VA OIG: Thousands of veterans died awaiting healthcare
The Veterans’ Affairs Office of the Inspector General released a report yesterday which charges that 307,000 veterans died awaiting treatment over the last several years, according to CNN.
The report adds that an internal VA investigation in 2010 found staffers had hidden veterans’ applications in their desks so they could process them at a later time, but human resources later recommended the staffers responsible not be disciplined.
Scott Davis, a program specialist at the VA Health Eligibility Center, said thousands more veterans who have returned from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have not received care because of being erroneously placed in the enrollment system’s backlog.
He said many of these combat veterans have since lost their five-year eligibility for care due to the delay.
The article quotes from the report cases all the way back to the 1980s, so it’s like I’ve been saying all along – this is a cultural issue within the VA, it can’t be blamed on a single administration, except that, now that it’s been exposed, no one seems to be doing anything about it.
From the Associated Press;
About one-third of the 867,000 veterans with pending applications are likely deceased, the report says, adding that “data limitations” prevent investigators from determining how many now-deceased veterans applied for health care benefits or when. The applications go back nearly two decades, and officials said some applicants may have died years ago.
More than half the applications listed as pending as of last year do not have application dates, and investigators “could not reliably determine how many records were associated with actual applications for enrollment” in VA health care, the report said.
The report also says VA workers incorrectly marked thousands of unprocessed health-care applications as completed and may have deleted 10,000 or more electronic “transactions” over the past five years.
Largely, the problem isn’t the superior healthcare professionals, it’s the drones who stand between veterans and their doctors.
Category: Veterans' Affairs Department
We should just burn it to the ground.
Nah.
I want to hear another MacDonald canned speech.
I would also like to hear from Allison Hickey (undersecretary of the VBA) and the new VHA undersecretary.
What we should do is get all the vets that need care to the Mexican border and cross back into the USA and claim illegal status so you can get real free healthcare. Remember” No habla English”
‘Largely, the problem isn’t the superior healthcare professionals, it’s the drones who stand between veterans and their doctors.’
That is what everyone has said here, and the only way to fix that is to fire the slackers. Unlike other health care systems, their incomes don’t depend on whether or not an insurance company approves payment of a bill or claim.
# Veterans lives matter….
Probably won’t get much traction from the media…
If those veterans died while their apps were never filed then the spouses or survivors need some recompensing, goddamnit. I fucking hate the lax approach of those employed at the VA. I would be busting my ass for these people overtime or not. Sorry buddyfuckers screwing over people due to what I will call sheer lazy. Not unlike many other government workers who choose to do the bare minimum. Where the fuck has pride in a job well done gone, FFS? #SOS
Isn’t there a performance review for these people, like the OER/EER?? This should never have happened. And people think Obamascare is going to be better? JHC.
My sentiments exactly.
As far as annual performance reviews go, I’m certain there are some veterans who work for that organization who bust their asses on a daily basis, but whether or not they get recognized for their efforts is another issue. I’m not sure what standards they use for the OER/EER as measures to success of performance, but I’m sure a few folks here will chime in and give a few examples.
The terms ‘criminally negligent homiside’ and ‘class action wrongful death law suit’ comes to mind.
My thoughts exactly.
Let the civil and criminal lawsuits begin!
The solution that will be adopted by the VA?
More performance bonuses!!!!
This is what I just don’t fucking understand. The Eligibility Paperwork for VA Healthcare is pretty damned basic. There is very little work for the VA Employee to do to process it.
Joey Tentpeg comes in looking to enroll, and is asked to fill out several forms to establish their status as a Veteran, and financial forms to detail their income and health insurance status. The Veteran may need to come back with the forms and supporting documents, but that should be the only delay. The input into VISTA/CPRS (Patient information system used by VHA) is incredibly simple. So simple a cave man could do it… a trained freaking monkey can do it.
It is a culture of laziness, that is out of fucking control. It can be fixed, but it will take a massive cleansing of management. As well as Union protection of those who refuse to do the right thing. HR sucks, because they also in large part are also a part of the very same culture at the VA.
Been there for years now, and it doesn’t get any better. There are some things beyond the control of employees, and blame can be laid squarely at the feet of the National Leadership (elected and appointed), as well as with Veterans themselves. How many of those applications are incomplete because a Veteran never came back with the information requested of them? Probably not as many as are just waylaid by incompetent assholes working for the VA…. but some.
