VA Destroys Vets Medical Records To Eliminate Backlog

[Howey]

News Releases - Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs

 

[Politico]

They do it with SS claims all the time. Why not the VA too.

 

[waltky]

‘Entitlement’ mentality on bonuses at VA facilities...

Lawmakers blast VA over ‘entitlement’ mentality on bonuses
June 20, 2014 WASHINGTON — House lawmakers said Friday a pay bonus system where senior executives essentially wrote their own performance evaluations might have fueled patient scheduling abuses and dysfunction at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Between 2010 and 2013, not one of the more than 400 VA senior executives received a performance rating of less than “Fully Successful,” even as hospitals and clinics hid wait times with secret lists, some veterans died from disease outbreaks, and many more waited months for basic health care, said Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Bonuses are not an entitlement,” he said. “They are a reward for exceptional work. VA’s current practice only breeds a sense of entitlement and a lack of accountability.” Congress has been searching for answers over the past two months after revelations employees throughout the VA falsified wait lists to mask long waits. About 57,000 veterans nationwide have waited over a month to receive health care guaranteed as part of their military service, and whistleblowers have claimed delays have led to deaths.

A VA inspector general investigation found the wait times — falsified at 70 percent of facilities — were used to issue rewards and bonuses to department management. “It seems the only thing the Department of Veterans Affairs is effective at doing is writing bonus checks to each other,” said Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., calling the VA the most mismanaged department in the federal government. Miller said the bonus awards were given out in some questionable cases. An administrator overseeing a Pittsburgh VA hospital where a deadly outbreak of legionnaire’s disease was given a one-time, $63,000 bonus.

The director of the Phoenix VA, where the department’s ongoing scheduling scandal began in April, was awarded bonuses for high performance, though the VA has taken the rare move of rescinding the money after mismanagement at the hospital was made public. “I would argue it runs far deeper than just Phoenix,” Miller said. About 80 percent of VA executives were rated as exceptional in performance review last year, according to the committee. The VA system allows executives to write at least part of their own performance evaluation and goals, and that is then approved by a director supervisor, said Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Mich.. “I’m starting to think there is not a real rating going on,” he said, “just everybody is getting a good rating.”

Some evaluations were not included in the overall ratings, said Gina Farrisee, assistant VA secretary for human resources and administration who testified before the House Friday. The VA has fired six executives over the past two years, according to department documents turned over to the House committee this week. Farrisee said the department was not aware of the deep problems throughout its health care system, which serves 6.5 million vets per year and constitutes the largest integrated system in the country. “If we knew what we know today, it is unlikely the performance reviews would reflect what they reflected,” she said at the hearing. “I think we need to be more stringent and precise on our performance standards.”

Lawmakers blast VA over ?entitlement? mentality on bonuses - News - Stripes

See also:

VA: No proof that delays in care caused deaths at Phoenix hospital
August 25, 2014 - In a written memo about the report, VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald said: "... OIG was unable to conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the death of these veterans."

The Department of Veterans Affairs says investigators have found no proof that delays in care caused any deaths at a VA hospital in Phoenix, deflating an explosive allegation that helped expose a troubled health care system in which veterans waited months for appointments while employees falsified records to cover up the delays. Revelations that as many as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA hospital rocked the agency last spring, bringing to light scheduling problems and allegations of misconduct at other hospitals as well. The scandal led to the resignation of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. In July, Congress approved spending an additional $16 billion to help shore up the system. The VA's Office of Inspector General has been investigating the delays for months and shared a draft report of its findings with VA officials.

In a written memorandum about the report, VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald said: "It is important to note that while OIG's case reviews in the report document substantial delays in care, and quality-of-care concerns, OIG was unable to conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the death of these veterans." McDonald acknowledged that the VA is "in the midst of a very serious crisis." He also promised to follow all recommendations from the inspector general's final report. "We sincerely apologize to all veterans and we will continue to listen to veterans, their families, veterans service organizations and our VA employees to improve access to the care and benefits veterans earned an deserve," said McDonald's memo, which was also signed by Carolyn Clancy, VA undersecretary for health. The inspector general's final report has not yet been issued. The inspector general runs an independent office within the VA.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson stressed that veterans are still waiting too long for care, an issue the agency is working to fix. "They looked to see if there was any causal relationship associated with the delay in care and the death of these veterans and they were unable to find one. But from my perspective, that don't make it OK," Gibson said. "Veterans were waiting too long for care and there were things being done, there were scheduling improprieties happening at Phoenix and frankly at other locations as well. Those are unacceptable." In April, Dr. Samuel Foote, who had worked for the Phoenix VA for more than 20 years before retiring in December, brought the allegations to Congress.

Foote accused Arizona VA leaders of collecting bonuses for reducing patient wait times. But, he said, the purported successes resulted from data manipulation rather than improved service for veterans. He said up to 40 patients died while awaiting care. In May, the inspector general's office found that 1,700 veterans were waiting for primary care appointments at the Phoenix VA but did not show up on the wait list. "Until that happens, the reported wait times for these veterans has not started," said a report issued in May. Gibson said the VA reached out to all 1,700 veterans in Phoenix and scheduled care for them. However, he acknowledged there are still 1,800 veterans in Phoenix who requested appointments but will have to wait at least 90 days for care.

The VA has said it is firing three executives of the Phoenix VA hospital. The agency has also said it planned to fire two supervisors and discipline four other employees in Colorado and Wyoming accused of falsifying health care data. Gibson says he expects the list of disciplined employees to grow. Gibson took over as acting VA secretary when Shinseki resigned. He returned to his job as deputy secretary after McDonald was confirmed. "The fundamental point here is, we are taking bold and decisive action to fix these problems because it's unacceptable," Gibson said. "We owe veterans, we owe the American people, an apology. We've delivered that apology. We'll keep delivering that apology for our failure to meet their expectations for timely and effective health care."

To help reduce backlogs, the VA is sending more veterans to private doctors for care. Congress approved $10 billion in emergency spending over three years to pay private doctors and other health professionals to care for veterans who can't get timely appointments at VA hospitals, or who live more than 40 miles from one. The new law includes $5 billion for hiring more VA doctors, nurses and other medical staff and $1.3 billion to open 27 new VA clinics across the country. The legislation also makes it easier to fire hospital administrators and senior VA executives for negligence or poor performance.

