Two VA staff transferred pending investigation on delayed time-sensitive care
Two senior VA officials at a New York VA medical center were transferred from their posts. This transfer, away from veteran-facing positions, came in the aftermath of an Inspector General report. These individuals were accused of delaying radiation therapy and neurosurgery appointments. Veterans needing time-sensitive care services didn’t receive them in a timely manner. The delay resulted in veterans suffering more pain and injury than they needed to suffer.
From The Military Times:
Community care — where veterans can receive medical appointments and treatments at private-sector clinics but have the expenses covered by VA — has been a controversial topic in recent years, with conservatives claiming that department bureaucrats unnecessary limit those outside options.
In the New York investigation, the inspector general found that at least 42 patients had significant delays in accessing that care, despite facing serious health conditions that mandated fast action.
“For three of the 42 patients, the scheduling delay affected the provider’s management of the patient’s condition, and for 9 of the 42, the delay affected the patient’s clinical status or condition,” the report states.
In one case, a veteran with esophageal cancer had radiation therapy incorrectly denied for several months before dying from the illness. Investigators said the treatments would not likely have saved the individual, but a faster response “would likely have decreased the level of pain and improved the quality of life in the patient’s final months.”
In another case, a young veteran experiencing seizures waited more than 300 days for a consult to be scheduled, even as the patient was hospitalized several times a month for related health issues.
“Leaders failed to consistently focus on patients, respond to staff concerns, get to the root cause of concerns regarding delayed scheduling of urgent consults, and predict and eliminate risks before causing patient harm,” the report stated.
Additional Reading:
Shane III, L. (2024, September 30). VA leaders in New York accused of delaying critical medical visits. Military Times. Link.
Category: Veteran Health Care, Veterans in the news, Veterans Issues, Veterans' Affairs Department
Knowing the VA, the senior officials were probably transferred with a promotion.
Indeed, and that reality isn’t supposed to piss anyone off…fuckers…
Just out of curiosity what would it take to identify these two individuals and where they currently are? It is amazing what shedding the light on these rats can do for their careers!
Again…you want to fix the VA “Health Care System”? Have ALL grubermint employees…including ALL Kongress Kritters, get their “Health Care” from the VA!
Single-payer healthcare, for y’all who want everyone else to have it– some fun, eh?
And have all the bureaucratic positions filled by veterans.
I believe this sign is posted in every VA employee parking area.
As the insurance industry has learned they can significantly reduce costs by denying claims until their insured dies from their injuries or illnesses…once in a while they have to pay a settlement but they usually settle out of court because court is not kind to insurance carriers…and the cost of settling amortized against the savings in avoiding expensive care is an acceptable cost of doing business…
This is one of the problems with for profit healthcare, profit becomes a bigger motivator than appropriate care.
With government care it tends to be either incompetence, or some ill conceived bureaucratic program where non-medical personnel have tried to determine best care paths to avoid unnecessary expensive treatment…when those paths are zealously followed by career advancement motivated toadies you get these types of outcomes…someone adhering to a policy over providing appropriate care because they are not medical personnel and they have no vested interest in treating people as actual humans who need the appropriate treatment due them as part of our nation’s responsibility to these people.
A problem only going to get larger as the last of us Baby Boomers enter our final decades on this earth.
It is NOT “incompetence”. It is good old fashioned public choice theory.
Thank God I Wasn’t eligible for the va when I retired in 2007 and was on cobra until I could get medical insurance. Turns out that in 2003, bush cut down the funding on the va and since I got off of the ship, I didn’t make it to Viet-Nam where I would have been eligible. I could have signed up in 1966 with no problem but never did. I guess the va had the funds back then.
I had a friend who waited on the VA for treatment of bladder cancer. By the time he received treatment almost a year later. He was stage 4. He was not concerned because the VA was providing him the best care. He was a Korean War veteran who was well know for contributing his time to various veteran organizations in the community. I had spoken to him on various occasions about his care, he didn’t want to complain. He died shortly after treatment, to far gone to do anything for him.
I know several vets who are well off but still use the VA for physicals and routine care because it is free and they are entitled. But whenever an issue is found they go straight to another doctor and seek actual treatment there.
Although eligible for VA health care with my Vietnam service, I have refused to avail myself of this privilege as I do not trust the VA for keeping us healthy.