I’ve been calling every week to schedule a couple head exams (CAT and MRI), but have been consistently told there is no open appointments and to call back the next week. I tried my Congressbeasts, but it’s not an election year so neither has time for the plebians. I’ve actually lost count of how many months this has been going on.
I’m curious, because I’ve been on both sides of a CT scan. Why are YOU calling to make the appointment? On the civilian side, if a CT or MRI is needed, the referring doctor, your doctor, is the one who has to make the appointment, so medical necessity is supported and your insurance will apply to it. Oh, I could call and have one done if I wanted to, but it would also come out of my pocket as an elective procedure. So why are YOU having to make that appointment, instead of your primary or referring physician?
I’m with Pinto Nag here.
Why isn’t your physician doing it for you?
That is where I would start unless you are trying to schedule it for yourself.
I have had over 40 CAT scans and 1 MRI and never had to wait over two days to get it. If it was an emergency I was in there in a matter of a couple of hours.
Something isn’t right here.
Actually its not uncommon for people to call to get something like that scheduled. For example last time I needed one on my shoulder, my Ortho doc said, I need you to get this done, I put it in the system and here’s a copy of the script/order”. She then handed me a copy of the order/script and a paper with names, locations, and scheduling phone numbers and said “Call one of these folks at the number listed to make an appointment.”
Same doc also said not to be surprised if one of them call you to make an appointment, BUT to get faster service you will want to initiate the call since their appointment makers may be behind in calling patients to schedule.
That’s fine, too, but then it’s on you to make sure the paperwork follows and that your insurance covers it, both for necessity and that it’s part of your insurance coverage. For example, I have to call my insurance and make sure what my doct wants to schedule is a covered procedure — ‘preauthorization.’
They do this so it doesn’t show you as waiting months for a apt or procedure. A lot of these docs only open their appointment calendars for a two week period so in the computer it looks like you only had to wait less than 14 days or so when in reality you could have waited years. And the whole bunch get a bonus for getting you treated in less than 14 days. A true scam
What VA do you go to? That is just fucking wrong. MRI, CAT Scans are not typically waitlisted for very long, as they run the machines 24/7 in most locations.
I have had several this year on knees, shoulder, and C-spine.
IF the OIG estaimates are off 100 fold, this is still outlandish. Listen up. IF YOU HAVE ACUTE PAIN OR THINK SOMETHING VERY BAD IS HAPPENING, UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN GO TO ANY EMERGENCY ROOM. TELL THEM THAT YOU ARE UNINSURED THEY MUST EXAMINE AND THREAT YOU UNDER THE Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. You can worry about straightening shit out later, including remembering that you normally use VA.
Take a copy of your DD-214 with you.
that got me in the ER in about 7 minutes and a shot of morphine in less than a half an hour…
Damn that felt good! I asked the RN to marry me on the spot !!!
Damn.
When I have pain, I am always told to take some Motrin, take an knee and drink some water.
My last doc was in to crystals and holistic medicine. not against trying something, per se, but when you walk in and ask for meds it is always assumed that you are a junkie.
Sucks for those folks that have legitimate issues.
Sorry about the typos. I’m rather pissed about this. Just a little.
Not defending the VA in any way, but have to note that an essential fact is missing: of this purported 307,000 vets who died awaiting treatment – in how many cases was that death attributable to the delay in treatment? I make a VA appointment in October and have a heart attack in September, I died awaiting treatment – but not from VA’s mishandling. When they say probably a third of 867,000 applicant names are deceased – in how many of those cases was the cause of death attributable to what they were applying for? Like I said, I am not apologizing for VA – but I think CNN is missing some essential info.
And like I said, David, if the OIG numbers are off 100 fold, this remains outlandish and unconscionable.I see that the news has move on to much more important events. I speak, of course, of the major matter of our time: Tom Brady and his suspension. There is no hope. We live in idiotic and mindless times.
In my personal experience, the quality of care and level of bureaucratic efficiency in a Veterans Administration Medical Center will vary according to location and racial demographics.
As examples, the one that currently treats me, i.e., the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System, is the best, as compared to the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center in California, the Department of Veterans Affairs Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Washington, D.C., which is the WORST.
Whether or not anyone will admit it, in my opinion, based on my own personal experience, contemporary racial polarization, preferences, quotas, and hostility are MAJOR factors, with no practical solution currently visible on the horizon.
Well, that’s Freedom…