VA No proof that delays in care caused deaths at Phoenix hospital - Veterans - Stripes

 

[dadsgm]

Yes there is a problem with getting request for a disability rating processed by the VA; Yes there is a problem getting an appeal processed. The government has thrown money at the VA in order to improve/shorten the process but the problem resides in system procedures and in ancient technology ( hand written applications and files) circulated by individuals. Until those processes are addressed in total nothing will change about gaining access to the VA. Once you do gain access (receive your disability rating or letter of authorization to use the VA) the problem still exists in that most Hospitals and clinics do not have the personnel (Doctors, Specialists, or space and equipment) to handle the increased number of patients. This will require additional personnel, equipment and clinic/hospital space and that is currently being addressed by the Congress and the VA. It will take time perhaps years for the kinks to be worked out but they will be.
Once you are in the system /patient as I have been for 20+ years you will find it to be very good.
Yes there are problems in various facilities but the vast majority are dedicated and well versed in their profession. It is those others that you as a patient have got to report and stand up to. Remember, they are their to give you the health care you need and you have to let someone know that it isn't happening.

 

[waltky]

'Systemic malfeasance' at VA facilities...

Beyond Phoenix: VA IG report finds systemic malfeasance
August 27, 2014 WASHINGTON — The VA problems discovered in the inspector general audit released Tuesday go far beyond the Phoenix hospital system. Staff across the country including top leadership and managers were found guilty of ethical lapses and responsible for delays in veteran care at hundreds of facilities. Here are some of the other significant audit findings:

* Various hospitals and clinics used six distinct schemes to manipulate patient wait times, including keeping paper lists outside the official electronic schedule, listing next available slots as veterans’ desired appointment dates, and canceling and rescheduling solely to reduce the appearance of a wait.

* Despite the widespread manipulation, top VA management waived a requirement requiring certification of scheduling practices at hospitals and clinics during 2012 and 2013, which could have uncovered the activity. A VA official present when the decision was made said medical facility directors put up “significant resistance” and were “concerned about certifying results that may be later found inaccurate” by the IG.

* Instead of a certification, the VA allowed facility directors to do a self-review using a set checklist. Of 127 VA health care facilities that answered the self-review, 114 said they were in compliance and were identifying and avoiding inappropriate scheduling activities.

* IG Investigations of wait-time manipulation at 93 facilities nationwide are still ongoing after hundreds of complaints were filed in recent months. The FBI and Department of Justice are also involved, meaning criminal charges are possible.

* In the run-up to the ethics lapses around scheduling, the VA decided to eliminate its chief ethics officer overseeing the integrated network of health care facilities during a reorganization in 2011.

* Loopholes in the VA’s Vista electronic scheduling system, which the IG called “old and cumbersome,” were exploited by staff to game wait times. A failed VA project to replace it spent 5 years and more than $75 million but “failed to deliver a useable product because of ineffective planning and oversight.” A new effort began in May 2013 has invested over $14 million in planning but “to date, no solicitations have been issued for a replacement scheduling system.”

Beyond Phoenix VA IG report finds systemic malfeasance - Stripes

See also:

Philly VA training slides depicted veterans as ‘Oscar the Grouch’
August 27, 2014 ~ An internal training guide used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Philadelphia compares veterans unhappy about their care to Oscar the Grouch.

The beleaguered Department of Veterans Affairs depicted dissatisfied veterans as Oscar the Grouch in a recent internal training guide, and some vets and VA staffers said Tuesday that they feel trashed. The cranky Sesame Street character who lives in a garbage can was used in reference to veterans who will attend town-hall events Wednesday in Philadelphia. "There is no time or place to make light of the current crisis that the VA is in," said Joe Davis, a national spokesman for the VFW. "And especially to insult the VA's primary customer."

The 18-page slide show on how to help veterans with their claims, presented to VA employees Friday and obtained by The Inquirer, also says veterans might be demanding and unrealistic and tells VA staffers to apologize for the "perception" of the agency.

Oscar the Grouch during Sesame Street's 42nd season. An internal training guide used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Philadelphia compares veterans unhappy about their care to the Muppet character.

The spokeswoman from the Philadelphia VA benefits office - which will host the town halls Wednesday at noon and 6:30 p.m. - said in a statement that the agency regretted any misunderstanding caused by the slide show. "The training provided was not intended to equate veterans with this character," spokeswoman Marisa Prugsawan said. "It was intended to remind our employees to conduct themselves as courteously and professionally as possible when dealing with veterans and their concerns."

She said the guide appeared to be an old internal document from which employees at the Philadelphia office pulled information ahead of Friday's training. Prugsawan said she was unsure if the original slide show comparing veterans to Oscar had been created locally or by the national VA office and sent to regional centers. Whatever its origin, Davis said, the impact is clear. He said the reference "slams the door" on the agency's efforts to repair its relationship with veterans.

MORE

 

[waltky]

The heart of the issue...

CBO: Why VA claims exploded and ways to slow the trend
August 28, 2014 ~ America’s population of living veterans fell by almost five million, or 17 percent, from 2000 to 2013. So why did the number of veterans drawing disability compensation climb by 55 percent over that period? And why has yearly VA disability payments tripled since 2000 to reach $60 billion in 2014?

The Congressional Budget Office explains why in a new report, and the primary reason is not found among veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. That source of claims is significant but not yet near its peak. A greater factor has been liberalized laws and policies on “service connected” ailments, particularly decisions to compensate Vietnam War veterans for common medical conditions of aging and lifestyle because of an “association” with possible exposure to herbicides used in that war. For example, in 2000 only 38,000 veterans from all war eras were receiving disability compensation for diabetes. By last year, 320,000 veterans from the Vietnam War alone drew diabetes-related compensation.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expanded its list of diseases presumed caused by Agent Orange to ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and certain types of leukemia in 2010. By June of last year, that decision had led to VA processing 280,000 claims for the newly presumptive ailments and to making $4.5 billion in retroactive disability payments. Another factor of growth in VA claims has been a weak labor market, CBO says, which encourages out-of-work or underemployed veterans to apply for disability compensation. Current law allows them to do so at any age and as often as they like. Indeed, laws enacted in 2000 and 2008 required VA to strengthen the help given to veterans to apply for disability benefits and substantiate claims. VA also increased outreach to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and eased PTSD diagnostic requirements.

