WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) has called on Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Sloane Gibson to immediately release 216 site-specific audits detailing widespread falsification of waiting list records and delays in treatment at VA health centers nationwide.
Blumenthal also announced he will co-sponsor and help lead legislation with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, that would give veterans facing delays ability to seek private care outside the VA, would authorize emergency funding to hire new doctors and nurses and provide scholarships and loan forgiveness for those who choose to work at VA facilities, and would grant the VA additional latitude to fire personnel. Blumenthal is a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
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On Friday, the Veterans Administration released results of an audit of 216 VA health centers nationwide that found the 14-day target for new appointments “simply unattainable” due to a lack of available medical providers. Inability to meet unattainable deadlines resulted in widespread falsification of records, secret waiting lists, and unreported delays in treatment at facilities across the country.
While the audit relies on information aggregated from 216 site visits at facilities nationwide, the Veterans Administration has yet to release any site-specific data. In a letter sent Monday, June 2, to Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Sloane Gibson, Blumenthal called for the immediate release of all site-specific data.
“This information—the basis of the report released to the President on Friday—has been compiled and analyzed, and it must be made available to the public immediately. The American public, most especially our nation’s veterans, deserve and need to see these site-specific details immediately. They have a right to know now what problems have been found, who is responsible, and what will be done to remedy these serious issues,” Blumenthal said. “Non-disclosure does a disservice to all veterans. Full-transparency is the best way to begin a new era of leadership at the VA.”
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Preceding provided by Senator Richard Blumenthal of New York