The scandal looming over the Department of Veteran’s Affairs shows all the promise of becoming a monstrous thing–obstreperous and festering. It’s a big, messy scandal with octopus-like arms stretching out in all directions.
So exactly what is this scandal about?
The VA scandal is centered around?a blistering report released by Richard J. Griffin, the acting Inspector General of the department. Griffin revealed that department officials have been involved in lies and good old fashioned obfuscation of the facts, according to this article?in the New York Times. Under particular scrutiny is the Department of Veteran’s Phoenix Medical Center, where 226 patients were interviewed. Hospital records reported that the patients waited 24 days for their first primary care appointment. However, information from the patients revealed that they waited an average of 115 days. Even more damning is this: 40 veterans who weren’t placed on the official list for doctor appointments may have died while waiting for care, the Times reports. Griffin said determinations regarding this can only be made after autopsy reports were examined and review of documents completed.
Previously, he had said that after reviewing 17 of the cases, he had found no evidence to suggest that any of the deaths were tied to delays. The scandal, however, continues to grow, ensnaring 42 medical facilities out of 150 medical centers serving eight million?veterans yearly. The falsified data may have placed performance reviews for hospital personnel in a more favorable light, and Griffin has said that some instances of potentially manipulated data has been turned over to the Justice Department, the Times reports.
All of this has had the lovely effect of stirring up the perfect political storm and with the resignation of Eric Shinseki, who was the secretary of the VA, some Republicans are calling for blood. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) is among those lobbing the first salvos. At a news conference in Chicago, last Friday, Kirk trotted out Army Pvt. Michael Swan and questioned him about his treatment at the VA hospital in Hines, Illinois. Among the things Swan claimed, according to the Chicago Sun-Times:
- He says he’s waited over a year to see a neurologist and a year and a half to see an endocrinologist at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital.
- ?Swan said he’s had two strokes and has diabetes and has waited 284 days for appointments that were to be scheduled between March 2013 and May 2014. Hines allegedly reported that he only waited for five days, according to Kirk’s office, which has allegedly obtained documents from VA Affairs.
Kirk said he has asked the acting secretary of Veterans Affairs to declare a state of emergency. This will allow veterans to seek immediate private care, instead of languishing on extended wait times at a VA facility, the Sun-Times reports.
The allegations weren’t simply limited to extended wait times. Other investigators on Griffin’s team have received scores of allegations of daily mismanagement, bullying behavior at the hands of mid-and senior-level managers, sexual harassment and inappropriate hiring decisions, according to the New York Times in the article cited above.
House Democrats and Republicans had been fairly bipartisan about the VA meltdown, but now there’s a seismic split and the Republicans are playing the blame game. As per usual, they are targeting the Obama administration. They may be using this to gain a foothold when elections come around in November, according to AZCentral. Senator Jeff Flake, (R-AZ) has concurred. While he’s not up for reelection, he said that the politicians who were making the biggest deal out of this were those currently up for reelection.
Republican propaganda mouthpieces Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh are using the VA scandal to highlight their constant and seemingly endless criticism of the Affordable Care Act, and critics are saying this is an example of the administration’s inability to respond to crises or manage the federal bureaucracy.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), said Shinseki’s resignation ?does not absolve the president of his responsibility to step in and make things right for our veterans,? AZCentral reports. ?One personnel change cannot be used as an excuse to paper over a systemic problem. Our veterans deserve better. We’ll hold the president accountable until he makes things right.?
If Boehner is so concerned about our veterans, why is he trying to privatize the VA system? According to this article, he’s been beating this dead horse for decades.
Boehner and his cronies have treated the situation like it’s some sort of cancer, so they keep smoking to make it worse. They have worsened this cancer by blocking bills that would improve care at the VA. Boehner, being the overpaid undertaker that he is, has supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which, of course, means there’s more veterans who won’t receive care. He has also supported the Bush administration’s policy of making sure that the VA is underfunded and completely unprepared for the burgeoning influx of veterans.
Shame on him for doing that.
Perhaps Boehner and his fellow Republicans have short memories. Maybe?maybe they forgot that each and every one of them?with the exception of Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)?voted to filibuster against additional (and obviously much needed) funding for the VA in February 2014. Yeah, that’s the ticket. They forgot, and that’s truly sad because this would have given the VA a $24 billion shot in the arm, according to the Pensito Review.
Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake voted against it. The aforementioned Senator Mark Kirk voted against it. So did Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and of course, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The Review rightly asks ?Should US senators who voted against additional funding for VA hospitals in February 2014 also resign??
You bet they should. Shame on each and every one of them.
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Edited by JA
