The two Florida Republicans in charge of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee this week urged major reforms to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) even as new reports emerged that about 238,000 veterans died before they could receive medical care due to VA’s backlog.
Earlier this week, a document from the VA surfaced which showed more than 238,000 veterans from the 847,000 applicants who were waiting for medical treatment from the VA had died before getting it. The Huffington Post first reported the story on Monday.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and a possible U.S. Senate candidate in 2016, weighed in on the reports on Tuesday.
“During last year’s investigation into data manipulation and wait time delays at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs uncovered evidence of related problems at the Health Eligibility Center (HEC) in Atlanta,” Miller said. “At my request, VA OIG opened an investigation into the HEC. Today’s troubling news highlights VA’s ongoing mismanagement and calls into question VA’s ability to adequately care for our nation’s veterans and I look forward to the OIG’s report so we can address this problem head-on. No veteran should ever fall through the cracks when attempting to receive the care they have earned.”
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., the vice chairman of the committee, urged the passage of the VA Accountability Act which gives the U.S. VA secretary more power to dismiss underperfoming or incompetent employees.
“Those brave men and women who return from serving our country should be able to receive timely access to quality care,” Bilirakis said on Wednesday. “I believe that most employees at the VA are dedicated to their duty and our nation’s heroes. However, wait times persist, and a culture of mediocrity has permeated the VA – too many employees perform terribly and yet are not fired. Sometimes, these people even continue to collect bonuses while they are suspended.
“The only way to change the culture at the VA is to systematically remove the individuals who are failing our veterans,” Bilirakis added. “Anything less is an affront to our nation’s heroes, and a slap in the face to those who have served.”
The VA was rocked last year after reports emerged that VA medical centers in Phoenix and across the country used altered waiting lists and impacted veterans died awaiting care.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
