waits caused veteran deaths.
“The Inspector General’s report confirms the worst of the allegations against the VA and its failure to deliver timely care to veterans. It is time for President Obama to remove Secretary Shinseki from office,” Walsh said in a statement. “Accountability lies with President Obama, Secretary Shinseki, the VA, and also with Congress, which has the obligation to fully fund the costs of war. Congress must provide the resources that will eliminate the backlog and improve the quality of care available to men and women who have served.”
The inspector general’s office did say that “significant delays in access to care negatively impacted the quality of care” at the Phoenix clinic.
Official VA data showed that 226 patients in a sampling from the Phoenix clinic had waited just 24 days on average for their first primary care appointments. But the inspector general’s office determined that those veterans had actually waited an average of 115 days.
The report notes that use of improper scheduling practices is not new among VA facilities and that, since 2005, the inspector general has issued 18 reports identifying scheduling problems, resulting in lengthy wait times and the negative impact on patient care.
The report’s findings reveal inaccuracies in the wait times and appointment delays reported by the Phoenix facility in annual appraisals it submitted.
In addition to health care delays, the VA has had a longstanding backlog of disability claims, but the department has cut the inventory by more than 44 percent since it reached a high of more than 600,000 cases last year.
The inspector general’s office said that “significant delays in access to care negatively impacted the quality of care” at the Phoenix clinic.
The inspector general’s office is continuing a comprehensive review of scheduling practices at VA health clinics nationwide. Its report Wednesday noted part of that investigatin includes deploying “rapid response teams” that make unannounced visits to VA medical facilities to address longtime existing and new allegations of inappropriate scheduling practices.
“These veterans were and continue to be at risk of being forgotten or lost in Phoenix HCS’s convoluted scheduling process,” the report declared, adding that the hospital’s leadership “significantly understated the time new patients waited for their primary care appointment in their FY 2013 performance appraisal accomplishments, which is one of the factors considered for awards and salary increases.”
In 2010, a top VA official issued a memo to all of the agency’s medical centers listing 17 schemes they were known to be using and warning that the practices would “not be tolerated.”
The report notes that use of improper scheduling practices and “wait lists” is not new among VA facilities and that, since 2005, the inspector general has issued 18 separate reports identifying deficiencies in scheduling resulting in lengthy waiting times and the negative impact on patient care at both the local and national level.
In the statement, Miller declared that the report proves “beyond a shadow 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.”
That outrage was echoed by several GOP members of the Veterans Affairs committee, who were contacted by The Post on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Heads must roll over this scandal,” said Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado), a member of the Veterans Affairs committee. “Secretary Shinseki should use the powers we gave him in the VA Accountability Act to fire hospital directors and others responsible for these failures. Additionally, he should recall bonuses paid out to anyone responsible for secret waiting list hospitals. If the Secretary knew about any of these atrocities, he should resign.”
While he had previously told The Post that it was important to gather all of the facts before handing down punishment, Rep. Phil Roe (D-Tenn.), a member of the Veterans Affairs committee, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon in which he joined the calls for Shinseki to step down.
“Unfortunately, the Inspector General’s interim report has confirmed that this is the worst possible scenario. It is now clear that these serious problems stretch far beyond simple administrative issues, and we must hold someone accountable,” Roe said. “I have the utmost respect for Secretary Shinseki and his service and I have enjoyed working with him on behalf of our veterans, but it is with a heavy heart that I call for his resignation. Our veterans deserve better and we must work to make sure fundamental changes are made to the way we care for and treat the men and women that have served this country.”
Most Democratic members of the committee have been careful to respond diplomatically. They have been uniform in their calls for further investigation and accountability and their disgust with the mishandling of veterans services. However, most have stopped short of calling for Shinseki’s ouster.
“Our veterans deserve a thorough investigation, not rash decisions,” said Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada), in a statement provided to the Washington Post. “Congress must be swift, but fair, to ensure that all those at the VA are working to provide the best services possible for our nation’s heroes. And if they aren’t, they need to go.
“I’m determined to follow the facts, and let them dictate the actions that need to be taken, and those who need to be held accountable,” said Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Cali). “The most important and only criteria I’m using to determine how to proceed is to do what is best for our veterans. Period.”
Several other members of the veterans panel -- including Reps. Mark Tokano (D-Calif.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) -- gave similar statements.
And Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a key lieutenant of House Democratic leaders, said via Twitter that the VA “should IMMEDIATELY implement all 4 recommendations” in the IG’s report.
The American Legion stands alone among veterans organizations in calling on Shinseki to resign over the scheduling issues and other problems at the VA, including a longstanding backlog of disability claims — the department has cut the inventory by more than 44 percent since it reached a high of more than 600,000 cases last year.
The findings released Wednesday are part of an interim report outlining substantiated allegations and recommendations for immediate action by the VA. The inspector general’s office is continuing a comprehensive review of scheduling practices at VA health clinics nationwide.
The inspector general’s office is deploying “rapid response teams” that make unannounced visits to VA medical facilities to address existing and new allegations of inappropriate scheduling practices, according to the report.
Despite the recent uproar over VA records manipulation, the department has known about the problems for years. In 2010, a top VA official issued a memo to all of the agency’s medical centers listing 17 schemes they were known to be using and warning that the practices would “not be tolerated.”
“The new IG report on the Phoenix VA is damning and outrageous. It also reveals the need for a criminal investigation,” said Paul Rieckhoff ,founder and executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, in a statement. “Today’s report makes it painfully clear that the VA does not always have our veterans’ backs.”
