VA’s audit: 57,000 vets waiting for appointments
The Associated Press reports that an internal audit by the VA reports that 57,000 veterans have been waiting for more than three months for appointments with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs healthcare system. Additionally, 64,000 have never been seen by a VA doctor;
Examining 731 VA hospitals and large outpatient clinics, the audit found long wait times across the country for patients seeking their first appointments with both primary care doctors and specialists.
The audit said a 14-day target for waiting times was “not attainable,” given growing demand for VA services and poor planning. It called the 2011 decision by senior VA officials setting it, and then basing bonuses on meeting the target “an organizational leadership failure.”
13% of the people who schedule appointments for veterans report that they were instructed by the supervisors to account for the long wait times creatively (not in the interest of the veteran, but rather in the interest of the bureaucrats).
Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said the audit showed “systemic problems” that demand immediate action. VA officials have contacted 50,000 veterans across the country to get them off waiting lists and into clinics, Gibson said, and are in the process of contacting an additional 40,000 veterans.
But, we should have waited for Shinseki to pull his head from his nether regions and things would have got better faster. That was sarcasm, in case some of you internet sharpshooters don’t recognize it.
Category: Veterans' Affairs Department
“Additionally, 64,000 have never been seen by a VA doctor”.
Or better yet, be seen by an unqualified physician.
Loosely translated, see a Foot Specialist for a head injury.
If they could only take care of my appointment that are outstanding it would be only 56,996!
If I am reading this correctly, that is 57,000 and 64,000, respectively TOO MANY!
Why is this so hard? 100,000 more want to enter a system that already has 9million patients in it?? Hopefully, doing away with wait-times effecting pay will help. Get some more providers in there to pick up the slack, and take another look at the collective bargaining agreement with the union and be sure it has Vet’s interests in mind rather than the employees as it stands now.
I decided 7 years not to have very little to do with the VA after I redeployed. I did go in and give them my DD214 and I do go to my local outpatient clinic every fall for a free flu shoot. That is the total burden that I have place on the VA since then.
Now back in 2010, I did receive a letter from the VA to make an appointment for a TBI evaluation because of the numerous close proximity IED dets that I underwent as a combat engineer performing Route Clearance operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I threw the letter in the trash and that was the last time I received anything from the VA. It has been seven years now and my brain has shown no symptoms of turning into mush and poring out my ears.
Someone please break down the numbers by category. How many are combat-related, service connected, occurred after discharge.
FYI House hearing on VA just started 1945hrs EST, CSPAN3
Hearing just switched to CSPAN 2, @ 2030hrs, for those looking for it.
Here’s the problems with these hearings: they are theater. Nothing more, nothing less. Let’s start out with the fact that 2 of the four people at this hearing have said that they have been part of reports since 2000 that have shown wait times, inefficiencies, etc, Excuse me, all you do is make reports? Apparently so, since the very things that these clowns are recommending is more study. One of the things that has been brought up is that the “technology” is old. The scheduling software is from 1985 but according to these clowns, $127 million dollars was spent on the software enhancements that was a complete failure. As I sit here, one of the witnesses just said the VA spent over 2.5 BILLION dollars to upgrade systems. It isn’t the system, it isn’t necessarily the people. It is the idea that the government – including the VA – never holds anyone accountable for anything. Every time someone says “we issued reports on this….” the next thing that should be asked “and what happened? Did you follow up on where those reports went?” The next time someone says “”we need new technology,” the next thing that should be asked is “”where did all the money go? Who was held accountable for the failure for the money to achieve ANY results?” The most amazing thing to me is that during this entire fiasco, the centers and hospitals that were actually doing well never shared why and how they were doing well. The good places never shared with the lesser performing centers how to get and be better. That is basic management 101 for running any successful endeavor. Yet, these clowns don’t do it. These clowns in Congress are calling for the removal of people that are responsible for shoddy care and management of that care that vets have received. As this hearing goes on, it is clear to me that there are 4 witnesses that need to be removed and every Congresscritter who knew about prior reports, or received reports from vets that the system was in trouble and did nothing… Read more »
And their solution is to talk about it some more. Throw more money at it, then talk, talk, talk.
Until they get rid of all the appointed “employees” and all the others who created the problem and the gatekeepers (mostly union members) who refuse access to veterans, nothing will be solved.
Don’t dissagree, but as a voter it is incombant upon us to get educated and hold our eleceted reps accountable.
Smoke and Mirrors, that is all that report is. They gave the Muskogee, Ok, VAMC a 98% rating which is pure bull shit. I don’t believe a word in that report. The numbers are much, much greater than that IG wants to admit.
Roger that.
The irony lies in the fact it seems to all be about waiting times.
Not fraud, intentionally downgrading ratings, physicians practicing outside the scope of their licenses, mismanagement, entitlement, blatant disregard for policy, criminal collusion and such.
Not to mention the whole “federal vs. state” issue(s).
Here is a local news article about how that VA IG investigated. Notice about half way down the article, a lot of the VA employees refused to participate in the investigation due to fear of reprisals.
http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/new-patients-experience-long-delays-okla-va/ngHZ6/
And do not forget about the retaliatory actions taken against Veterans and caregivers when they question policies and procedures.