WASHINGTON, D.C. (SDJW)—Four Jewish members of Congress—two in the Senate and two in the House—have responded to reports from the Inspector General that some VA hospitals make veterans wait an unacceptably long time for appointments, and that there had been manipulation of data by some officials at the VA to keep that information from coming to light.
* Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent-Vermont), who chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, said he will introduce legislation next week to address some of the issues.
* Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota) called for Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki to be replaced.
* Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) called for a criminal investigation to see if there had been wrongdoing within the Department of Veterans Affairs
* And, Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Florida) welcomed an announcement by the VA that veterans who have to wait more than 30 days for an appointment will have the option to seek private care.
“Every veteran in this country who enters this VA deserves high-quality care and that care should be delivered in a timely manner,” Sanders said in a statement. “It is unacceptable that some veterans are forced onto long waiting lists and it is totally intolerable than ay VA employee may be manipulating data in Phoenix or anywhere else to hide how long veterans really have to wait to see doctors.
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Keeping up with Jewish public officials
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“Veterans across the country and independent studies tell us that the quality of care for veterans in the VA system is good. The issue, as this (Inspector General’s) report makes clear, is that in parts of the country veterans are unable to access that care in a timely manner and that in some cases data is being manipulated. The IG made a series of recommendations for improvements at the VA in Phoenix and system-wide. The department must expeditiously implement all of those recommendations.”
“Further,” said Sanders, “at a time when the VA has seen a huge increase in its patient load in recent years, I urge the secretary to review whether the department’s goal for seeing patients within 14 days is realistic under its current budget. 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.”
Franken, in calling for Secretary Shinseki to step down, said” “The VA needs to be delivering quality care to our veterans on a timely basis. Clearly there is a systemic problem that this leadership has not been addressing. I call on the President to use all the resources at his disposal to remedy this disgraceful situation. Our veterans deserve no less.”
In calling for a criminal investigation, Rep Israel said: “The dysfunction at the VA cannot continue. In light of the recent reports of mass misconduct, I am calling for a criminal investigation to get to the root of the problem. If the allegations are found to be true, those responsible should be prosecuted. Our veterans, who put their lives on the line for our country, deserve a system that is accountable and that works.”
Frankel, discussing the private care option, sated “Expanding veteran care to private providers in order to prevent delays in treatment is a step in the right direction. Our returning heroes deserve the very best in health care without long waits for attention.”
She said in Palm Beach, Florida, the VA has been outsourcing care to private providers in cases where doctors with the needed specialty are not on the VA staff. “The national policy change will allow the local facilities to expand on this practice and accelerate care for veterans,” she said.
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Preceding based on news releases from Senators Sanders and Franken, and Congress Members Israel and Frankel