All such efforts, CBO says, are aided by the Internet and its capability to relay information quickly, and by websites that offer information on benefits and programs and encourages veterans to submit claims online. CBO prepared its report, Veterans’ Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options, at the request of the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Rep. Mike Michaud of Maine. As with most CBO reports, it offers only “objective, impartial analysis” and options, not recommendations. But the options for easing the river of VA compensation claims are, as expected, controversial. Many will be unpopular with veterans and condemned by powerful veteran service organizations, which would seem to make adoption by the Congress or VA unlikely outside of a larger bipartisan package of federal entitlement reforms.

For example, CBO floats three options to alter policies on identifying service-connected conditions and to conduct long-term monitoring of disability ratings. One would impose a time limit on filing initial claims. CBO notes that in 2012, roughly 43 percent of first-time recipients of disability pay had filed claims while 55 or older, even though most had left service by age 30. Seven percent of new claimants that year were 75 or older. “Many Vietnam veterans, all of whom are now over the age of 55, began to receive compensation recently for such common medical conditions as hearing loss (35,000 new cases in 2012) and tinnitus (40,000 new cases in 2012),” CBO points out.

MORE

See also:

Phoenix VA horror stories: Case file vignettes from VA IG investigation
August 27, 2014 ~ Here are some excerpts from some of the case files in the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general's investigation:

Case No. 29

In late summer 2013, a man in his early 60s with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and hepatitis B and C, had severely depressed cardiac function, indicating heart failure and increased risk for sudden death. He had an implantable defibrillator placed in his heart but it had been removed. A Phoenix cardiologist recommended that he have a similar device implanted in four to five weeks. In early 2014, still without the procedure, the man collapsed in his kitchen and died three days later. According to the report, timely placement of the device "might have forestalled that death."

Case No. 12

A man in his 70s with an elevated prostate-specific antigen was scheduled for a urology appointment in three months, but the appointment was canceled with the notation "provider not available." Four months after the initial request, the patient’s primary care provider requested non-VA urology care, which the VA denied. After four more months, the VA facility closed out the request. Nearly a year after his initial request, the patient was seen by a non-VA urologist and was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Case No. 35

A man in his late 40s with a history of depression came to the Phoenix VA ER with his parents after reporting paranoid delusions. After being evaluated by a nurse, he declined hospital admission, saying he would report to the hospital the next morning. Instead, he committed suicide. The report concludes that with "depression-induced" psychosis, the patient should have been involuntarily admitted for treatment.

Case No. 2

A man in his late 60s with hypertension, diabetes, cirrhosis, congestive heart failure and emphysema came to the Phoenix VA emergency department complaining of weakness and diarrhea. He was put on a list for a consult. After two hospitalizations at non-VA hospitals, the man died. Three months later, Phoenix VA staff called to schedule his appointment.

Case No. 16

 

[waltky]

VA disability claims records also manipulated to hide overly long delays...

Whistleblower claims records manipulation by VA appeals board
September 10, 2014 WASHINGTON — Mirroring a scandal that engulfed its health care system, VA managers handling disability benefit appeals also manipulated records to hide overly long delays in deciding cases, an agency whistleblower testified Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

The chairman and head office staff of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals shifted cases in a tracking system in 2012 to wipe evidence it had held some for months, and over a year in at least one case, Kelli Kordich, an attorney with the board, told a House Veterans Affairs subcommittee. The sworn testimony sparked concerns among lawmakers that the systematic practice of doctoring electronic records at hundreds of VA hospitals and clinics to disguise long wait times may have spread to other areas of the sprawling federal agency. The Board of Veterans’ Appeals, which now has 280,000 pending appeals cases, said the incidents happened two years ago and were quickly fixed.

Kordich said a VA union sent a letter to former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in June 2012 notifying him that board staff were unnecessarily delaying appeals. Veteran cases ranged from 120 to 415 days old, including five cases held personally by the board’s principal deputy vice chairman. “Most of the cases involved decisions on appeals of waiting veterans that already had been prepared by board attorneys and were simply awaiting the signature” of the head office staff, she said.

When the board became aware of the complaint to Shinseki, top staff members entered the electronic case tracking system and reassigned the old cases to new attorneys, Kordich said. “This had the effect of resetting the calculation of how many days the appeal had languished in one location,” Kordich said. She also outlined what she called a “toxic” office atmosphere characterized by “unchecked mismanagement, corruption and blatant disregard for out nation’s veterans.” Kordich said all the managers involved in delaying the appeals received employee bonuses and were later promoted.

Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, said he has been hearing warnings and complaints from veterans in his district about problems with the appeals board and delays of up to two years in VA reaching decisions. “I don’t think we realized the crisis that was developing in the appeals process,” he said. VA Board Vice Chairman Laura Eskenazi, who Kordich claimed personally delayed five appeals cases in 2012, told lawmakers that some cases languished due to specific issues preventing a decision or because board attorneys were overloaded with work. Eskenazi said she made changes that fixed the delays. “I’m happy to report the measures I took are still in place today and we did not go back to that same bottleneck,” she said.

Meanwhile, the board has focused for years on improving its workplace atmosphere, Eskenazi said. “I’ve done countless things to address [workplace] climate and I think we made improvements, but we still have work to do,” she said. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., said he did not accept Eskenazi’s explanation for the delayed appeals decisions, including one that took more than 600 days to resolve. “He was very busy and didn’t have time — that is the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard in my life,” Roe said. He said veterans sometimes depend on an appeals decision to pay for utilities and other basic necessities, and board staff should have to explain the delays in person.

Whistleblower claims records manipulation by VA appeals board - News - Stripes

See also:

'Tens of thousands' more medical staff needed, says VA chief
September 11, 2014 ~ The Department of Veterans Affairs needs “tens of thousands” more personnel working in VA hospitals and clinics to meet patient demand, the new VA Secretary, Robert “Bob” McDonald, told lawmakers Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

The size of the staff shortage, McDonald said, explains why VA has launched “a big recruiting effort” which he kicked off recently with visits to Duke University and University of Pennsylvania medical schools to tell students there why “VA is where they want to work.” Congress is pressing to clarify VA staff shortage as the department struggles to recover from a patient wait-time scandal, demand for care grows due to a force drawdown, and the nation at large also copes with a shortage of health workers, particularly mental health care capacity. McDonald got more specific than some senators expected, at one point estimating the VA staff shortage at 28,000 against current staffing of 300,000. McDonald attributed that figure to his deputy, Sloan Gibson, who was acting secretary after retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki resigned in May.

