We urge the committee to pursue broader legislation that would apply to civil servants in other federal agencies. Multiple investigations into allegations regarding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), conducted by the VA Inspector General, confirmed allegations of long wait times and falsification of scheduling records. The VA’s main goal is to provide essential medical treatment to veterans who have served in the military. After enrolling in the VA system veterans provide their financial information, which is then used to determine priority ranking among veterans (Zezima 2014). Department guidelines stipulate that patients are supposed to see a doctor within 14-30 days of the processing of this requisite paperwork. Despite complaints
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The investigation found that officials falsified records, and hid the amount of time veterans waited for appointments. It was found that veterans waited an average of 115 days for their first medical appointment and, in some cases, veterans passed away before receiving care. While there was no definitive connection between the long wait times and the deaths, long waiting periods raise the risk that government malpractice could directly lead to veteran deaths (Veteran's Affairs Office of Inspector General 2014). The VA’s Office of the Medical Inspector additionally concluded that clerks at a clinic in Fort Collins were specifically directed to falsify records in order to make it seem as if doctors were reaching daily appointment goals (Zezima, 2014). Furthermore, it was found that veterans were sometimes kept on unofficial, “secret”, waitlists which were meant to alleviate criticism directed towards officials over poor performance. In some cases false information was also used to determine eligibility for awards and pay raises for officials hitting their meeting
The investigation found that officials falsified records, and hid the amount of time veterans waited for appointments. It was found that veterans waited an average of 115 days for their first medical appointment and, in some cases, veterans passed away before receiving care. While there was no definitive connection between the long wait times and the deaths, long waiting periods raise the risk that government malpractice could directly lead to veteran deaths (Veteran's Affairs Office of Inspector General 2014). The VA’s Office of the Medical Inspector additionally concluded that clerks at a clinic in Fort Collins were specifically directed to falsify records in order to make it seem as if doctors were reaching daily appointment goals (Zezima, 2014). Furthermore, it was found that veterans were sometimes kept on unofficial, “secret”, waitlists which were meant to alleviate criticism directed towards officials over poor performance. In some cases false information was also used to determine eligibility for awards and pay raises for officials hitting their meeting