Watchdog Releases Reports on VA Wait-Time Manipulations

Reports documenting scheduling problems and wait-time manipulation at the Department of Veterans Affairs are being made public, as the agency's internal watchdog bows to pressure from members of Congress and others to improve transparency.

The VA's Office of Inspector General released 11 reports Monday outlining problems at VA hospitals and clinics in Florida. The reports are the first of 77 investigations to be made public over the next few months.

The reports detail chronic delays for veterans seeking medical care and falsified records covering up the long waits. Intentional misconduct was substantiated in 51 of 77 completed investigations.

A scandal over veterans' health care emerged in Phoenix nearly two years ago following complaints that as many as 40 patients died while awaiting care at the city's VA hospital.

A 2014 report by the inspector general's office said workers at the Phoenix hospital falsified waiting lists while their supervisors looked the other way or even directed it, resulting in chronic delays for veterans seeking care. Similar problems were discovered at VA medical centers nationwide, affecting thousands of veterans and prompting an outcry in Congress that continues as lawmakers and agency leaders struggle over how to improve the VA.

Lawmakers have directed some of their ire at the inspector general's office, saying the agency's acting chief has not moved fast enough to make its reports public.

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