When 28,000 elicited a “Wow” from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), committee chairman, McDonald added that it includes both “clinicians and other employees.” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) later challenged the figure, telling McDonald VA can’t hold a reliable number on its medical staff shortage before it completes an ongoing study of staff productivity and patient demand. “How can you make a determination that you need 28,000 medical staff,” Tester asked. “I mean you’re a wonder-worker, probably, but in fact that information still hasn’t been hammered out.” McDonald conceded the point. “We are going through a process right now,” the secretary acknowledged, “where we are, location by location, specialty by specialty, [trying] to understand how many people we really need.”

Carolyn M. Clancy, a physician and interim under secretary for health at VA, is leading that process. She told Tester it should be completed by year’s end and will show both the number of clinicians VA needs and support staff “to make them as efficient and productive as possible.” A VA spokesperson later said the 28,000 estimate is rough, and reflects both current staff vacancies as well as future need for more physicians, nurses, other care providers and administrative staff. Tester asked what VA would even do with more physicians given how tight office space is at VA clinics and hospitals. “Where are you going to put these doctors,” he said, citing examining room shortages across VA including facilities in his home state. “Obviously you’re right,” McDonald said.

The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 enacted last month gives allow VA to open 27 more clinics. McDonald said he also favors leasing more space to deliver care “rather than building” facilities for a veteran population that tends to move over time. McDonald listed VA action since May and during his first five weeks as secretary to try to restore the confidence of veterans and nation in what has been a scandal-ridden VA health system. He praised the vast majority of employees dedicated to serving veterans and providing timely, quality care. He vowed that those who don’t put veterans first won’t be tolerated, and whistleblowers will be protected and even urged to expose wrongdoing.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Granny wants to know how dey rate a raise with the backlog dey got??...

VA announces boost to pay scales for doctors, dentists
September 17, 2014 ~ Veterans Affairs doctors and dentists could earn $20,000 to $35,000 more a year as part of new VA Secretary Bob McDonald’s plan to recruit and retain more providers for veterans, the VA announced Wednesday.

The VA has proposed the updated pay tables for doctors and dentists who provide care for veterans, but said the pay scale for physicians in leadership roles will not change. A VA spokesman said the possible increase of the minimum and maximum pay ranges is for new hires or to help retain current employees, and does not mean that all doctors and dentists will automatically get a raise. Instead, he said, each decision about pay will be based on the skills and qualifications of the doctor or dentist being recruited. McDonald foreshadowed the announcement Monday in San Diego, saying the VA needs to hire more doctors, nurses and clinicians and to “pay competitively” based on performance and experience to keep the new hires from leaving.

Competitive salaries are more important than ever for the VA, as the U.S. is in the midst of a doctor shortage that is expected to keep growing, reaching a national shortage of 130,600 doctors by 2025, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Medical schools have increased enrollment to meet the demand, but federally funded residency training programs remain in short supply because of a Congressionally mandated cap, according to the association. McDonald recently began a nationwide recruiting campaign in which he is visiting medical schools to tell new doctors why they should consider working for the VA.

As of Sept. 5, he said, the Veterans Health Administration had reduced the electronic waiting lists by 57 percent. “At VA, we have a noble and inspiring mission: to serve veterans, their survivors and dependents,” McDonald said in a written statement Wednesday. “We are committed to hiring more medical professionals across the country to better serve veterans and expand their access to timely, high-quality care.” Dr. Carolyn Clancy, the interim under secretary for health, said in a written statement that more competitive salaries will allow the VA to “attract and hire the best and brightest to treat veterans.”

According to a chart provided by the VA, average compensation for some specialities, such as psychiatry, are already in line with private sector salaries, while others — such gastroenterology, orthopedic surgery, primary care, diagnostic radiology and anesthesiology — are anywhere from $20,000 per year less to $165,000 per year less than those outside the VA system. The VA has also begun collaborating with nursing schools, partnering with the DOD and the services to recruit health care professionals when they leave active-duty service, expanding a program to hire combat medics and corpsmen as clinicians, and improving the credentialing process for VA and DOD health care providers, according to a VA press release.

VA announces boost to pay scales for doctors dentists - News - Stripes

See also:

Doctor: VA downplayed link between wait times, deaths
September 16, 2014: WASHINGTON — Contrary to the findings of the VA’s inspector general, there is a link between wait times and patient deaths at veterans hospitals, according to prepared testimony from a VA doctor.

“I believe the OIG case review overlooked actual and potential causal relationships between health care delays and veteran deaths,” Katherine Mitchell, medical director of the Phoenix VA Health Care System’s Iraq and Afghanistan Post-Deployment Center, said in a statement submitted for a House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Mitchell will be joined by retired Phoenix VA doctor Samuel Foote, who helped expose a growing scandal in veterans care. Foote said the Veterans Affairs Inspector General used a report on care at VA hospitals as damage control, rather than to get to the bottom of major deficiencies in the health care system. In his own testimony, Foote will say the Inspector General’s report looks like a coverup. “I would like to use this statement to comment on what I view as the foot-dragging, downplaying and frankly, inadequacy of the Inspector General’s Office,” Foote wrote in prepared testimony also to be delivered Wednesday.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee released several witness statements ahead of what looks to be a tense hearing Wednesday afternoon examining the health care scandal that led to the resignation of former VA secretary Eric Shinseki and led to calls for massive reforms and the firing of some officials. The Phoenix system, in particular, has become a poster child for VA dysfunction, with officials accused of manipulating data to cover up long wait times in order to receive higher bonuses. The committee has also requested testimony from Sharon Helman, the director of the Phoenix VA Health Care System, who has taken heavy criticism for her role in the scandal, but as of Tuesday evening had not confirmed her participation in the hearing.

An Inspector General investigation found substantial problems but stopped short of linking the deaths to delays in medical care. In his submitted testimony, Foote says VA pressure led the Inspector General’s office to soften the report, a claim the IG’s office denies. The VA Acting Inspector General Richard Griffin has defended his office’s handling of the investigation and its independence. In testimony submitted for Wednesday’s hearing, Griffin wrote: “In all instances, the OIG (Office of the Inspector General), not VA, dictated the findings and recommendations that appear in our final report.”

Doctor VA downplayed link between wait times deaths - News - Stripes

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - what took `em so long?...

VA removes Alabama medical director at center of scandal
October 24, 2014 WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs has removed an Alabama director who oversaw officials accused of falsifying data and manipulating patient records.

