Arlington, VA — Today the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a new report confirming that just two years ago veterans were dying waiting for care at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Los Angeles, California.
The report found 225 patients died with open or pending consults at the time of their deaths, and that 117 of those patients were experiencing delays in getting care. The report ultimately showed that 43 percent of consults weren’t timely because VA employees at the facility weren’t following proper procedure.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Policy Director Dan Caldwell issued the following statement:
“VA negligence can be a matter of life or death. While the VA wait scandal received the most attention a few years ago, the reality is that Congress hasn’t done anything to change the toxic culture at the VA and we can’t be sure that veterans still aren’t dying waiting for care. We urge California Senators to step forward in support of strong accountability measures like the VA Accountability First Act, which would make it easier to fire the bad employees who put veterans’ lives at risk.”
In 2014, reports emerged that veterans at the Phoenix VA and VA facilities across the country were potentially dying waiting for care as VA employees manipulated wait lists.
CVA supports the VA Accountability First Act, a bill which would make it easier to fire bad VA employees and protect whistleblowers. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support earlier this year.
CVA recently launched ads targeting Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) which urge her to support the bill. “How many more veterans will die waiting for care?” the web ad asks.
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