Politics & Government
Audit Shows 57K Veterans on VA Hospital Waitlists
The VA Medical Center in Manchester and VA hospital at White River Junction were not flagged for further review.
A Veterans Affairs audit of health care services found a long wait at VA hospitals and clinics nationwide, but the VA Medical Center in Manchester and the VA Hospital in White River Junction were not among those flagged for further investigation.
The audit, however, found more than 100 New Hampshire veterans remain on a waitlist for initial VA appointments.
The Veterans Health Administration had more than 6 million appointments scheduled nationwide on May 15, and there were an estimated 57,436 veterans who are waiting to be scheduled for care, according to the VA audit.
The initial audit findings flagged two VA facilities in New England for further review and investigation: Boston (Brockton), and VA Central Western Mass. (SEE New England regional data, and chart attached.)
Audit Findings System-Wide Include:
- A complicated scheduling process resulted in confusion among scheduling clerks and front-line supervisors in a number of locations.
- A 14 day wait-time performance target for new appointments was not only inconsistently deployed throughout the health care system but was not attainable given growing demand for services and lack of planning for resource requirements.
- Overall, 13% of scheduling staff interviewed indicated they received instruction (from supervisors or others) to enter a date different than what the Veteran had requested in the appointment scheduling system.
- 8% of scheduling staff indicated they used alternatives to the official Electronic Wait List (EWL). In some cases, pressures were placed on schedulers to utilize unofficial lists or engage in inappropriate practices in order to make waiting times appear more favorable.
"The systemic problems at the VA are very troubling and require immediate action," Shaheen said in a statement. "Our veterans deserve timely and accessible care and while the VA is taking steps forward, such as canceling bonuses like I have called for, the VA still has a long way to go. I will continue to work across the aisle to address the management crisis at the VA and implement necessary reforms, including mandating regular audits, in order to deliver on the promise we’ve made to our veterans."
U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) said the VA must fix systems that are obviously broken.
"No veteran should have to wait more than 90 days for an appointment, and New Hampshire veterans should be given the choice of seeing a private provider so they don’t have to wait in line or be forced to travel hours to seek care," Ayotte said in a statement. "The bipartisan VA reform legislation being crafted in the Senate will help address the systemic, nationwide problems detailed in the audit released today, and I’m hopeful the Senate will quickly take up this legislation once it’s finalized to make sure veterans can get the timely care they deserve."
U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) requested U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to have the Department of Justice take the lead in investigating any criminal wrongdoing at VA hospitals.
"Fraudulent behavior cannot be tolerated in any federal agency, let alone the agency tasked with caring for our nation’s veterans," Shea-Porter wrote in a letter to Holder June 9. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under the Department of Justice, clearly has the expertise, authority, and resources necessary to conduct a criminal investigation, and I urge the agency to take a leadership role now."
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The VA staffs a Veterans Crisis Line at (800) 273-8255
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