James Talton was the director of the Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System and had been on paid administrative leave since August, after revelations surfaced ranging from long wait times at system facilities to employees helping patients buy drugs. He was removed after an investigation by the Office of Accountability Review investigation substantiated allegations of “neglect of duty,” according to a VA statement.

The move comes a day after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other lawmakers blasted VA Secretary Bob McDonald for not doing enough to remove bad leaders amid a nationwide scandal in veterans’ health care. The scandal began this summer when whistleblowers revealed that officials had created secret wait lists to hide the facts that patients were denied care for months and that some died while awaiting treatment. It cost former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki his job and his replacement, McDonald, has been under increasing pressure to rid the system of officials seen as responsible for the problems.

James R. Talton

One criticism has been that some leaders the VA announced it had fired had been allowed to resign before termination. It was unclear whether Talton had resigned before he was terminated. VA spokesman Randy Noller said he could not comment on personnel issues. “This removal action underscores VA’s commitment to hold leaders accountable and get Veterans the care they need,” the VA statement said.

The VA statement does not specify what constituted neglect of duty, but among many revelations about the Central Alabama VA system, including records falsification, the most disturbing were reports of a VA employee helping a patient buy crack cocaine and prostitutes and another employee arrested for sexually abusing a volunteer with Down Syndrome. U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, has said Talton had lied to her about the scandal, telling her that all employees involved in falsifying wait times had been fired. Talton called it a “misunderstanding.”

VA removes Alabama medical director at center of scandal - Stripes

See also:

McCain, other lawmakers blast new VA director for reform delays
October 23, 2014 WASHINGTON — The VA and its inspector general were hit with new criticism from Congress this week over the handling of records manipulation in the Phoenix veterans’ hospital system.

Arizona senators John McCain and Jeff Flake on Thursday said newly appointed VA Secretary Bob McDonald is failing to terminate misbehaving executives such as disgraced Phoenix director Sharon Helman, despite a new law that fast-tracks firings. Meanwhile, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., on Wednesday questioned the VA inspector general’s integrity and independence after a 2008 memorandum was made public showing the IG knew about VA records manipulation in Phoenix years before it blew up into a national scandal.

The IG launched a review of the department’s entire health care system last spring after reports that perhaps dozens of veterans died while waiting for care in Phoenix, and VA managers and employees doctored appointment records to hide the long wait times. The investigation confirmed the clerical wrongdoing and McDonald promised this summer to overhaul the system by eliminating bad executives and bad practices, such as records manipulation and retaliation against whistleblowers. “The clearest example of your failure to change the culture at the VA is the continued employment of Sharon Helman … who has been on paid administrative leave for nearly six months,” McCain and Flake wrote in a Thursday letter. “Ms. Helman and other senior leaders collected huge bonuses for the timely delivery of health care to veterans, many of whom died while awaiting care after being placed on secret waiting lists.”

The lawmakers said the $16.3 billion overhaul of the VA signed into law in August that includes new powers for McDonald to fire executives is “being ignored” and said the secretary never responded to a similar letter last month requesting an update. “We are extremely disappointed in this lack of a timely response after the positive meeting we had and the assurances you gave us during your confirmation process,” they wrote. In a response to Stars and Stripes, the VA said it is working to build a strong leadership team but must wait for the conclusion of a federal probe before removing Helman. “The Department of Veterans Affairs … has proposed the removal of Phoenix VAMC Director Sharon Helman and two other senior leaders in Phoenix, and we await the results of the Department of Justice investigation,” VA spokeswoman Meagan Lutz wrote in an email.

The VA inspector general has also conducted a variety of investigations into the department and its hundreds of health care locations around the United States. The auditor recently defended its independence from critics after its probe of deaths in the Phoenix hospital system could not determine if they were caused by delays in care. But the debate was stoked again this week when a never-before-released 2008 IG memo was made public detailing records manipulation in Phoenix six years ago. “The failure to publicly release this information raises serious questions about the integrity and independence of the VAOIG,” Sinema wrote in letter to the IG Wednesday.

MORE

 

[Delta4Embassy]

This sounds like a pilot program for ObamaCare!

In order to deal with a backlog of requests for medical care, the health care bureaucrat vanguard stationed in the Veterans Administration decided to destroy the records...and voila! Much less backlog!

This is what we should expect as the ginormous snowball of ObamaCare Fake Coverage causes a big backlog of requests for care in networks that are too small to handle the demand.

Hopenchange!

mployees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) destroyed veterans’ medical files in a systematic attempt to eliminate backlogged veteran medical exam requests, a former VA employee told The Daily Caller.

Audio of an internal VA meeting obtained by TheDC confirms that VA officials in Los Angeles intentionally canceled backlogged patient exam requests.

“The committee was called System Redesign and the purpose of the meeting was to figure out ways to correct the department’s efficiency. And one of the issues at the time was the backlog,” Oliver Mitchell, a Marine veteran and former patient services assistant in the VA Greater Los Angeles Medical Center, told TheDC.

“We just didn’t have the resources to conduct all of those exams. Basically we would get about 3,000 requests a month for [medical] exams, but in a 30-day period we only had the resources to do about 800. That rolls over to the next month and creates a backlog,” Mitchell said. ”It’s a numbers thing. The waiting list counts against the hospitals efficiency. The longer the veteran waits for an exam that counts against the hospital as far as productivity is concerned.”

By 2008, some patients were “waiting six to nine months for an exam” and VA “didn’t know how to address the issue,” Mitchell said.

VA Greater Los Angeles Radiology department chief Dr. Suzie El-Saden initiated an “ongoing discussion in the department” to cancel exam requests and destroy veterans’ medical files so that no record of the exam requests would exist, thus reducing the backlog, Mitchell said.

Audio from a November 2008 meeting obtained by TheDC depicts VA Greater Los Angeles officials plotting to cancel backlogged exam requests.

“I’m still canceling orders from 2001,” said a male official in the meeting.

“Anything over a year old should be canceled,” replied a female official.

“Canceled or scheduled?” asked the male official.

“Canceled. …

Read more: VA destroyed veteran medical records to delete exam requests | The Daily Caller

That's clever. Can I do that with Mom's 'to-do list?' "Finished!"

 

[waltky]

Granny says can dey's bigwig butts...

