|
 The VA's Inspector General's office is also investigating
allegations that long waiting times were covered up at some 26
locations across the United States, including claims by VA doctors
in Phoenix that 40 veterans died while waiting months for
appointments.
The controversy spread as lawmakers left Washington for the Memorial
Day holiday on Monday, which honors veterans. Republicans began
mapping out a campaign strategy for November elections that
highlights the scandal as another example of Obama administration
mismanagement.
Representative Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs
Committee, asked Shinseki in a letter to allow veterans waiting more
than 30 days for an appointment to seek care from private
practitioners paid for by the department.
Miller said he would introduce legislation to codify such a policy.
"Now is the time for immediate action. We simply can't afford to
wait for the results of another investigation into a problem we
already know exists," Miller said in a statement.
"That's why I'm calling on Secretary Shinseki to take emergency
steps to ensure veterans who may have fallen victim to appointment
wait time schemes or delays in care get the medical treatment they
need."
A VA spokesman said in a statement that its health care division has
redoubled its efforts to ensure that veterans have timely access to
care at Shinseki's request.
"Each of our facilities is either enhancing their clinic capacity to
help Veterans get care sooner, or where we cannot increase capacity,
increasing the care we acquire in the community through non-VA
care," the agency said in an emailed statement.
"Each of our facilities is reaching out to Veterans to coordinate
the acceleration of their care."
[to top of second column] |
Separately, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie
Sanders said he was introducing a VA "accountability" bill that
includes provisions from a House-passed measure that gives Shinseki
more power to fire or demote senior VA executives for poor job
performance.
In many cases under current law, such officials can only be
dismissed for misconduct. But Sanders said that unlike the House
version passed on Wednesday, his bill would keep some due-process
protections for VA managers and would prohibit politically motivated
firings.
The Sanders measure would also reverse a previously approved
one-percent cut in annual cost of living adjustments for military
pensions, a move that would cost $21 billion over 10 years.
Sanders said his bill will be formally introduced when the Senate
returns from the Memorial Day recess the week of June 2, with a
hearing scheduled for June 5.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Grant McCool & Kim Coghill)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
