Marco Rubio Wants Answers from Eric Shinseki on VA Hospitals

With U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki under fire after reports emerged that secret waiting lists were used in a VA hospital in Arizona, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., demanded answers on Tuesday if similar lists were in place for Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) in Florida. The VA hospital in Phoenix altered its waiting list to appear wait times were less than they were in actuality, leading to the deaths of 40 veterans.

I am deeply concerned about media reports referencing a secret electronic wait list maintained by a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center (VAMC) in Arizona that may have caused delayed medical care for certain veterans, resulting in injuries and even deaths, Rubio wrote in a letter sent to Shinseki on Tuesday. I understand you have rightly directed an immediate investigation into the matter.

However, I believe further steps need to be taken to determine if other VAMCs are engaging in similar practices, Rubio continued. The VA needs to obtain data on all VAMCs timeframes for diagnosis and treatment, and determine if any veterans died or were injured in situations where there was delayed medical care.

I am writing to request you obtain, and provide me with electronic wait list data for all VA medical centers in Florida, and please include information from the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi, MS, since it treats veterans residing in Floridas Panhandle, Rubio added. In addition to that data I am also seeking your assurances that the VAMCs treating Floridians are not keeping their own separate, secret wait lists that have not been disclosed.