VA allowing executives extra time to challenge firings
November 13, 2014: WASHINGTON — VA officials told lawmakers Thursday that it has been giving federal executives linked to its nationwide health care scandal more time to appeal firings because a new law aimed at faster terminations may violate their rights.

Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson told a House oversight committee the agency is allowing executives targeted for termination an additional five days to make their case. He said the VA fears the massive overhaul law passed over the summer does not provide enough time and would result in firings being overturned by an appeals board. Months after the overhaul law passed, the VA has proposed disciplinary action against about 42 executives but has not fired any managers linked to the manipulation of records to hide long wait times at veteran hospitals, including Sharon Helman, the director at the Phoenix clinic where the off-books scheduling scandal erupted. The lack of action has rankled some in Congress who want faster action to root out a widespread culture of wrongdoing that led to the problems. “The case law is very clear that we have to provide a reasonable opportunity [for VA executives] to respond to charges,” Gibson said.

The additional five days is not included in the law but was added after “clear and unequivocal” advice from VA legal counsel, he said. The overhaul passed in August streamlined an appeals process that often took many months and replaced it with one that can be completed in a month — one week for an executive to file an appeal and three weeks for an appeals board to rule on the appeal. Gibson said the additional time was an effort by VA to square the requirements of the new law with legal precedent that indicated executives are entitled to a longer appeals window. Members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee called the change an unnecessary new layer of bureaucracy that ignores the intent of Congress. “The law is clear — it says they should be fired,” said Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the veterans committee and a key architect of the VA overhaul law.

Miller said the agency does not appear to be taking the deep problems with employee misconduct seriously despite it blowing up into the biggest scandal in VA history. About 90 health care facilities across the country were found to have manipulated patient wait-time data and some doctors claimed vets may have died due to the delays. “I am not seeing the corresponding efforts to see those involved held accountable for their actions,” Miller said. The Senate has also strongly criticized the lack of firings. VA Secretary Bob McDonald has said in recent weeks there have been no terminations due to ongoing criminal investigations by the FBI and due to the agency’s efforts to compile cases against the employees.

Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, said he accepted Gibson’s explanation for the slow progress on rooting out employee misconduct, but the public is becoming impatient for action at facilities such as the El Paso VA in his district. O’Rourke asked Gibson how long it would take, “within this calendar year, within the next six months, to see the firings we are expecting?” Gibson said he would check with VA staff and get back to the congressman.

VA allowing executives extra time to challenge firings - News - Stripes

 

[waltky]

Retaliation against VA whistleblower...

Doctor says 'sham peer review' used to destroy his career after pointing out VA problems
December 15, 2014 — For 24 years, Navy Cmdr. Jeff Hawker served his country, leaving active duty to continue treating his military brethren as a Department of Veterans Affairs doctor. After he started working at the Salem VA Medical Center, though, he said it took just a few months for officials at the medical center to oust him and to destroy his career after he reported dangerous medical practices.

“You serve and you come back and you run into the corruption and malpractice” of the VA , he said. At a time when the VA is scrambling to hire doctors to make up for a critical shortfall, Hawker said he was the victim of a so-called “sham peer review,” a problem many say is widespread in the VA and little reported because the victims fear bringing attention to their negative reviews. Hawker said vindictive local VA officials have effectively ended his career after he voiced serious concerns about patient safety at a busy Virginia hospital, including a doctor performing procedures Hawker said he wasn’t trained to do and life-threatening medical errors. Worse, Hawker said, veterans there are still at serious risk months after he reported the problems.

His allegations, passed through the office of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., were enough to trigger a health care inspection by the VA Office of the Inspector General and an investigation by the Virginia Board of Medicine. Those inquiries are ongoing. “We are working diligently on it,” Veterans Affairs IG spokeswoman Catherine Gromek said. Investigators for the House Veterans Affairs Committee, whose chairman, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., has aggressively pursued cases of wrongdoing by VA officials, recently invited Hawker to meet with them to discuss his case.

Discrepancies noted

A Stars and Stripes review of documents related to Hawker’s case shows discrepancies in his treatment by the hospital. Seven months after revelations of data falsification and secret wait lists revealed a nationwide crisis in veterans’ health care, most of the officials linked to the scandal are still on the payroll, and fresh reports of malfeasance continue to surface. Miguel LaPuz, director of the Salem VA Medical Center, strongly denies Hawker’s claims of mistreatment and dangerous health care practices. “Do we subscribe to making sure the veterans receive good care or excellent care?” he said. “Yes we do.”

Hawker, who has been unemployed since January, filed a whistleblower protection complaint with the Office of Special Counsel claiming wrongful termination and asking for resinstatement as a VA physician. He said he will wait for that process to play out before deciding whether to file a lawsuit. The negative review has put “the scarlet letter on my chest,” said Hawker, 47. In October, he had a moving truck rented to take his possessions to Las Vegas, where he thought he had a job waiting for him. At the last minute, he said he got a call from a hospital official saying there would be no job offer because of the Salem review. An earlier offer from a Montana hospital was rescinded for the same reason, Hawker said. “Basically they’ve made me unemployable,” he said.

Noticing problems

 

[waltky]

Doctor fatally shot at El Paso veteran's clinic...

FBI: Gunman fatally shot doctor at Texas veterans' clinic
January 7, 2015 — The FBI has confirmed that a doctor was fatally shot at a West Texas veterans' clinic in an attack that also left the suspected gunman dead.

Special Agent Mike Martinez on Wednesday declined to identify the doctor or the gunman. The FBI is in the process of questioning hundreds of patients, staffers and others at the El Paso Veterans Affairs Health Care System clinic at Fort Bliss who may have witnessed the shooting Tuesday afternoon.

A Department of Homeland Security helicopter flies over the El Paso VA and Beaumont Army Medical Center campus during the search for a gunman in El Paso, Texas

Martinez says the FBI is taking the lead in the investigation because the shooting occurred on federal property. Investigators haven't said whether the gunman killed himself or was killed by someone else. They also have not indicated a motive for the shooting.

Martinez says the FBI will release more information at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

FBI Gunman fatally shot doctor at Texas veterans clinic CNS News

 

[waltky]

Killer had threatened slain doctor...

FBI: Gunman once threatened doctor he killed at VA
January 8, 2015 ~ A psychologist who was shot dead at a Texas veterans' hospital filed a complaint in 2013 saying his killer had threatened him, an FBI agent said Wednesday.

