STORE DOES WHAT VA CAN’T
What the Veterans Administration failed to do for double amputee Michael Sulsona in two years, some New York hardware store workers did in an hour: Fixed his worn-out wheelchair. The 62-year-old Vietnam veteran said he petitioned the VA for a new chair two years ago, but received no reply. While he as at a Lowe’s home improvement store on Staten Island last week, a bolt on his wheelchair snapped. Lowe’s employees stayed after their 10 p.m. quitting time to do the repair, for free. After Sulsona wrote a letter to a local newspaper to thank store employees, the VA heard about him and sent him a brand-new wheelchair Tuesday. VA spokesman Jim Blue acknowledged that too many vets wait too long to receive health care benefits.
— Associated Press
The Department of Veterans Affairs has lost the trust of veterans and the American people as a result of widespread treatment delays for people seeking health care and the falsification of records to cover up those delays, the agency’s top official said Wednesday.
Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said the agency has created an environment where workers are afraid to raise concerns or offer suggestions for fear of retaliation and has failed to hold employees accountable for wrongdoing or negligence.
The agency also has devoted too many resources to meeting performance metrics — such goals for scheduling of patient appointments within certain periods — that were subject to manipulation and may not accurately reflect quality of care, Gibson said.
“As a consequence of all these failures, the trust that is the foundation of all we do — the trust of the veterans we serve and the trust of the American people and their elected representatives — has eroded,” Gibson told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Illustrating the depths of the agency’s woes, the VA’s Office of Inspector General said Wednesday it is investigating possible wrongdoing at 87 VA medical facilities nationwide, up from 69 last month.
Despite its problems, Gibson said the VA can turn itself around “in as little as two years” if given additional resources by Congress. The Obama administration has expressed support for Senate bill approved last month by the Democratic-majority Senate authorizing $35 billion in new spending to build clinics, hire doctors and make it easier for veterans who can’t get prompt appointments with VA doctors to get outside care. Any legislation would need approval by the Republican-majority House to become law, and House and Senate negotiators are working to reach a less costly compromise.
Gibson said he supports increased access to outside care for veterans, a feature of both the Senate and House proposals intended to compensate for the VA’s overextended resources. But he said believes “the greatest risk to veterans over the immediate to long term is that additional resources are provided only to support increased purchased care in the community and not to materially remedy the historic shortfall” for VA operations and facilities.
At a minimum, the VA needs $17.6 billion over the next three years to address shortfalls in clinical staff, office space and information technology, he said.
Gibson took over as acting secretary May 30 after VA Secretary Eric Shinseki was forced to resign amid a growing uproar over treatment delays and other problems at VA hospitals and clinics nationwide, including reports that dozens of patients died while awaiting treatment at the Phoenix VA hospital.
Gibson also told the Senate panel he is committed to restoring the trust of veterans and the American people through a series of actions including:
• Getting 160,000 veterans off waiting lists and into clinics.
• Fixing systemic scheduling problems.
• Addressing cultural issues that have allowed problems at the agency to fester.
• Holding front-line workers and supervisors accountable for willful misconduct or negligence.
• Improving transparency, including regular and ongoing disclosures of information about patient scheduling and care.
Lawmakers generally welcomed Gibson’s comments, but said the agency has a long way to go to restore trust.
“What has happened over the course of years is a horrendous blemish on the VA’s reputation, and much more work will be needed to repair that damage,” said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. “The culture that has developed at VA and the lack of management and accountability is simply reprehensible.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent and, chairman of the Senate veterans panel, said he has been impressed by the response of Gibson and other VA leaders to the current crisis, but added: “The simple reality is that the problems they face are staggering.”
About the Author