Dr. Timothy Fjordbak, 63, was killed Tuesday by Jerry Serrato, a former Army soldier who worked for a brief time at the hospital as a check-in clerk. Serrato killed himself after shooting the doctor. FBI Special Agent in Charge Doug Lindquist said Fjordbak had reported to police in October 2013 that Serrato verbally threatened him at a grocery store. Serrato approached Fjordbak, who didn't recognize him, Lindquist said. The nature of the threat was "I know what you did, and I will take care of it," the agent said. Peter Dancy, the facility's director, said there is no indication the two had a professional relationship when Serrato worked at the clinic.

Authorities said there were no records of any other threats to any other employees at the El Paso VA Health Care System. Fjordbak was a "very respected doctor," Lindquist said. The doctor left private practice after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to treat military veterans returning from combat. The doctor was killed on the fourth floor of the facility with a .380-caliber pistol. Serrato, 48, shot himself on the third floor, Lindquist said.

The gunman was carrying three additional magazines with him. The motive for the shooting was unclear. The VA facility was closed Wednesday and will not open Thursday. Dancy said hospital officials would reschedule patients' appointments.

FBI Gunman once threatened doctor he killed at VA - CNN.com

 

[waltky]

Gov't. feather-bedders May Face Charges for Abusing Positions for Personal Gain...

VA Officials May Face Charges for Abusing Positions for Personal Gain
Sep 28, 2015 | Two senior Department of Veterans Affairs officials could face criminal prosecution after the agency investigators found they coerced two VA regional office directors to leave their jobs so that they could then fill them.

Diana Rubens had been a deputy under secretary for field operations until she took over as director for Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Philadelphia in June 2014. Kimberly Graves, formerly director of the Veterans Benefits Administration's Eastern Area Office (now called the North Atlantic District) took over as director of the St. Paul, Minnesota, VARO in October 2014. "Our analysis of available evidence indicated two directors appear to have been inappropriately coerced to leave positions they were not interested in leaving to create vacancies for Ms. Rubens and Ms. Graves," the IG investigators said in the report.

The IG made criminal referrals to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia on the actions "orchestrated" by Rubens and Graves and said formal decisions on whether to prosecute are pending. Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said he expects the federal attorney's office to weigh the criminal referral and, if warranted, prosecute the officials "to the fullest extent of the law." "This report is simply the latest in a long line of investigations showing VA officials helping themselves instead of helping America's veterans," Miller said.

The IG also is recommending the VA look into disciplinary actions against several officials for their roles in Rubens' move to Philadelphia, including VBA Under Secretary Allison Hickey, who told investigators she picked Rubens for the job. Rubens and Graves both moved into jobs that carried much less responsibility and fell lower on the SES pay scale than they were getting, but retained their high six-figure salaries. Rubens was earning $181,000 and Graves $174,000.

MORE VA Officials May Face Charges for Abusing Positions for Personal Gain | Military.com

 

[Moonglow]

Good, sadistic bastards...

 

[waltky]

VA officials clam up at Congressional hearing...

Subpoenaed VA Officials Refuse to Testify at Congressional Hearing
Nov 03, 2015 | Two Veterans Affairs Department senior executives invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination Monday at a congressional inquiry into claims they pushed other executives out of jobs that they then took over.

Diana Rubens, director of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Regional Office, and Kimberley Graves, director of the St. Paul, Minnesota Regional Office, plead the Fifth more than a half dozen times to questions from House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Florida. The two are now facing disciplinary action under the provisions of the Accountability Act Congress passed last year to fast-track firings of VA employees for misbehavior or incompetence, Danny Pummill, principal deputy undersecretary for benefits, told lawmakers. "They are now in the appeal process," Pummill said. "At the end of seven days, we can tell the committee what the punishment was."

In addition to securing positions they wanted, the two also allegedly benefited improperly from a relocation assistance program that provided them with hundreds of thousands of dollars to move to their new jobs, according to the VA's Office of the Inspector General. Pummill said department lawyers advised that he could not divulge the disciplinary action being recommended until the appeal period ends. Miller excused the women from the hearing after about 30 minutes, when it was clear they were not going to answer questions. The IG has made criminal referrals to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia based on the actions "orchestrated" by Rubens and Graves.

The rare nighttime hearing was spurred by the failure last month of VA to allow Rubens, Graves and the officials they're accused of pushing out of their jobs to testify. The House panel on Oct. 21 voted to subpoena Rubens and Graves, as well as Antoine Waller, the former St. Paul director who was directed to take the Baltimore job, and Robert McKenrick, who was told to leave the Philadelphia directorship for one in Los Angeles. But if lawmakers were expecting to hear the allegations against Rubens and Graves uniformly backed by the executives they succeeded, they were surprised.

MORE

 

[waltky]

2 VA senior executives demoted...

2 VA Officials Demoted Amid Job-Manipulation Allegations
Nov 21, 2015 | Two high-ranking officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs were demoted Friday in response to allegations that they manipulated the agency's hiring system for their own gain.

The VA said in a statement that Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves were demoted from senior executives -- the highest rank for career employees -- to general workers within the Veterans Benefits Administration. Rubens was paid $181,497 as director of the Philadelphia regional office for the VBA, while Graves earned $173,949 as leader of the St. Paul, Minnesota, regional office. The VA's acting inspector general said in a report this fall that Rubens and Graves forced lower-ranking regional managers to accept job transfers against their will. Rubens and Graves then stepped into the vacant positions themselves, keeping their pay while reducing their responsibilities.

Subpoenaed witnesses, including Philadelphia and Wilmington Regional Offices Director Diana Rubens (second from left) and St. Paul Regional Office Director Kimberly Graves (fourth from left) appear on Capitol Hill​

Rubens and Graves refused to testify to Congress earlier this month, telling lawmakers they were asserting their Fifth Amendment rights to protect themselves against self-incrimination. Before taking the regional jobs, Rubens was a deputy undersecretary at the VA's Washington headquarters, while Graves was director of VBA's 14-state North Atlantic Region. Rubens and Graves kept their top-level salaries in their new positions, even though they had less responsibility and a lower pay range than their previous positions. Rubens grew up near Philadelphia, while Graves has family in Minnesota, the IG's report said.

In addition to naming themselves to vacancies, Rubens and Graves obtained more than $400,000 in questionable moving expenses through a relocation program for VA executives, the IG's report said. The two face possible criminal prosecution. The relocation program has since been suspended, the VA said in congressional testimony this month. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said Rubens and Graves "clearly should have been fired," adding that, "for those wondering whether VA is committed to real accountability for corrupt employees, VA leaders answered that question (Friday) with a resounding 'no.'"

MORE

 

[waltky]

Granny says fire his butt...

Implicated VA Exec: Fire Me or Let Me Go Back to Work
Jan 07, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- A key executive in the wait list scandal at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System claims he's been held on paid administrative leave for 19 months because the VA lacks evidence to fire him.

Lance Robinson, the assistant director at the Phoenix VA, was placed on leave May 30, 2014, after the VA office of inspector general found he was accountable for a scheme to cook the books at the facility to cover up dangerously long patient wait times. Robinson was suspended with pay for failure to provide oversight while patient appointment requests were either hidden or destroyed. Another VA investigative body, the Office of Accountability Review, later found Robinson had retaliated against one of the whistleblowers.

Robinson's attorneys, in a Dec. 28 letter to Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the committee's ranking member, disputed the VA's stated reasons for disciplinary delays and cited external reviews that they say cleared their client of any wrongdoing. "The fact that the VA has not actually terminated Mr. Robinson is its own admission that he did nothing wrong," Robinson's lawyer, Julia Perkins of Shaw, Bransford and Roth, said in a statement. "They don't know what to do with him," she told Stars and Stripes. "They aren't willing to admit they were wrong because it is too high profile."

When the scandal erupted in May 2014, the VA office of inspector general found that more than 1,700 patients were languishing without care because their names were left off the electronic wait list for appointments. The scandal wrought havoc at the VA, cascading into revelations of cover-ups of months-long patient wait times nationwide and leading to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. Robinson's statement is the latest in a series of contradictory accounts that have emerged since the scandal erupted, leading to an ever-murkier public understanding of the case and who should be held accountable.

One official with the House Veterans Affairs Committee said the VA's "outright foot-dragging" of disciplinary cases created an environment rife with conflicting accounts. He agreed with Robinson's attorney that the only way to get to the truth is for the VA to move forward with its cases against Robinson and another VA official, Health Administration Service Chief Brad Curry, who also remains on paid administrative leave. Keeping them on indefinite paid leave is unfair to them and a waste of taxpayer dollars, he added. The VA responded to questions about Robinson's letter only in general terms.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Shenanigans at Cincinnatti VA, Pennsylvania drunk nurse come to light...

Cincinnati VA Officials Face Disciplinary Actions, Possible Charges
Feb 25, 2016 | The director of the Veterans Affairs Department's regional service network in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jack Hetrick, turned in his resignation on Thursday after hearing from VA headquarters he was to be fired and dismissed from federal service.

At the same time VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin said he has removed the Cincinnati VA Medical Center's acting chief of staff, Dr. Barbara Temeck, from her job pending administrative action. Investigators found evidence that Temeck ordered veterans be sent into the community for care as a cost-shifting measure, resulting in poor quality of care. They also substantiated misconduct by both Hetrick and Temeck related to Temeck's providing prescriptions and other medical care to members of Hetrick's family.

Some of the substantiated allegations may result in a criminal investigation, according to the VA. "We are committed to sustainable accountability," Gibson said in announcing the actions against the two. "We will continue to use VA's statutory authority to hold employees accountable where warranted by the evidence. That is simply the right thing to do for veterans and taxpayers." The Cincinnati VA facility has been the subject of VA investigations dealing with patient care and alleged employee misconduct.

Dr. Barbara Temeck​

The state's two U.S. Senators -- one a Republican and the other a Democrat -- urged the VA to move quickly to get to the bottom of the allegations just last week, and law makers from both parties and both chambers have regularly pressed the VA to hold employees more accountable for bad behavior. But Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Florida, who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee, expressed doubts that either Hetrick or Temeck will face significant punishment, claiming that the federal Civil Service system "is designed to coddle and protect corrupt and incompetent employees" and that President Obama does nothing to change that. Miller said Hetrick "will retire -- likely with full benefits and a lifetime pension," while Temeck "will remain on the department's payroll making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for the foreseeable future."

Since last month at least two Senior Executive Service-level employees demoted and transferred to lesser jobs by the VA were ordered returned to their previous positions by the Merit Systems Protection Board that adjudicates appeals brought by the high-level Civil Service workers. Hetrick told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Feb. 17 that he could not say much about the investigations, though did tell the paper VA was "reviewing a number of employee allegations about certain things at the hospital. I cannot get too much into it. It's part of what the Washington review is looking at." The VA investigators did not substantiate any impropriety with respect to community care referrals or quality of care for veterans.

Cincinnati VA Officials Face Disciplinary Actions, Possible Charges | Military.com

See also:

Nurse Accused of Participating in Surgery at VA Hospital While Drunk
Feb 25, 2016 - A Pennsylvania nurse was under the influence of alcohol while assisting with an emergency surgery at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center earlier this month, police said.

Asked during a police interview why he thought he was being questioned, 59-year-old registered nurse Richard J. Pieri allegedly answered, "I guess it has something to do with me being drunk on call," according to The Times Leader. Pieri was charged with reckless endangerment, driving under the influence and public drunkenness stemming from the Feb. 4 incident. Pieri allegedly forgot he was on call on the evening of the surgery and reportedly told police that he drank four or five beers while playing slot machines at the Mohegan Sun casino in the Poconos. He was called to the hospital just before midnight, according to WNEP.

Surveillance video reportedly shows Pieri get out of his truck and bump into a concrete barrier on his way into the medical center. He nearly falls and stumbles numerous times, according to an affidavit viewed by The Times Leader. His duties during the appendectomy procedure included prepping and retrieving the patient, preparing surgical materials, documenting the surgery and monitoring the patient's vital signs, the affidavit stated. But Pieri allegedly struggled to complete these tasks, finding it difficult to log in to a hospital computer and incorrectly logging times, The Morning Call reported. A coworker anonymously reported Pieri, according to WNEP.

The patient, who is not being identified, was re-admitted following the procedure for stomach pain. It's not clear if that admission was linked to the first surgery in any way. Pieri's status at the hospital also is unclear. A spokesperson told The Times Leader he was unable to comment on personnel matters. Pieri has been a licensed registered nurse since March 1979 and had no previous disciplinary issues, The Times Leader reported, citing the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Nurse Accused of Participating in Surgery at VA Hospital While Drunk | Military.com